Best tires for your Regal

[rob256]

I've been really happy with Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 tires. Night and day road feel and handling improvement over the stock tires. Really good all around performance, including in the snow (Wisconsin winters). I have been using these tires (including the previous version) on my previous 9-3 and previous generation 2015 Regal GS. The only downside is that they only last about 40,000 with hard corning/acceleration and they are slightly louder/firmer than the stock tires.

I also changed the tire size to 245/45.

 

[bloomer]

Update on Pilot Sport all season 4s, little over 2000 mi. so far. Very impressive overall including snow performance. Live in Mn. 6in most snow so far and better than I expected. Was leaning toward DSW, Vredesrein, Michelin. Deal maker was rebate on Michelin, paid for the mounting essentially. Stay tuned.

 

[ready2fly]

Update on Pilot Sport all season 4s, little over 2000 mi. so far. Very impressive overall including snow performance. Live in Mn. 6in most snow so far and better than I expected. Was leaning toward DSW, Vredesrein, Michelin. Deal maker was rebate on Michelin, paid for the mounting essentially. Stay tuned.

Thank you for the info. How is the ride quality? Acceleration? Braking? Fuel economy took a hit? The ride should be firmer, but cornering should be great. Our Regals can actually corner so much better with sportier tires.

 

[Tbruce06]

I just bought a set of Firestone WeatherGrip tires to replace the Contisilent tires after the fronts started wearing badly.
The foam had totally dislodged in both front tires and disintegrated in one (35,000 miles).

So far the WeatherGrips feel a little squirrely on initial turn in then bite.
I chose the tires to eliminate the need for dedicated snows due to the infrequent snow we have been having the last several years in Western NY.
Strangely enough they are quieter than the Continental tires and I have the option to trade them out if i don't like them in the next 30 days.

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[bloomer]

Thank you for the info. How is the ride quality? Acceleration? Braking? Fuel economy took a hit? The ride should be firmer, but cornering should be great. Our Regals can actually corner so much better with sportier tires.

Thanks for responding.Ride quality(I reside in Mn.) when I can find a smooth road surface ride quality is smooth and quiet. Oem,s were not quiet. Acceleration is quite good even in the snow. Braking is good, have not really tried any emergency stop trials. Fuel economy is not really changed much in hwy driving. However it has decreased a bit in daily driving due to being a lot more entertaining. Ride is slightly firmer than oem,s but better than I expected. New tire tech is really pretty amazing. Thinking back to Polyglas days, then the advent of radials. Fun stuff. Looks like you are in Florida and these would be a good fit. Hope this helped.

 

[BradyB0225]

I just ordered a set of Pirelli P Zero All Season Performance tires direct from Pirelli (235/40R19 96V XL) on Amazon for $137 each. I had this tire on my Abarth and a Guilia and I really liked that they were super grippy while still being quiet. They use an internal foam ring to dampen noise. I'm guessing they will last somewhere between 25-30k miles. They are also 2-4 lbs lighter than other choices. I will report back as they are quite a value.

 

[mitchflorida]

Does anyone buy low cost tires? Looking at Achilles and Travelstar.

Don't flame me. lol

 

[PrincipalDan]

Does anyone buy low cost tires? Looking at Achilles and Travelstar.

Don't flame me. lol

I'm not ready to "review" mine yet because they've only been on for about 300 miles but I did end up buying the Hercules Raptis R-T5 (Hercules is a division of Cooper Tire and was based out of Findlay OH before being purchased by Cooper several years back.)

Dealer Locator | Where to Buy | Hercules Tires (Florida Dealers)

Tire Search | Search Results | Hercules Tires

There's the tires they have available for the TourX, they've got 3 flavors from your quiet "Buick-like" tire to Ultra High Performance All-Season. I had their All-Terrain tires on two different vehicles and they were top notch for about 30% cheaper than the Michelin, Continental, Pirelli tires would be.

I'm not ready to "review" until I've gotten a chance to get into at least some light snow with them. This being January and living in the High Desert hopefully the storms will stop missing us soon and I can comment.

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[PrincipalDan]

Hercules Tires | Hercules Raptis R-T5

With top-tier technologies, innovative design and advanced materials, the bold Hercules Raptis R-T5 all-season UHP tire is changing the very landscape of performance tires.

www.herculestire.com

Not one of the choices, but what I choose. I've had experience with Hercules tires before having put one of their All Terrain models on both my old 2004 F150 (2wd) and my 2010 Highlander V6 4wd.

I've had them on for a few hundred miles and finally got to test them in a 2-3 in snowfall today. I'm in Gallup NM and we get snow here in the high desert - roughly 3-4 snowfalls per month in the 2-5 in range for the months of January and February. We can get snowfall though from October to even March/April. Most of those snowfalls are melted away within 24 hours of falling. And there are the occasional out of the norm events like the 14 in wallop we got in mid December 2008. My point though is it makes little sense to have dedicated snow tires where I live.

