Need tires for '04 Accord 205/60r16

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k24a4

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My Michelin Primacy MXV4's are nearing the end of their usable life at 76000 miles and 4/32 tread depth. They are also showing significant cracking along the upper sidewall near the tread.

Through research I had options narrowed to the Continental PureContact Ecoplus and General RT43's. I'm looking for an LRR tire with decent wet and dry handling which can handle the snowy conditions here in the NorthEast.

I have been very happy with the Michelin's but they are now discontinued and I think the Premier's are as yet unproven and on the expensive side.

When I went to the tire dealer yesterday they mentioned a promotion on Bridgestone Tires and in particular the Ecopia EP422. Reviews show this to be an adequate though not exceptional performer with treadlife at 65000. With rebates and dealer discounts the tires could be had for $524 OTD; included in the price is a 4-wheel alignment and Road Hazard.

The Continentals would be in the $680-$720 range with the Generals in between the two.

What do you think? The promotion is good through the end of April.
 
I think the Ecopia's are out, despite the relatively good deal. I checked CR and they are at the bottom of their tire ratings as well.
 
I just replaced the Primacy MXV4's on my Corolla with PureContacts. The Continentals are better tires than the Michelins ever were.

I would shop around for a better price, too. DTD has them for $109/each minus $25 for four, with free shipping, so $411 for 4 plus whatever mounting and balancing costs you locally, should be able to beat that quote easily.
 
Michelin Premier A/S are great. Definitely not the cheapest tire out there, but I think they're worth every penny.

I have them on my 03 Accord (previously had Michelin Energy MXV4 and Primacy MXV4). The Premier A/S are incredible in the rain. It's almost hard to tell that you're driving in the rain sometimes because the tires perform the same in the wet as they do in the dry.

If you have a Costco membership the Premiers aren't that expensive at all. I paid about $590 including installation for a set of 4 Premier A/S tires in 205/60/16, which honestly is not much more than the Primacy MXV4s cost back in the day. Even if you don't have a Costco membership, a yearly membership is only $50 and will easily pay for itself. You also get free lifetime rotation/balance/nitrogen inflation/road hazard/etc which is a nice bonus.

I've got 10k miles on the Premiers and they are wearing well so far.


By the way, it's worth it to check out Costco even if you don't want to get the Michelin Premiers. Costco has alternating $70 rebates every month on Michelin/Bridgestone brand tires which really brings down the price.
 
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Technically the General RT43 is not a LRR-rated tire so it's probably in a different bucket than the PureContacts.

If you're looking at Grand Touring LRR tires, I would consider the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus as well. It's currently selling with a $70 rebate at Costco as well as Discount/America's Tire so that might be another contender for you. The Pirelli P7 AS+ is also an option.

If you're considering "regular" Grand Touring tires, I'd also recommend the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring which also has a $60 rebate going on right now which could make them cheaper than the Generals. I have these on the fiance's CR-V and they are great! I can't attest to their snow performance, but reports form this forum seem to indicate they aren't bad for an all-season.
 
DTD has Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring at $89/ea, currently it has $40 off online purchase plus $60 rebate from Cooper. With free shipping and no tax the total 4 tires is $316.

Print the total and take it to local Discount Tires or America's Tire to get price match, you will need to pay only mounting and balancing on top of the total $316, which is about $20/ea. After $60 rebate your cost should be $336 installed 4 tires.

If you can wait few months DTD and/or DT and Cooper may have better discount/rebate. But as of now $336 installed 4 good tires isn't bad.
 
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A well known non-profit reviewing company rates the Continental PureContact as pretty much the best you can get. I did a ton of research on them and will definitely be buying a set of them this year for my wife's car.
 
We have a set of Pures on the Forester.
Good tires in every way.
There are currently good deals on Coopers and there are often good deals on Generals. I've had both brands and would recommend either.
Either would be a less costly choice than new Michelins and even the Pures would be a little less expensive than equivalent Michelin tires.
Michelin may be going through a phase that some Japanese car makers have been accused of, offering nothing great in their bread and butter line while trading on their well-earned name.
There was a time when I only bought Michelins, but not anymore.
Don't get hung up on LRR.
Means nothing in real-world driving.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27

Michelin may be going through a phase that some Japanese car makers have been accused of, offering nothing great in their bread and butter line while trading on their well-earned name.


