Official Tire Review

[Perry Bullard]

I know how irritating it is to search for new tires, and see reviews that are on other vehicles.
Post up what tires, size, mileage,price. What you use them for, how the traction is, and if you would recommend others to purchase, ect...
This will give people an idea what tires they need or are looking for, whether for the track, snow, or just daily use.

I will go first:

Yokohama
Avid Envigor
235/40R18
$660 for all 4 at Tirerack.com
Little over 16,000 miles with little tread left
High Performance All-Season
The traction is great in the rain and in dry conditions, live in SoCal so no snow.
I drive hard sometimes and only on the street no track
I would not recommend due to the short tread life

They are going to be replaced by BFGoodrich G-force T/A KDW, I do not know how these are.
Which was $750 on onlinetires.com

[FulhamFTW]

Great idea for a thread. I may get flamed for this review, but, here it goes....tire snobs, close your eyes....

Brand: Achilles http://www.achillesradial.com/en/tir...chilles-2233-5
Model: 2233
Size: 235/35/19
Mileage: 2,000
Type: Performance All-Season
Cost: $85 each(a little over $400 shipped for all 4)
Website: OnlineTires.com

So, I blew a tire recently and had no desire to spend a ton of money on tires after spending a ton on christmas gifts, and since I don;t plan on keeping these wheels anyway. After looking around online, I came across the little known Achilles Brand. I was originally going to get their ATR Sports, as I read quite a few good reviews(maybe 2 negative out of 50+). Onlinetire.com said they had them, so I ordered a set, but they ended up not having them after all, so they switched me to 2233 model. When I got them, they seemed to be of good quality, and after a little over 2k miles, I have to say that I am quite impressed, especially since I was coming from Michelin Super Sports. They seemd hard and loud at first, but they broke in pretty quickly and are actually quieter than the Super Sports. In the short time that I have had them, I have been able to test them in dry, wet, and snow. I consider myself an aggressive driver, and these things do a great job of sticking in all conditions. I had heard that the ATR sports weren't great in snow, but these did the job pretty well. While I don't have any reviews of track driving, I would highly reccomend these for anyone looking for a decent daily driver tire that won't break the bank.

[Tinpusher]

They are going to be replaced by BFGoodrich G-force T/A KDW, I do not know how these are.
Which was $750 on onlinetires.com

These tires were on my S4 when I bought it. They were about half worn and extremely noisy. Like "get these things off the car ASAP" noisy.

[99PanozAIV]

I had been switching between factory tires and snow tires and, for this area and my driving, it wasn't worth it. I wanted a decent performing all-season tire with a smooth quiet ride, i.e. a touring tire really, since that's mostly the kind of driving I do (if I want to gray my hair more, I take the Panoz). Anyway, I'm very happy with these so far. I have just about 10,000 miles.

Brand: Kumho
Model: Ecsta LX Platinum
Size: 235/40R18
Type: Ultra High Performance All Season
Mileage: under 10K
Cost: don't remember but reasonable and I'd say now, well worth it. 60,000 mile limited tread warranty!
Website: http://www.kumhotireusa.com/tire/cat...7-58F1418BE802

I don't drive my car that hard in terms of cornering but so far I've been very happy with these and will buy them again unless they go south suddenly but from looks of tread, I think they're going to be fine.

[M|R]

Bridgestone
Potenza RE970AS
235/40R18
Dont remember how much, but did get one hell of a deal.
More than 15k on them, plenty of life left. I do regular rotations btw.
High Performance All-Season
Excellent dry traction (regular and spirited), no complaints or issues in rainy or wet conditions. Been in the snow a few times, very surprising at how good they are. Ive had to stop completely on hills before and have no issues starting/stopping, while the Tahoe next to me was struggling to get up the hill.
I drive mildly...a good mix between regular and spirited driving.
Would definitely recommend.