Compared to the stock Continentals (my only frame of reference) the Raptis R-T5 has superior wet and dry traction. Great cornering ability - to me the Continentals in hard corner seem to loose grip suddenly, like they "let go" and you are flying off into the bushes. The Hercules allow higher speed in corners and then progressively loose grip in a controllable slide. They grip as soon as you let off the throttle. Steering response is sharper.

In the snow they are equal to if not a little better than the Continentals. The R-T5 in hard acceleration from a stop in slippery conditions does a slip then grip more quickly than the Continentals. They also feel as if they evacuate slush more quickly than the factory tires. They're not snow tires (don't do anything "crazy") but they are a nice solid choice for those of us not in Buffalo or Boulder.

The only real drawback is that they ride more roughly than the Continentals. Not a deal breaker for me and likely just the way that many enthusiasts complain that Michelin Pilot tires ride stiffly. If I did nothing but highway long distance travel with the car I would have picked a Touring or Grand Touring tire and not a UHP all-season.

 

[FavaBean]

I recently swapped out the OEM Continental ProContact TX (with special Conti-Separate Foam) for a set of Michelin CrossClimate 2's.

I was a bit worried about the odd tread pattern creating a more noisy and bumpy ride but I'm pleasantly surprised the ride is just as smooth and quiet as OEM was when new. We had hard rain a few days ago, so I intentionally drove some roads which have the 2 tire channels compressed into the pavement. The TourX was as sure-footed as a donkey through the standing water. And at slightly excessive highway speeds in the rain, it was a beast. I can't wait to try these 3PMSF tires out in the snow.

Steering feel is a bit lighter than OEM but not in a bad way. There's also a great on-center feel at highway speeds. The softish ride also quieted occasional (undiagnosable) suspension rattle while still providing excellent dry road grip and cornering.

I'm super happy with these tires with only ONE EXCEPTION. I saw reviews showing a drop in gas mileage and can confirm that it seems that my TourX saw about a 10% hit on efficiency with the CrossClimate 2's. Yikes!!

Apparently Michelin saw this drawback and also offers a "CrossClimate +" for the European markets (where gas prices are higher). It is available in the US. It has a similar tread design as the CrossClimate 2 but has a lesser treadwear warranty and a lower rolling resistance to allow for better gas mileage. Unfortunately. I believe it also comes with a lower load capacity.

So while I do love these tires, I want to throw out a word of caution: If gas mileage is a high priority for you, the CrossClimate 2's may not be the right tire for you. The drop in efficiency has delivered quite a gut punch.

 

[Uniqez]

I recently swapped out the OEM Continental ProContact TX (with special Conti-Separate Foam) for a set of Michelin CrossClimate 2's.

I was a bit worried about the odd tread pattern creating a more noisy and bumpy ride but I'm pleasantly surprised the ride is just as smooth and quiet as OEM was when new. We had hard rain a few days ago, so I intentionally drove some roads which have the 2 tire channels compressed into the pavement. The TourX was as sure-footed as a donkey through the standing water. And at slightly excessive highway speeds in the rain, it was a beast. I can't wait to try these 3PMSF tires out in the snow.

Steering feel is a bit lighter than OEM but not in a bad way. There's also a great on-center feel at highway speeds. The softish ride also quieted occasional (undiagnosable) suspension rattle while still providing excellent dry road grip and cornering.

I'm super happy with these tires with only ONE EXCEPTION. I saw reviews showing a drop in gas mileage and can confirm that it seems that my TourX saw about a 10% hit on efficiency with the CrossClimate 2's. Yikes!!

Apparently Michelin saw this drawback and also offers a "CrossClimate +" for the European markets (where gas prices are higher). It is available in the US. It has a similar tread design as the CrossClimate 2 but has a lesser treadwear warranty and a lower rolling resistance to allow for better gas mileage. Unfortunately. I believe it also comes with a lower load capacity.

So while I do love these tires, I want to throw out a word of caution: If gas mileage is a high priority for you, the CrossClimate 2's may not be the right tire for you. The drop in efficiency has delivered quite a gut punch.

I agree with everything said above. And for what these tires are I'll be OK with that mpg drop.

 

[RegalMN]

I recently swapped out the OEM Continental ProContact TX (with special Conti-Separate Foam) for a set of Michelin CrossClimate 2's.

I was a bit worried about the odd tread pattern creating a more noisy and bumpy ride but I'm pleasantly surprised the ride is just as smooth and quiet as OEM was when new. We had hard rain a few days ago, so I intentionally drove some roads which have the 2 tire channels compressed into the pavement. The TourX was as sure-footed as a donkey through the standing water. And at slightly excessive highway speeds in the rain, it was a beast. I can't wait to try these 3PMSF tires out in the snow.

