I ran the OEM Michelins 62,000 miles... needless to say I had slicks for the last 20,000. I replaced them with Continental ExtremeContact DWSs; 235/40 is the only size that was available without waiting 6 weeks for more to be manufactured. I have been very pleased with the great mix of quiet, performance, and especially snow traction this winter. There may be better performance choices, but the Contis seemed to be the best all around tire for my SS. They've already gotten me through 36 inches of snow so far this winter.

 

Well many here have Michelins and Firestones [Bridgestones] that came on our HHR's that have proven disapointing in the very least. Just my .03 cents

The fact is with all makes and brands they have good and bad tires. Just like car companies every tire company has a Aveo or Neon along with Corvettes and Vipers.

The best way to get a good tire is to avoid old models. They are usally out dated and not as advanced as the newer updated models.

You can not always judge a tires quality by price. There are some good value tires that may not be at the top but they are near it in quality but 2/3rds the price.

Often avoid OE replacment tires. Most times they are old or cheap tires. Auto MFG do not want to pay anything for tires and often they get crap tires or older models at a lower price. Tire companies often do OE to keep plants busy or get their name in the market. Oftem they pay the price with a poor quality tire representing them.

There is an acception to this in many high end performance cars or specialty tires the auto makers need. The Pilots on the ZR1 are a much better Pilot than on the HHR. But then again you are paying for them and Michelin payaed a lot of development money to get on the car. They hope to make up profits in the replacment market.

The same for the Goodyear Fuel Max. It is the first low resistance tire that really has the grip of a normal tire. Compounding has made this tire really work and not handle like it was rock on Fred Flintstones car. Companies like Chevy and Toyota have been willing to pay more for these tires as they really increase MPG with no handling penalty. That is why they are OE on the Volt and Prius.

Living in Akron has a lot of minuses but with family and friends all working for the rubber companies over the years you really get to know what is going on and how things really work. Goodyear, Bridgestone/Firestone, Kumo, Hankook and several other companies are still either based here or have tech centers here. A lot of polymer science is going on here in town and that is where the micro technology is leading into new silicon compoinds that have really been advancing tires.

The funny part is even back when companies have been on strike they have worked together and things like Goodyear has made BFG tires or BFG has made Firestone to help out and keep the companies alive during long stikes. Things like this really do not happen anymore but it shows how close these companies watch each other and at times work together.

They all know each other well and that is why even 4n companies have tech centers here in Akron as they want to keep up with new things that are being worked on here.

One thing everyone needs to see is how a tire is built. Even today with the new machines it is still a hot, dirty and labor intensive effort. Tires are still made by one person in a hand made process. They still do much the same work my Grandfather did years ago.

Only with todays speed rated tires there is much less room for error anymore. They inspect tires in new ways with X ray and other means to make sure it is a good product.

So in the end to curse one company as bad is not fair. You can be fair to hate some models but you can not write off companies with all bad tires as there is not perfect tire companies nor are there any with all bad tires either.

Just buy updated model tires that meet your driving needs and your vehicles requirments. Too many buy the worng tires for the wrong reasons. They either get poor performance, pay too much or both.

Note too many tire companies are not ver healthy money wise right now. Note many of them have tire shortages because they are no longer keeping large inventories. I fear there will be some shake ups in the future for some. Some may get bought out, merge or even vanish. Some with very well known names. Bridgestone and Goodyear are both doing ok but many others are having issues keeping up with the cheap tires dumped here from China.

 

The Michelins on mine still have decent tread at 49k. The only complaint I had with them was bad wet traction, in the rain even driving like a grandma they spin pulling away from a light. I just bought a set of Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500's from the Tire Rack. Nice looking tire , cheaper than the Michelins, had good reviews and a good warranty. But I probably wont put them on til later in the year. Get a few more miles on the stockers.

 

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus is what I went with at the end of December, with 67000 miles. Now approaching 70000 miles and couldn't be happier with this tire. Handles great in the dry and wet, nice aggressive tread pattern, and really handles excellent in the snow... I been in a few snow storms in the last month, and have had to drive in about 8" or more, and what a difference from the stockers. If I still had the stockers, I would be stuck somewhere ....
Lots of good tire choices out there, just do your research and choose. No matter what you get, it will be better than what you have...........Tom

 

My stock michelins are showing wire at 37k haha.. Well almost wire but theyre bald but the good thing is that i have new tires waiting to be put on as soon as i get my car back

 

:cant understand it,only 27k miles and my front tires are shot

 

Were in the same boat haha. I forgot to say that my fronts are my old rears so technically the tires lasted me about 18k

 

So can anyone tell me what is the widest tire that will fit on the SS wheels without rubbing issues.

 

37k and the stockers arnt near the halfway point.............

 

I got 51K out of the stock Michelins then went to the same size Continental Extreme Contact DWS. I now have 13K on the DWS's and can give a good review on them. They seem to be wearing about the same as the Michelins. The DWS is smoother and MUCH quiter. The Michelins have the edge in cornering, dry pavement traction and hard launches where the DWS is better in wet and snow. Don't get me wrong the DWS is only slightly below the Michelin in drag race type traction.

The DWS is no better than the Michelin in the kind of frozen weather we get in Dallas. Our frozen sleet and rain with snow on top is not like 5 inches of fresh snow in the north. In this type of environment I have not found the DWS to be any better than the Michelin but feel if it was just snow on the road the DWS would be much better in that situation.

Both are a great tire in my book unless you are looking for the ultimate track or the stickiest tire you can purchase. If that is what you are looking for you will have to sacrifice miles for the softer compound tires.

Hope this helps,

Russ