Yes, if every tire buyer would research first on Tire Rack before buying whatever their tire store is trying to sell them there would be many more satisfied drivers and a lot less buyers remorse.
Iāve also had Kumhos and Hankooks on some of my cars. I though they were decent tires, which were fairly priced, but not as good as the Michelins
Iāve been impressed with the Hankook H727 all seasons. Theyāre ranked higher than the Michelin Defender by users in the all season touring category, they have great winter traction, and theyāre $30 less than the Michelins.
My favorite tire of all time has been the Kumho Solus KR21. For my driving experience, they outperformed any set of Michelins Iāve ever been on in all ways from tread life to traction to noise etc.
Obviously there are a lot of variables to that, including the vehicle type and driving conditions. But all I can say is that the only thing Michelin has ever meant to me is quality that you have to pay a lot more for - as opposed to similar quality that you pay less for.
Like I said before, I find the user surveys from TR less than useful. One person loves them and another hates them. The same tire. Best tire, worse tire. Now the test results I think are a little better when the rate noise level, traction and so on, but the user reviews are worthless to me. I actually have gotten my best advice from the local Goodyear tire shop. Theyāll sell me cheap tires or expensive depending on what Iām interested in at the time. Actually one of the best set of tires Iāve had were an unknown brand they sold me for about $400, for a car I knew was only going to last a year or so longer. They were quiet, good snow and wet traction, good handling, etc.
So I might do a little research and ask around, but I still rely on the local shop for a final decision. Agree that there are different lines with different specs in each brand. Also the tires sold at Walmart arenāt the same Goodyear tires youād get at a Goodyear dealer. I also suspect some of the same from TR since some of the names donāt seem to match. I donāt deal with NTB, Discount Tire, and other similar. The farm store tires I bought (canāt remember if they were Dunlop or Continental) were cheap but didnāt wear well and cost more per mile than the Goodyears I used to use all the time. 90+K on tires with no casing issues are pretty good in my book.
As for tire rack reviews, Iāll say this: I only read reviews of people whoāve put tens of thousands of miles on the tires
I donāt read reviews of guys that just bought the tires a few months ago, because theyāre still in the honeymoon phase
If I notice a pattern, I start to get concerned
I browse all of the reviews (noting miles driven) and go for the patterns rather than the vagaries of what any of the specific individuals have to say. The variation is the same for any review of anything and you can pretty easily get past the noise. If there is a strong mix of thumbs up and thumbs down - that tells me its a mediocre thing and I move on. It works for me.
The Continental tires on my bicycle have been excellent.
The Continental tires that came on my car were utter junk.
I lost an instant 2mpg with new goodrich tires, so I thought garbage, but the mileage came back, and rougher ride seems to have mellowed out also. So if you recall any initial complaints they may now be dismissed, and I am not so disappointed for saving $50 a tire.
Wow! Great discussion. Thanks to all who posted. Consensus seems to heavily lean toward Michelin - with some extra thought regarding past experience with Continentals. Iāll consider my options and keep everyoneās feedback in mind. Thanks much everyone!!