Hi folks. New to the forum. Needing new A/S tires. First time buying for 2012 XF. Any recommendations?

Considering:

- Michelin Premier A/S
- Michelin Pilot Sport 3+
- Michelin Primacy MXM4
- Pirelli Cinturato P7

Live in Ontario, Canada. Not looking to trade comfort, but need performance handling especially in wet/slushy conditions.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Matthew

 

Wrong sub-forum, you should be in the X250 area.
Anyway, for what it's worth, many X250 owners like the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06.

 

Thanks you

 

If you're going to do it, do it right. Don't settle for anything less than the very best with the newest technology. That means eliminate the P7, Premier, and certainly Primacy from your list. The three best UHP (Ultra High Performance) all season tires available right now are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ (must be 3+), the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 (must be the 06, not the older DWS), and the Pirelli P Zero A/S Plus (must be the Plus).

 

I don't get it... How can you use the phrases "all season tires", "ultra high performance" and " Don't settle for anything less than the very best" in the same sentence? If OP wants the very best then he should use the winter and the summer sets. Especially for Canada. All season tires are really should be called "three season tires". They are manageable in the winter (especially in the first season) but lose in comparison to the winter tires, and definitely are mediocre at best.

OP, if you like the feel of spirited driving in the summer and the safe feeling in the winter, you must invest in two sets. It's more expensive upfront and you have to store them somewhere, but IMHO it is much much better then the all seasons.
YMMV

 

In VERY general terms IMO:

Michelin- Best
Continental- Best for your money

I would go to tire rack to just read the reviews and do some research. I agree that if you want to get the absolute most from your car, use two sets of tires. I'm a Continental fanboy, so I say ExtremeContact Sport, but the Michelin Pilot Sport is also a VERY highly rated tire. It's only side effect is poverty.

If you don't want to hassle with changing tires or buying a second rim set, then I feel it has to be between the Michelin PS A/S 3+ or the Continental DWS 06

 

I'll second the ExtremeContact Sport if you're up for seasonal sets. I just put a set on my Porsche, and they are very nice. Sticky but smooth, take lumps very well, and quiet for the breed.

 

First of all, the OP asked specifically for a recommendation on all season tires, nothing else. He cited four models, three of which are older designs offering no better performance (or even a downgrade) than OEM tires. The three models I mentioned are the very best all season tires available and would be a substantial upgrade.

Second, your obsolete opinions on all season tires were once fairly accurate but no longer are. Tire technology has advanced in leaps and bounds in both tread compounds and tread pattern design. UHP is a tire industry rating given to tires with exceptional performance on dry pavement. The three tires mentioned will outperform on dry pavement the very best summer tires of only 10-15 years ago. At the same time they can outperform in most winter conditions the very best winter tires of 15-20 years ago, except in deep snow or exceptionally cold temperatures. The OP specifically mentioned wet pavement performance. On wet pavement these tires will clearly outperform ANY summer tire ever made and of course any winter tire ever.

Yes, all season tires are a compromise, but the compromise is far, far less than before, and worth it to the majority of performance luxury drivers.

 

I have the Michelin Pilot AS3+ on the XJL and I am very impressed with them. I am sure that the best summer tires will outperform them some but you will be pushing so hard that you will be bringing unwanted law enforcement activity your way in the U.S. They perform very well in the wet. I would recommend them to anyone on a high performance sedan and for most sports cars in street conditions. I have ridden high performance bikes on the track for thousands of miles so I am very picky about tires.

 

Maybe my opinion is obsolete, but it is mine nevertheless. That's why I put IMHO. Which is abbreviation for "In My Humble Opinion" in case you didn't know. You, on the other hand, present your opinion as a fact, which it isn't. Oh, well...

It would be an excellent point if development of summer tires was stopped while all seasons are being developed. Which is not true. So let's compare the performance of the current models of all seasons vs. summer/winter.

And thirdly (since there is something magical and very convincing in the usage of three bullet points) I simply don't believe in compounds with the same friction characteristics for the range of temperatures -30 /+80 F.

So let's agree to disagree. I'm sure the OP will get something useful out of this thread regardless.