Tire Recommendation, Japanese Sedan

[Renken2000Classic]

My Acura ('05 TL, Manual) is about to need them, and of course there are dozens and dozens of choices. 235/45R17

It has Yokohama S Drive's on it that I've probably put 25,000 on in the last several years (on there when I got it). It's had a pulling to the right problem that I suspect is the tires (cruising, not talking about under acceleration in this case). Earlier on rotating them Front to Rear fixed it, but not anymore.

I don't want junk and I don't want to pay for a name. I saw some Cooper's that you can rotate side-to-side, which I like the idea of, and a number of others that I liked, going with some of the names I know. There are cheaper ones that might be good, though, with names I don't know.

Thanks for any thoughts on.

 

[alldodge]

I like Toyo

 

[Scott Danforth]

First question, Summer only tires? Winter only tires?

From my experience in Wisconsin summers and down here in Florida

I myself have been partial to the BF Goodrich Comp-2 AS based on the last 3 sets. Excellent dry grip, great wet grip. However they are directional

Khumos haven't impressed me for over a decade. Yoko and Sumitomo haven't delivered grip or longevity.

Conti's are over-priced rubbish that I can't wait to replace (been on 3 if the wife's vehicles when we bought them)

Winter only tires. My experience from hundreds of thousands of miles driving in Wisconsin winters:

Blizzaks were all hype and not really good .
Dunlap Graspic DS1 had the best ice grip (I think the DS3 is still available). They do not last in dry pavement or temps above 40
Hak Qs were a good ice/snow (now replaced with R3). These lasted longer, but did not have the ice grip if the DS1s
Firestone Winterforce was OK on an AWD chassis and lasted 30k miles

 

[garbageguy]

My .02; don't focus on names - compare costs for tires for your vehicle and intended-use, available in your area in the manner you plan to obtain them, and where/how you plan to get them mounted/balanced/installed - if at home, your choices may expand. Many Manufacturers (their name on them anyway) have a huge range from junk to good. Tire market is well-developed, competitive, and local to the consumer - you get what you pay for

 

[flashback]

Condition of the car and milage would influence me in choosing a tire.

 

[dingbat]

Uneven tire wear is a mechanical problem, not a tire issue. If the suspension is maintained ie. struts, shocks, alignment and bearings, the need to rotate is almost completely eliminated

Learned long ago that rotating the tires caused more problems (noise) than it solved. Currently driving 08, Civic EX w/MT with 220K miles at this point. Rebuilt the suspension completely rebuilt at 135KS.

Have run Michelin Defenders since new. Go 50-55K between tire rotations

 

[alldodge]

AWD vehicles need tires rotated to make sure they maintain same amount of wear. New Caddy recommends with each 7500 mile oil change

 

[garbageguy]

any vehicle, especially those with shorter wheel-base that an operator turns tightly and/or at higher speeds, needs tire rotations (I'm thinking about the vehicle The Admiral usually operates)

 

[Scott Danforth]

FWIW.....I rotate tires to burn them off evenly. The fronts scrub the outside edges and the rears see a bit of slip now and then.

I could get another 5-8 thousand.... However that's not as fun

 

[Renken2000Classic]

Lol. Yes, I need to rotate mine for the same reason. The worn outer edge is the visual I'm looking for to see when it's time again. I'm probably pretty hard on them.

I'm liking these for the cheapies ("least expensive" group):
Lexani LXUHP-207 235/45ZR17 97W XL All Season Ultra High Performance Tires. $328/set, 40,000mi

Runner up:
Forceum Hena 235/45R17 ZR 97W XL A/S High Performance Tire. $308/set, no mileage stated (but 400AA UTQG); weird bead-sidewall transition

And these for next level:
Uniroyal Power Paw AS All-Season 235/45ZR17/XL 97Y Tire. $506/set, 45,000mi

Another Uniroyal:
235/45R17 Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring A/S 94V $559/set, 65,000mi (style not quite as attractive as the Power Paws above)

Also in the more expensive range, like some Goodyear Eagles (2 levels), Hankook Ventus (Summer though), Firestone Firehawks, and the Continental Extreme Contact had a cool tread pattern (the most expensive I looked at, at $792/set)

I've got to admit to being influenced by tread pattern, and to lesser extent sidewall aesthetics.

One of the Toyos that came on my Suburban (bought it used in late 2012; LT tires), got a bulge under the tread; it was well on in life though; come to think of it, it had 3 Toyos and a Kenda, and damage behind the LR wheel well (like a tread had come off and whacked the body (a few times), so yeah, that sort of speaks for 2 of the 4. Maybe they're better now. Didn't see that brand come up for this size. Ok, they're there, if I add "Toyo" (looking at WM right now).

