Tire Advice

[Tifosi24]

The time hasn't come to replace tires on the Patriot, but the replacement tread we put on it some years ago is terrible in the snow (Michelin Hydroedge 215/65r/17) and from what I have read this is a common complaint for this tire. I don't have as much trouble getting around in them as the wife, but that is her daily driving, so I am debating whether or not to replace them early. The reason I don't want to replace them is that they at 90k tires and they probably have about half the tread left, and these weren't cheap tires. I have gone to the Jeep Patriot forums, but the problem with that community is that it is full of off-road enthusiasts, so there tire advice is of no help to me because the most off-road our car gets is a gravel road.

In retrospect, it would appear that I should gone with the the Goodyear Triple tread, but they are about $150 a tire, which is more than I would care to spend right now. Snow tires are an option, but I am having a hard time convincing my wife to make that leap since they are the same cost as regular tires and I don't know how long I will have this car. Any advice for a solid all-weather tire in the $100 a tire range would be greatly appreciated. I am less concerned about rain traction because the Kellys that are on my Element are horrible in rain (I powerslide on cloverleafs) but they are rock solid in the snow, which is more important in Minnesota.

[Andrew Longman]

I have bought two sets of Continental Extreme Contacts- one for my old TL and one for my 325. Neither are much like your Patriot but fwiw these were recommended to me by my mechanic friend and I absolutely love them. Great ride, long lasting, fantastic grip, great in wet and snow and they look good. I got them for I think $120 apiece.

[WickerBill]

I second Continental, but make sure whatever you choose, you read the reviews and ratings on Tire Rack to see how people feel they do in snow. Most Michelin tires get good reviews but some don't -- so it is hard to just automatically trust a brand.

[DagoFast]

I have the Michelin HydroEdge on my '11 Elantra. They have never seen snow, but they are excellent in the rain when we get some. They are the first Michelin tire that I'm not totally happy with and it is simply because they noisy buggers at highway speeds.

That said, 3 of the 4 cars in our household have Korean made tires on them; 2 because they came with them (Hankook and Kumho) and one because we bought them as replacement tires (Kumho) based on how well they were performing on the first 2. Thus far we are very impressed with all aspects of their performance, longevity & certainly their price. Sorry, can't tell you how they are in the snow!

[Tifosi24]

I have the Michelin HydroEdge on my '11 Elantra. They have never seen snow, but they are excellent in the rain when we get some. They are the first Michelin tire that I'm not totally happy with and it is simply because they noisy buggers at highway speeds.


I will second that highway road noise!! Luckily the Element rides like a truck and is loud, so it doesn't bother me when I drive the Jeep.

[cameraman]

You live in Minnesota, why on earth do you not have a set of true snows and then a set of summer tires?

[nrc]

Putting snow tires on the Miata has been a revelation but I agree that it might not be a good investment if you're not sure that you'll keep the vehicle. I've also noticed that the OEM summer Bridgestone RE050s on the Miata are substantially better in the wet than the all season Continental ContiProContacts that were on my MINI. Looking around I find this test that confirms that impression:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/tire-test-all-season-vs-snow-vs-summer.html
http://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/non-make/fe/fe_1021093_717.jpg

I always knew that summer tires in summer and winter in winter would be the best solution but I always figured that as long as I could get by in the winter all seasons were a reasonable compromise. If I'd realized how badly all season tires can compromise wet performance I may have made the switch sooner. At a minimum I'd recommend looking carefully at the wet performance ratings on Tire Rack before selecting an all season tire.

[cameraman]

The all seasons you have will last twice as long if you have snows on the other half of the year.
For my car Blizzaks are $88, the Michelins are $98.

Keep the expensive all seasons you have and use them in the summer and buy snows.

[Elmo T]

We put the GY triple treads on the Subie. They've done well in all crappy weather.

We did have a blow-out at 2K miles - and at speed. Goodyear replaced after only a little pressure by my wife.

[Tifosi24]

You live in Minnesota, why on earth do you not have a set of true snows and then a set of summer tires?

Contrary to popular belief, outside of certain areas around the Great Lakes, you don't need snow tires. Snow removal has, historically, been good enough that you rarely have to drive through move than a couple inches of snow. My wife drives to work early in the morning and budget cutting has diminished the quality of snow removal, but most of this is driven by the tires. I know snow tires will make a load of difference in the winter, but I have never had trouble driving on Goodyear or Bridgestone all-weather even with 4-6" of snow. 90% of driving in the snow is knowing what to do.

[cameraman]

Well it matters around here, the canyons will make you a believer very quickly.

[Al Czervik]

I have bought two sets of Continental Extreme Contacts- one for my old TL and one for my 325. Neither are much like your Patriot but fwiw these were recommended to me by my mechanic friend and I absolutely love them. Great ride, long lasting, fantastic grip, great in wet and snow and they look good. I got them for I think $120 apiece.


I second Continental, but make sure whatever you choose, you read the reviews and ratings on Tire Rack to see how people feel they do in snow. Most Michelin tires get good reviews but some don't -- so it is hard to just automatically trust a brand.

I also have Conti Extreme Contact DWS's as 3 season tires (Blizzaks for the snow), and have been pleased. Good wet & early season snow traction. Also, the Tire Rack has a wealth of info on tires (comparison tests, reader reviews, etc).