Would like to informally poll folks on tire wear - how many miles before replacement?

And if you replaced with something other than OEM, what did you fit and how do you like them?

We only have 17k on the OEMs and the fronts are wearing quickly (we do mostly city driving). I doubt we will get 20-25k miles before replacement.

 

sclancy,

We replaced our OEM tires (Conti 4x4 Contacts, stock size) at around 20,000 miles. They were wearing well. However, I autocrossed the car during the summer of 2007 and the fronts were well worn on the outer edges. I rotated them to the rear this summer. I noticed that they were wearing more evenly across the tread surface but had begun to show noticeable wear. They passed inspection in July this summer.

I replaced them with Michelin Latitude Sports, a Y-rated summer tire. This tire is better suited to my driving style ("Spirited" is a better word than "aggressive."). My tires get their wear from lateral changes in direction rather than from braking. I try to avoid braking, preferring to lift off the accelator during highway driving rather than braking to slow down.

I will most likely have to go to a snow tire during the winter since the tire companies recommend not using a summer tire below 40 degrees F. I may go back to an all-season like the Contis since we don't get an appreciable amount of snow. However, based on my experience with Michelin all-seasons on loaner Benzes, I would prefer the Michelins over the Continentals. I drove a 2003 E320 Wagon from Woodbridge to Tallahassee two years ago. It had Michelins and was an excellent road trip vehicle. I drove it at 80-85 most of the time.

I use Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires on my 98 Volvo S-90 during the winter. I find that they handle much better than the all-seasons Contis I am using during the summer. In fact, they are better dry-road tires than the all-seasons.

The R500 tracks well at speed during slaloms and 90-degree turns. With the Contis, there was a tendency to understeer. In a slalom, one has to manage speed and yaw to avoid killing a cone with the rear end. I haven't 'crossed with the Michelins yet. However, in 90-degree turns around town, there is little or no understeer and the car tracks well. Of course, one has to use the brakes to knock off momentum prior to starting the turn; however, one may accelerate through the turn without fear of oversteer.

Summer tires (V-rated and higher) have stiffer sidewalls than all-season tires. This manifests as "bounce" when cornering and on the skid pad when you increase or decrease speed to maintain a constant line.

If you're near the DC area, I'll be happy to provide a demo ride of my Michelin Latitude Sports. The final GWS-MBCA (www.gws-mgca.org) autocross of the season will be on Nov 3 at Middlebrook High School in Winchester, VA. I plan to participate just to see (and show) how well the summer tires handle.

JR

 

JY

thanks for the info. that is helpful. given the weight of the R, it is a hard balance between tread wear and handling whether you go all season or summer tire. for me, i need to find a good all season. i cant be bothered with switching tires.

Personally I cant imagine that it would be much fun tossing something as big as the R around a SOLO course - it really must tear up the tires even with increased air pressure. the R's understeer and oversteer is really a function of size/weight IMO. i would be curious to see how the airmatic suspension perhaps better controls oversteer in particular. understeer is obviously more manageable to some degree by decelerating before turn in. I find it harder to get the car set up in high speed turns to avoid oversteer. I cant even imagine transitioning through the cones to keep the car settled and still maintain any speed. while I have had fun taking regular cars on a skid pad or through the cones at an autocross over the years, you really have to get yourself a sports car and take it to summit point to race on a real track....i think it is about 200% more fun than autocrossing....personally i track a boxster S.

 

We have the 19" wheel package on our Saks 5th Ave R500....I got 28K miles out of the OEM Michelin's summer tires. I replaced them with Conti 4X4 contacts and seem to be wearing well.

 

sclancy,

I've done Summit Point in a variety of cars, including a '75 Civic, an '82 Jetta, and an '80 320i. I've SOLO'd everything I've owned since '75, including a '95 Crown Vic (with Bilstein HD shocks). Sadly, I never took the SL to Summit. I'll get my adrenalin rush wherever I can, including the next trip to Sam's for groceries.

The goal for me with the R on a SOLO course is to prove that it can be done. Tire wear is the price for the hobby, which is why I haven't driven any events this summer. I can't afford a separate set of wheels and tires for the R-beast they way I could for the cars I had back in the 70s and 80s.

G'day!

JR