Michelin X radial, Pt 2

[daves87rs]

Okay after learning about about the brands of tires these last few years, I think I'm ready to buy some tires.

I've also pretty much come to terms that my set after this will be a tire/rim package, as there looks like there will be few good tires to choose from after this round of tires....
Also thinking that this new set will also become the winter set down the road.


Anyways, what should I expect from the X-radials? How much better will they be than my OEM Goodyear Conquests (360 Tread A/B temp, according to tire)

Do they have good traction? (esp dry) And, how are they in the rain?


These tires will be going on my Cavalier (aka the "baby") in the 195/70/14 flavor.


Another BITOG member sucked into Michelin......

 

[LS2JSTS]

If you are going to use them as winter tires at a later date. How about the Goodyear Triple Treads? Or have you already bought the X's

 

[Hokiefyd]

How much better will they be? Much better. No, MUCH better. I replaced similar tires (Bridgestone Turanza EL42, 320-B-B) on our '07 Town & Country and the difference was immediate. The Michelins ride a bit firmer, and are similar in terms of noise. But wet traction was highly improved, and aquaplane resistance is excellent. I replaced Goodyear Viva 2 tires on our former '03 Grand Caravan with Michelin WeatherWise II (a sister to the X Radial) and the difference was similar. The ride was firmer, but handling was markedly improved. They're definitely a sturdier tire.

We've had ours in snow and ice and I personally think they're fantastic all weather tires. We drove on a lot of ice this weekend, and while I could make the traction control and ABS engage, it was willingly so. Under reasonable driving, these are fantastic 4-season tires.

I've said before that I'll probably put them (or the Primacy MXV4s) on my Corolla when I take the Yokohamas off. That'll be years down the road, though. Maybe Michelin will have the X Radial 2 out by then.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock


I've said before that I'll probably put them (or the Primacy MXV4s) on my Corolla when I take the Yokohamas off. That'll be years down the road, though. Maybe Michelin will have the X Radial 2 out by then.


Jason, did you put the Yokohamas on your Corolla, or were they OE tires?

Our 06 Corolla came with Goodyear Integras, I'll be replacing them this year.

 

[ctc]

I have them on one car in almost the same size right now. 185/65/14.

They're very good for the money. Good wet, good dry and decent snow/slush traction.

Also, I got them at Sam's club w/ $70 off for like $260 for 4 mounted and balanced etc.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: hate2work
Jason, did you put the Yokohamas on your Corolla, or were they OE tires?


No, replacement tires. OE tires were Bridgestone Insignia SE200. I bought the car with 16k miles, and because there wasn't a scratch on the car when I bought it (it was traded back in to the same Toyota dealer where it was sold, for a Camry), I figured the car wasn't abused. It's been 100% so far. But the OE tires were well worn when I bought it. The rear two at about 5/32" and the front two at about 7/32". I was figuring on new tires soon after I bought it, then I caught a sidewall puncture in one, so that forced my hand.

I've always wanted a reason to try the Avid TRZs, since I've read so many good things about them. A friend of mine works for Yokohama and got me these for a steal of a deal that I couldn't pass up. They were great in the beginning, and still are very good. What I've noticed about this that I really haven't before on other tires is they seem to really get hard with low temperatures. The compound seems to stiffen up, and they're not rated all that high for winter traction, though I have had them on packed snow before and thought they did pretty well. They've also gotten a touch "singy" with some miles on them (about 10,000). They are wearing very well.

At the time I bought them, the price was comparable to the Michelin X Radials, which is what I'd have otherwise bought. If I had to pay full price for the Yoks, I'd have bought the Michelins, but as I got a good deal, I tried the Yoks. Since then, the TRZs have come way down in price, though I'd still probably favor the Michelins, just because of my desires in a tire. The Yokohama would be your tire if you're after the best in traction (for an all season tire) at the expense of ride quality. The Michelin probably trades a bit of performance for a bit of comfort. The difference is not likely that great, but I've been a Michelin customer for years, and it's what I'm used to. That may even skew my opinion of the Yokohamas also, but I try not to let it.

So as to not derail Dave's thread, here's my thoughts on the Yokohamas back when I first got them:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...rue#Post1247508

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
If you are going to use them as winter tires at a later date. How about the Goodyear Triple Treads? Or have you already bought the X's


I thought about them too, but they are now discontinued (in my size), along with my other choice, the Kelly Nav Golds.


If I lose one to a road hazard, I'll have to make some interesting choices....



That, and I've seen some crazy prices on both...(90 Bucks for a Kelly tire??)

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock
Originally Posted By: hate2work
Jason, did you put the Yokohamas on your Corolla, or were they OE tires?


No, replacement tires. OE tires were Bridgestone Insignia SE200. I bought the car with 16k miles, and because there wasn't a scratch on the car when I bought it (it was traded back in to the same Toyota dealer where it was sold, for a Camry), I figured the car wasn't abused. It's been 100% so far. But the OE tires were well worn when I bought it. The rear two at about 5/32" and the front two at about 7/32". I was figuring on new tires soon after I bought it, then I caught a sidewall puncture in one, so that forced my hand.