[Qtip]

Bought my 2004 S4 a year ago in February. These tires were on it (about 50% tread left) and I really liked the tread pattern. They were quiet, and had a lot of grip but towards the end of their service life they created a strong 'pull' on one side. I liked them enough to buy another set. Plus they were dirt cheap! I got about 12k on 50% tread. I'm not an agressive driver, and never track or race (in case any cops are reading this). ;^)

Brand: Federal
Model: SS-595 91W BSW
Size: 235/40R18
Type: Performance All Season
Mileage: New
Cost: $75 ea.
Website: http://www.onlinetires.com/products/...5+91w+bsw.html

Im getting these next time:

http://www.onlinetires.com/products/...ictra+95w.html

[Qtip]

I'm no tire specialist but the tread pattern says a lot to me. I don't care much for straight grooves with solid edges. It would seem that it would be a good tire only if you are never in a curve or corner. V-pattern grooves seem to be the best of both worlds, especially if the grooves go all the way to the edge of the tire. They have great rain channeling that continues to excise water away from the tire while turning. The Maxxis MA-Z1 Victra is a good example of this. See how the groove extends all the way to the edge of the tire? The Michelin Pilot Sport is another great example.

For the straight grooves, the Pirelli PZero Nero looks great but the water seems like it would be 'trapped' in a hard corner because the edge grooves are perpendicular to the center grooves. Any comments?

[ASneakyGoomba]

Im gonna go out on a limb and say that Pirelli probably did their homework and that water is not "trapped" anywhere during hard cornering

[Qtip]

Im gonna go out on a limb and say that Pirelli probably did their homework and that water is not "trapped" anywhere during hard cornering

Of course I agree. Like I said, it is just an opinion from a laymans view, and not a technical analysis. Just wanted to hear some feedback of other opinions from the way tires LOOK. Thanks.

[sitting proper]

These tires were on my S4 when I bought it. They were about half worn and extremely noisy. Like "get these things off the car ASAP" noisy.

That's where I'm at right now. I was driving down the highway last night, and the tire noise was terribly loud. They are brand new tires, and they aren't that great for $175 a piece.

[wws]

I have the Pirelli P-Zero Nero all season tires and they are fantastic in wet or dry.

[lathdogg]

Bridgestone
Potenza RE970AS
235/40R18

I've only had these on for a few thousand miles but really like them so far. Ive driven in heavy rain, snow and ice, and They perform VERY well in every category except ice braking. However, these are the only all season tire I've had on my car, so I am comparing them to the all season michelins on my passat. I would definetly recommend them and paid about $200 per tire.

[madkimchi]

These tires were on my S4 when I bought it. They were about half worn and extremely noisy. Like "get these things off the car ASAP" noisy.

+1 DO NOT GET KDW!! STAY AWAY AS FAR AS YOU CAN. don't buy it period. if you get em for free then just sell it. it's that bad. only good thing about this tire is, it's so hard that it will last you a long time. but ridiculously noisy. i couldn't stand it.

Brand: Continental
Model: DW
Size: 235/35/19
Type: performance summer
cost: i think $200 or so per tire.

great tires for the money. shortly after i bought it i drove it over the brand new road and damn that was so smooth. i can almost say this was like baby skin smooth. i highly recommend these.

[mgikone69]

These tires were on my S4 when I bought it. They were about half worn and extremely noisy. Like "get these things off the car ASAP" noisy.

+1
"Hard head gotta feel it to believe it"

I'm one of those guys that said ehhh it cant be that loud...bought em for my RX8 and yea they are annoyingly loud, as a daily driver i'd be highly upset. Luckily i have them on my weekend driver.

[Perry Bullard]

how bout the goodyear eagle gt?

going to be returning the g-force T/A KDW2's tomorrow. lol

[bswomack]

how bout the goodyear eagle gt?

I run the eagle gt. I really like the looks of them. I get good wear out of them too, and for me they seem really quite. They get noisey toward the end of life but that is probably due to my setup, they get pretty worn on the inside. Otherwise they are a great buy, ordered them from tire rack.

