Tires on a 2003 Accord

Almost as soon as I got my new 2003 Accord EX, I noticed that the tires
seemed to lose grip sooner than I expected when braking. I was used
to a '99 Cougar. I have continued to be surprised how soon the
anti-lock function engages.

With only 23k miles, I decided to see about replacing the front
P205/60R/16s -- Michelin MXV4s. When I told the tire store I wanted
something other than Michelin MXV4s, they were surprised and claimed
these tires had a good reputation for traction, etc.

Any opinions on these tires?

I'm tempted to get a pair of GoodyearTripleTred Technology tires.

 

Had them on my accord - really lousy wet and snow traction - somebody
who knows a lot about tires said these things are made to deliver
mileage and for some reason this design makes them let loose really
quickly. Once you loose traction with these things - your ass is
swinging free.

Replaced them with Michelin X One - very good tire. Go to tirerack.com
- Bridgestone Touranza's have a very good reputation for traction and
being silent. The people at tirerack have specific recommendations. I
buy from them and have a local store install - nobody around me can
match tirerack's price.

When replacing tires - be very careful how they tighten the lug nuts on
front tires - very easy to warp honda rotors. Never ever let them use
a torque wrench even with torque sticks.

 

T.L.Miller said

I put the TripleTred's on my 2003 EX V6 Coupe and I love them. My car
handled noticeably better when I changed from the OEM Bridgestones.
It's a stiffer tire but I like the feel and the way they corner.

As far as traction (wet or dry) it's hard to beat the TripleTreds.


Casey

 

Thanks for the tire and website recommenations. It's surprising to
learn at that website how many people dislike MXV4s and how many others
think it's great. Maybe it works better on some cars than on others????

 

Depends upon how you drive - if you drive at the limits in wet or snowy
conditions - forget the MXV4 - if you drive like a granny - no problem.
The biggest bitch I had about those tires was when you break loose -
it is impossible to recover - you are just along for the ride. When
you break loose the X-One you can recover if you know what you are
doing - when the MXV4's break loose - forgetaboutitall.

Also your anti lock brakes could sense those things breaking loose and
that is why you got the anti lock pulsing.

 

If the tire says energy on the sidewall, it is a fuel saving model.

I think you mean to say don't let them use an impact wrench to tighten the
lug nuts even if they use a torque stick. What you do want them to do is
use a torque wrench and tighten the lug nuts in the proper order.

 

Two hours ago I replaced those Energy MXV4s with 23k miles with the
Goodyear TripleTreds. I was tired about worrying about driving on wet
roads!

 

Any noticeable loss of fuel economy?
(I figure it's always a tradeoff: the softer the tire, the better the
performance, but the less fuel-efficient it is. I'm always looking
for something that will improve performance of the OEM without
worsening my mileage significantly.)

Ron

 

Milleron said

Actually, I'm not sure I'd call these tires soft. But to answer the
question, I haven't noticed any change in miles per gallon.


Casey