Tire question

[Colov99]

My 91 Bonneville has 4 Contential TouringContacts on it, and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about them. I find that I get very little traction with them on any condition, (dry, wet, snow) and there is plenty of treadlife left in them.
Any insight would be apprecated
-c

[curtis73]

I think these tires are fine, but you'll find that passenger tires often are designed for "grandma" driving. Their ultimate goal is long life and quiet operation. There is nothing wrong with Continentals, but they tend to run one step harder than many other brands. Your Conti Touring tires are more closely related to passenger tires of other brands.

I might suggest a touring tire of another brand. Michelin makes a very nice tire, although rather expensive. You could use their Pilot XGT HR4, but that might be a touch overkill. Look to their Energy MXV4 tire for a good choice.

Goodyear makes a good touring tire with the GA line.

Yokohama Avid T4 makes a great replacement. I have some on a Toyota that I love.

Kumho makes a great tire for the price. I have some of their high peformance tires and love them. You could look at their Ecsta HP4 716 tire.

In your category (although I love Bridgestone/Firestone tires) I suggest against the Turanza line. They tend to lack dry traction just like your Contis.

[Colov99]

What I really need for the car are a set of good all seasons so I will take suggestions on any that work. I have heard decent reviews about the goodyear assurance but im open for any others. (I live in newengland and snow tires are not an option )
Thanks again for the help

[curtis73]

Yep, see above. The above tires are in the performance A/S, Gran Touring A/S, and Touring A/S categories. They are all steps above your Contis as far as performance and handling. They will all offer you better grip wet and dry without sacrificing anything to noise or ride.

[Colov99]

Thanks, as you can tell I dont know much about tires. Thank you for your help.

[curtis73]

Call the Tire Rack at 888-541-1777 and get Lee at x623. He's my uncle and he has never steered me wrong. Any of the salespeople there are very knowledgable and won't steer you wrong, its just that I happen to personally know one

Tell him that his nephew, Curtis told you to call and he'll steer you right. You don't have to buy tires from him but I think you'll find that Tire Rack's prices with shipping will be cheaper than you can get almost anywhere. If you dug reaaly deep you might find someone cheaper, but shopping at Tire Rack is sorta like shopping at Sam's Club. They buy in such bulk and only mark up a tiny percentage so you know its a fair price, and often they're the lowest by far. You can even have them shipped to your tire shop so you don't have to transport them in your back seat.

Enjoy

[curtis73]

Oh... and one other thing. At http://www.tirerack.com/about/techcenter.jsp you'll find more tire tech answers than you'll ever be able to assimilate, but it may help point you toward the tire style you want for your driving preferences

[Colov99]

Originally Posted by curtis73

Call the Tire Rack at 888-541-1777 and get Lee at x623. He's my uncle and he has never steered me wrong. Any of the salespeople there are very knowledgable and won't steer you wrong, its just that I happen to personally know one

Tell him that his nephew, Curtis told you to call and he'll steer you right. You don't have to buy tires from him but I think you'll find that Tire Rack's prices with shipping will be cheaper than you can get almost anywhere. If you dug reaaly deep you might find someone cheaper, but shopping at Tire Rack is sorta like shopping at Sam's Club. They buy in such bulk and only mark up a tiny percentage so you know its a fair price, and often they're the lowest by far. You can even have them shipped to your tire shop so you don't have to transport them in your back seat.

Enjoy

Thanks a bunc! This has already helped alot and is now steering me in the right direction. I have been reading the reviews on tirerack of my current tires and they dont seem to happy with them.
Thanks again
-c