New Tires

A couple of weeks ago, I bought new tires for my car and had them installed. Because of the type of rims my car came with, I of course have to buy the super expensive low profile tire variety. A set of four cost me about $700 out the door. Here's what I bought:

Michelin Primacy MXV4

These tires replaced the Bridgestone Potenzas that came with my car. I opted to go for the Michelins because the Bridgestones cost significantly more *and* come with horrible reviews on the internet. Personally, I never had a problem with the other tires, but after 4.5 years and 31,000 miles, the sidewalls were cracking pretty badly. The Michelins came with a cheaper price tag, better reviews, and a substantially longer warranty. They're considered all season "Luxury Performance Touring" tires, which basically means they're designed to be quiet and comfortable while delivering decent grip in all road conditions. In limited drive testing, they seem to have much better grip than the old tires, and handled remarkably well on dry pavement considering that the installer's balancing machine was mis-calibrated when they were installed. With that problem fixed, I can now drive on the freeway without the car feeling like it's going to shake apart.