Food for thought/debate. I got new tires to pass inspection but the dealer was trying to push the continental contitacts, but I knew I would wear those out in a minute so I did my own purchasing. Looked at the Continental DWS A/S tires but got feed back from the dealer that they are somewhat noisey as are the Pirelli PZero, which is why Audi has switched from using/selling both of those (atleast where I am at). They really push for for selling the contitact, I am def thinking this is more of a money (@350 a tire) thing rather than these other tires being noisey or not as good. Any thoughts would be appreciated for future tire purchases. But I do like the eagle gt, this is my second set of those.

[Black3.2]

Michelin Pilot Super Sport - never been on a better street tire, that is all i have to say about that. I think they were $210 a tire in that ballpark at least

[FulhamFTW]

Michelin Pilot Super Sport - never been on a better street tire, that is all i have to say about that. I think they were $210 a tire in that ballpark at least

What size were you running? For 19's, that is a good price.

[WinterRunner]

Michelin pilot super sports as well, in 255/35/19, again best street tire I've ever been on, and Ive tried most of the major European brands... Ive only put about 5K miles so far on them, but if they are anny thing like the PS2s, I think I'll be good for about 30K miles total or so... I drive very aggressively, but street only.

[LJH]

I am shocked how many automotive enthusiasts are running "off brand" tires....Personally, tires are one of the last places I would skimp on my car.

Here are a couple tires I have recent experience with, not all have been on the S4:

Tire: Nitto NT-05
Size: 235/40/18
Car: '04 S4
Mileage:@8K
Comments: As you know this is a max performance summer tire bordering on a track day DOT approved tire. Down side is that they are very stiff and do not do well in standing water. Pluses are the turn in and ultimate road holding. These types of tires are not for everyone but I have been running this type of tire for 20 years on the street. If you are looking for ultimate road holding and do not care all that much about ride quality these are not a bad way to go. They offer a 95XL load rating in the stock size. Wear is surprisingly good but to be honest the car gets a a lot of its mileage on the highway. I have done a couple Auto-X's with these are they did great. I would buy these again.

Tire: Dunlop M3 Winter
Size: 215/50/17
Car: '04 S4
Milage: @6K
Mixed feelings about these. The ride is cushy as you might imagine with the 50 series profile, turn in and ultimate adhesion are sketchy at best but this might be because I am use to the NT05's. I know these are a "performance" snow tire so give some performance up on a true snow tire but they are just "OK" in snow....don't get me wrong they are not bad but nothing like a Hakka or even my old Dunlop Graspic's in the snow. They were cheap and some of my dislikes may stem from my extreme sizing, these are 95XL rated.

Tire: Conti DWS
Size: 205/55/16
Car: '09 Jetta Sport Wagon
Mileage: @50K
I mounted these on my company car when the original Michelin MXV (?) where done. Pluses include comfortable ride, great wet traction, surprisingly good snow traction, and good wear. Negatives are turn in and noise, they have gotten loud as they get towards the end of their life (now). All in all a decent tire but I will be replacing them with the Bridgestone RE970's (On order).

Tire: Bridgestone RE970AS
Size: 235/50/17
Car: '08 Subaru Outback XT 5MT
Mileage: @3K
I have to say for a all season tire I am impressed. I do not have huge amount of experience with them as they are on the wife's car but I have done about half of the 3K miles on them. Compared to the old RE960's that these replaced they are heads and shoulders over them in all aspects. They stick well in the dry and wet, their snow traction is decent, turn in is sharp and the ride is very nice...all in all I like them and that is why I am putting them on the Jetta.

Cheers,
Jim

[Tinpusher]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one to find the KDWs that awful.

As for my tires:

Winter:

Brand: Dunlop Winter Sport 3D
Size: 225/45/17
Mileage: 10,000km/6,000 miles so far this winter
Type:Winter Performace
Cost: $250 each (buy 3 get 1 free)
Sullivan Tire Boston MA.

