Tire Recommendations
 

I'm purchasing some SC430 Wheels for my ES and need to get matching tires as well. I'm thinking 245/40/18 for the measurements.

What I need some advice on is the tire themselves. I looked over a few threads here as well as tirerack.com and the site came back with the following

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S
Continental ContiExtremeContact
Yokohama AVS dB S2
Sumitomo HTR+
Pirelli P7000 Supersport
Kumho Ecsta ASX

After this, I really don't know how to separate which tires I should get. I mean the Michelin is certainly what a lot of people recommend. The only thing is that its on the expensive side. I'm liking the Pirelli PZero, but not really sure.

My area is pretty wet (rainy), and I plan to ride these on snow as well. Basically, I would like these to be my "every season" tires. I like to cruise and just roll. I don't think I'm too aggressive on the roads, but I may be..hehe.

I guess my criteria is:

1) Handling
2) Wet Traction
3) Ride Comfort
4) Snow Traction
5) Noise Comfort (I always blast radio, so I'm thinking its not that big of a deal)
6) Wear

Any comments would be great.

After further research, I narrowed the field to the

Kumho Ecsta ASX
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S
Yokohama AVS dB S2

These would be my very first tire purchase, so any opinions would be helpful. Also the measurements are okay for an 2000 ES?

I wrote the following on Kumho Supras for another post--the Kumho Ecsta ASX may or may not have similar build quality and/or materials, but I would assume that it would be similar to the Supras.

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OK, here's the skinny on the Kumho Supras (at least w/ my experience).

Bought the car, and the Kumho Supra 712 came with it--appeared to have about 80% tread life remaining.

Couple of issues:

1. The Kumhos were noisy! I couldn't drive with them on the freeway for an extended period without my ears killing me. On general roads, still noisier than I'd like to admit (even much more so than my Bridgestone LM-22 winter tires)--of course, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S I have on my car is a bit quieter then either fo the other 2.

2. The Kumhos develop flatspots. Leave the car sitting overnight, then drive the car in the AM, and I noticed flat spots in the tires for the first few miles in the AM (like you are driving with a bad shock or if the tire was flat).

3. Wet traction is horrible (2/5 rating). Any bit of moisture on the road, take a gentle corner, and the VSC/traction control always kicks in--very dangerous.

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If I were you, I'd spend about $40 more bucks ($160 extra for a set) on some Pirellis PZero Nero A/S, they seem to be more favorably-rated near your price point. You have a high-performance car, you should at least put some decent tires on it--your whole cars depends so much on those 38" square inches of total tire contact with the road. You'll be happier with a more quality tire in the long-run for a little bit more.

Hey Casper,

If your considering the PZero and AVS, you should SERIOUSLY also consider throwing in the Goodyear GSD-3. There have been nothing but good reviews on excellent performance similar to your qualifications and a very quiet ride.

-Anthony

SeattleGS400 - When you say Pirellis PZero Nero A/S, I can't seem to find these tires, the only ones I can find on either tirerack.com or on Pirellis site itself is the PZero Nero M&S

Captain Bone- The Goodyears sounds great, but the pricing in on the high side for me (200+)

Thx

The Pilot Sport A/S are fantastic but pricy! :thumbup: I had them on my 01 Maxima SE & they were the best ultra high performance all seasons I've ever had! Rated quite highly on tirerack too! :thumbup:

Sorry, I meant the Pirelli PZero Nero M&S (got it confused w/ my Pilot Sport A/S). Glad you corrected me :)

I would purchase the Michelin PS A/S in a heartbeat if I had the $$, but its too pricey for me. I have to save up for a new set of wheels that I have set my heart on. There is an almost 400 difference between the one I like (PZero) and the Sports.

I've read that the PZero have terrible wear and I would need to replace them relatively quicker than the other mentioned tires. Is this correct? What are your experiences with the PZero in terms of wear?

I used to run Sumitomo HTRZ II's on my LS400. They handled extremely well in all conditions and were really quiet. They wore fairly well too. IMO you can't beat them for the price (around $145 for 235/40/18).

Ok between the Yoko and the Pirelli, I like the performance of the Yoko the best. However, the Pirelli is rated higher in our customer surveys. The Kumho is brand new and I have very little feedback about that tire and have not had a chance to test it. I recommend the Yoko but you really can't go wrong with either the Yoko or the Pirelli.