The great tire debate... UPDATE 2 w/Photos and Mini Review!

[gm4life]

Well after only 29,000 miles with the factory Good Year Eagle RS-A's the Bonneville is in need of some new tires. I have two options that won't break the bank, and I will post both of them. Having said that I am open to suggestions, the tires must be 17 inch P235/55 high performance (or better) all season tires, with a speeding rating of H *130 mph* (or higher). I am looking to spend no MORE than $125 a tire, and am willing to drive to a larger city for example Madison, Quad Cities or Cedar Rapids, for tires. I do refuse to go to Chicago. Anyways the options...

<i>**I also would prefer something with a 40,000 mile or more warrenty**</i>

Option I

<a href="http://www.us.pirelli.com/web/catalog/car-suv-van/catalogo_desc.page?uri=/pirellityre/en_US/browser/xml/catalog/car-suv-van/CAR_P0_Nero_ALLSEAS.xml&vehicleType=CAR-SUV-VAN" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season High Performance Tires</a>

Total: $424.00 (on car)

Option II

<a href="http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/overview/advantage-t-a/4418.html?WT.si_n=TSV&WT.si_x=6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">BFGoodrich Advantage T/A All Season High Performance Tires</a>

Total: $478.12 (on car)

Note: I have had BFGoodrich on my 1990 GP as OEM tires and they were great, having said that I can't seen paying more for a less expensive set of tires (according to Tirerack anyway). The Pirelli's have less of a warrenty but are higher performance, more expensive and cost less, also I would drive to Madison to have them put on. Anyway advice, tips or suggestions are welcome. I am leaning toward the Pirelli's as they have good reviews and cost less... Even though I never have had any experince with them.

Admins, sorry please feel free to move this, if it belongs in another section.

Edited November 13, 2009 by gm4life

[pow]

We have General Altimax HP tires on the 5er, and they're inexpensive, quiet, and comfortable. General is now owned by Continental, and ours were made in France.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

H-Rated, 440 treadwear, 55K mile warranty, $109/ea

You can get them from TireRack and have them installed locally.

[Northstar]

I have pretty similar Pirellis (PZero Nero M+S) on the GTO, and they're great. The stock wheels, which go on pretty soon, still have the crappy BFG KDWS tires on them. There is absolutely no comparison. I would expect the Pirellis would kick the crap out of the BFG's, but at the same time they seem like overkill on a Bonneville.

What about Goodyear TripleTreads? We replaced RS-As on the Alero with those and there's a huge improvement.

[trinacriabob]

I can only vouch for BF Goodrich. I have gotten long service life from this brand. Just as good as Michelins, and for less money. In fact, I remember Michelins squealing a little bit in cloverleaf type ramps, whereas the BF Goodrich tires were quiet. I'm sure that last issue had to do with the tread design, but I like(d) the BF Goodrich tires I've owned.

[gm4life]

I have pretty similar Pirellis (PZero Nero M+S) on the GTO, and they're great. The stock wheels, which go on pretty soon, still have the crappy BFG KDWS tires on them. There is absolutely no comparison. I would expect the Pirellis would kick the crap out of the BFG's, but at the same time they seem like overkill on a Bonneville.

What about Goodyear TripleTreads? We replaced RS-As on the Alero with those and there's a huge improvement.

They are more money... So I am still leaning towards the Pirellis and yes they may seem like overkill but I freaking love my car. :AH-HA_wink:

[gm4life]

We have General Altimax HP tires on the 5er, and they're inexpensive, quiet, and comfortable. General is now owned by Continental, and ours were made in France.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

H-Rated, 440 treadwear, 55K mile warranty, $109/ea

You can get them from TireRack and have them installed locally.

Thanks great suggestion! I just don't know of any place locally that does the installation for Tirerack.