Mixed winter driving: very quiet and sure footed on dry pavement. Good on ice, snow a bit squirrelly in slush.

Non-winter:

Brand: Bridgestone 970AS
Size: 235/40/18
Mileage: 12,000km 7,000 miles
Type: Performance All-Season
Cost: $240
Costco.ca

Very quiet and planted in the dry and wet. Hopefully better treadlife than the 760s they replaced. They lasted 2 summers, so about 30,000km/20,000 miles.

[quaudi]

I know how irritating it is to search for new tires, and see reviews that are on other vehicles.
Post up what tires, size, mileage,price. What you use them for, how the traction is, and if you would recommend others to purchase, ect...
This will give people an idea what tires they need or are looking for, whether for the track, snow, or just daily use.

I will go first:

Yokohama
Avid Envigor
235/40R18
$660 for all 4 at Tirerack.com
Little over 16,000 miles with little tread left
High Performance All-Season
The traction is great in the rain and in dry conditions, live in SoCal so no snow.
I drive hard sometimes and only on the street no track
I would not recommend due to the short tread life

They are going to be replaced by BFGoodrich G-force T/A KDW, I do not know how these are.
Which was $750 on onlinetires.com

If what you are looking for are noisy, harsh riding, fast wearing, sticky tires, you'll love the KDWs.

[quaudi]

I've only had these for 2500 miles but so far really love them. My first experience with this brand.

Nitto Motivo 235/40ZR18XL $614.88 total cost
Discount Tire Direct (first experience with these guys as well)

Quiet, fairly sticky tire. Better than the Yokos which were on the car. Tire received great test reviews on an S4 (Google the tire), so I decided to give them a try. Only thing I find a bit odd is the tires "flat spot" after parking for a few days. Once warmed up, they are smooth and quiet. I have only experienced this with all out summer tires, these are hp all seasons.

[Black3.2]

What size were you running? For 19's, that is a good price.

18's not 19's. 235 40/18

[Qtip]

Shocked? Really? I think it purely comes down to economics. After reading reviews available, all that's left to do is find a tire that fit's your budget with the specs you want. If an off-brand has
Wear:400
Temp: A
Traction: AA
Speed: Z

I don't care if it is a General Tire or a Michelin Tire. I prefer the Michelin because of its reputation but I won't spend another $150 per tire for an equal rated tire unless it has a quality or feature that I simply can't get elsewhere.

[quaudi]

Funny, one of my worst tire experiences ever was Michelin. So much so that I would never consider them again at any price. I believe the price reflects their "reputation" and advertising costs. This was not on an S4 or any car of that caliber to be clear on this comment.

[RS4forfrank]

Continental DWS
255/ 35/ 19
1200 installed for all 4
60K warranty.

I have about 10k on them so far, i live in central coast california, normally we dont get weather, Cali baby!! but this year we got lots of rain and I have driven them in the snow. They kick ass, would definitely buy them again. Took an extend drive thru the snow, i had great traction, i had supreme confidence in the handling during the entire trip. They are all season performers, and perform excellent in all conditions. They replaced Michelin Pilot Sports PS2s, those were great tires too but bang for the buck has to go to the Contis.

[Fuffler]

To trigger a selection of a lesser tire, how many years and miles should your car have? Does it make sense to put Michelin PSS on a 2004 S4 with 60K miles? I'm struggling to justify that.

[Black3.2]

To trigger a selection of a lesser tire, how many years and miles should your car have? Does it make sense to put Michelin PSS on a 2004 S4 with 60K miles? I'm struggling to justify that.

Why should how old the car is or how many miles are on the car have any part in a decision about choosing a tire? Help me understand your logic on this. My personal opinion is the Michelin PSS are the best street tire i have ever had on any of my cars so i dont care if my S4 has 150k miles on it, if i need new tires and i want those they are going on, simple as that.