Steering feel is a bit lighter than OEM but not in a bad way. There's also a great on-center feel at highway speeds. The softish ride also quieted occasional (undiagnosable) suspension rattle while still providing excellent dry road grip and cornering.

I'm super happy with these tires with only ONE EXCEPTION. I saw reviews showing a drop in gas mileage and can confirm that it seems that my TourX saw about a 10% hit on efficiency with the CrossClimate 2's. Yikes!!

Apparently Michelin saw this drawback and also offers a "CrossClimate +" for the European markets (where gas prices are higher). It is available in the US. It has a similar tread design as the CrossClimate 2 but has a lesser treadwear warranty and a lower rolling resistance to allow for better gas mileage. Unfortunately. I believe it also comes with a lower load capacity.

So while I do love these tires, I want to throw out a word of caution: If gas mileage is a high priority for you, the CrossClimate 2's may not be the right tire for you. The drop in efficiency has delivered quite a gut punch.

Thanks for the input. I was thinking of getting the cross climates for my chevy cruze that my daughter drives. Currently have bridgestone ecopia and they are terrible in the snow.

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[wagonlover56]

I wanted a full size spare on a matching factory wheel so decided to buy a Michelin Premier A/S for the spare. When the Continentals wear out (or fail), I'll buy 4 more. I have always liked Michelins for their ride quality, long wear and resistance to road damage and flats. My Dad was in the tire business for 40+ years and he recommended Michelins as well.

 

[ready2fly]

I wanted a full size spare on a matching factory wheel so decided to buy a Michelin Premier A/S for the spare. When the Continentals wear out (or fail), I'll buy 4 more. I have always liked Michelins for their ride quality, long wear and resistance to road damage and flats. My Dad was in the tire business for 40+ years and he recommended Michelins as well.

I would suggest you to stay away from Premier A/S. I tried them and returned them. Horrible mushy handling, horrible mushy acceleration, huge dip in fuel economy - mine went from 24-25mpg mixed to 12-15mpg mixed driving. The only thing that improved was cornering. I strongly suggest you get Michelin Primacy or Primacy Tour instead. Other guys suggested Conti PureContact LS on here, I want to try them next. I got 4 Continental ProContact TX without ContiSilent for 20k miles so far, they are as good as stock with just a tiny extra (almost negligible) road noise.

 

[wagonlover56]

I would suggest you to stay away from Premier A/S. I tried them and returned them. Horrible mushy handling, horrible mushy acceleration, huge dip in fuel economy - mine went from 24-25mpg mixed to 12-15mpg mixed driving. The only thing that improved was cornering. I strongly suggest you get Michelin Primacy or Primacy Tour instead. Other guys suggested Conti PureContact LS on here, I want to try them next. I got 4 Continental ProContact TX without ContiSilent for 20k miles so far, they are as good as stock with just a tiny extra (almost negligible) road noise.

OOPS! I actually got the Primacy Tour A/S - not Premier A/S. Bought it at Costco.

 

[liuby33]

Got a set of PS4S (94Y ZP version) for my GS after one of the stock Contis got punctured (damn you under-maintained Toronto highway). I have to say this is an excellent set of tire for the car and I wish they come with stock. Despite the regular ZP road noise and a firmer ride compared to non-ZP, the PS4S actually still rides better than the stock Continental, doesn't make more noise, and provides MUCH more confidence in the handling of the car.

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[bloomer]

Got a set of PS4S (94Y ZP version) for my GS after one of the stock Contis got punctured (damn you under-maintained Toronto highway). I have to say this is an excellent set of tire for the car and I wish they come with stock. Despite the regular ZP road noise and a firmer ride compared to non-ZP, the PS4S actually still rides better than the stock Continental, doesn't make more noise, and provides MUCH more confidence in the handling of the car.

Congrats, I agree with all your comments will also add that they are much better than expected in snow. (Minnesota)

 

[ready2fly]

Got a set of PS4S (94Y ZP version) for my GS after one of the stock Contis got punctured (damn you under-maintained Toronto highway). I have to say this is an excellent set of tire for the car and I wish they come with stock. Despite the regular ZP road noise and a firmer ride compared to non-ZP, the PS4S actually still rides better than the stock Continental, doesn't make more noise, and provides MUCH more confidence in the handling of the car.

How is the fuel economy?

 

[ready2fly]

OOPS! I actually got the Primacy Tour A/S - not Premier A/S. Bought it at Costco.

Great. Primacy Tour A/S is standard on many new Cadillac sedans. I wonder how they perform on our Regal. When you get a whole new set please let us know how you like them.

 

[liuby33]

How is the fuel economy?

I don't notice anything much different TBH plus I flashed back to the Trifecta tune which adds a bit of variables to it