Tires NITTO or GENERAL TIRE
I just installed 4 General Ultramax HP for $480 total. The price was excellent and the ratings on Tirerack were pretty good so I gave it a shot. I've had it on for about 1 week and it's been great. Very quiet.
Nitto NT05 European Car Magazine has recently reviewed a set of Nitto NT05 tires and posted the review on their site. \"The Nitto team put its test time on the Nurburgring to good use; the NT05 exceeded my expectations in both handling and straight-line performance.\"
Nitto NT05 European Car Magazine has recently reviewed a set of Nitto NT05 tires and posted the review on their site. \"The Nitto team put its test time on the Nurburgring to good use; the NT05 exceeded my expectations in both handling and straight-line performance.\"
I've happily used UHP 235/45R17 tires on my Passat and Beetle 18T convertible with nothing but smooth cruising. I tried 38 psi but backed off, the slightly tauter steering wasn't worth the harshness on SoCal's crumbling surface streets. Mine were all German origin.
I just moved back to the northeast and purchased a set of General Altimax Artic. Apparently they are Gislaved NF3's which is a Scandinavian tire rebranded by their parent company (Continental) and sold as Generals in the US. So far they have been good but no major snow storms but some ice and slush. I got them studded. Once the warm up they are fairly quite. Not to mention they are pretty inexpensive ($99 each). I got wheels, tires with studs, mounted/balanced and shipped for under $1K from Tire Rack. Pretty good if you ask me. -Ron
From what I have read these are great tires.
If you're looking for cheap performance summer tires I'd recomment the General Exclaim UHP or the Sumitomo HTRZ III, you'd be VERY surprised they handle and grip about 90% as well as a tire double it's cost, VERY well worth the money at about $80-$100/tire. I bought a set of the Exclaims and was very surprised, and 3 of my friends are running the HTRZ's and both tires are amazing for that pricepoint.
Nitto Neo Gen tire received second place overall with the editors commenting that the Nitto Neo Gen had basically tied with first place. Fifteen tires from several tire manufacturers were tested in nine categories, mainly focusing on dry handling and traction, wet handling and traction, and ride comfort. All tires in the test were sized 225/40R18. All tires were tested using an Audi A3 3.2 on a closed test course. This data was combined with results from independent tread-wear testing which evaluated tread wear up to 12,000 miles. The Nitto Neo Gen had a strong showing in all tests. The Neo Gen received a ranking of Very Good in both dry and wet braking and Good in both dry and wet handling and hydroplaning. The Neo Gen also received high marks for noise, ride comfort and rolling resistance, scoring Very Good for all categories. The Neo Gen was also one of the most affordable tires tested. Because of the Neo Gen's balance of dry and wet performance, and ride comfort, the editors recommended it as one of their top picks.
I have this tire from discount and so far I've been really impressed. Good ride, quiet, and its done everything I've asked performance wise.
I've had bad experiences with 2 out of 5 General Tire Exclaim UHP's I've bought. First tire had a terrible vibration from day 1. When the tire shop mounted my tires, they said one balanced fine, but may have a "hop" at highway speed. Well, the "hop" was very noticeable. When the wheel was on the back, the car shook so bad on the highway I literally could not drink coffee without spilling on myself. When the wheel was mounted on the front, the steering wheel would shake so bad my hands would go numb. I had this tire replaced under warranty and the car drove great. A couple weeks ago, after coming into town from a highway commute, I could hear a loud rhythmic humming at around 50 km/h. Tire shop again tried re-balancing this wheel with no improvement. Tire has hardly any wear and wheel itself looks to be in great condition. I didn't hit any rocks of potholes before this started. This is getting really annoying. I just want a reliable tire.
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