As to the different tread edges.
I do not know about the White Outlines. That is to say, i do not know what tread edge comes w the white outlined tires.....or if both styles come with the whites.

But.

I do know that somebody is blowing smoke if they say that the different tread edge comes only with a 17" tire.
I had all 4 MOUNTED and, I have (Surprise!) 18" wheels. Yep! All 4 of them. And one of them was the smooth side. I ended up with 4 matching serrated edges and they look good IMO.

I now have about 500 miles on the CTs and can tell you that
the dry traction is awesome and saved my family from a bad accident a couple of days ago in Sarasota. A young girl in a small red car (Japanese econobox of some sort) was talking on her cell phone. She was driving in the left lane of a 4 lane road (University Road exiting Sarasota) And I was driving in the right lane.
She decided to change lanes and just drove right over me. Or she would have.... I YANKED the wheel at the last minute and took it on the shoulder (at 50MPH) and she missed me by about 1 inch.
The tires screeched a bit, but the turn was like I was on rails.
BTW She never saw me. She had no idea that she nearly killed all of us.

The wet traction finally got a work out last week, Fairly heavy rain (!/2" in 1 hour) and the car is much better at 70MPH in the rain than it ever was with the Goodyears. The Goodyears were always on the verge of hydroplaning at 70, and I had to back off to maybe 60.

The only bad news is the MPG.
Coming back from Ft Lauderdale today, I filled up with premium as usual at the east end of Alligator alley, set the cruise on 75 and proceeded to the west end of the Alley at Naples, and on to Ft Myers exit on the interstate and filled up again. It took 5.4 gallons for 117 miles.
21.7 MPG.
This represents a slight gain over the Bridgestones that I tried, but still represents a MAJOR loss of MPG vs the worn Goodyears. I always got at least 24.3 MPG with the GYs at 75 MPH on the interstate.
I can only give props to GY for building a very nice, quiet, good dry traction, Low Rolling resistance tire.

Of course a WORN tire, with all other things being equal, will provide better MPG than a fresh High Tread tire. So I would guess that as the CTs wear out the MPG would improve slightly.

I am quite upset at the AMOUNT of penalty that is being extracted by the CTs, but otherwise I like the tire.
It is simply safer than the GY.

Of course, I cannot comment on
1- snow characteristics (Would expect it to be better than the GY due to more aggressive tread, but without driving it in snow I have no comment)
2- Treadlife.

Would I reco the tire?
Yes, with the MPG caveat.........which would be the same for most other tires IMO.

Homer

 

check out the tread ware rating on the side of your CT's homer, the rating on the goodyears is 300 i'm pretty sure(someone correct me if i'm wrong) if the CT's have a rating any higher than that they are sure to last longer.

 

check out the tread ware rating on the side of your CT's homer, the rating on the goodyears is 300 i'm pretty sure(someone correct me if i'm wrong) if the CT's have a rating any higher than that they are sure to last longer.

Possibly, or not. Manufacturers use their own rating scale for the treadwear rating, so you can really compare with the same brand. For example, a Michelin with a 100 rating will wear twice as quickly as one with a 200 rating, but you cannot compare two tires with 200 rating if they are say, a Goodyear and a Michelin. But its probably pretty close.

 

Possibly, or not. Manufacturers use their own rating scale for the treadwear rating, so you can really compare with the same brand. For example, a Michelin with a 100 rating will wear twice as quickly as one with a 200 rating, but you cannot compare two tires with 200 rating if they are say, a Goodyear and a Michelin. But its probably pretty close.

I don't think that is correct. It's called a UTQG and tires with the same rating should wear approximately the same for a given driver and vehicle. Here is some information. FYI the Crossterrain in MO size is rated at 420. I do not have the GY rating handy.

 

I don't think that is correct. It's called a UTQG and tires with the same rating should wear approximately the same for a given driver and vehicle. Here is some information. FYI the Crossterrain in MO size is rated at 420. I do not have the GY rating handy.

Straight from your wiki link:

Higher treadwear numbers indicate that the tread of a tire, and hence the tire itself, should last longer, although this is more true within a single product line than when comparing the product lines of different manufacturers.

 

I actually like these statements better...... from the same wiki page.

"The ability of manufacturers to report their own numbers makes comparison of treadwear ratings between companies useless. Ratings may still be useful within a manufacturer's own line of tires. For example, a customer can reasonably assume that the higher treadwear rating on a Dunlop SP 60 means it will last longer than the Dunlop SP Sport."

I think "useless" pretty much describes the numbers in comparison shopping between brands.


Homer

 

I also believe the Marketing department has the final say in the UTQG. If they want to "pad" the UTQC number to enhance the saleability of the tire, who's to stop them?

