[Dick Boneske]

My '09 Buick Enclave originally had Michelin Latitude 255-60R19 tires. I ran them for 48,000 miles before they were down to the wear indicators (4/32"), which is not what one would expect. The downside of the Michelin's was short tread life and hydroplaning. A new set would have been $1,200 in 2012 when they were replaced.

Replaced them with Cooper CS4's ($861), which are much less prone to hydroplaning, but with 29,000 miles, they are down to between 5/32" and 6/32" and very noisy and out of balance between 55 and 80 mph. The dealer who sold them has tried rotating & balancing since they were new, but they were never balanced as well as the Michelins and the noise gets worse as they wear. He says he is powerless to do anything (regarding warranty) until tread gets to 4/32", which will be late this fall or early winter.

What would you do? I can get Michelins now for $904 a set of 4 or Nitto's for $640 a set of 4 from a different dealer. The only other options are Coopers (again), Good Year, and Bridgestone.

[Transporter]

Dick, we had the same problem back in 2004 when my wife just had to have a VW Tourage, (biggest POS I have ever owned) it had 18's, we wound up with BFG's I think they were something like KDW's?

The size wasn't exact but we got close on height and width, got about the same mileage as the expensive tires and were half the cost.

Stan

[dreamn69]

We just installed the Bridgestones from Tire Rack and are very happy with them. Seem to be quiter and smoother than the Michelins as well. Verry good reviews for them on TireRack.

[David Jones]

Bridgestone. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

[Transporter]

Just did a quick search, how about these?


Kumho eco Solus KL21 P255/60R19 108H BSW
Kumho
Tire producer from Korea, especially high profile tires
Kumho
eco Solus KL21 P255/60R19 108H BSW
Kumho eco Solus KL21 P255/60R19 108H BSW

With us only $ 167.10

Type of Tire: All season tiresAll season tires

Buy with confidence! If for any reason you are not happy with the tires you receive, return them to us within 45 days of delivery and we will provide a full refund! Restrictions apply, click here for details.
Product DescriptionSpecs
The perfect eco-friendly tire for CUV’s, SUV’s and minivans. Focusing on
the best features of CUV’s—ride comfort, fuel economy and quiet ride, Eco
Solus KL21 is the newest member of Kumho’s environmentally friendly tires
formulated to be less harmful to the environment. Backed by a 60,000
mile treadwear warranty, Eco Solus KL21 provides even wear and improved
wear resistance making it an economically sensible choice. The result is
an eco-friendly tire that provides the performance,

[JamRSW6]

I have had a similar experience with the wife's 2010 Lexus RX350. It came with the Michelin Latitude and I felt they were going to make 45 to 50 thousand. The next RX( 2013) she got came with the Bridgestones. These are as quiet as the Michelins but wearing at a faster pace. I will be lucky to get 35 out of these. Can't really compare the hydroplaning as it rains so little here in Texas. My wife does a 3 year lease for 36 thousand. With the Michelins I didn't have to install a second set of tires. Looks like the Bridgestones will not make the end of the lease and as you have found out none of these tires are cheap. Next lease better have Michelins as they work out best for us. Jimmy

[Dick Boneske]

Thanks for the quick responses. The '95 Buick Roadmaster wagon I bought a year ago had Kumho's on it. They are quiet, vibration-free, and look good.

I'm going to check to see if available locally.

BFG does not make this size.

[steveK]

Dick,
I am in the same boat with 2008 Enclave in that this will be the third set at 80K. Had them rotated regularly or so I thought by the dealer. I expect to keep it till 100k so I'd go to the cheapest.

[Dick Boneske]

Many people with Enclaves report getting 60,000+ on the original tires. I managed 48,000--mostly highway miles, which is disappointing. Even more disappointing is the balance and noise problem with the Cooper CS4's after 29,000 miles, which are well-regarded tires by many users. If I run them 'til the dealer can warranty them, I'm afraid another set of CS4's will give similar results.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Dick Boneske

Thanks for the quick responses. The '95 Buick Roadmaster wagon I bought a year ago had Kumho's on it. They are quiet, vibration-free, and look good.

I'm going to check to see if available locally.

BFG does not make this size.

FWIW - the Kumho KL21 is rated worse for mileage than the Michelins (500 mileage rating vs 600). Warranty (prorated) is 60,000 miles vs 65,000 miles. Original tread depth is 11/32nds vs 10/32nds.

If I were looking for that size - I'd seriously consider the Continental CrossContact LX20. They have a 680 rating for mileage, 70,000 mile warranty and 12/32nds of tread depth.

On tirerack - this is the top rated tire in the class for all three of these tires:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...jsp?type=CSTAS


The Michelins were rated #8 and the Kumhos were 15th.