Consumer Reports SUV tire ratings Nov. 2014

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Consumer Reports SUV tire ratings Nov. 2014

Postby smj999smj » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:18 pm

The November, 2014, issue of Consumer Reports contains their latest tire rating for SUV tires. Here's the list and prices of their recommended tires for All-Season and All-Terrain tires for those interested:

All-Season

1-Michelin Latitude Tour $168
2-Michelin LTX MS/2 $189
3-Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred All-season $161
4-Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-season Plus $159
5-Continental CrossContact LX20 EcoPlus $135
6-Cooper Discoverer SRX $157

All-Terrain

1-Hankook Dynapro AT-M $154
2-Goodyear Wrangler All-terrain Adventure $175
3-Michelin LTX A/T2 $186
4-Cooper Discoverer A/TW $170
5-Falken WildPeak A/T01 $117

*Note: price reflects what they paid for a P265/70R17 tire.
Last edited by smj999smj on Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:20 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Postby skinny2 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:40 am

Thanks for that. I've been very impressed with their #2 rated all-seasons. Have about 40k on this set of LTX MS2's with 8/32nds and performing as good as new. We'll see how they do this winter.

I disagree with their #1 as does Tirerack surveys and testing. The Latitude is the lowest rated tire out of this group according to their survey results (Cooper isn't sold there). My wifes MDX came with the Tour HP which is very similar. They were ok for about 15k miles and then have just gotten louder and louder. With 45k miles and 6/32nds they currently sound like buckshot mudders. We had a passenger with us this weekend that asked what was wrong with our tires. Making them even less impressive is that they cost over $300 (on tire rack) so there's no way in hell I'll be installing those again. I think I've settled on the Continental LX20's which are rated much higher and $120 cheaper. EACH.

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Postby Sayantsi » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:00 am

Always nice to see another data point, but I've always found CR reports basic at best and their test criteria often is too general for me. For Tires, TireRack is a much better source of reviews and test data imo.

Currently I'm looking to buy a set of General Grabber HTS to replace the AWs on the truck now. Going with the HTS over the AT2 because I don't need an AT and do a lot of highway driving in the Pathy. Were Generals mentioned at all in the CR report?

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Postby Bandy1080 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:17 am

Thinking of going with Conti LX20 as well. They just seem to get the best reviews for an all season tire. That said, can anyone point me where to find them at $135? Jesus that's low. The best I can find is $160.

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Postby Sayantsi » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:25 am

Bandy1080 wrote:Thinking of going with Conti LX20 as well. They just seem to get the best reviews for an all season tire. That said, can anyone point me where to find them at $135? Jesus that's low. The best I can find is $160.
Tire size plays a factor in price - there's going to be a price difference between a Pathfinder tire and a cute ute like a CR-V, for example.

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Postby skinny2 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:36 am

Bandy1080 wrote:Thinking of going with Conti LX20 as well. They just seem to get the best reviews for an all season tire. That said, can anyone point me where to find them at $135? Jesus that's low. The best I can find is $160.
As mentioned size can play a factor in price. Also the popularity of the size. The stock 17" Pathfinder size of 265/65-17 is not a very popular size and is priced higher than a 265/70-17 that's used on a lot of trucks/suv's.

I personally wouldn't use the LX20 on my Pathfinder. The LTX-MS2 is just a superior tire all around and worth the $$ in my book. The only reason I'm putting the LX20 on my wifes MDX is because the LTX-MS2 doesn't come in a 255/55-18 that her car requires. If it did I would definitely be using that on her car as well.

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Postby smj999smj » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:18 am

Sayantsi wrote:Always nice to see another data point, but I've always found CR reports basic at best and their test criteria often is too general for me. For Tires, TireRack is a much better source of reviews and test data imo.

Currently I'm looking to buy a set of General Grabber HTS to replace the AWs on the truck now. Going with the HTS over the AT2 because I don't need an AT and do a lot of highway driving in the Pathy. Were Generals mentioned at all in the CR report?
The General Grabber HTS ranked #10 on the All-Season list, right behind the Firestone Destination LE2. The popular Toyo Open Country H/T ranked #14.