-njjoe

 

Re: new michelin tires

I just got my knew michelin tires ( 235/65/18/104S) at costco and im not sure if i like the way they look, for some reason they look smaller. i wonder if the 235/65/18/104T are a litlle taller. the ride feels a bit smoother though. I will post some picks latter

I've been driving with the michelins and I really like them. I had second thoughts ones I had them put on but now im very satisfied with them, the ride is a lot smoother and it handles well in wet weather, will see how they handle in the snow.
I didnt want the white letters to show, I thought it would look a bit too ruged

 

I had a set of Michelin Cross-terrain 235/65/18 tires installed at Costco on Friday. They replaced the stock GY Eagle LS w/ 38000 miles. Here are my initial impressions:

Costco Ordering:
- No problems. Ordered the tires on Costco.com on 10/29. Delivered to the store on 11/2 and were the correct style (blackwalls).

Costco Service:
- Very good. I was first in line on Friday morning 11/10 (Federal Holiday) so I didn't have to wait all day. There was 15 people in line when the shop opened at 10 am. The vehicle was ready in about 2 hours (I left the vehicle and returned later). Inflated the tires to the correct pressure and TPMS was operating properly.

Michelin Tire:
- Much better than the GY Eagle LS. Rider was smoother and considerably quieter. Wife even noticed how much quieter the ride was on our trip to Nashville this past weekend. Gas mileage improved slightly. Would recommend these tires over the GY Eagle LS when it is time to purchase new tires.

This was a very pleasant experience...I will give an update after my Thanksgiving road trip to SE PA.

 

Update at 35,000 miles on 275/55 SR18 Michelin Cross Terrain

Has anyone considered or tried the 275/55 SR18 Michelin Cross Terrain SUV ? The Diameter is nearly the same. The width is 1.1" more.
Time to get the Goodyear's off mine at 42,000 miles.
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give me.

Pete

275/55 SR18 Michelin Cross Terrain SUV
_
2271 lbs.
35 psi
11/32"
36 lbs.
7.5-9.5"
7.5"
10.5" Width
NA
30.1" Dia.
691 RPM

235/65 TR18 Goodyear Eagle LS
_
1984 lbs.
44 psi
10/32"
34 lbs.
6.5-8.5"
7"
9.4" Width
NA
30" Dia.
698 RPM

Update at 35,000 miles on 275/55 SR18 Michelin Cross Terrain.
Very pleased with driving on these tires.
Very comfortable compared to OEM Goodyears. Quite at first, but now VERY NOISY. A lot of tread left, looks like they will go to 50k or 60k miles. Very good in snow. I bought "Over sized" as I pull a 3500# travel trailer (20k of 35k miles pulling trailer). The gross weight of loaded car and loaded trailer is 8100#. I run the tires at 35# when loaded and 31# unloaded. I have never felt less than confident about the tire's handling on curves, crosswinds, and slippery roads with and without the trailer.

 

Why not just go with the OEM size 235/65/18? Sure the 275's would fit, but they would kind of bulge out the sides of the 7.5" rims.

 

I have to agree with staying with the OEM size. Why cause any grief that may come from not installing the proper sized tires for the wheels unless you are changing those as well. I have been running the Michelin Crossterrain's now for a month and they are great. The weather today was -14C and we had overnight snow. Needless to say the morning traffic was horrible with slipping and sliding and accident's everywhere. The crossterrains were super responsive and dug in very well. But even better...they stopped when they were suppose to! They have very minimal road noise on dry pavement and track very well. Don't hesitate to buy the Michelin's that fit.

 

i must be insane to be using the goodyears as winter treads(don't have the cashola for true winter tires at the moment) we've have about 15 cm of snow in the last 3 days(10 cm today) and of course the goodyears were absolutely rediculous. everytime i'd give it some more gas the back end would drift out and the VDC would engage(thank god for the VDC i dunno how we managed with a misaligned suspension, goodyears, and no vdc on our 03 Mo) anyways, what i'm leading up to from reading all the reviews, if you want to stay stock size and want superior all season performance(with high emphasis on good winter traction) the cross terrains are your best bet.

PS: CAN'T WAIT TO WEAR OUT THE GOODYEARS!!!!

 

The Twilight Zone

Musta been a dream....

I thunked that you were running Bridgestones and recommending them very highly........and now you are running GYs?

wuzzup?



Homer

 

So where are you guys getting Michelin's from? I mean the best price? How much you paid all inclusive?

 

haha homer i HIGHLY recommend the bridgestone hp sports as summer tires(which they are for me). the goodyears are on my stock rims which i use for the winter. i recommend the michelins as an all-season tire.

 

End of my Crossterrain saga.

I've tried 3 sets of black lettered and white lettered, and I never saw the non-serrated edge. One theory is that they discontinued the others when they moved to the new sidewall look. The Michellin Man is the new look. Mr Discount Tire said "at least you will have the new sidewall and if you need a replacement, I can match it". I have decided to stop worrying and just enjoy the Michellins.

I paid $560 before tax at Discount Tire after they did a Costco price match and the $60 Costco "rebate".

