Tire Recommendations
 

My wife's 2013 Accord Coupe needs new tires after only 25,000 miles. (Brake rotors are being resurfaced today.) We use the Accord for trips in spring, summer and fall. It doesn't get driven much in winter. I really enjoy driving the Accord on winding roads, it handles very well. So, any suggestions for a new set of tires?

Regards, Jim

Are you looking for summer only performance tires or good performing all-season tires? What size is currently on your car?

Current tires are Michelin Primacy MXM4, Size: 235/45R18.

All season would probably be the most practical choice, but, the car is rarely driven in winter and then only if there is no snow on the roads. I would prefer a performance tire but with good performance in rain.

Regards, Jim

I have Michelin Primacy MXM4s on my Accord; they are nearly gone, but they have over 65,000 miles on them so I cannot complain. I just put a set of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All-Season Plus tires on my TL; as good as the Michelin's were, the Pirelli's are dramatically better in virtually every metric. True, they will not have the same grip at the limit compared to high performance summer rubber, but they will last two to three times the miles.

Thanks for the suggestions. When my wife took the car in for the rotor work, the service guy told her the tires needed replacing. But, when I measured the tread depth it was 6/32 which is good for many more miles.

Regards, Jim

Some stores say that based on the calendar-age of the tires even when they're not worn out. There's some merit to that, but it's often longer than 5 years. Take a good look at the sidewall for hairline cracking & things like that. Also the rubber gets harder with age making the tires more "slippery".

The tires look good, no sidewall cracking. The service guy told her that there was only 4/32 inch of tread left. I believe tires are considered "worn out" at 2/32. I measured 6/32.

Regards, Jim

They used to say 2/32. Now they say 3/32 mostly and a few sources say 4/32. I'm inclined to go with the 3/32 personally for a little extra safety margin. On the bosses car I prefer 4/32. I want her even safer.

I've been buying General Altimax RT43 tires for the last couple of years.

I ran Michelin X-radials for years and years and loved them. I could get 80-85K out of a set and they were $100/tire. They discontinued them and the other Michelins I've tried just weren't up to snuff given the price.

I tried the Generals on my wife's Mazda 6 and she got about 75K out of them, and more importantly, they were about 1/2 the price of Michelins.

Wait for a holiday weekend when Discount Tire Direct has a sale. There will be a rebate on the tires, and if you use their credit card you'll get an additional rebate as well as 6 months no interest (which honestly isn't really needed given that a set of tires is about $300).

I just ordered a set of the RT43's for my sister's 99 Toyota Sienna. They were $335, and I got a $75 rebate due to the 4th of July sale, and another $30 rebate for using my DTD credit card, so net price was $230 for a set of 4 tires, free shipping, no sales tax.