What other tire on the market besides the Michelin Premier A/S has the exact same performance in the dry vs. wet, and also the same performance new vs. worn?

That's right, none.

Every other tire on the market will have deteriorating wet-weather performance as it wears. Not the case with the Premier A/S, and this was one of the main reasons I bought it. Yes, the Premier A/S gives up a little dry-weather performance compared to the older Primacy MXV4, but the performance consistency with the newer Premier A/S is incredible.

Besides, I don't think that $590 for a set of 4 is that expensive at all for quality tires.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/...wears/index.htm

Michelin-Premier-tire-graph-8-2014-new.jpg
 
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This chart compares one Michelin to another.
Has nothing to do with any other, potentially superior brand of tire.
So the Premier is better than the Primacy at 5/32nds?
That says nothing about the performance of any other tire.
The Premier has "incredible" consistency?
Other tires do as well, they just aren't depicted in the chart that you've pasted in.
You want to pony up for Michelin Premiers and believe that you're buying something special?
Why not?
They are undoubtedly pretty good in all conditions.
There are better tires out there, though, and there are tires that are just as good overall for far less money.
I doubt that you'll learn any of this from Consumer Reports, though.
You'd need to dig a little farther.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
This chart compares one Michelin to another.
Has nothing to do with any other, potentially superior brand of tire.


Given that the Primacy MXV4 is currently Consumer Reports' highest rated passenger car tire, I think it speaks volumes that the new Premier AS performs the way it does against the Primacy. Consumer Reports has yet to update their results to include the Premier, but here's what they had to say:

"The Premier A/S today would potentially outscore the already impressive Primacy MXV4, which currently resides at or near the top of our performance all-season rating charts, depending on the speed rating of the version tested"



I've used exclusively Michelin tires on my Accord, starting with the Energy MXV4 (factory OEM tires), then the Primacy MXV4, and now the Premier AS, so I think I'm qualified to give an opinion on how the 3 stack up. IMO, I'd put it as Premier AS > Primacy MXV4 >> Energy MXV4.

Additionally, I don't think $590 (at Costco) for a set of 4 Premier AS tires is an outrageous price at all, especially when that pricing includes installation, road hazard, lifetime rotations, and all the other stuff. Sure, you can probably save a hundred bucks or so by going with a cheaper brand, but for something as important as tires, that's something I'm not willing to do.
 
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Do what you do.
As I wrote in my origianl post in this thread, I used to buy Michelins exclusively, but I've learned over the years that there are other tires as good as or better than Michelins for less coin.
If you consider Consumer Reports to be the grail in terms of tire perfomance, then you need to get out more.
You write that your experience reflects only Michelin tires, including the awful Energy MXV4, which came OEM on our '99 Accord and were among the worst tires I've ever driven in rain or snow.
You should get out more and try something different.
You might find it to be very good, as have many out in the real world.
OTOH, you can always confine yourself to the Consumer Reports ranch and buy what they tell you to buy.
I will say that you won't go wrong buying Michelins.
You'll just spend more than you need to for any given level of performance and get an inferior warranty to boot.
 
Apparently Consumer Reports loves Michelins, but also loves the PureContact:

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/blog/b-o...er-reports.aspx

As usual CR has to be taken with a grain of salt. For example they give top billing to the LTX A/T2 in the All Terrain category, but this is well known to be an awful off-road tire, inferior to the M/S2 in snow, directional stability problems, and drying/cracking problems. The sidewalls are not sturdy enough for warding off rock damage. It's a highway tire suitable for pickups towing horse trailers onto grass parking areas, and they ride nice... so many people are happy with them. But, it's no "All Terrain" tire.
 
Once again BITOG comes through! Thanks one and all for the input. Although I've purchased two sets of tires from this local dealer, I may need to branch out and look at BJ's and other dealerships to see what offerings they have. I'll update with the tires I get in a few weeks/months.
 
Originally Posted By: k24a4
... I may need to branch out and look at BJ's and other dealerships to see what offerings they have. ...


BJ's carries Michelin brands. (Michelin/Goodrich/Uniroyal)
 
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