In regards to price, the article states the price they paid for a P265/70R17.

Personally, I've had the Michelin LTX M/S2 on my 06 LE and loved it. I went to Nitto Dura Grapplers because they were $250 cheaper per set and money was tight at the time. The Nittos are good, but they ride a lot harder. Next time, I will likely go back to the Michelins.

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Postby Bandy1080 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:49 am

I never even looked at the Michelin because of the price point. I can get them for $200 versus $160 for the conti's. Based on what you guys are saying the price difference seems to be worth it.

This will be mainly for highway driving and we do get a lot of snow and rain here in New England so it needs to be able to handle everything while maintaining a good smooth ride and no affect MPG

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Postby smj999smj » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:57 am

When I was shopping, the best price I could find online for the Michelin LTX M/S2 was $176 each with shipping, but that was 6 months ago and I can't remember who had them for that price. DiscountTireDirect.com had them for $208 each at the time. IMO, they are worth the extra money.
One knock in the article against the Continental LX20 was that its ice rating was only rated as "fair" compared to "good" for the LTX M/S2 and the Michelin had a better snow traction rating of "very good."

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Postby skinny2 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:49 pm

smj999smj wrote:One knock in the article against the Continental LX20 was that its ice rating was only rated as "fair" compared to "good" for the LTX M/S2 and the Michelin had a better snow traction rating of "very good."
What did they have to say about the Michelin Latitude in snow/ice? I know my LTX MS2's feel more secure than my wifes Latitude HP's and she has a much more sophisticated AWD system. The Latitudes just don't clean out the snow/slop very well and really look like a car tire. Trying to go over 35mph on the highway during a heavy snow last year was impossible and other traffic was moving along just fine.

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Postby smj999smj » Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:21 pm

skinny2 wrote:
smj999smj wrote:One knock in the article against the Continental LX20 was that its ice rating was only rated as "fair" compared to "good" for the LTX M/S2 and the Michelin had a better snow traction rating of "very good."
What did they have to say about the Michelin Latitude in snow/ice? I know my LTX MS2's feel more secure than my wifes Latitude HP's and she has a much more sophisticated AWD system. The Latitudes just don't clean out the snow/slop very well and really look like a car tire. Trying to go over 35mph on the highway during a heavy snow last year was impossible and other traffic was moving along just fine.
According to their ratings, the Latitudes have a slightly better "ice" rating than the LTX M/S2, whereas the LTX M/S2 had a slightly better "snow traction" rating than the Latitudes.

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Postby Bandy1080 » Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:41 am

So the LTX's handle well in the snow but what about the highway and MPG?

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Postby skinny2 » Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:58 am

Bandy1080 wrote:So the LTX's handle well in the snow but what about the highway and MPG?
The LTX MS2 is great on the highway and handles quite good on curvy roads. My commute varies between 60 miles of two-lane state route (very curvy and hilly) or a 140 mile highway drive. These are excellent in all situations and even with 40k+ miles on them they don't hydroplane at any reasonable speed. I'll be curious to see how they do this winter as the tread is down to 8/32nds and I'm not very tolerant of tires that don't grip well in the snow. Worst case I'll install some snow tires and keep these to throw back on in the spring.

As for mpg, mine came new with General Grabber AW's. They were fried by 30k miles and I switched to my first set of MS2's. I didn't notice any change in mpg...I get a very steady 18 for my 60 mile commute and 20-21 on the highway commute. I'm not light on the go pedal or easy on tires either.

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Postby smj999smj » Wed Oct 01, 2014 11:16 am

I had the LTX MS/2 last winter with about 20% tread left. We don't get a lot of snow where I live in VA, but we did get a couple of storms and accumulations up to 6". I didn't have any problems getting around. They were great in dry conditions as well as rain, were quite and rode well.

Of the top four tires on Consumer Reports All-season list, none of the these tires had a rating less than "good" in all categories.


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