Best tires for your Regal

[Jmlo96]

Thanks for the reply - My previous vehicle had pilots and I also was very unhappy with the wear on them, but that vehicle also wore through another set from a different brand that I can't remember.

I'm not against the CrossClimate2s, in fact Costco currently has a promotion on them. There's been mixed observations on mileage penalties for those, and I just don't know if I deal with driving in snow enough to justify the premium and reduced mileage because of them. But the Costco promotion might be juicy enough for me to hit it.

That's fair. I've seen maybe a 1 MPG hit with mine, but I mostly drive in the city. It's hard for me to judge because I got them put on when the winter gas switch happened. Snow traction aside, I think they are very nice tires. Traction has been excellent across the board, with low noise, good wear, and a good balance of ride quality and handling. The tread pattern is great for water evacuation too. The snow traction is just the icing on the cake.

 

[Irock1985]

Here's my shortlist... Looking to buy soon

 

[Wlepse]

Watch those Extreme Contacts. I was looking at them too but I saw a lot of reviews saying with mileage they got noisy and had vibration issues.

I have the BF Goodrich and they have been phenomenal in the dry and wet. They are a bit harsher over expansion cracks but I will take that trade off for increased grip. Sound levels are about the same, we did a trip from NJ to SC this year and no one had issues with droning or anything on varied surfaces. MPG might have taken a 1mpg hit but honestly my mpg varies so much I can't be sure it is the tires. I haven't had a chance to try them in the snow and probably won't since I switched to snows. But while swapping them over I did noticed the tread seemed lower than I would have expected. I will try to get some measurements to give you an idea but I wouldn't expect these to be long lasting tires. I am just hopeful to get two years out of them.

 

[Jmlo96]

Watch those Extreme Contacts. I was looking at them too but I saw a lot of reviews saying with mileage they got noisy and had vibration issues.

Can confirm on the vibration issues with the ExtremeContacts. Happened to me and one of my friends on his Volvo. Also those ExtremeContacts felt so sloppy on my Regal. The sidewalls were extremely mushy and ruined the feel of the car.

 

[KingDapostrophe]

@Irock1985, not sure if you've read through this whole thread, but when I get back to my desk later today I'll send you the deets I have compiled from this thread on the options you listed.

Also, FWIW, I didn't provide the right details in the earlier posts:

I just looked through my service history and my previous vehicle (Volvo) had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ WITH run flats, which lasted barely over a year (7/2/15 - 10/7/16) and 22k miles. I was highly disappointed, my warranty claim was denied because of uneven wear. Hated having run flats.

I replaced those with the Conti ExtremeContact DWS06. These weren't runflats so I picked up a compact spare. They were much better than the Pilots in every way. I had a custom exhaust on that vehicle so I can't speak to how quiet they were, but towards the end of that vehicle's life, I did notice that the ride was rougher, which I think is expected. I put about 40k over 4.5 years on them before I sold. I don't remember what the wear was like but I think I could have squeezed another 10k out of them, which is in line with their warranty. I drove that car pretty hard too.

The only reason I'm considering the Pilots again is because I chalk up my bad experience to the car and the fact that I had run flats.

 

[Irock1985]

@Irock1985, not sure if you've read through this whole thread, but when I get back to my desk later today I'll send you the deets I have compiled from this thread on the options you listed.

Also, FWIW, I didn't provide the right details in the earlier posts:

I just looked through my service history and my previous vehicle (Volvo) had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ WITH run flats, which lasted barely over a year (7/2/15 - 10/7/16) and 22k miles. I was highly disappointed, my warranty claim was denied because of uneven wear. Hated having run flats.

I replaced those with the Conti ExtremeContact DWS06. These weren't runflats so I picked up a compact spare. They were much better than the Pilots in every way. I had a custom exhaust on that vehicle so I can't speak to how quiet they were, but towards the end of that vehicle's life, I did notice that the ride was rougher, which I think is expected. I put about 40k over 4.5 years on them before I sold. I don't remember what the wear was like but I think I could have squeezed another 10k out of them, which is in line with their warranty. I drove that car pretty hard too.

The only reason I'm considering the Pilots again is because I chalk up my bad experience to the car and the fact that I had run flats.

Yeah, didn't have time to read through everything here. It's been a while since I visited the forums.... Looking forward to everyone's input

 

[Jmlo96]

We really need a pinned post with tires everyone has tried on their Regals and the results.

 

[LLninja]

Alright team, I guess it's my turn to hit this thread for suggestions. My OEM foam stuffed tires are approaching their wear limit at almost 61k miles, which is a great lifetime. The foam is also separating, causing some wild vibrations at highway speeds. so it's time. I've created a table of everyone's suggestions in this thread, and will tweak it a bit before I start a new thread with it. But for now, here's what I think my options are, based on this thread:

Continental ProContact TX
Continental PureContact LS
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4
Yokohama AVID Ascent GT
BF Goodrich G-Force Comp2 A/S+
maybe Vrediesteins? no one seems to have meaningful data on these, but they're interesting on paper.

My priorities are fuel economy, comfort/quiet, and treadwear. Snow/wet handling matters, but I'm not looking for something that can eat through a snow storm. I live Des Moines, Iowa, so we get snow but it's never been to the point where I wish I had winters. Lol if the snow is bad enough, I just won't drive. My daily commute is less than 10 miles round trip. I enjoy spirited driving, but not being able to whip around corners isn't a deal breaker for me. Ideally, I'd like my tires to last at least 45k miles.

