Had to get new tires

[davis449]

Well my steering wheel was vibrating slightly last week so I took it into Discount Tire to get them balanced. Every time I go to these guys I ask them how the tire wear looks and they always tell me "normal", "ok", or "good". On Friday of last week I took it into a Discount Tire store I usually don't go to and told them to balance the tires and NOT TO ROTATE THEM! I caught them rotating them and corrected them and watch them balance the tires so I knew the job had been done. Got in the car and drove off and the vibration was still there. So I followed my instincts this morning and went to the store I usually go to and told them to re-balance the tires to fix what the other store fucked up. Well they took them off and what a shock, the Yokohama's need to be replaced and one of them has sidewall damage. I argue with them for a while and ask questions like: "Why the hell are my 60,000 mile rated Yokohamas worn down after only 27K?" and "What about the warranty I bought from you guys that says you'll replace them if they screw up or are defective?", things like that. Mind you, my suspension is fine, new front lower and upper control arm bushings (they weren't that bad in the fist place, my dealer just thought it would be nice of them to replace them under warranty BEFORE it expired) and the shocks (Bilstien HD's) are less than a year old, and the alignment was done when the shocks were put on less than a year ago. There is nothing to indicate the alignment is off.

So I have come to the conclusion that the problem was either cheap tires or I should have told them NOT to "Sipe" my damn tires (I think this severely shortens the life of the tire)! Lesson learned. After much complaining at them I got a set of 215, H-rated Michelin Pilots for $317 with Discount Tire warranty. They credited me on the tire with the "Road Hazard" issue and gave me a hefty discount. My question to you guys is, how are Michelin Pilots as a tire and do you like them (for those of you who have them or have had them)? My friend has had Michelin Energy's before on one of his Hondas and now swears they are the worst tires ever. I've never had any experience with any Michelin tires before so I don't know.

Sorry for the long winded thread I just had to vent. Sometimes I just HATE cars! ARRRGH! :wall:

[vbrock1137]

I had Michelin MXV4 (I think) that came with the car, I hated 'em. I thrashed those with weekly donut sessions to give an excuse to get some Bridgestone Potenza RE950s. I love the Bridgestones.

Friend of mine had a set of Pilot Sports on his ZR-1 and swore by them. I think the pilots are good, but maybe the lesser Michelins suck.

Also, I had some 18" first gen. Yokohama AVSdB on my previous W126. I was more than happy with them, but didn't keep the car long enough to see what the treadlife was like.

[davis449]

Yeah well, I got these cause they were cheaper than the T rated Michelins he first offered me and I think these are better tires. I like the idea of having H rated tires on my car. I've noticed that the wider foot print helps tha handling of my car. My Yokohamas had a very harsh ride. These are softer but they don't feel like I've lost any control over the car. I'm still getting used to them.