Hi All

It's getting close to having to replace the all-season tires on my '15 RC 350 AWD. (235/45/R18) and began to do some research and read online reviews, etc.

Some background:
I purchased the vehicle Pre-Owned this past February, which had the oem equipped/stock Dunlop SP Sport 5100 (94V 340 A A) tires. When I purchased the vehicle, part of the deal was to replace a tire for me due to the sidewall having a slash in it. So one tire currently has just 2-3k miles on it. Two of the tires definetly need replacing.
With that said, I'm debating on replacing just two with the same Dunlop tires to match the existing, which will probbaly cost around $600 (for two) vs. all four, (with one of the brands listed below, which would cost around $800)

I live in NJ, so an all-season tire has always been the 'norm' for me. If I replace all four then I have it narrowed down to these...and looking for any personal experience with either or both of these two tires. (unless anyone has another worth considering in the $800/set of 4, price range)

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 (98Y 560 AA A)
Bridgestone Potenza RE980 AS (98W 500 AA A)
Yokohama Advan Sport A/S (98W 440 AA A)


Any info/opinions would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!

 

So you have one near new tire (2-3K mi), two bad ones, and what's the condition of the third? I'm assuming that your top priority is to save money. If you were to spend $600 for two expensive Dunlops now, that wouldn't really be the case, because that third tire (that you didn't mention) will eventually need replacing sooner. So projecting ahead a year or so, you'd spend another $300 or so to match and replace that third expensive Dunlop. So the answer obvious, $900 for three vs $800 for four less expensive tires.

 

The 4th tire is Continental PureContact (grand touring) tire. That tire is driver front. It’s in good shape, mileage wise (if I were to guess, roughly 10k miles on it at best)...but not rated the same as the others and obviously different brand and not the model of Continental tire in the list I mentioned.
I’d like to have all 4 match, obviously. Lol

You never mentioned what tires you have on your RC and/or any experience with any of the three that I mentioned in my initial post.

Anyone on this forum have any experience/feedback with any of the three tires I mentioned above?

Thanks

 

Sorry, I won't be able to help on this one. My RC isn't all season. My other vehicle is a truck with all season, but truck tires are pretty different and I have gotten Michelin the last few times. Haven't had any of the brands or models you have listed.

 

I have the Continental PureContact with eco plus. They are a very good all season tires. Compared to the crappy Bridgestone tires that came OEM on my RC300 F sport AWD the Contis are a big step up. The wet, snow traction are much better. The dry about the same as the Bridgestone, maybe a bit less turn in response. The Continentals are quieter and the ride is slightly smoother.
Overall I am happy with the Contis.

 

I replaced mine with all seasons Michellin Primacy MXM4's about a year ago. Haven't had any issues with them so far.

 

No problem...thanks anyway!

Does the car feel solid/firm with the Continentals? Firm sidewall?
How's cornering?

How are they in the snow?

 

I have a set of Nitto Invos on mine but am also no longer on stock wheel setup. They have been great so far.

 

If you're strictly looking to keep your all season tire, Id say go with a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+. If you want a better performing tire but don't care for the All season aspect, go with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's.

I'm a Michelin guy, but like @jonmonkey said, Nittos are a great option as well. If I wasn't so loyal to Michelin, you can bet I'd be putting Nittos on the car.

 

I haven't had any experience with Nitto tires...but definitely will keep this in mind and do some research on them.
How are the Nittos regarding
Stability - Firm sidewall? They feel secure?
Balancing - Any issues with balancing the tires?

I don't have any brand loyalty so I'll look into the Michelin's as well....but I know they're slightly above the budget I wanted to be. Aside from Nitto as your 'runner-up'...any others?

 

I dont think I'd really consider another tire for performance.

 

I might not be the one to ask here as I have a lot of stuff done to my car that helps with stability so I am not sure how much is from the tires and how much from the other stuff. I am also on 20" wheels and have 35 aspect ratio in the front and 30 in the rear. I have not had any issues with the side walls related to pot holes or anything like that. The balancing has not been an issue either.

 

The car still feels solid and firm but the Continental PureContacts ride better. So I would say that the sidewalls on the Contis might not be as stiff as the Bridgestones. Cornering grip with the Contis is as good as the Bridgestones and I have yet to hear them squeal around corners. The Continental PureContacts are great in the snow. I got them last year and drove in two snowstorms. No problems with snow traction!

 

From what I've read so far, looks like the Nitto Motivo are the Ultra High Performance All-Season tire...any experience with that model? It seems to get very good reviews.

Good to know about that Continental PureContacts. LIke I had mentioned earlier, one of the tires on my car is a PureContact but I hard to know exactly how that tire performs when its only one of 4. I'll do some online comparisons of the ExtremeContact vs the PureContact.

 

No experience.