Just wanted to post my tire experience here. Some people have been kind enough to post their tire experiences, so I just thought I would add to it. Keep in mind, different people will have different opinions depending on their driving style and conditions.
Having searched in vain for alternative tires which would outperform the stock Goodyear Eagle LS, I ended up choosing the Yokohama Geolandar HTS G052 in 265/60/18. I took Kris' review into consideration, but simply could not pull the trigger on the alternatives. I passed on the Michelin Crossterrains in 235/65/18 because they did not meet the T-rated speed of the stock tires (CT's are S-rated) and also the Goodyear Fortera in 245/60/18, both of which have a UTQG DOT traction rating of A (wet traction) but a temperature rating of B, indicating these are more passenger tires than performance tires. The Yokohamas are rated A for traction, A for temperature, and are H-rated for speed. Some folks will say, its not a big deal, and it might not be, but I guess I'm just someone who would rather go by the specs than take a gamble. I would expect both the CT's and Fortera to have a smooth ride like the Eagles, but with better foul weather handling (than the stockers), although I wouldn't push either on a curvy road.
I had the tires mounted at a hot rod speed shop which used one of the later model Hunter wheel balancers, so it was all done correctly and so far after a few hundred miles of driving on city and highway, I've felt zero vibrations. They did charge more than a normal tire shop, around $30 per tire, but I feel I got my money's worth because I had the peace of mind knowing the shop had the latest equipment and would be very careful with my stock tire pressure sensors.
My initial impressions of the tire are favorable. On normal driving, I can turn in a tighter line due to the better traction (it surprised me the first few times, I expected to turn wide as I had become accustomed to with the Eagle LS's, but the car just held the line).
As Kris pointed out, the ideal tire for the Murano would be a car tire, not a truck or SUV tire. However, other than the stock Eagles, there are no car tires available for the Murano. Nevertheless, I do not notice any noise difference between the old Eagles (which had 28k on them, and had maybe 25% tread left) and the Yokos. Ride quality appears to be unchanged as well, and I run the same inflation pressures, 36F, 34R. I was more than willing to trade ride for handling, but the comfort of the Yokohamas have really surprised me.
Looking at the tread, I can understand why. This is a "sport truck" tire and does not have the blockier tread that passenger crossover tires tend to have (for example, the CT's or Forteras). I would say this is probably the most carlike tire for the Murano other than the stock Eagles. There are also Bridgestone Potenza RE92's in 265/60/18, which are the stock tires for the FX35, but after reading horror stories from the WRX crowd, I fear that the RE92's would be a death sentence once the roads freeze over. If I did not live in the snowbelt, I would have probably considered summer tires instead of all-seasons.
I will continue to post comments as I put on a few more miles. In particular, I am eager to find out how the Yokos perform in the snow, which should come anyday now. The Goodyear Eagles were competent in the dry, but it was in the wet and snowy weather that left me less than impressed.
Having searched in vain for alternative tires which would outperform the stock Goodyear Eagle LS, I ended up choosing the Yokohama Geolandar HTS G052 in 265/60/18. I took Kris' review into consideration, but simply could not pull the trigger on the alternatives. I passed on the Michelin Crossterrains in 235/65/18 because they did not meet the T-rated speed of the stock tires (CT's are S-rated) and also the Goodyear Fortera in 245/60/18, both of which have a UTQG DOT traction rating of A (wet traction) but a temperature rating of B, indicating these are more passenger tires than performance tires. The Yokohamas are rated A for traction, A for temperature, and are H-rated for speed. Some folks will say, its not a big deal, and it might not be, but I guess I'm just someone who would rather go by the specs than take a gamble. I would expect both the CT's and Fortera to have a smooth ride like the Eagles, but with better foul weather handling (than the stockers), although I wouldn't push either on a curvy road.
I had the tires mounted at a hot rod speed shop which used one of the later model Hunter wheel balancers, so it was all done correctly and so far after a few hundred miles of driving on city and highway, I've felt zero vibrations. They did charge more than a normal tire shop, around $30 per tire, but I feel I got my money's worth because I had the peace of mind knowing the shop had the latest equipment and would be very careful with my stock tire pressure sensors.
My initial impressions of the tire are favorable. On normal driving, I can turn in a tighter line due to the better traction (it surprised me the first few times, I expected to turn wide as I had become accustomed to with the Eagle LS's, but the car just held the line).
As Kris pointed out, the ideal tire for the Murano would be a car tire, not a truck or SUV tire. However, other than the stock Eagles, there are no car tires available for the Murano. Nevertheless, I do not notice any noise difference between the old Eagles (which had 28k on them, and had maybe 25% tread left) and the Yokos. Ride quality appears to be unchanged as well, and I run the same inflation pressures, 36F, 34R. I was more than willing to trade ride for handling, but the comfort of the Yokohamas have really surprised me.
Looking at the tread, I can understand why. This is a "sport truck" tire and does not have the blockier tread that passenger crossover tires tend to have (for example, the CT's or Forteras). I would say this is probably the most carlike tire for the Murano other than the stock Eagles. There are also Bridgestone Potenza RE92's in 265/60/18, which are the stock tires for the FX35, but after reading horror stories from the WRX crowd, I fear that the RE92's would be a death sentence once the roads freeze over. If I did not live in the snowbelt, I would have probably considered summer tires instead of all-seasons.
I will continue to post comments as I put on a few more miles. In particular, I am eager to find out how the Yokos perform in the snow, which should come anyday now. The Goodyear Eagles were competent in the dry, but it was in the wet and snowy weather that left me less than impressed.