Edited October 27, 2009 by gm4life

[gm4life]

I can only vouch for BF Goodrich. I have gotten long service life from this brand. Just as good as Michelins, and for less money. In fact, I remember Michelins squealing a little bit in cloverleaf type ramps, whereas the BF Goodrich tires were quiet. I'm sure that last issue had to do with the tread design, but I like(d) the BF Goodrich tires I've owned.

Thanks for the advice, so have I. I just need to make up my mind.

[regfootball]

Consumer Reports has their annual tire issue out now.

Oddly enough, their top rated tire was Michelin in all categories i think. I have Michelin Hydroedge on the Aztek and they won their category. I like the Hydroedge, although the tread does not seem aggressive, they ride well, are quiet, and are pretty good in the wet.

Your dilemma was similar to mine a few years ago with my 99 SHO. I had RS-A's (not that great of a tire BTW) on my SHO and needed to replace them. Although, i had about 65k miles on my RS-A's. Kind of curious how you only got 30k out of yours. RS-A's get loud, ride hard. They get decent mpg, but they also wear well in my experience. They were only average in wet and snow and in dry in my experience. Yet so many cars have them OEM. Perhaps the mfrs got deals on them as a speed rated cheap tire.

I replaced the RS-A's on my SHO with Conti Extreme Contacts. Those were quieter, better in the wet. They handled differently too. They seemed like a better tire and were less expensive. They were like 110 a tire or something and were UHP all season. CR rated them fairly high.

I have heard the latest Goodyear triple treads and assurance are great tires. CR's ratings backed them up.

My HydroEdges are performing well on the Aztek although we know that vehicle does not certainly need tires like that.

The Pirelli P6's I have had on the 500 and Taurus X are good tires. A bit stiff and a tiny bit loud, but they are a quality tire. Surprisingly good in snow and wet.

I suggest at least reading the CR article this month and looking at all the tires they rated.

[trinacriabob]

Oddly enough, their top rated tire was Michelin in all categories i think.

although the tread does not seem aggressive, they ride well, are quiet, and are pretty good in the wet.

I usually replace OEM with Michelins once or twice, and then go to a different price point (BF Goodrich, though a great value, actually).

Both of my cars had Goodyears as OEM. The Goodyears on the new car appear to be a fairly impressive tire, with a nice tread design and good balance of ride and handling.

[Drew Dowdell]

We just got a set of Michelins from Costco that we're very happy with. The CRV rides like a whole new car now.

[gm4life]

We just got a set of Michelins from Costco that we're very happy with. The CRV rides like a whole new car now.

Good to know but they are so expensive. The only way I am going with Michelins is if they have a SALE.

[Drew Dowdell]

Wow! Does the Bonneville require tires made of gold or something!? They are $100 more expensive than what I paid for the CRV on the same model tire!

[Justin Bimmer]

Costco usually does 70 or 80 off a set of 4.

BFGs are Michelin

[Z-06]

Thanks great suggestion! I just don't know of any place locally that does the installation for Tirerack.

You can locate the installation service providers near you on Tirerack website.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't usually recommend Walmart for anything, but since you'd be helping local labor....

Walmart will install tires purchased from Tirerack.

If you do end up buying the tires through tirerack, could you buy them through the link on the front page so C&G gets creedit for it?

[SAmadei]

I have heard the latest Goodyear triple treads and assurance are great tires. CR's ratings backed them up.

Considering the cost, the TripleTreds last a LONG time... 80K warranteed (and one of mine hit 110K), and while the old AquaTreds degraded quickly with wear, the TripleTreds performed well to the very end for me. This needs to be factored in if you are planning on keeping the car/tire combo for a while.

[GMTruckGuy74]

How about Cooper Tires? daves87rs recommended them to me for the wife's G6 (b/c her Hankook - aka Hancrap - tires are going to be put onto the AURA before I return the lease next month). I'm waiting to hear back from two local Cooper tire installers/dealers with price quotes before I go ahead and do this.

