Another +1 on the super sports... just a fantastic tire. I have heard good things about the A/S3 but after my A/S+ experience I am completely turned away from high performance all seasons...

Put on a summer tire, and just get by on the days it gets colder. You will be rewarded every other day with an absolutely epic tire.

 

You may want to consider the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. It is also an A/S tire (the Continental ExtremeContact DW is their summer only version...) that compares fairly well. I had that on my previous car, which was also RWD, and it was a good tire. The sidewalls on those are softer than the Michelin AS/3, so handling is a bit compromised. But overall they lasted well and performed in light snow, which is a consideration for me. I still think the Michelin AS/3 seems to be the best all-around tire I've had, including the two previous sets of tires I've gone through on my Infiniti.

 

I just emailed the dealership to see if they can get either A/S 3 or SS and get closer to the TireRack price... wish me luck!

 

I got 11k miles out of my rears, and put a pair of PSS on. OMG... the grip. Fronts still had some tread, so I ran them mixed this year, and tossed them out at 15k miles when the snows were swapped on last month.

I was expecting lots of under-steer with the mixed setup, but to my very content surprise there was less (!) Go figure. Next spring I'll have PSS on all four corners. Can't wait.

Black Betty gave great advice here on the PSS. They're expensive tires, and worth every single penny.

 

Well I replaced the tires on the wifes car back in sept/oct and went with BFgoodrich sport comp 2 and love them. Granted I live in sunny FL and snow or freezing temps is the last thing I ever consider when buying tires, but they grip extremely well, ride quite, and best part is they are great in the rain.

On the other hand I just replaced my tires last week and went through alot of debate and finally ended up going back to Goodyear. Put a set of Eagle GT's on and although its only been a week, Ive been trying to push the limits in corners and I am very pleased. I stayed w the stock setup for the S until I decide which rims I want for sure. But op sounds like you have quite a bit of choices already and your in a diff ballpark than I am as well so.....I'll hopefully be heading to the track in the next couple of weeks to test these tires out for real

 

That is about what I got--11k. I too considered running the exact same mixed tires but was concerned that by the time the fronts wore down all the way i would need another set of rears.

I decided that the ~$300 I saved on the S-04s over the PSS would fund sway bars

Since I can't rotate tires and I don't need winters, I fully expect to replace the tires every year. Maybe ill try the PSS next....

 

I caution you against using tread wear ratings as a comparison tool. These values are not standardized and vary from manufacturer to manufacturer (I don't even think they matter much from the same manufacture). Let me know if I wrong, but I don't think there is a tire out there that will deliver high performance and a life of over 20k miles. On my last set, I switched from Potenza RE-050A Pole Positions to Potenza S-04. The wear rate was very similar, I thing the 04s rode better but were ever so slightly louder and gave up a little on side wall stiffness (and cornering response). However, I felt the 04s were better - I still value a agile handing car and the 04s made it more liveable.

 

Tread wear ratings are derived from running the tire alongside a standardized Course Monitoring Tire and comparing the tread wear. This, in and of itself, is reasonably objective, however, the test only runs for 7,200 miles so it is up to the manufacturers to come up with their own extrapolation of the tire's full life expectancy. Most manufactures will use similar equations across their own product line, thus, comparisons within a specific manufacture's range will be relatively valid. However, if you're comparing across brands then there is a distinct possibility that each manufacturer used very different math to arrive at its rating.

 

I did the same for the same reason and have experienced the same

 

26* this morning when I left for work. Really loose.

But I didn't get out of the house till after 8, there was no school, no traffic. Loose was fun

 

I've had the AS3s for 5k miles or so and like them on my 09 S. I went to an AS tire on the last set since the RE050s it came with would just beat me here in Atlanta in the winter. The RE050s would wear even while parked! I got 35k out of my set of Bridgestone 970s vs. 21k on the RE050s. The AS3s are better than the 970s for sure in every way. Ride in winter is great, noise is low, and handling is very good. The AS3s are surprising handlers....you can just keep pushing them harder and harder in turns and they don't complain. They don't have a strong turn in like a summer tire, so don't expect that, but expect the tire is totally predictable and confident. Think of the AS3 as more of a summer design with an all season compound. I'm back to getting small rocks flung into the fender wells with the AS3s and didn't have that on the 970s. Also....check the recent issue in Motor Trend (I think) where they compared the PSS vs. AS3 on a Mustang on a track and were surprised that the lap times were nearly identical when they expected the PSS to blow away the AS3. Hope this helps on your decision.

 

New tires every year really hurts quite a bit... also I can't rotate them (G37s). Amazing grip aside, I am less than impressed with the tread life so far on my new Pilot Sports...

 

How many miles have you put on them?

I also went with the PSS - love them so far.

Thx

 

As someone that has bought alot of tires in their lifetime, I highly recommend Discount Tire for the following reasons:

1. They price match anyone. Just bring in a printout of the competitive ad, done deal.
2. Service is very good and consistent between cities (I've used them in 3 of the cities I've lived with no complaints)
3. Free Rotation/Balance. Not the Costco type of free rotation/balance where you drop the car off and they 'get to it when they have a chance', but one where you make an appointment and are out of there within a half hour.
4. Also, if they find a nail/screw in one of the tires, they fix it. Send you wife there during the day, no up-selling, they just fix the tire, no questions asked and no requirement for having purchased an unnecessary road hazard warranty.
5. They honor the manufacture's warranty and prorate in a very effective manner that is favorable to the buyer. Costco failed me in this regard on several occasions. They even offer a buyback on your old tires if you are like me and hate to wait till they are at 2/32nds.

Don't get me wrong, I love Costco and could write an entire blog on the quality of their food and wine, I just stopped buying tires there for the reasons noted above. Outside of Costco and Discount Tire, I could not find anyone with an acceptable level of quality for a similar price.

 

My experience with Discount Tire has been the same. Discount Tire has gone above and beyond for me on several occasions.