What is the best tire choice for a 2004 TSX that has to be able to handle a little snow, rain and still get good performance on dry days? Brand, model and size advice appreciated.
Bridgestone RE960 Pole Position(love them), good in dry, incredible in the wet and decent for a ultra performance all-season in the snow/ice. Nice comfort balance too.
Given your requirement of “little snow” they work really well in that situation. They are not winter tires, however can fill those shoes(very good a stopping in winter weather).
It only snows about 5-10 days per year in my locale where you truely need winter tires if you want to get out in the peak of the storm. We have these neat things called plows and sanders that turn white roads into nearly sand.
Personally, I don’t think there IS a tire that will perform well in snow and still “get good performance on dry days.” You need set of summer tires and a separate set of winter tires. The tire you wish for does not exist.
There exists no such a magic tire on this planet. The best tires for compromise would be OEM, stick with it.
I disagree. The Bridgestone RE-92 that is OEM equipment on many new cars is absolutely useless on snow, and I am sure that this is not the only OEM tire that is particularly bad in at least one respect.
As was said, no one tire is good for everything, and the compromises that are inherent in the design of a so-called all-season tire are well known and are very difficult to overcome simply because of the very different qualities needed for dry road handling, wet weather handling and winter traction.
What you are asking for is two sets of tyres on two sets of rims (I suggest steel rims for price and strength). “All Season” realy means three season and winter needs winter tyres. No one tyre can come close to the performance two fair tyres.
As for size OEM is usually best with two adjustments. The thinner tyres do better as winter tyres and for all season you have two choices, the standard OEM and the “Performance” tyres. For most uses the OEM is the best choice, for some the “Performance” package would be better.
When I am talking about “Performance” I mean those short little tyres on oversize rims. They will cost far more and they will be far more likely to be damaged by a pothole (along with the fancy oversize overpriced alloy rims). They will also provide more road feel and a little more control and traction on dry pavement.
While there are differences between brands and models, there are greater differences between types.
OEM can be absolute garbage. They are not only chose by performance but special deals with tire manufacturer’s for cheapest bulk buy and sometimes best mileage #'s for EPA testing. I have had three sets of RE92’s OEM on a Civic, Subaru WRX and Subaru Legacy GT. Okay in dry, comfortable however terrible in rain and winter weather. To top it off they cost more than many tires rated far better.
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I do respect the decision whatever car manufacturers make, that’s it.
For the record, I’m a big fan of Michelin and my mother’s maiden name is Bridgestone.
I put some Cooper Zeon Sport A/S tires on my Scion tC (215/45x17) this fall. I’ve now had an opportunity to drive them on wet and on snowy/greasy roads up here in NH. I’m very happy with them. The wet weather performance is probably the best I’ve ever had, the snow performance is great, and they give a decent ride and decent handling. And I’ve driven them over 105 mph.
They do, however, seem to have a slightly higher rolling resistance than the tires they replaced (I lost 1 to 2 mpg) and they’re not quite as impervious to the road conditions (the ones I had were laser-sharp no matter now the road surfaces changed), but they’re great tires and well worth the small tradeoffs.
I can recommend them for all weather performance.
Do some research on the TireRack web site. Even if you don’t buy from them, they are a great resource. It sounds like you are looking for a high-performance, all-season tire.