expected life of tires

check out tirerack.com they have a rating system and reviews on tire. I bought my last two sets of tires from them

If you have the money, and even if you don't, get a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S.

Pilot Sport A/S's + Maxima = 1 awesome handling machine.

I thought that the Maxima's handling reeked till I put the Michelin's on; the combination is unbeatable - wet or dry. Cleared up lots of problems, hydroplaning, torque oversteer, bad breath.

- Steven

1) Good grip/performance means higher cost, shorter life - in general. I usually make good tires last 25k or so, and I drive them a little hard. Tires are a subject worth taking seriously, and worth spending a little extra money. is a great resource for shopping, pricing, and learning about tires.

The primary concern I have during high speed driving is rain performance. Tires harden as they age and lose wet grip, and as the tread becomes shallower the ability to cut road water decreases. In other words, as your tires wear down expect your rain performance to steadily decline. If you live in an area where rain is common, I'd replace them before they reach the wear bars, say, within a penny's thickness of the wear bar. Snow is equally or moreso dependent on the same factors.

2) Keep tire pressures within spec, check every month or so, and rotate when required. Always. This will help catch flaws and avoid blowouts and other nasty disasters. On another note, make sure your lugnuts are tightened to the _correct_ spec, not what the tire shop left them at. There is definitely such a thing as too tight.

Dave

Couldn't agree more than that. My Max suddenly became a real fun to drive after I replaced the stock Dunlop with Michelin Pilot. Costco had the best deal.

What did you guys end up paying for your Pilot Sport A/S? I was quoted something like $850 a set, which is simply crazy. I went with Dunlop Sport A2s at $520/set.

Dave

$784 from tirerack.com $35 for shipping $50 to mount and balance.

$217 a corner when all is said and done.

- Steve

LOL, absurd. I got tired of Michelin overpriced tires and poor performance. When you look into why they are recommended so much and why they are so pricey... just think commission

Went with Yokohama's dB V rated tires: Excellent Braking wet and dry (cannot tell about snow), excellent cornering wet and dry, excellent traction. The drawback: I can only expect 25 - 35 K miles out from them. But at $85 installed with lifetime balancing and road hazard coverage?

The Yoko's do very well at 145 mph (94 Max SE 5 sp)

Good luck

Steven wrote:

Agree that they are pricey. Disagree poor performance.

The thing with the 2k2 Max is that there are only about 4 options in that tire size; 1 execrable (the OEM Bridgestones), 2 so-so, and the champagne and caviar Pilots.

I priced changing the wheels and the cost of tires over the life of the car, but it took too long to recoup the savings in tires.

94 is a sweet Maxima; probably my favorite style. Clean and tight. Hope you have more tire options than the 2k2.

- Steve