Anyone have any long-term experience with these?

Had the original Continentals replaced yesterday after 28,xxx miles, which was 10,000 more than I was expecting.

My only real complaint with the Continentals was road noise, on all but the newest of pavement I thought they produced unacceptable levels.

So far, the Michelins are much quieter, ride better, but aren't quite as sharp. Did some spirited driving and took the long way home from the dealer, and while the difference in noise was striking, the steering felt "looser" and not quite as direct. But that very minor annoyance will probably quickly recede once the tires are broken in, as I only put about 150 miles on them yesterday.

 

How are these going after a month? I need to replace the original Continentals. My dealer recommended Eagle RS-As, Pilot Sport AS-3, and another round of Continentals.

I'm considering the Michelins because I'm not sure about the quality on the Eagles.

 

Excellent, so far. Haven't driven in the rain yet.

Only negative compared the the OEM Continentals is "road feel". May just be that the Michelins are so much quieter, but the steering doesn't feel as "sharp". Seems to corner flatter, though.

I knew I wanted Michelins as they are usually the quietest, and that was my biggest complaint with the OEM Continentals....even on the smoothest/newest pavement, they were still NOISY. These Michelins do have some road noise on certain surfaces, concrete, but as MUCH quieter overall.

Road noise would be my biggest concern with the Goodyears as well. Every set of them I've encountered were almost unbearable.

My dealer also had a set of Pirellis which he said I'd like best from a noise, but they were $350/tire and he said I'd be lucky to get 10k miles.

 

My experience is that the front end feel is more related to how sharp the corner tread blocks are...oddly enough one of the vaguest tires I've had was a Continental DWS, they were quite rounded on the outer tread block and tended to initiate well and were progressive but lacked feel in the way you describe.

I'd also add that the rears are less progressive in their release with sharper outer tread blocks...the opposite is also true.

Looking at the pics of the A/S 3 it does look pretty progressive on the outer blocks...

 

I replaced the OE Continentals on our '09 XF, about 4 years ago, with about 9-10,000 miles on them, "just because". I thought they were round, black, and nothing more than a below average tire.


At the time, the Bridgestone Potenza RE970 AS Pole Position tire was very highly rated, so that's what I put on the car. Being a "W" speed rated tire, their sidewalls are a little stiffer, therefore their cornering response is sharper, without any significant increase in ride harshness. They're reasonably quiet, and very good in the rain.

 

I've had a totally different experience with the Pilot Sport A/S 3+. For me, the '12 XF Supercharged feels Brand new. Cornering is excellent - I haven't been able to make the tyres squeal in a corner yet. Ride comfort has degraded slightly, but that's given me better "handling confidence" as a driver.

 

I currently have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, and I love them. Quiet ride, excellent handling, so far very pleased. When it does come time to replace them, has anyone had any experience with Bridgestones?