danderson

I see a lot of posts on here posted by people asking for opinions on which tires to get. So, I thought I'd share an unsolicited review.

My wife has an '02 Audi A4 Avant 1.8T (sport package), with the stock 17" wheels. Came with Continental SportContact 2's, which handled really well when new, but wore very quickly, and grip deteriorated substantially with wear. They lasted 20k miles.

We wanted a tire that we could use in the cold weather and occasional snows we get in N.C., and ended up getting the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S after that, based largely on TireRack reviews. This was one time that the TireRack review were spot-on. This is a great tire! Handling was equal to that of the Conti (though this is our kid-hauler, so we don't push it that hard), and didn't deteriorate much at all over the life of the tire. They lasted 30k miles, and could probably go 1-2k more.

I took the car in today for its 50k mile service, and to get a new set of tires. I have never bought the same model tire to replace a worn-out set, but I *nearly* did this time. I was very impressed with those PZeros. But, many of you have raved about the Toyo Proxes 4. I found the Toyos locally for $119 a tire (235/45-17), so I grabbed a set -- the price was right. They're being installed now along with the 50k mile service. ...I sure hope I like these as much as the PZero's... I'll write a followup after I get some impressions.

Bottom-line: If you're looking for a great ultra-high-performance all-season tire, the PZero Nero M+S is it. Hopefully, the Proxes 4 will be, too!

Dave

A4AdMan

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'll make a note of it for when I'm in the market for new rubber.

f1isbest

Go to the wheels/tire forum. Gary from Tirerack.com provided some great infor on this tire. I am very pleased with this all season tire.

danderson

I can't comment on the Pilot Exalto, since I haven't driven it. However, it is a classified as a High-Performance all-season (whereas PZero Nero and Toyo Proxes 4) are Ultra-High-Performance all-seasons.

I've no doubt the Exalto will last longer and perform better in the snow/slush than the tires I'm talking about, but not nearly as well in the dry. An H-speed-rated tire with a higher treadwear rating just physically can't.

Michelins are priced at a premium, and the saying "you get what you pay for" is somewhat true. (Michelins seem to often be easier to balance and have fewer manufacturing-related issues.) I considered the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (which would be a more direct comparison to the PZero Nero and Proxes 4 than the Exalto would), but couldn't justify the price difference.

Take care,
Dave

f1isbest

Our cars are speed limited to 130.
This tire on the dry is quite nice with excellent grip are a 4 season tire. In fact this tire compound was derived from the Rally compund Michelin provides to it's Rally cars.

Do not discount this tire. It is a good one.

leonpro

and my local service shop that balanced it at 25K miles said I easily had 5K more to go and treadwear was good at the point it was inspected. I try to rotate and balance them when I can.

Personally (I don't race or do track) I'm satisfied with the grip until now. I'm still pushing the vehicle and find no signs of the tire giving up on me (knock on wood). Of course I don't plan to push it this rainy season as the tread grooves are obviously not as deep as when it was new to thwart hydroplaning issues.

With a wear of 20K on your part, I'm curious how much of a spirited driving you're doing. The moment I got the car, I was travelling from LA to SF and Las Vegas with speeds over the limit most of the time. I racked up good miles and did some hard braking occasionally.

I believe 20K is too soon for that kind of speed of wear.

I agree with the A/S tires because they will give longer wear (with the expense of lesser traction, although if it's normal driving people won't notice it).

MML

expensive, more so than the others but they are smooth, balance well, handle very well, etc.. I have 20K on them so far and look like they will last another 15K. I have been very happy with how they have performed so far... It is tough to really compare tires which makes buying them somewhat of a guessing game.

leonpro

that's what I'm getting next. In fact my spare tire is already fitted with it.

Chris not @ Toyo now

e-mail me direct at youngc@toyotires.com or the link on this message (my personal account)

f1isbest

Pilot have alot of road noise, get the exalto