My impressions in dry are favorable, compared to the GY. To be fair, I bought my MO with 23k, so I never drove new GY. I find the Michellin much more abrupt at turn in, but I get less feedback on hard sweeping turns. Not that it's a sports car, but it's certainly not my Windstar! Along the same line, the Michellins stay on the road more too. The car used to hop over expansion joints on corners and now seems more in contact with the road.

No snow yet, but GY were pretty weak in the snow, so Michellin doesn't have to do much to better them.

My first tank of gas may have been 40 miles shorter. I hope that improves.

GY looks much better. Sorry, these look like truck tires to me.

Looks aside, I would recommend them.

 

New member here - Like to share my experience

Replaced all 4 tires on my 04 SE AWD with Michellin Crossterrain in 235/65/18 at Costco after 39K miles on Goodyears which still had plenty tread left and would have lasted till 50K. Not happy with wet traction on the GY's so when i found a good deal on Costco, decided to get the Crossterrain's. I did go through all posts in this thread which helped me with the decision to get Crossterrain's and to stick with 235/65/18 since i did not want to risk a lower mpg ( i drive a lot )

Got the tires with Raised White lettering at $159 per tire installed price since the cost was $20 cheaper per tire as compared to regular Blackwall tires. Total cost i beleive for 4 tires installed was about 618 after $60 discount and all taxes and fees. Tires were installed with White lettering facing inside which is pretty much not visible now. Looks wise i like these better than GY's but not much different.

I've driven few hundred miles on new tires and my impression so far is that these tires are quieter than GY's, handle slightly better and have much better wet traction. Gas mileage is down by about 1 or 2 mpg. With sports suspension in SE I used to feel jolts and bounce over highway expansion joints which have been pretty much taken care with new tires. Actually i felt these were little too soft so i've increased the tire pressure to 36 psi and now these feel just right to me. Much more enjoyable drive on freeways now with jolts being smoothened out and car feels better connected to road. Increased PSI may help a bit with mpg. Overall i'm very satisfied with these tires on my SE. Plan to take a loooong road trip this winter on the Murano.

 

Michelin CrossTerrain 275/55/18

I now have about 8,000 miles on four new Michelin Cross Terrain
275/55/18 on the factory alloy rims. I changed from the factory Goodyears at about 44,000 miles on my 2wd 2004 MO SL.

I have to say the Michelin plus zero 275/55/18 are really great running tires. There is no clearance problems what so ever with this fatter tire. The only negative I can note is the fuel mileage is about 1 mpg less, now running at 21.5 mpg. The 275/55/18 should have been the factory size tire. I frequently travel up and down I-77 through the mountains and this Michelin set up is really more sure-footed on wet and dry roads. Winding around 18 wheelers down hill at slightly faster than the speed limit is no longer a white knuckle drive. I can now relax and turn up the tunes.

The 235/65/18 Michelin Cross Terrain tires were not yet available when I needed to change the Goodyears. I am glad I settled on the 275/55/18.

Remember, good tire maintenance requires frequent air pressure checks on cold tires and tire rotation at 7,500 miles.

Rock on..........................

 

Is it okay to put the white lettered one turned inside out? Does it not affect its life or tread out of its normal rotation cycle?

 

Is it okay to put the white lettered one turned inside out? Does it not affect its life or tread out of its normal rotation cycle?

It's OK. The CT is not an asymmetrical tire. Neither is it unidirectional.
You can mount it any which way.


Homer

 

I went to Costco today to get my tires checked. The guy said that the front tires are showing 5 on his measuring scale. The rear one's are showing 6 on his measuring scale. He said I could go thru the winter and get them changed in the spring. For now, maybe I could get the tires rotation to get the better one's in front for the winter. Can anyone comment if this would be safe to do so or should I change the tires now?

 

Has anyone instaled the CrossTerraines lately. I have an '03 SE AWD and need tires. I would like to go with these, but I would not like my SE to hit the bumps any harder than it already does. Any experience?

 

Has anyone instaled the CrossTerraines lately. I have an '03 SE AWD and need tires. I would like to go with these, but I would not like my SE to hit the bumps any harder than it already does. Any experience?

I don't think there are more comfortable tires for the MO than the stock Eagle LS's. The Crossterrain is an SUV tire, not a car tire.

 

I don't think there are more comfortable tires for the MO than the stock Eagle LS's. The Crossterrain is an SUV tire, not a car tire.

I disagree about the comfort.

I replaced the GY with the Cross Terrains and found that the ride improved, as did traction in wet/snow, noticeably. They do have a more "serrated" edge to the tread but this is only visible close up. With the SE suspension's firmness, I wanted something to help ease it a bit. Handling was not affected at all and highway noise is quite low. The Michelin's are OEM on a couple of other higher end SUVs already. I have had great success with Michelin and these are just fine.

And what is the real clinical difference between a car tire and an SUV tire anyways? If it has a proper load rating and is not restricted for any reason, then who cares?