What tires did you replace your stock Conti's with???

TDIFred said:

looking at Hankook Ventus V12 on DiscountTiresDirect (388$ after 80$ discount with free shipping) and the General G-Max (which replaced the General-Exclaim UHP) to replace the Continentals which now have "run out"

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got the Hankook and so far, very happy. FWIW, Monro Muffler and Brake in Niagara Falls NY did the install and I highly recommend them. (for Buffalo area and southern Ontario cross-border shoppers)

TDIFred said:

got the Hankook and so far, very happy. FWIW, Monro Muffler and Brake in Niagara Falls NY did the install and I highly recommend them. (for Buffalo area and southern Ontario cross-border shoppers)

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While those Hankooks look like they are well-respected tires, I'd hesitate to buy them due to the really poor wear rating.

Thanks for the tip on Discount Tire Direct, though. I compared the delivered price for General G-Max tires (the tire I'm leaning toward for when it's time to replace my original Contis) from Discount Tire Direct vs. Tire Rack, and Discount Tire was $40 lower.

Wow, my tires were wonderful on the way into work today! I know all of you already know how great the Golf TDI feels on the road, well my new and bigger tires made it even better. It was truly like a luxury car today. I think I even noticed the slightly lower rpm at speed. It just seemed so civilized inside the car. All the bumps were muffled and had a nice rubbery feel on the impacts with the road imperfections. It also feels glued to the road. I love my new 235/45/17 94H Micehelin Primacy MXM4 tires!

Once the Bridgestone Turanza's wear out (looks like in baout 36k miles) I will be getting Michelin's at Costco.....

My original Conti Contiprocontacts are at 47,000 and passed state inspection today. Seem to have another 10K miles on them. Will probably replace them before the winter in 10K miles with another set of ContiProContacts. Dealer will install and provide rotation and road hazard warranty including filling with nitrogen, tire disposal and new TPMS seals for $195 each. Not a bargain, but I like my dealer and the convenience of having them do rotation.
There are many good options, and the stock Conti's are just fine for a daily driver that has 47K miles in just two years.

ualfltdispatch said:

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position. LOVE'M!!! http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...DI&autoModClar=4-Door With Rubber Valve Stems

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Can you please elaborate a bit?


I am looking at the Bridgeston Potenza RE970AS PolePosition OR the Michelin Primacy MXM4.

I am also unclear if I can go to 235's instead of 225's and what I could expect from the size increase.

After doing some reviews, and reading this thread, we'll be getting MXV4s to replace our multi-manufacturer tires (different brands when we bought, thankfully they've worn out).

My thanks!

^^ thats what i put on my g/f's 07 Rabbit, she likes so far, says they feel a little softer, not in a bad way or anything.
i have not yet driven them, but i will soon on a decent road trip, so i will report after

Dariof said:

Can you please elaborate a bit?
I am looking at the Bridgeston Potenza RE970AS PolePosition OR the Michelin Primacy MXM4.
I am also unclear if I can go to 235's instead of 225's and what I could expect from the size increase.

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I think I'll have to consider the RE970's when the time comes, but I can't believe I'm happy with the Conti's. No complaints, really - they seem to handle well. But, it sounds like the RE970 would be among the more sporty of the AS tires, which is a plus in my book.

It's not clear to me if mileage would be affected. This could be a problem.

Crappy cell phone pic, but I went the other way and put 15s on my Golf with B5 Passat alloys.

I used the same Contis as were on the 17s, as I had them on a set of 15" steelies that were take-offs from a Rabbit. I bought the steelies for snow tires and the Contis only have 2K on them, so I couldn't justify buying new tires.

The 15s are much better on this car: ride, steering, and, I expect, FE. Quieter, too. As an aside, the 1.6L Golf Bluemotion in the UK comes with 15s.

This is a very helpful thread! Thanks to everyone that contributed! I read this probably 5 times over the past month since my 2010 JSW original tires had over 40k miles and were getting threadbare.

