I have Pirelli's (19") not sure if they are all season or not, will look tomorrow, anyway am getting ready for a cross country road trip so I'll know more about quietness when I get back. Hard to go wrong with Invo's but as Coupe said, something un-settling about asian tires on a brit car. Have also had Michelins on a previous car and fantastic tire too.

 

1avguy,

The specific Michelins I've been referring to (and have experience with) are the Pilot HX MXM4s. You can get a look at them HERE. Not a terribly sporty tire, but very good grip nonetheless, with very low noise and long wear.

Best of luck to you.

 

hey avguy, I'm curious, did you mention how long you want your new tires to last? I get the impression with all-season performance tires, that the typical life is 25-30k miles on a set mounted on our cars, mainly due to the softer compound of the 'performance' rubber, and the negative camber that is inherent in the suspension design (both ends, but more prevalent in the front). The convertible isn't as well isolated from exterior noise, and the softer compound tires help the car keep quiet too. In a coupe, that may not be a concern.

In my case, as the miles climbed in my car, the shocks and coils aged, the nose of the car began to lower, and that resulted in even more negative camber to the front wheels. That coupled with my passenger lower control arm bushings being eaten up by a slow power steering fluid leak, the correct toe could not be maintained while driving, making it difficult to keep the inside edge of that tire from scrubbing down prematurely.

Once I replaced the shocks (no coils were replaced), it brought the nose up a little. The new bushings, tie rod ends, and sway bar end links are keeping the toe angle consistent on the road, and I think those are the largest factors for the longer life I am witnessing.

 

I'm considering General G-Max All Season tires due to the more durable compound. They are also non-directional so I'll be able to rotate left to right and front to rear with my 17x8in wheels.

Has anyone run those?

 

After Pirelli's and Bridgestone's, I installed Continental Extreme Contacts on my 2000 XKR. Great price from Tire Rack, great ride, great handling in wet weather, low road noise, and great wear.

 

Did you install ExtremeContact DW (dry and wet), or DWS (dry, wet and snow)? And how many miles do you have on them? Just curious.

 

Hopefully that speaks well for the Generals, since Continental makes them!

 

I've stopped a couple of places from using 24mm sockets, too big and wreck the nuts.

 

I'm way too ****. I actually take the wheels off the car and bring them into the tire shop to minimize the chance of eaten up lug nuts or damaged rims.

 

That's **** , That's not **** Well, it's not that **** I'm not ****, and that's what I did

 

Wound up ordering a set of Falken Azenis PT-722's from Discount Tire today. The General G-Max's I wanted are back ordered by about 2000 tires in their system, according to the store manager. Has anyone run those? I think they're a new design.

 

It's primarily a question of *how* the matter is brought up. Sometimes it can get you more goodwill than not.

How is parts availabiity these days for Alfa's?

 

I've been driving the Falken 722's for a couple of weeks and am very happy with them. Very quiet, handle great and a smooth ride.

Now we'll see how long they last!

 

Make sure you're not buying directional tires if you want to do that. If you do, you'll need to pull, swap and re-balance them.

 

The manager of the store I bought the Falkens said not to rotate non-directionals across the car because when they start rolling the other way they often form hot spots.

I have no idea whether it's true or not. Comments?

 

just saw this thread - I have a set of stock size 19 inch Hancook V-12 tires that are like new if anyone needs them. They came on my 2003 XK8 - I switched to the stock Continentals. They're in the Los Angeles area - PM me an offer. thank you.

 

I'll have to check my tread on mine, I am sticking with the Hancooks if I need another set...i'll keep you in mind 2003, just put them in the garage for now.