Based on my priorities, do y'all think I'm on the right track with those options?

I second the Yoko vote. That’s what I’m getting when my OEMs wear out, though if yours lasted 60k miles, it will be awhile for me to get there

 

[Wlepse]

Wow, I am pretty surprised. When I took the tires off for snows I noticed the tread seemed low which it kind of is, but when I checked the spec on TR they only start with 9/32 as opposed to 12/32 of some tires. So they are lower than I would expect out of a normal tire, they are not low based on that starting point. After measuring them, I got (2) at 7/32 and (2) at 8/32 so lets average that to be 7.5. If a worn out tire is 2/32 I have used roughly 21% of the life. I normally do about 20k/yr and I put these on in May so potentially 12k miles. I have been working from home on occasion and sometimes drive another vehicle, but did take the TourX on vacation, so let's estimate these have about 10k on them. With that said these could potentially last 50k and they are warrantied for 45k, so I think this sounds about right and I guess that is about what you could expect out of them. Though I will probably pitch them before 2/32 since I find tires often get sketchy in the rain that low.

 

[L J]

Alright team, I guess it's my turn to hit this thread for suggestions. My OEM foam stuffed tires are approaching their wear limit at almost 61k miles, which is a great lifetime. The foam is also separating, causing some wild vibrations at highway speeds. so it's time. I've created a table of everyone's suggestions in this thread, and will tweak it a bit before I start a new thread with it. But for now, here's what I think my options are, based on this thread:

Continental ProContact TX
Continental PureContact LS
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4
Yokohama AVID Ascent GT
BF Goodrich G-Force Comp2 A/S+
maybe Vrediesteins? no one seems to have meaningful data on these, but they're interesting on paper.

My priorities are fuel economy, comfort/quiet, and treadwear. Snow/wet handling matters, but I'm not looking for something that can eat through a snow storm. I live Des Moines, Iowa, so we get snow but it's never been to the point where I wish I had winters. Lol if the snow is bad enough, I just won't drive. My daily commute is less than 10 miles round trip. I enjoy spirited driving, but not being able to whip around corners isn't a deal breaker for me. Ideally, I'd like my tires to last at least 45k miles.

Based on my priorities, do y'all think I'm on the right track with those

Couldn't be happier with plus size ultra performance all season Generals.
PS But then I like these OEM Bridgestones too but that may have somthing to do with the car having a stick.

 

[Wlepse]

I had good luck with Generals in the past so they were on my short list, but based on the tests on TR the Comps were a better performer and for a couple dollar difference I figured I would give them a shot. So far so good.

 

[L J]

I had good luck with Generals in the past so they were on my short list, but based on the tests on TR the Comps were a better performer and for a couple dollar difference I figured I would give them a shot. So far so good.

No matter what tire you get, upgrading to 255 45 18 size is a no brainer if using stock wheels on a TourX.

 

[cleeland]

No matter what tire you get, upgrading to 255 45 18 size is a no brainer if using stock wheels on a TourX.

What do you get for this change, and what do you give up?

 

[bollox74]

Tire Size Comparison

Tire size comparison the easy way. Use our tire size comparison calculator to compare diameter, width, sidewall, circumference and revolutions per mile.

tiresize.com

255 45 18 v 235 50 18 =

 

[L J]

What do you get for this change, and what do you get

More grip and load rating in theory longer tire life..
speedo reads about 1 mph less at 100
PS makes car look more bad ass like a sport wagon

 

[cleeland]

I looked on tire rack, and selection in 255/45R18 is far more limited. Load ratings are roughly the same for tires that are available (all in the 99-10x range).

When OE tires die, I'll look, but unless selection expands, especially to an all-weather tire, then I'll likely stick with the OE size. Considering pavement quality where I drive, I actually prefer the slightly taller profile's first-line-of-defense suspension.

 

[L J]

Plus speed rated to 168 mph which is needed on a red gauge TourX which has no 130 mph speed limiter.

 

[L J]

I looked on tire rack, and selection in 255/45R18 is far more limited. Load ratings are roughly the same for tires that are available (all in the 99-10x range).

When OE tires die, I'll look, but unless selection expands, especially to an all-weather tire, then I'll likely stick with the OE size. Considering pavement quality where I drive, I actually prefer the slightly taller profile's first-line-of-defense suspension.

The General Gmax has XL load rating so over 300 some lbs more load rating

 

[L J]

The General Gmax has XL load rating so over 300 some lbs more load rating

I got the all season version that with AWD, is like a mountain goat in the snow.

 

[cleeland]

Plus speed rated to 168 mph which is needed on a red gauge TourX which has no 130 mph speed limiter.

How frequently do you drive for extended period in excess of 149 mph (V speed rating)?

Regardless, there is a substantial selection of tires with XL and W speed rating available in both sizes, so neither seems to be a good reason to choose one size over the other.

My understanding is that choosing a higher load-rated tire changes the air pressure requirements as well. A 99 load rating (1700lb/tire)--which seems to be standard for the OE size--would seem to cover car + 4 adults plus luggage and leave a decent margin. In fact, I'd wager that long before you got close to exceeding the tire's load rating you'd be bottoming out the suspension.