 

[Renken2000Classic]

Condition of the car is pretty good, imo. It's got significant oil drips (cam and crank seals probably), that could be getting onto the the control arm bushings... Idk. 173k miles, which is not high for these from what I've seen.

I got led astray by the local (chain) tire shop with my son's 2000 Maxima several years ago, regarding a pulling to the right problem. The kid who tried to do the alignment said the RH lower control arm was likely bent (though it looked fine).
We changed that with no affect. He rotated the tires after that (had 2 of one kind on the front and 2 of another on the rear, both prob cheap), and the pull was gone. They had decent tread and looked fine...

 

[Bob_VT]

I manage to get twice the life out of tires because I have a set of tires for summer and a set of dedicated snows mounted on seperate wheels Deu to the climate I usually get 7 months of snows.

 

[matt167]

I wouldn’t go with the Lexani or Forceum tires… go for an Otani cheapie, as they are actually pretty good. Toyo offers a great value right now, and Kumho can but only with their higher end TA11. Kumho Exceta and the others are garbage.

 

[Renken2000Classic]

I manage to get twice the life out of tires because I have a set of tires for summer and a set of dedicated snows mounted on seperate wheels Deu to the climate I usually get 7 months of snows.

Sounds very Vermont-y; all that snow... : D

We only get it a few times where it's an issue (thankfully), so not really a thing here.

I think I'm gonna go with the Uniroyal Power Paw All-Seasons when these Yokohamas are just a little further gone. Don't think I've ever had a set of Uniroyals.

Thanks for the info. and opinions ya'll.

 

[Renken2000Classic]

I finally pulled the trigger and got a new set (got PO's $ worth out of the old Yokohama's for sure). I went with the Accelera PHi R - absolute cheapest on the list I had assembled, lol. I'd initially ruled those out due to the relatively low mileage warranty (30,000), but as little as I drive it, that ought to last me 5 years or so. The "designed as a street legal track tire" sort of made them sound more desirable too, heh.

The Uniroyals I initially wanted had gone up by nearly $10 each; the Coopers had actually gone down by over $20 each. I saved like $250 on my choice, but didn't buy American (Indonesia...).

I put about 25 miles on them this morning, and have no complaints so far. The ride's good (they - Wal Mart - had the pressure at about 35 out of 44max, and I didn't change it yet; I'll prob put them at about 40), and it doesn't pull to the right at all now (just slightly left actually).

One weird thing I noticed is torque steer acts to the left; I had thought that was to the right. I'll have to look into that more. I don't think I'm crazy, but yeah.

 

[matt167]

35 PSI is about right for that car. Whatever the door sticker is what you want. Not max on the tire

Pulling to the left with torque steer probably means your steer ahead angle is off, which is a combination of front and rear toe being off.

 

[Renken2000Classic]

Ah, good to know.

 

[Renken2000Classic]

I took it to Midas recently for an alignment, and it seemed fine right afterward up to 50mph or so; much better. Then it seemed to sort of revert(!). Weird. There is an occasional clacking sound up front I didn't remember too. I'm thinking, Did he leave something loose?, but surely not. I may take it back to them, or just live with it as the handling's not too bad. I might put it on the ramps and just look around first.

It's nice to drive in the rain w/o feeling the hydroplaning.

I was glad I went along on the initial test drive as dude was OK, but not great on the manual shift.

 

[Scott06]

I took it to Midas recently for an alignment, and it seemed fine right afterward up to 50mph or so; much better. Then it seemed to sort of revert(!). Weird. There is an occasional clacking sound up front I didn't remember too. I'm thinking, Did he leave something loose?, but surely not. I may take it back to them, or just live with it as the handling's not too bad. I might put it on the ramps and just look around first.

It's nice to drive in the rain w/o feeling the hydroplaning.

I was glad I went along on the initial test drive as dude was OK, but not great on the manual shift.

I had play in a CV joint on my mother in laws Civic , would clack when going from coast to acceleration, jacked it up no play in suspension, if you held the center of the axle and turned the wheel it would clack, reversing wheel direction made it happen ever time. Other side had no noise, axle replacement made it go away. At 173k would expect more CV wear for sure

 

[Renken2000Classic]

Dash it all! Hadn't thought of that. I wonder why it only shows up after Midas tinkers with it.