I have a question regarding tires. i have a 2005 Ford Taurus that has 4 tires in need of replacement. The tires are original on the car since it has 37,000 miles on it. It has the OEM Continental Contact Pro tires on it. Im curious if I should purchase 4 new Continental tires or get a different brand? Im looking for a smooth ride. I dont care about road noise since I am Deaf. Ha! But one tire model I am considering is Yokohoma Avid TR-4. Anyone had any good experience with Yokos? Or any other tire recommendations for the Taurus? I know its a heavy car. Thanks for any advice!
No, don’t get the Contact Pros. Go to TireRack.com and read the survey results for the type of tire you want. You’ll find owner’s ratings for each tire, in each category of performance (dry traction, wet traction, snow traction, etc.)
Once you select a particular tire, then you can read written reviews from owners on that particular tire.
I have two cars with Yokohama Avid Touring S tires and another with Yokohama Avid ENVigors. I like them a lot. I got the ENVigors on a 4-for-3 sale. You might find the same deal. The ENVigors rate well in both Tire Rack tests and in owner surveys in the high performance all season category.
I’ve had good luck with my Yokohama Avid H4s tires. Go to tirerack.com and check out the tires that fit your car, they have lots of info.
As jesmed noted Tirerack’s website is a gem for reading lots and lots of customer reviews of many tires suitable for the car. I always use those reviews when tire shopping now.
My last two purchases were:
- Kumho Solus KR21s (on a Ford Escort) - this is the best set of tires I have ever owned. Never a traction problem. Very quiet. Very even wear (though I rotate regularly). I’ve been on them for about 60K & they still have life.
- Yoko Avid-S (on an Olds Silo van). These are still relatively new but the tirerack reviews are very positive. So far (5k or so) they’re great. Also nary a traction problem and very quiet.
Also take a look at the Hankook Optimo H727. These are top-ranked in Tire Rack’s “Standard Touring All Season” category, and Consumer Reports rated them #1 or #2 in a recent test of all season tires. I just got a set for my mom’s car, and I’m really impressed. Terrific wet traction, super smooth ride. Also, very reasonable price on Tire Rack.
If you’re looking for a smooth, quiet ride then Toyo Versado LXs are very hard to beat.
My '07 Nissan Altima also came with those same Continental ProContact tires, and I hated them.
Ripped them off the car at 20k miles, and never looked back.
I currently have Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires on it now, and these are the best all season tire I have had on any car in wet and snow conditions. I’m not sure if that is important to you, but it was to me. They are smooth on the highway, and soak up smaller bumps and ripples with ease.
BC.