I got the Michelin Primacy MXM4 and love them. They were very hard to find! A couple of local dealers had them back ordered until July, so I was worried that I might have to settle for another tire. Fortunately, I found a set and also got a $100 rebate.

I've only had them on since Friday, but first impressions are solid. Very quiet!

EricVA said:

This is a very helpful thread! Thanks to everyone that contributed! I read this probably 5 times over the past month since my 2010 JSW original tires had over 40k miles and were getting threadbare.

I got the Michelin Primacy MXM4 and love them. They were very hard to find! A couple of local dealers had them back ordered until July, so I was worried that I might have to settle for another tire. Fortunately, I found a set and also got a $100 rebate.

I've only had them on since Friday, but first impressions are solid. Very quiet!

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What was your installed price?

I found my stock 17" Continental ContiProContacts too noisy, and replaced them slightly early with Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Much quieter, although as the 'new tire softness' has worn off, they've gotten a little noisier. 45 profile still makes for a fairly stiff tire. My 55 profile 16" winter tires (and they're actually Continental ExtremeWinterContacts) ride much quieter.

frugality said:

I found my stock 17" Continental ContiProContacts too noisy, and replaced them slightly early with Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Much quieter, although as the 'new tire softness' has worn off, they've gotten a little noisier. 45 profile still makes for a fairly stiff tire. My 55 profile 16" winter tires (and they're actually Continental ExtremeWinterContacts) ride much quieter.

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I echo your remarks. Last week, I replaced my 17" OEM ContiProContacts with same size Michelin 94H Primacy MXM4s. (I also use Conti ExtremeDWS on 16: wheels for winter driving.) While I was immediately impressed with the "pillow-like" ride of the MXM4s as I drove away from the installer, I was even more impressed two days later when driving on one of NY's narrow parkways during a truly torrential downpour. With standing water everywhere, the stability of the Michelins was amazing, in my experience. It confirmed my choice. Wet handling was, after all, the main reason I went for the MXM4s.

The cost, including alignment, TPMS service, was $747 before tax (plus $122 labor!). I'm expecting a $70 rebate by mail.

sgoldste01 said:

what was your installed price?

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~$900

EricVA said:

~$900

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Wow. That's expensive rubber. Glad you like them. I hope you get many miles before they need to be replaced.

16" MXM4's are great on the '10 JSW - 6K on them and they're fantastic.

sgoldste01 said:

Wow. That's expensive rubber. Glad you like them. I hope you get many miles before they need to be replaced.

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That's what they cost and I price compared for best price. After I get the $100 rebate it's even better. Have you found a better deal for 17s?

Yokohama Avid Envigors. Good in the rain, but not winter. Highly rated on Tire Rack.

About to buy new tires AND moving to Portland, Oregon.

Continental DWS or Michelin Primacy MXM4? Opinions please!

zakurie said:

About to buy new tires AND moving to Portland, Oregon.

Continental DWS or Michelin Primacy MXM4? Opinions please!

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You'll get more out of this:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

Contis under 'ultra high performance all-season', and MXM4's under 'grand touring all-season.'


Around here.....opinions are like a-holes....everyone has one. I've got the Michelins and like them, but also have seen many here rave about the DWS's.

Last week I replaced my 15" Conti Contacts with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. One of the Contis got a nail in it and wasn't repairable, so I used it as a reason to get the Michelins I really wanted.

I drove down to NJ yesterday, 635 miles of really mixed driving in the day. The verdict is the Michelins are a significant improvement. Much quieter, enough that I'm no longer aware of road noise on any kind of surface in this car. And they're much grippier than the Continentals. Ride better, too. Worth every penny. I looked at MXM4s, but they're 3-5 lbs. heavier than the Pilots, depending on size. Too much of a bump in weight for me.

Now I finally have the ride, handling, and NVH on this car where I want it with FSDs and 15" wheels and Michelins. I've replicated the setup on my MKIV, and I like it. What a surprise.

zakurie said:

About to buy new tires AND moving to Portland, Oregon.