There's two brand of Cooper tires that come up when I searched for a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville SLE:

CS4 Touring H/V Rated 235/55R17 99 V (150 MPH rating) link

Zeon Sport A/S 235/55ZR17 99 W (169 MPH rating) link

You'd have to search for a Cooper tire distributor in your area though dealer locator link

[regfootball]

Good to know but they are so expensive. The only way I am going with Michelins is if they have a SALE.

mine were less than 600 mtd bal at discount tire.

[gm4life]

Wow! Does the Bonneville require tires made of gold or something!? They are $100 more expensive than what I paid for the CRV on the same model tire!

Well, it is a very special car to me. It was my dream car in since 1990 when I got my GP but couldn't swing a new '91 SSE.

Edited October 27, 2009 by gm4life

[gm4life]

I don't usually recommend Walmart for anything, but since you'd be helping local labor....

Walmart will install tires purchased from Tirerack.

If you do end up buying the tires through tirerack, could you buy them through the link on the front page so C&G gets creedit for it?

Glad too!

[gm4life]

mine were less than 600 mtd bal at discount tire.

Yeah but I would like to keep them under $500.

[Drew Dowdell]

Well, it is a very special car to me. It was my dream car in since 1990 when I got my GP but couldn't swing a new '91 SSE.

Don't get me wrong. I like the Bonneville also... I just would have heart failure putting tires on it.

[daves87rs]

How about Cooper Tires? daves87rs recommended them to me for the wife's G6 (b/c her Hankook - aka Hancrap - tires are going to be put onto the AURA before I return the lease next month). I'm waiting to hear back from two local Cooper tire installers/dealers with price quotes before I go ahead and do this.

There's two brand of Cooper tires that come up when I searched for a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville SLE:

CS4 Touring H/V Rated 235/55R17 99 V (150 MPH rating) link

Zeon Sport A/S 235/55ZR17 99 W (169 MPH rating) link

You'd have to search for a Cooper tire distributor in your area though dealer locator link

+1

What he said.

[daves87rs]

Adding my tire "two cents"

P Zeros ='s quicker tire replacement. They handle great, but wear out quick.....

BFG- Good, solid tires with some bite. Won't handle as well as the P zeros (close), but will last much longer. Much better for everyday driving......

Avoid- Hanook, Kumno, Yokos. These tires tend to be very hit or miss.

Like: Coopers (best bang for buck), Goodyears (tripletreads), most Michelin (or family) tires.

You have a Sam's club nearby?

[gm4life]

Adding my tire "two cents"

P Zeros ='s quicker tire replacement. They handle great, but wear out quick.....

BFG- Good, solid tires with some bite. Won't handle as well as the P zeros (close), but will last much longer. Much better for everyday driving......

Avoid- Hanook, Kumno, Yokos. These tires tend to be very hit or miss.

Like: Coopers (best bang for buck), Goodyears (tripletreads), most Michelin (or family) tires.

You have a Sam's club nearby?

Yes and the price on the BFG's is from Sams.

Thanks for the wear out quick comment, quicker than say 35,000 or 40,000 miles?

Edited October 28, 2009 by gm4life

[gm4life]

Don't get me wrong. I like the Bonneville also... I just would have heart failure putting tires on it.

Can I ask why or are you kidding?

[Drew Dowdell]

Can I ask why or are you kidding?

Cause I'm cheap, but I aim for the highest quality I can get for my money. Right now, that seems to be michelins.

$800 for a set for a Bonneville would give me heart failure.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Sorry to hijack your thread here gm4life, but I need to ask advice on a tire brand:

MASTERCRAFT AVENGER TOURING LSR (H/V rated)

The repair facility next to my housing development is listed on Cooper Tires website as being an authorized Cooper Tire dealer, but in his e-mail reply to my request for a price on CS4 Touring H/V tires he told me he's no longer a Cooper seller. He said he could get the Mastercraft tires listed above, which are made by Cooper and are the equivilant to the CS4s.

daves87rs, since you're the 'Cooper Tire' guy, is that a good tire?? Would you buy it over the Cooper CS4 Touring tire? He's quoting me $129/tire, whereas the only other Cooper Tire seller is quoting me $173/tire on the CS4s (includes the mounting, balance, and tire disposal - which I don;t want). That is a big difference in price, and if they're the same or very similar tire, should I go with the Mastercraft?

