Okay enough playing on my slicks otherwise known as BGF Comp TA VR4's. Every time i go to get new rubber the discontinue crap on me plus I wasnt overly impressed with the VR4's esp for the price.

Checking through some old posts looks like the Toyos or Kumho A/S seemed to get a thumbs ups up but they were older posts and views may have changed

Looking at

ContiExtreme contact A/S - great ratings but out of stock since October @$150 per you cant go wrong

Toyo Proxes 4 but too new to get any real data

Toyo FZ4/ TPT ?

Bridgestone tried em and returned em :rolleyes:

Falken Ziex 512 cant find a dealer but seem to have excellent reviews for dry wet n snow and bang for buck except for some sidewall flex messing with cornering

Pirelli hmmm well the PZero M+S maybe but havent priced that one out yet and new as well


So any comments from AWDrivers out there who are using any of these would be appreciated. For me a good A/S has gets me anywhere in ontario in any weather and know it can be done as the Yokohama AVS A+4 since discontinued did it all even in the winter with the directional and asymetrical tread. It just seems since then I cant find anything that compares.

There will be no track use and just like you summer guys wont compromise with an A/S I wont compromise on winter rubber in around GTA as my driving style/speed doesnt change much with weather

I had ContiExtremeContacts installed about a month ago and they certainly weren't cheap by any stretch of the imagination--at least not in Canada.

Coming from Falken Azenis, the sidewall flex is very noticeable, but probably very good for an all-season tire.

They were very, very, very slippery in the dry when I first got them, maybe from the mould-release agent. After a number of heat cycles, they are much better.

On the Tire Rack website some people have mentioned that the Conti's get flat spotted overnight in the cold. I do have this problem, but I have to get my tires re-balanced, since 2nd Time Around Tires didn't do a good job, and probably didn't match-mount them either.

I'll post an update, after the work is done and if I remember.

I just had a set of Falken Ziex ZE-512s installed tonight. (So, obviously can't give you any opinions on them yet...)

I was able to find a set at Tire Trends (I couldn't find any in Ontario, either..) They arrived within a few days without hassle and the shipping is covered by not having to pay PST.

The set was ~$600 to my door.

You may also want to try 1010 Tires

Thanks for the info and Steve for the Tire trends site..looks like real driver reviews versus commuter reviews on tirerack.com

The Falkens are a good looking tire and seem to have the performance I am looking for plus a M+S designation which is an indication of a true A/S. I am tired of spending $1000+ for 50K with less than amazing performance and I am getting too old for that crap but $600 for 50K or even less works for me

Greg the ContiExtreme contacts I have been quoted $150 to $165 installed and balanced from Tireworks and Ok tire dealers. So $600 for rubber is pretty cheap compared to what I am used to spending. The only problem is they have been out of stock for 2 months.

I've been looking to get the ContiXtremeContact's for my '98 V6 Accord before winter arrived. From the research I've done and I've done a lot, they look like the perfect compromise and they are cheap from TireRack. Unfortunately, as mentioned above they are out of stock almost everywhere and for a reason. Apparently Conti has had some problems at their manufacturing plant and production has stopped. On top of that they had issues with the tires staying balanced. The overnight flat spots will apparently go away after the tires warm up, but balancing has been an issue and they replaced a lot of tires with a different model for this reason... If you are looking for good all around A/S tire with good life, it's hard to beat Michelin's (eg: MXV4+), unfortunately they are insanely expensive and may not be best suited for a DSM (depending on your driving style). The Nero's would have been my second choice for my sedan, but I ended up buying a set of MXV4+ S8's with rims from an '03 Accord for less than a new set of MXV4+'s.

I had the Bridgestone RE910's on my DSM and they are great on the dry and wet, but suck in the snow and forget about ice (not to mention they are only T rated). That's why this year I got dedicated winters.

http://www.tiretrends.com/index.php3
Canadian based Tire Rack..
unfortunatelly they do not carry Michelins

Went with the Falkens an will follow up with a review after a bit of break in and seat time. Should get them in time for xmas

The contis were my first choice but if there is a manufacturing issue I dont want to be their test guinea pig.

To Tire trends with good customer service so far and no B.S to any of my questions.

I got a set of Yokohama IG10s (successor to the 720s), and I'm very happy with the AWD performance so far. They slip a little bit on corners in slush, but never actual lose grip, even at fairly high speeds. I haven't tested them too aggressively, but I've had the chance to try them on slush and powder already, and they handle quite well in either case. No word on ice performance, yet.

- b.

4 days and the Falkens arrived. $65 cash mounted balanced and installed at Kipling tire plus tossed the old ones for me.

So far pluses and minuses

+ quiet at all speeds
+ eats standing water with no tracking problem esp with all the rain we have had
+ wet/dry handling inpspires confidence so far but havent had the chance to push to limit need wear in a bit
+ agressive tread and look

- need to rebalance fronts at least but may be from my bent rim
- no snow comments as we havent had any