'11 Buick Regal @ 64K miles: time to shop?

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Benzadmiral

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The Regal still has the OEM tires on it, the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 Grand Touring All-Season in P235/50R18. According to the Tire Rack site, these are rated for 60K miles, and the Regal is at almost 64K. The treads look good, though I haven't measured them yet to check. My driving in Da Swamp is a mixture of wet and dry conditions on some of the worst-kept streets in America.

Presuming it's time for me to start shopping, what brands should I check out? The Michelin Pilots have been fine, but are pretty pricey. The things that matter to me are comfort (including low noise), handling, and tire life, in about that order. And do I have to stay with the same size, or could I go to 17" wheels and higher-profile tires, even though the car was designed to wear 18" or 19" tires?
 
According to TireRack, 17s will fit. Even 16s will fit, but do you want to invest in a new set of wheels?

Looking at TR, there isn't a whole lot of difference in price between 235/50/18 vs 235/55/17.

I would probably stick with the "Grand Touring All-Season" category if you're looking for comfort. No personal experience with tires in this category, but people here do seem to like the General Altimax RT43 overall, especially at its price point.
 
Considering how expen$$$ive wheels are, nice chromed ones ($840 on TR) or even silver-painted ($512), no, I don't want to expend that. The Regal has been carrying me around on the 18" wheels and tires for two years and a bit more, and I've gotten used to the slightly stiffer ride compared to the big Park Avenue.

The TR people tested the Generals you mention, and summed them up this way: "The Kumho made less tread noise, but suffered from some harshness when encountering bumps and road imperfections. The General was more composed and refined over all types of impacts, but had a slightly more noticeable growl when driving. On our winter-ravaged roads in the Midwest, the small increase in tread noise from the General was the preferable compromise." (My emphasis)

Considering how bad my streets are here, that may make the Generals a good idea.
 
Definitely go for the Generals. Mine are silent, I don't know what they mean. I'm getting close to 11k miles and 5-1/2 months on mine. Quiet, soft, smooth, what more is there to ask for? They're cheap too. I also have a set on the 1970 Beetle
 
Check out the Continental True contact. If you can get those in the US, theyre great if you catch them on sale.

Also, General makes some great rubber at a good price. The Altimax rt43 have won just about every test out there at one point.

Edit....I just read back through the posts AFTER I'd posted this...another vote for the Generals.
 
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It's premature to even speculate without actually measuring the tread. The OEM tires are only 5 years old or so, and if you do a lot of highway driving you may well get more than the rated treadlife (I always do by a large margin). Why throw tires away that may be perfectly fine for another year or more?
 
Originally Posted By: DrRoughneck
Save and get the same tires. They are good for 60K, but 80k is not uncommon. You'll end up saving.


^Exactly...by the time you get the rims and tires to change tire diameter, you might have been able to buy 2 sets of Michelins. If the tread is still good (got a measurement?) then you can run quite a bit longer....just because you are past the tread life warranty doesn't mean the tires aren't good any more.

My wife's Jeep just went 160k miles on a set of Michelin LTX/AT. Tread life warranty IIRC was 50k.
 
Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
The Regal still has the OEM tires on it, the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 Grand Touring All-Season in P235/50R18. According to the Tire Rack site, these are rated for 60K miles, and the Regal is at almost 64K. The treads look good, though I haven't measured them yet to check. My driving in Da Swamp is a mixture of wet and dry conditions on some of the worst-kept streets in America.

Presuming it's time for me to start shopping, what brands should I check out? The Michelin Pilots have been fine, but are pretty pricey. The things that matter to me are comfort (including low noise), handling, and tire life, in about that order. And do I have to stay with the same size, or could I go to 17" wheels and higher-profile tires, even though the car was designed to wear 18" or 19" tires?

Based on your priorities Michelin Pilot A/S 3 or Continental DWS 06 would be my choice.
I have same size on my wife's Tiguan for summer and now DWS. Next are going to be Pilot A/S.
You member of Costco? Check there. They have very good price on Michelins and very good thing is that their tires are very fresh. I bought like 6-7 sets so far from Costco, DOT on tires was never older then three weeks.
 
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Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
It's premature to even speculate without actually measuring the tread. The OEM tires are only 5 years old or so, and if you do a lot of highway driving you may well get more than the rated treadlife (I always do by a large margin). Why throw tires away that may be perfectly fine for another year or more?


I agree with Pop, measure the tread.

I'd keep the same size. There are few wheels that look better or last better than factory wheels. A few but not many aftermarket wheels blend in with the car, most look gaudy.
 
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I'd always heard about the penny test, but apparently Tire Rack takes it further: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=51

I checked with a penny last night, and the top of ol' Abe's head was definitely covered; and this morning, with a quarter, the top of George's head was hidden. So apparently I have some 4/32" of tread remaining. The tires' date code is 3010, so January 2010, which suggests these are the factory tires still.

This has re-converted me to a strong belief in rotating tires! And no need to go shopping now. But the Generals and the Continentals are worth taking a look at, if and when.
 
Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
The tires' date code is 3010, so January 2010,

30th week of 2010 would be end of July.

Quote:
And no need to go shopping now.

If you read that TireRack article you linked, once you go below 4/32", your wet traction is going to greatly diminish, so now is the time to go shopping, IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
The tires' date code is 3010, so January 2010,

30th week of 2010 would be end of July.

Quote:
And no need to go shopping now.

If you read that TireRack article you linked, once you go below 4/32", your wet traction is going to greatly diminish, so now is the time to go shopping, IMO.


I knew it was one of those "J" months. As for the issue of wet traction, it rains here a lot less often than it used to, at least in summer (which will begin next week. No, I'm not kidding). We used to get a shower every day about 3:00, but not in the last few years.

Well, I'll ask my regular mechanic -- he sells and installs tires -- and a couple of the tire stores I've bought from in the past to see what kind of deals are out there.
 
Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
I like Yokohama YK580 from Discount, but the Michelins sound like a great choice. Has this car served you well?

Very well. Almost nothing in the way of repairs, good gas mileage, fun to drive; and I still like looking at it.

I won't cheap out if it's necessary to get more expensive tires. But the Generals sound as if they would suit me as well as the Michelins have.
 
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