If you're shopping for Max Performance Summer Tires, these would be good to add to your short list~
TESTED: Continental Tire ExtremeContact Sport

 

They are nice and less $$ than the Michelins, I am thinking of getting the New Firestone Indy 500s, they are under 500 for all for with the 18" rims. Bridgestone Tires at a Firestone price. Supposedly they are very close to the Michelins. Conti fixed the problems with the old DWs. Both the original DW and DWS was made for America and they decided to make the sidewalls softer. They have pretty much fixed that.

 

Can't get them Discount Tires yet as of this date. They're in the system but not available yet. I had to settle(!) for Michelin PSS. My local Discount will match Tire Rack plus the PSS were cheaper than the Continentals!

 

Doesn't look like it comes in stock sport sedan size - no 225/50/18.

 

Could run 235/50 front 255/45 rear
ExtremeContact Sport - 235/50ZR18 97Y | Continental
ExtremeContact Sport - 255/45ZR18 103Y | Continental

 

A great alternative to the PSS but will it be enough to sway hardcore Michelin fanboys such as myself? We'll see, however the savings are approx $30 -50 per tire with the Continentals it seems which is a lot. One thing that sticks out the most is how similar the thread patterns are between the PSS and the Continentals. Will wait to see when Tire Rack does their testing on them.

 

That's a thought too. It will screw up the speedometer a little, and mileage will be over reported (more revs per mile). My PSS's are still good for at least another season, so we'll see what the testing shows. 7.5" width wheel is minimum for a 235 width tire. Might get a bit more side wall bulging?

 

Solo, if you click on each tire link then scroll down to the "view more" arrow it will show what Continental recommends for wheel widths, on the 235 it's a 6.5 to 8.5 width, so the 7.5 would be right in the middle. And for the 255 it's an 8.5 to 10, so that one would be on the low edge.

 

The G speedo reads fast so larger diameter tires are helping, not hurting.

 

Are we looking at the same tires?

For 235/50/18 I see rim width of 6.5-8.5"
For 255/45/18 I see rim width of 8.0-9.5"

IIrc, stock wheels are 7.5 front and 8.5 rear. In any case, it looks like these would be a fairly reasonable fit then. PSS's have about 6500 miles now. I haven't measured them lately, but I'd rear is at about 60% or more remaining. It'd be nice to get at least 20K out of the set but I don't think that's going to happen.

 

I got these tires about 2 months ago. Upgraded from bald stock bridgestone tires.

I cannot praise them enough. And for almost half the price of the Michelin PSS or 4S it's hard to go wrong.

 

Lol, I WAS looking at the correct tires, but for some reason I must have clicked a completely different size when I referenced that tire size. It did seem strange at the time, lol. So yes, YOU were looking at both correct sizes, I for whatever reason was just looking at 1 + a DOH!

 

When I bought my car, it came with Hankook Ventus S1 Nobile 2, the rears were new. The fronts probably her 20k, perhaps more. I have put another 7k on them. I hate them. I haven't owned too many all season tires, but the grip in the dry is decent, the grip in the rain is bordering on scarry. One time I had Hankook Ventus V12s, they were pretty great at first, but they didn't wear great and when they had about 50-60% the wet traction went away. I can't see buying Hankooks again.

If I buy Korean tires again, it will be Kuhmo's, I had one set before and they were good.

I have had nexen's and they were nice. My favorites are Michelins, I haven't had too many sets. Every Michelin I have had, I got used. The last pair were MSS that looked brand new and they charged me less than the Kuhmo's I was planning to buy. Those tires have made everyone else step up their game. I used to call my tire guy and ask him what he had. One time he said that he had some Michelin's for $40 each and I went right down. I was hoping for AS3s and got MXM4s. They were still great, I had them on the front and sold the car with them on.

I have seen people say don't mix a/s with Summer Tires, you can, but only with the a/s on the front.

My front tires look like they can probably last close to a year. I almost wouldn't mind putting my 245s on the front, but I don't want them on the rear. I live in Socal, I don't need an a/s. I didn't realize that summer tires would be better than a/s in the rain.

As I mentioned I am seriously considering the New Firestone Indy 500s. I also like the BFG Comp TA2 which are basically getting a top Michelin for 30% less. I wish they would update them though. I have thought about calling this place that I got my PSS and hoping I could get a deal like I did. Those tires make your suspension feel much more connected. Bridgestone RE760s and S04s look nice too.

If you need an all season, I would recommend mostly the BFG Comp 2 A/s,Sumitomo AS PO2, Conti DWS06,General AS05. in that order.

Sumitomo's do everything great at a lower price, they aren't the best but dependent on the tire, at least 90% as well as Michelin at around 1/2 the price.

 

+1

PSS frequently go on promotion with a $70 visa gift card. I've got my last two sets during that promo period, and it helps offset the cost difference.

And yeah, I'd like to see Tire Rack run an actual test before proclaiming the Continentals "as good as" the PSS. With the introduction of the new PS4S it would seem the benchmark has changed.

 

I am guessing 275s won't fit on the rear Duck Feet wheels. Apparently the Firestone Indy 500 275/40/18s are actually less expensive, I can't see a negative, other than the might not fit on those wheels. I would imagine they would be fine in the rear for space. The recommended rim is at least 9"