I just ended my 2nd winter in my 2006 Limited Coupe with 225/40R18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60s all around.

They have been just great. Never got stuck once and 2013-14 was VERY snowy. I can't imagine the car performing much better in snow considering it's architecture. Not great on ice, but what really is? 50 lb bag of grit in the rear is a must.

 

Made an appointment with Discount Tire next week to have a set of these (OEM Sizes) installed:


Falken Pro G4 A/S Tire Review & Rating

The Falken Pro G4 A/S is the latest addition to their high performance all-season tire lineup. It has been designed to provide drivers of coupes and sedans increased traction and handling, as well as better treadwear.

Falken uses their exclusive Dynamic Range Technology in the tread makeup of the G4 AS that adds a high-silica content tread compound along with an asymmetric tread pattern for added traction on dry and wet road surfaces.

The compound is designed to stay pliable in colder conditions for better handling on snow and ice, yet remain strong when road surface temperatures heat up for enhanced dry handling and improved treadwear.

3-D siping around the shoulders helps create more biting edges for traction on snow and ice, while making the tire more responsive and stable in dry conditions. That said, this is by no means a snow tire.

Road noise is reduced due in part to the variable tread depth design that varies the size and placement of the tread blocks for a quieter ride comfort. For the most part it works well on this tire. It's only on the roughest surfaces that you really notice any noise.

 

I'm surprised to hear you say that about the Sport Comp 2's. I installed them on my SRT about 3 years/10,000 miles ago. They have performed well compared to the Michelin PS2's, even tread wear. They still have about 7/32 left. 10/32 new. I got 19,000 miles out of my first PS2's and only 12,000 out of the second set (stock alignment problems). No noise problems. I spin the back end all the time but that comes with the stock size and mod added power. I plan to just burn them off and then go with 275 or 285 on the back.

 

Hello Bob,
I just ran across this post ...probably to late but .....
Yes I have the 285/35/19 mounted on the rears on the stock rims and have had no issues with rubbing or clearance at all over the past 35,000 miles now on my second set
Discount tire has sold and mounted them with no issues or damage to my wheels.

 

Valk,
No worries, and thanks for getting back to me! I ended up going with the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2 (next gen of the ones I had on last summer), went with the 285/35/19s in the rear and 235/40/18s in the front. 80 extra mm all around, definitely handles a LOT better. Areas that I used to be able to break the rear free a little, now it hugs tight. Makes me realize my springs are getting soft - just replaced the shocks, but I think that new springs are in order!

For anyone considering it, the wider tires look great, fit fine, and perform.
-Kevin

 

Hi Guys. I've run with 285/30R19 for a number of years. Various brands from Hankook to Continental. I've seen where the installers have had a bit of a struggle to get them on, but they do fit, and there is no rubbing. Also, going with the 30 instead of the 35 keeps you much closer to stock height for the tire, and thus less skew in the MPH reading on your odometer.


Happy driving,

 

Keep a close watch on those front tires! I run stock 225/40/18 on the front and they leave rub makes in the wheel well!

 

I bought my Crossfire used with a matched set of Continental ExtremeContact DW Tuned. They were out of date (produced in 2011), but they had better than half tread left so I decided to be cheap and see if I could get a few months out of them. So here is a review on out of date, 1/2 worn out tires. Maybe a waste of time, but in case someone would like to know.



Dry: I am actually very impressed how well these handled on dry roads, I tried very hard to get these to break loose exiting corners without much success. I was also impressed on overall grip in turns and how well the sidewalls held up on hard cornering. From when I started driving with these until I changed them I did not notice any loss of traction on dry roads.

Rain: On wet roads although adequate (no worse than many passenger vehicles) - these did not inspire enough confidence to try pushing them. I did manage to get sideways one rainy evening without really attempting to. I had hydroplaning issues last month, but at that point I would estimate I was down to about 4/32" in the rear, so it probably would not have mattered what I had on the back at that point.

Snow/Ice: I got caught in freezing rain at work last winter with these tires (got to love Texas weather). I didn't think I would make it the 12 miles home. I aired down the tires to probably 15 psi added 50lbs of weight in the back and still could not get it to move on a 1 degree uphill slant. Of course every driver sliding into the ditches around me did not help with the stop/start - but this is by far the worst "ice" drive I have ever done. Finally disabled the traction control and didn't touch the gas most of the way, just controlled speed with the clutch and made it home safely.

Overall: Drove 5000 miles on these tires over 8 months. The rear tires were shot (worn out in the centers, probably 2/32" on the shoulders), fronts probably still had 5/32" left. I would be tempted to buy these if my Crossfire were a dedicated summer vehicle, but for my needs I will have to go with an all season tire. Having nothing to compare these to I do not know how they would compare as far as sound, but I didn't think the road noise was that severe.

Just put on Discount Tire's Continental ControlContact Sport AS, stock sizes with a Y speed rating. I will update once I get some use out of these. It was raining heavily when I drove home and I did not have hydroplaning problems.



*EDIT*
Well... First impressions are not good with these new tires. Maybe I am being over critical, but definitely not as much grip as even the old worn tires, softer around corners as well (can feel sidewall give that was not present before). Lastly, road noise is way up. My experience has always been road noise is less when tires are new, so I am a little nervous how loud these could potentially be.

One plus so far, it is a softer ride on more severe bumps.