I've always wanted a reason to try the Avid TRZs, since I've read so many good things about them. A friend of mine works for Yokohama and got me these for a steal of a deal that I couldn't pass up. They were great in the beginning, and still are very good. What I've noticed about this that I really haven't before on other tires is they seem to really get hard with low temperatures. The compound seems to stiffen up, and they're not rated all that high for winter traction, though I have had them on packed snow before and thought they did pretty well. They've also gotten a touch "singy" with some miles on them (about 10,000). They are wearing very well.

At the time I bought them, the price was comparable to the Michelin X Radials, which is what I'd have otherwise bought. If I had to pay full price for the Yoks, I'd have bought the Michelins, but as I got a good deal, I tried the Yoks. Since then, the TRZs have come way down in price, though I'd still probably favor the Michelins, just because of my desires in a tire. The Yokohama would be your tire if you're after the best in traction (for an all season tire) at the expense of ride quality. The Michelin probably trades a bit of performance for a bit of comfort. The difference is not likely that great, but I've been a Michelin customer for years, and it's what I'm used to. That may even skew my opinion of the Yokohamas also, but I try not to let it.

So as to not derail Dave's thread, here's my thoughts on the Yokohamas back when I first got them:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...rue#Post1247508



While the Yokos are good, that is the same reason why I didn't want the TRZs.....


The same reason I can't get the K21s, because they don't seem to handle the crazy MI weather well.

 

[Nick R]

There aren't too many listed in that size, but of the few there are I would recommend these to you, they look really good and are both Made in USA

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...romCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...romCompare1=yes

 

[wickerham]

Love those Michelin X tires!
We use them exclusively on our delivery truck at Lowe's, in 22.5 of course!
I have the Sears version, Michelin XC LT4, on my ZJ thanx to the PO and love them as well.

I've had zero problems in rain, snow, ice, mud, even deep mud (ZJ quadtra-trac doesn't hurt though!)
But the 13 ton delivery trucks power thru all things as well and tread wear and ride are amazing!

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: rudolphna
There aren't too many listed in that size, but of the few there are I would recommend these to you, they look really good and are both Made in USA

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...romCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...romCompare1=yes



The Harmony is the sister tire to the X, and also 15 bucks cheaper per tire (87 to 72). Still a good tire though!



I think the Hydro Green Xs might be a bit overkill, granted they would be fun......

 

[willix]

Speaking of tire rack, Stick your nose in front of the screen and read some reviews. Its a good way to form an opinion & make a judgement based on surveys/reviews. I find real good info doing web searches of tire recalls of a given brand. There are tires out there that can become a problem before there time and they have big names like Goodyear & Cooper & Firestone ect...every tire company has recalls. Its nice to know which one & why before you shell out $$$

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
There aren't too many listed in that size, but of the few there are I would recommend these to you, they look really good and are both Made in USA

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...romCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...romCompare1=yes



The Harmony is the sister tire to the X, and also 15 bucks cheaper per tire (87 to 72). Still a good tire though!



I think the Hydro Green Xs might be a bit overkill, granted they would be fun......


If the Hydo edge tires are anything like their Goodyear Assurance Tripletred counterparts, then they are great. Comfy ride, but lots and lots of dry, and wet grip.

 

[Hokiefyd]

The only thing I don't care for about directional tires, like the Michelin HydroEdge and Goodyear Assurance TripleTred, is you can't really rotate them in the modified X pattern that most vehicle manufacturers recommend. And in my experience, this type of rotation is even more important on FWD vehicles. If the Cavalier in question tends to develop a wear pattern dependent on the direction of rotation, you may start to get some noises as the tires wear if you can't cross them over to the other side.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock
The only thing I don't care for about directional tires, like the Michelin HydroEdge and Goodyear Assurance TripleTred, is you can't really rotate them in the modified X pattern that most vehicle manufacturers recommend. And in my experience, this type of rotation is even more important on FWD vehicles. If the Cavalier in question tends to develop a wear pattern dependent on the direction of rotation, you may start to get some noises as the tires wear if you can't cross them over to the other side.



Very true, and a point I didn't think of...

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock
The only thing I don't care for about directional tires, like the Michelin HydroEdge and Goodyear Assurance TripleTred, is you can't really rotate them in the modified X pattern that most vehicle manufacturers recommend. And in my experience, this type of rotation is even more important on FWD vehicles. If the Cavalier in question tends to develop a wear pattern dependent on the direction of rotation, you may start to get some noises as the tires wear if you can't cross them over to the other side.


Hydroedges are incredibly noisy from my experience, but they last a very long time. There are people on Priuschat with over 100,000 miles on their set.

 

[Papa Bear]

100,000 miles is a long time to live with noisy tires....

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
100,000 miles is a long time to live with noisy tires....

+1

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
100,000 miles is a long time to live with noisy tires....

+1



Maybe they are but it depends on the car too. If you have a Honda, which is infamous for road noise then it will be noisy. The tripletreds are pretty quiet on my cavalier, which is impressive given it's relative lack of sound insulation. I'm sure the tires were designed with one way rotation in mind for wear. Besides, if the tires are loud.... Turn up the volume a bit.

 

[rshaw125]

The Michelin X certainly appears to be a solid choice. I wish I had bought them as opposed to the Kumho KR21's. The $ saved was not worth it.