Edited October 28, 2009 by GMTruckGuy74

[pow]

<- Not a fan of BFGs, btw. Had a set of Killer-Dry-Wet-Snows on the Bimmer, and treadlife was poor. I got them because one of the tires were flat, and I wanted a cheap pair of tires for the affected axle.

I had Bridgestones (Turanza LS-H) on the other axle with 50% tread left, and those tires outlasted the brand-new BFGs.

I've had nothing but good experiences with Bridgestone tires, btw, but they are pricey.

[daves87rs]

Sorry to hijack your thread here gm4life, but I need to ask advice on a tire brand:

MASTERCRAFT AVENGER TOURING LSR (H/V rated)

The repair facility next to my housing development is listed on Cooper Tires website as being an authorized Cooper Tire dealer, but in his e-mail reply to my request for a price on CS4 Touring H/V tires he told me he's no longer a Cooper seller. He said he could get the Mastercraft tires listed above, which are made by Cooper and are the equivilant to the CS4s.

daves87rs, since you're the 'Cooper Tire' guy, is that a good tire?? Would you buy it over the Cooper CS4 Touring tire? He's quoting me $129/tire, whereas the only other Cooper Tire seller is quoting me $173/tire on the CS4s (includes the mounting, balance, and tire disposal - which I don;t want). That is a big difference in price, and if they're the same or very similar tire, should I go with the Mastercraft?

Quick Answer: Yes.

The Avengie's are just as good as the CS4s. With a very slight difference, they are pretty much brothers....and will offer the same ride.

As long as he's doesn't say the same thing about the Dean tires (another Cooper brand-not very sporty tires..).. you'll be fine.

Mastercraft falls just below Cooper in price, to offer a little more value. As Cooper tires are sold in many different places (Sears, for example), Mastercraft tires tend to stay with Cooper dealers.

I've considrered Mastercraft myself (I like the Mastercraft Synergys(sp?) ), and would not think twice about buying them. That's just my opinion, though.

I wouldn't worry about the price difference, I think he's quoting you high on the CS4s anyways......

You should check out Mastercraft's website, it looks a lot like Cooper's.... :AH-HA_wink:

[daves87rs]

Yes and the price on the BFG's is from Sams.

Thanks for the wear out quick comment, quicker than say 35,000 or 40,000 miles?

Depends on how you drive.

City driving is a quick killer of those tires....

[redtruck]

With TireRack mentioned here I was wondering if anyone has used them. When shopping for tires I considered them but even looking at the listed local companies that install for them and asking about it I was told if you have a problem with a tire warranty the tire has to be sent back to them and they decide if it is covered by warranty them ship a replacement tire. This could leave you riding on the spare for a while or buying a tire locally then having an unused tire sitting around. Granted this could be a con to sell their tire locally and keep a person from using Tirerack.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Quick Answer: Yes.

The Avengie's are just as good as the CS4s. With a very slight difference, they are pretty much brothers....and will offer the same ride.

As long as he's doesn't say the same thing about the Dean tires (another Cooper brand-not very sporty tires..).. you'll be fine.

Mastercraft falls just below Cooper in price, to offer a little more value. As Cooper tires are sold in many different places (Sears, for example), Mastercraft tires tend to stay with Cooper dealers.

I've considrered Mastercraft myself (I like the Mastercraft Synergys(sp?) ), and would not think twice about buying them. That's just my opinion, though.

I wouldn't worry about the price difference, I think he's quoting you high on the CS4s anyways......

