Tire Rec's ('06 Sonata LX W/ 17" Wheels)

I know that some of you have already been down this road and now that it's
my turn I'm looking to your experience for advice. As the subject line says
I've got an 06 Sonata LX with the 17 inch wheels.

My personal impression of the OEM tires:

The Michelin's have worn fairly well for a low-profile tire (almost 39K
miles and they still come up to Lincoln's forehead in the old standby test),
but the ride is pretty harsh and wet-weather traction is sketchy at best and
very prone to hydroplane. On dry pavement they handle well especially on
spirited driving in the mountains and curves


I would definitely like to get something that handles wet weather better
than the Michelins, and if you've switched out to something (still in a 17)
that isn't quite as harsh a ride as the OEM tires, I'd like to know about
it. I would prefer to stick with a tire rated to last in the 40-50K mile
range as I drive this car for work and wouldn't want to be replacing them
every year!

Thanks
KW

 

Michelin HydroEdge are great tires, made for wet roads, snow etc.
and they have a 140,000 km or 84,000 mile wear rating.

 

First of all, I would never recommend buying another set of the O.E.M.
Michelins, even if you did like them. This particular tire is unbelievably
expensive, and Michelin has better tires for a better price.

Thankfully, there are several BRAND new tires out there, any one of which
should fit the bill well, and all of which are available in your size and
speed rating:

*Firestone Firehawk GT, widely available, but especially through Tires Plus
and Firestone Complete Auto Care (where you can get nationwide coverage);
*Toyo Versado LX;
*Cooper CS4 Touring;
*Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge;
*Kumho Solus KH16.

I think you would be happy with any of these, and all of them are fairly
competitively priced.

Hope this helps.

 

I put Yokohama(my first) A540's on my previous car, an Avalonm and loved
them. Way better than the OEM's. Smooth, quiet, etc. I'm putting them
on my Elantra the minute the Michelin's get anywhere near Lincoln's head.
Only at Sears and NTB though they are just a rebrand of a regular
Yoko tire.

 

I've got plenty of tread left on the OEM's with 40,000 miles on them,
but there is no way I'm going through another Chicago winter with
these Michelins. They have the worst wet/snow traction of any tire
I've ever owner. I'm going with Yokohama Avid V4S. You may want to
check out Tire Rack for comparisons of various brands.

 

I replaced the Michelin MXV4's on my 2005 Sonata just last week.
They were really worn after 52K miles.

The new tires are GoodYear Assurance TripleTred. I got to
drive about 500 miles in the rain and mud right after getting
them. No snow in Ithaca, NY yet.

Anyway, I am simply blown away by their wet traction and handling.
I cannot say much about ride quality as that is pretty subjective and
I like to feel the road. So, the fact that I find them comfortable
does not necessarily say much.

I am *very* happy with my purchase.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Assurance+TripleTred

http://www.goodyearassurance.com/html/goodyear_triple/tt_da_home.html

They do come with an 80K mile warranty and 30 day trial period.

Sinan

 

I appreciate all of the help folks. I've still got ~5K or to go before it's
time to swap which gives me plenty of time to research all the tires you've
listed.

Thanks again!

KW

 

I know that some of you have already been down this road and now that it's

First and foremost, do some research on Tirerack and see what others
are using and saying. I've bought 3 sets of tires from them and the
ratings and customer reviews are spot on. I replaced the garbage OEMs
on my 02 Sonata With Yokohama Avid H4s and they were awesome in terms
of dry weather performance and traction. Kindy sucky on the snow and
ice. I recently (2000 miles ago) put on some Kumho Solus tires to
replace the Yokohama's and while they are not as high-performance as
the Yokohama's, I feel like I am riding on street of cotton. They are
quiet, quiet, quiet. More quiet than my Yokohamas. I put Kumho Solus
tires on my wife's 98 Corolla and they've held up very well. So far,
the Kumhos on my Sonata are performing stellar. When winter and ice
does come, I'll be hoping they're better than the Yokohamas. I do
recommend them.

- Thee Chicago Wolf

 

I second the www.tirerack.com suggestion. Its a fun research site even if
you don't buy from them. I just wanted to add that I am impressed with the
Michelin Pilots that came on my Sonata...I was never really sold on
Michelins to tell you the truth, yet. I have 56000 miles on my regularly
rotated tires, and they are not yet worth to that wear strip mark. I could
even probably get through another winter with them, but am thinking of
erring on the side of caution and getting a set of blizzaks. PS I love most
of the Toyo tires I run on my other cars.

 

I guess I third the suggestion. Also visit http://www.1010tires.com/ for
reviews.

That said, I never buy from either site. I usually zero in on the "best
bets" and then visit www.discounttires.com to see what they carry. So far
I've done well this way. Discount tire has much better prices, free road
hazard coverage, balancing, rotating and tire repair for life. My last set
of tires was for a 2002 Deville DHS. I bought them in Michigan and now live
in Arizona. I've had them rotated and balanced about every 6000 to 8000
miles and had one puncture repaired. They are the greatest people I've ever
dealt with --- and they're the same at any shop I stop at.

======================
A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: "A
beer please, and one for the road."
======================

 

I now have 26000 miles on my Michelins, still hard as a rock and still have
lots of tread. Tire dealer tells me that I need to go to 215/55/17's to
soften the ride. outside of that, I will get some 16 inch wheels and get
some softer tires. these hard tires are driving me nuts after a year and a
half!

 

I second the www.tirerack.com suggestion. Its a fun research site even if

Mom always said shop around so that's what we do. I've been 3 out of 3
on Tirerack so far and the customer comments were pretty spot on. I've
also checked prices at the local guys (Firestone, Tire America, Just
Tires) and most don't come close the brand variety. Overall, I usually
wind up saving %15 over the local guys and I get the exact brand and
model I want versus a "second best."

- Thee Chicago Wolf

 

We're talking about the Michelin Michelin Pilot HX MXM4, correct?

If so, I am sold on the wear, albeit the ride's a little rough. 22k on mine
and they look like new.

 

I got a set of square tires from them once...never again!