Continental DWS or Michelin Primacy MXM4? Opinions please!

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A vote for the DWS. Put V-rated Continential ExtremeContact DWS on my wife's Acura 30k miles ago.... (from Tire Rack). Much quieter than the OE Michelin's, excellent wet/dry grip, and so far good wearability. They have a really strange tread pattern, not that it matters. If my SW was ready for tires, the Conti DWS would be my choice.

I am an engineer for Conti so I'm biased but the DWS and the DW and the Generals are all amazing for the money...

I've got 30k on my DWS. About 20k ago, one or more developed vibration issues that can't be resolved, have become noisy at highway speed, and are not handling rain nearly as well as my General Altimax HP on my 850. When trying to diagnose/balance out the vibration at a tire shop one time, the SA told me that the tries were not a good match for the car because of the high speed rating and that I should have gone with the correct speed rating and should have chosen a Grand Touring like the MXM4 for ride smoothness. Let's face it, would one normally out drive the capabilities of that type of tire? And, what thae average person really appreciates is a dead smooth, quiet, and wet handling tire. Ironically, I was wathching MotorWeek recently and Goss was talking about tire selection and had a DWS there discussing how it would NOT be a good tire for the average driver, and that even on a high performance vehicle one could expect to experience vibration issues. I sat there shocked as it was exactly what I'm experiencing. It was borderline bashing.

In hindsight, I wished I would have either bought the Altimax (cheap) or the Michelins (if $$ wasn't concerned) and can't, IMO, recommend the DWS for the average driver.

when putting on the MXM4's did anyone notice any loss of fuel economy?

I will definitely get the Michelin Primacy MXM4's as me next set. They come with a 55k warranty so you'll probably get that and then some. Tire rack rated them higher than the Conti's that they come with and one figure really jumped out at me and it was the wet handling spider chart. The Michelin was so much better than the rest of the group, I almost thought they forgot to include it.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/spiderChart.jsp?ttid=138

All around, this tire is as good as they get. They aren't the cheapest, but TireRack justified it by saying that you end up paying less than like $0.00001 per mile for a premium set of tires. As long as these will last, you'll probably end up spending less in the end.

Mine came with Dunlop SP Sport Fastresponse 205/55/R16
Picture: http://i.imgur.com/4O6iH.jpg

I like them, pretty quiet and nice grip when wet. They have gotten excellent reviews also.

My snow tyres are Goodyear Ultragrip Ice+ 195/65/R15, they have won several reviews for winter friction tyres.
Picture: http://i.imgur.com/vzHBo.jpg

These I havent used yet, but my collegue said he had them on his Skoda and they were fantastic according to him - "You'll never want to take them off" he said.

Reading these posts, I noticed that many people don't understand that almost any new tire is going to be quieter than their used, nearly worn out tires. When people rave about how quiet their new Brand X tire is compared to their old tires, they are comparing apples and oranges. They only comparison that would make sense is new versus new, or worn versus worn (equally). Yes, there are quieter tires and noisier tires due to tread design and other factors.

I also don't particularly trust tire ratings by consumers (such as on tire rack), as, again, they are comparing apples and oranges (their new tires versus their old ones), plus consumers typically just don't have the experience with lots and lots of tires in the same time period. Also notice the fact in their consumer ratings charts that tires are sort of loved "across the board" in all ratings categories, or hated, or all middle-ground. It appears that a person that hates one aspect of a tire, such as tread life, will then trash it in other categories where it doesn't deserve it (ride, handling, etc.) Or, if they love how it sticks, they also say they love how quiet it is. You'll hardly ever see a tire where they love some aspects, but hate others (excepting maybe snow performance on a summer-only tire).

bigsexyTDI said:

I am an engineer for Conti so I'm biased but the DWS and the DW and the Generals are all amazing for the money...

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So, I have to ask - what is different the DWS/DW and the (no offense) crappy ContiProContact OEMs?