We will see. Maybe grip will improve after I wear through the initial layer of rubber. If not, I will probably look into buying a dedicated set of summer and winter tires.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

Ended up passing on these Falken tires for the 2007 Coupe. But I did order a set of Barum Bravuris 3 UHP tires from Discount Tire Direct. (Note: The OEM Conti's have seen a better day.) Should be here by Friday at a local Discount Tire store for install this weekend. I had a set of Barum Bravuris 2 on my 1993 Suzuki Swift GT. Might have been one of the best set of tires I've had.


Later,

 

I just took a large staple into my Pilot Sport2's rear sidewall and they were close to EOL anyway. I went those Barum Bravuris3 HM's since I'm cambered up pretty good and need the extra mileage and a bit stiffer rubber than the other $$$$ summer tires. You know what? For $90 front and $105 rear, these fricken Barum's are pretty darn good for the money. The sidewall is a bit more compliant so it doesn't carve corners quite as well with the Michelins, and the stopping power is a bit south of the Michelin. I don't track the car, so I'm not worried about that.... They are really quiet (at least when new) and due to more sidewall compliance, they take road imperfections VERY well. Can't feel any harshness when combined with my KW-V3 coilovers at the "medium" hardness (maybe one click softer than recommended) setting. All in all, so far, they are a great alternative at lower cost. I may take them for some harder driving later on and report back. I can guarantee that softer sidewall will affect those that corner like a maniac, but they are pretty grippy in corners when new. You will corner well, just with a bit more yaw and roll. Nothing to get your panties in a bunch. Even if you wear them out, hell, just buy another set with the money you save from the Michelins. Barum is owned by Continental and they get pretty good reviews in Europe. I was debating between the Barum Bravuris3 HM and the Continental Extreme Contact DW's. I won't have wet-weather reporting until later, but the European reviews looked good on wet-weather driving. Time will tell. But when new, they are a great bang-for-the-buck.

 

Hey I'm right there with you I just put a set on my car today and I pretty much agree with everything you said except one thing to compensate for the softer side wall I put 37 pounds in the rear and 38 pounds in the front and it handles the corners very well with no slop.

 

Yep, I'm doing the same. Forgot to mention that. I'm running 39 in front and 38 psi rear. The little nuances of the tire can be felt differently less that way, and the KW's take most of the job of handling keeping the tires planted. Still, as you may agree, great bang for the buck. If they don't have longevity, can just get another set at that price. Time will tell as the tread wears down, but when new, these things are highly under-rated.

 

One of the points that swayed me to this tire was its overall performance vs. cost benefit. As other posts, Barum gets really good reviews in Europe and is a division within Continental, which produces more tires to the European market than any other tire manufacturer. Even with ToD trips, which are only 1x or 2x per year for any of us, I really don't need a tire that delivers top level performance for those conditions. I need a tire that delivers overall driveability in typical 'day-to-day' driving. And since I typically only put 2-3k miles on my 2007 Coupe per year over weekend excursion with the 'better half', I can't see paying somewhat higher prices for a tire that I may need max performance characteristics only 1x-2x per year for a weekend.

Should get the Barum tires installed this weekend or on Monday. Later,

 

These tire pressure settings are great feedback. I'll keep this in mind when I get my set installed. Discount Tire will always revert to the recommended OEM tire pressures unless you tell then something specifically different. I've included below a leaflet from Baurm on the Bravuris 3HM.

Thanks,

 

Looks like I have to wait another day or two to get the Barum tire set installed. Upon detailed inspection at the Discount Tire store this morning, one of the rear tires had a deformed bead. Factory defect or shipping caused defect; doesn't really matter. Store Asst Mgr was reluctant to install the tire and ordered me a replacement from Georgia warehouse location. (Note: This particular Greenville store location has always given me top-level support.) Tire might be here on TUE; more likely WED. Store will call me when the replacement tire is delivered.

Otherwise, tires look sharp & I am anxious to get them installed.

Later,

 

Got the set of Barum Bravuris 3 HM tires (stock sizes front & back) installed today at Discount Tire store. Purchased the TPMS maintenance kits & made sure the tire installers put the wheel/tire combinations back on the original corners. Didn't want any issues with the TPMS system having to re-learn things. Had tires pumped up to 37 psig all around. Hated to see the OEM Conti's get scrapped, but 8+ years of service ain't too shabby! I looked the old tires over real good. Saw no visible signs of deterioration (e.g., cracking); just typical wear. Tires probably would have lasted me another year but didn't want to push it. Considered myself lucky making the trip to CAA6 in Eureka Springs & back with the Conti's. Now I just may have to come up to the Spring Dragon event!

Attached are some images of the Barums.

Later,

Update: Took a short trip yesterday out on I-385 to see how the car handled with the Barum's installed. Car tracked well and road grip seemed better than average. I did hear some road noise but the stretch of interstate I was on at the time is prone to road noise with nearly every vehicle I own right now. Probably need to go try another section to see if road noise is tire-related or road-related. Considering the price/performance ratio, I'm pleased with tire so far.

 

Running Cooper RS3-A and like them. Have 245-40-19s in the back, and like them a lot, closes a lot of the rear wheel space. Eurocharged corrected the spedo for me too!

 

245 don't seem wide enough you had 255 to start ! Why not go bigger ? I'm thinking 285 or at least 275 / 35 /19

 

Some ppl go for cheap and want less rotational weight to help mpg.
I go 275 and 285 for extra in winters, alittle more tread makes a difference, and the right tires.

 

Never heard of going wider in the winters, I guess unless you don't have any snow to speak of.

I don't really drive it in the MN winters, but have brought it out in light snow before. I would think the car wouldn't be going anywhere with 285s on the back if there was even half an inch of snow on the road.