Tinbad

Just changed out all 4 stock Pirelli Centurato P7s for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 on 18" wheels after reading all the praise on this and other forums for the PS3s. I wanted a quiet tire with emphasis on comfort rather than high performance.

Although somewhat more quiet on rough freeways (Pirellis were at the end of their life), the ride got a lot harsher and I'm a bit disappointed and now second guessing my choice. Deflating the tires helped a bit but is there anything else I need to take into account? Will these new tires need a 'break in' period to get a bit softer? I couldn't find the quiet ride topic and remembered that one was for 19/20" wheels, so my question is who's happy with their 18" tires and what are they?

Admins, feel free to move my thread to another one if you feel it's inappropriate to start a new one.

snagitseven

There are so many tire threads I wouldn't even know which one to move it to.
I have seen some mention the A/S3 is not the quietest tire on the block. Some love 'em and others not so much.

As to ride comfort, be sure to start at the PSIs as shown in the manual and not the door label. Re noise, most tires might get a bit quieter when broken in but generally get noisier as the tread wears down.

If you decide to return them (if you can), take a look at the new Continental DWS 06. The older DWS was always known for a comfortable ride (and bad weather grip) but the new DWS 06 claims to have improved on ride, handling and tread wear (which I found wasn't bad on the old ones). My only complaint on the old ones was the sidewall was soft which degraded crisp handling. Now they claim to have resolved that. The DWS 06 will likely be my next tires when my Bridgestone RE970AS wear down. 35K miles and still another 8K to go best guess so I have no complaints but the DWS 06 bested them in almost every category when a comparo was done.

irenesbob

I have Continental ContiProContact's 245/18's on my 2013 A6 and I like them especially the ride.

Acuransx

+1 on the old DWS. I ran a few sets of these on my /06 Acura TL and kind of soggy turn in for sure. They were very good in the wet/snow but they generally did not last more than 25,000 miles and I am a pretty conservative driver. I do tend to replace tires well before the wear bars are showing but still I felt that they did not last nearly as long as advertised. The good thing is that my second set was subsidized by Conti thanks to their tread life warranty. I would be willing to try out the DWS 06.

Sportstick

As soon as I read the first paragraph, I had a sense this was not going to end well. The very reason the Pilot Sport AS3 was created was to have a higher-performance tire in the Ultra High Performance All Season category to approximate the PSS (Summer tire) performance in an all-season tire. This is not a comfort-prioritized tire. As an exaggerated analogy, it's as if you wanted a Lincoln, but heard good things about BMW and bought one. The AS3 won't get softer with use, but they may quiet down a bit, a trait I've observed.

I've purchased a couple of sets of AS3 and been very happy with them, but I would describe my priorities as the opposite of yours....performance first, quiet/ride comfort second. I believe you need a tire in the Grand Touring category such as Michelin Premier AS or Michelin Primacy MXV 4. Even a new set of P7s would provide a softer ride than the OE tires, as vehicle manufacturers specify a harder compound than the aftermarket version of the identically branded tire in order to reduce rolling resistance and improve fuel economy for their CAFE goal.

Too bad we're not closer. I'd swap our OE ContiProContacts (2 weeks old) for those PS3!

keithl

I had Michelin A/S 3 and while I felt they were great tires, good handling and ride, I found them not to be too noisey, but they only lasted 18K miles and I am not the only one that had poor tread life, but they were excellent tires.

porksoda

I have 20" rim with the factory tires, and they are pretty noise ride is a bit harsh too especially since they are 20".

Anyone here has experience with 20" with contis? I am thinking when time comes i will give them a go.

I don't know how long the perilli's will last but currently i have < 15k on them.

newmoon

I also have the Continental ContiProContact as OEM on my 2012 2.0T P+ non-sport 18". I'm very happy with how quiet they are, and the smooth comfortable ride. Tread life is great too. I'm at 35k mi and 8/32" now, so I think they'll go beyond 50k mi.

If you want quiet and comfortable, stay away from the ultra-high performance tires. They have tread patterns and rubber compounds designed for grip, but they tend to make a louder "shhh" sound or even a droning roar. Also the ride is obviously stiffened up to give better responsiveness and handling.

Instead, go for grand-touring tires like:
- Michelin Premier A/S
- Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus

Tire Rack even did a comparison test:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=188

Strangely, they said the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus had the best ride and noise comfort, and the customer ratings also say the same. However, it is important to note that there is also a Cinturato P7 All Season without the "Plus", which is not as good. Which one do you have?

Tinbad

I believe I had the non-plus before but not 100% sure as they disposed of them, they came stock with the car.

Anyway, after calling Big-O I found out that Michelin has a 30 day ride warranty so I'm able to return them free of charge! I will only be paying for installation, which (including the difference of $3 more per tire for the P7s) will be $88! Not a bad deal if you ask me. Hopefully this info is useful for someone else not happy with their Michelins.

Thanks for the recommendations, I figured since I have good experience with the P7s I didn't want to take another chance and try the newer DWS. So I went with the Cinturato P7 all season plus like someone recommended here. They will swap them out tomorrow so I'll report back my findings on the ride.

Tinbad

Got the car back and boy what a contrast. Had no idea it could be that big of a difference between two all season tires. The drone is gone, the ride is smooth and the interior rattles a lot less lol - but that's for another day to solve!

Thanks for all the input again, definitely pushed me over the edge and ask for different tires! The if you don't ask the answer is always no holds up here as well....