You should check out Mastercraft's website, it looks a lot like Cooper's.... :AH-HA_wink:

Yeah, I noticed Mastercrafts website being similar to Cooper's. Figured they had more in common than what I knew.

I think I'm going to go with the Mastercraft Avenger LSR Touring tires for the G6. This morning I received an e-mailed price quote of $867 for the Goodyear Assurance Tripletred tires That's just crazy!! I put out a couple of e-mails yesterday to other tire retailers around me asking for Cooper CS4 Touring tires, but have yet to hear back from them (I'm assuming they don't stock them). I will ask one more vendor for a price quote on the Mastercraft tires, just to see if they're charging any less than the repair place near my house. The Sears auto center by me does not carry the Mastercraft brand, so I can't go there.

Thanks for the advice and input, I feel more comfortable going with this brand knowing that someone else out there in the real world has experience and knowledge of these tires.

[Drew Dowdell]

With TireRack mentioned here I was wondering if anyone has used them. When shopping for tires I considered them but even looking at the listed local companies that install for them and asking about it I was told if you have a problem with a tire warranty the tire has to be sent back to them and they decide if it is covered by warranty them ship a replacement tire. This could leave you riding on the spare for a while or buying a tire locally then having an unused tire sitting around. Granted this could be a con to sell their tire locally and keep a person from using Tirerack.

I've bought many set of tires from Tirerack and I've been very happy with them. I've never had to warranty out a tire through them so I can't answer you there.

[daves87rs]

Yeah, I noticed Mastercrafts website being similar to Cooper's. Figured they had more in common than what I knew.

I think I'm going to go with the Mastercraft Avenger LSR Touring tires for the G6. This morning I received an e-mailed price quote of $867 for the Goodyear Assurance Tripletred tires That's just crazy!! I put out a couple of e-mails yesterday to other tire retailers around me asking for Cooper CS4 Touring tires, but have yet to hear back from them (I'm assuming they don't stock them). I will ask one more vendor for a price quote on the Mastercraft tires, just to see if they're charging any less than the repair place near my house. The Sears auto center by me does not carry the Mastercraft brand, so I can't go there.

Thanks for the advice and input, I feel more comfortable going with this brand knowing that someone else out there in the real world has experience and knowledge of these tires.

Not a problem.

If you have more questions, feel to to ask....

I think you'll like the Avengers.....

[daves87rs]

With TireRack mentioned here I was wondering if anyone has used them. When shopping for tires I considered them but even looking at the listed local companies that install for them and asking about it I was told if you have a problem with a tire warranty the tire has to be sent back to them and they decide if it is covered by warranty them ship a replacement tire. This could leave you riding on the spare for a while or buying a tire locally then having an unused tire sitting around. Granted this could be a con to sell their tire locally and keep a person from using Tirerack.

Wal Mart is good about installing tires...you could take em there.

And as far as replacements go, I've seen them ship tires first (helps to send a pic), and then ask for the tire back.

If I get the T/As, I plan on using TR.....

[redtruck]

At least TireRack is used by at least a couple people. Their tires are all at good prices and there were several places locally listed as recommended installer in my area. I would prefer to use real tire stores since one service I like to get along with the lifetime balance and rotate is the lifetime or multi-year alignments.

I have never had a tire needing a replacement under warranty but I always get the road hazard protection. I think I have only had one flat in the last 20 years. But we never know what misfortunes might happen the next day.

[Drew Dowdell]

At least TireRack is used by at least a couple people. Their tires are all at good prices and there were several places locally listed as recommended installer in my area. I would prefer to use real tire stores since one service I like to get along with the lifetime balance and rotate is the lifetime or multi-year alignments.

I have never had a tire needing a replacement under warranty but I always get the road hazard protection. I think I have only had one flat in the last 20 years. But we never know what misfortunes might happen the next day.

Walmart does lifetime balance and rotation also.

[regfootball]

i have ordered tires on tire rack but discount tire is truly the way to go.

[daves87rs]

i have ordered tires on tire rack but discount tire is truly the way to go.

Depends if they price match....though he usually do...

[redtruck]

Walmart does lifetime balance and rotation also.

Just about any place will do the lifetime balance and rotation. The expensive part is the alignments which are needed to get the most life out of a set of tires. Most alignments run about $60 to $70 each time. I usually get the lifetime or 5 year alignments for anywhere between $140 to $180. Then this allows an alignment at the same time as the balance and rotate so about every 5-6000 miles.

[gm4life]

I went with Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season High Performance Tires. I ordered them Online with free delivery to my house, I also got a $40 mail in rebate on them. Bringing the cost from $424 down to $384, I am going to throw them in the car and drive them down to my dealer to have them put on for $60 plus the twelve bucks for the valve stems. After getting some quotes from local places and hearing quotes of 550...600...even 700 I decided on the Pirelli's.

[A Horse With No Name]

Good luck on the Pirelli's, Sir.

Saw a beautiful bonneville in traffic tonight...it was a non GM color, kind of a modernish grey similar to the color that was on Elanor (the mustang) in Gone in 60 Seconds. Running an aftermarket alloy wheel that really fit the car...lowered slightly.

Looked HOT! Thought of you and your Bonnie when I saw it.

Chris

[longtooth]

I went with Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season High Performance Tires. I ordered them Online with free delivery to my house, I also got a $40 mail in rebate on them. Bringing the cost from $424 down to $384, I am going to throw them in the car and drive them down to my dealer to have them put on for $60 plus the twelve bucks for the valve stems. After getting some quotes from local places and hearing quotes of 550...600...even 700 I decided on the Pirelli's.

I don't believe that you can go wrong with the Neros (or Neroes as the case may be). I bought a set for the Seville back in June and found them to be stellar performers especially when caught in some of those thundershowers which were prevalent for the first half of the Summer. Very quiet on the road at speed and having excellent lateral grip as well. Best wishes with your vehicle.

[gm4life]

I don't believe that you can go wrong with the Neros (or Neroes as the case may be). I bought a set for the Seville back in June and found them to be stellar performers especially when caught in some of those thundershowers which were prevalent for the first half of the Summer. Very quiet on the road at speed and having excellent lateral grip as well. Best wishes with your vehicle.

Hey, thanks glad to hear you like them. I just hope they are okay in the snow, not that my SLE see's alot of that anyways. :AH-HA_wink:

[gm4life]

Good luck on the Pirelli's, Sir.

Saw a beautiful bonneville in traffic tonight...it was a non GM color, kind of a modernish grey similar to the color that was on Elanor (the mustang) in Gone in 60 Seconds. Running an aftermarket alloy wheel that really fit the car...lowered slightly.

Looked HOT! Thought of you and your Bonnie when I saw it.

Chris

Thanks for the best wishes. That color was called Graystone Metallic only made in 2 years 2004 and 2005. Looks amazing on the GXP's and SLE's with the big wheels. Do you know what trim it was? Or year? Did it have the OnStar antenna mounted on the roof?

[daves87rs]

Good luck with them!

Just remember, rotate those puppies every 6k!

[A Horse With No Name]

Didn't get a good look at the roof...but that car in that color was just AMAZING.

Don't usually even like "family" type cars but that one dropped my jaw. I'll have to do some internet research to see other cars in that color.

Chris

[GMTruckGuy74]

Didn't get a good look at the roof...but that car in that color was just AMAZING.

Don't usually even like "family" type cars but that one dropped my jaw. I'll have to do some internet research to see other cars in that color.

Chris

Was this the color and style Bonneville you saw?

A co-worker of mine bought a new '05 Bonneville GXP as a retirement gift for himself, though he hasn't retired yet! It's in that gray above, and IMHO, that's the best looking color for the GXPs. I get to see it everyday.

[gm4life]

Good luck with them!

Just remember, rotate those puppies every 6k!

Hey thanks, I certainly hope so...