Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Capitol CEG Time for some new tires

Hey guys,

Well, the factory BFG's on the Contour are just about done. I've done a little searching and it seems everyone is split on what brand and series of tires to get. The Pirelli P7000's seem to come up a lot though.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any advice since you all drive in the same conditions I do. Any names of good shops or places to get the tires would be helpful too, especially if they are in the Annapolis area.

Hope everyone had a great new year. Hope to see you guys on the road.

-Matt

I've only replaced the tires on my car once when I went from the stock Eagle F1 GS's to the KDW's, but I purchased them through Tire Rack and will continue to do so in the future. I'd browse the site and see what the user ratings are for the tires your looking at, and call Luke when you're ready to order. He's great to deal with and my tires showed up in 3 days.

Don't know much about the P7000's, but the info that Tire Rack has on them can be found here and by clicking on the Review and Test buttons at the top of that page.

I think Pete had the P7000's on his previous wheels, so he can probably give you a good commentary when he sees the thread.

FWIW, here is what Luke posted a while back in the Wheel and Tire Forum:

Originally posted by Luke@TireRack:

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We have broken down tires into several catagories and here is a short list of what I have experienced in our
testing. Now remember, we do not have every single tire line in the world so, if your particular favorite is
not in this list it is probably because we haven't tested it. Also, this is my take on the testing that I have
completed here at The Tire Rack on our test track.

Maximum Performance:
These are the absolute best performing tires on the market. Great steering response and wet/dry traction (not
for use in the snow!!!) which is at home on the track.

1.)S-03 Pole Position
2.)Pilot Sport
3.)S-02 Pole Position (discontinued)
4.)AVS Sport
5.)P-Zero Rosso

There is 1 glaring omission in this list. It is the BFG G-Force T/A KD. The reason for this tire not being on
the list is because of its lack of versatility. It is the best performing tire in the dry but, is almost scary
in the wet.

Ultra High Performance:
A step down form the Max tires but, still exceptional performance which fits most application for a street tire
that can be
driven very aggressivley.

1.) Firehawk SZ50 EP
2.) Potenza RE730's (extreme noise issues)
3.) A520
4.) G-Force KDW
5.) Sport 8000
6.) HTR Z II

3-6 are all very close in performance levels.
The noise issues of the 730's are mostly related
to larger/heavier cars with rear wheel drive.

Ultra High Performance All Season
Performance tires which are capable of going through the snow.

1.) Sport 5000
2.) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
3.) AVS DB (quietest tire I have ever driven)
4.) BFG G-Force KDWS
5.) P7000 Super Sport

Budget Performance Tires
Summer performance with a cost effective tire when your budget is a concern. (based on performance not cost)

1.) Sumitomo HTR Z II
2.) Sumitomo HTR Z
3.) Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 (best ride quality in this group)
4.) Yokohama AVS Intermediate

I hope this helps you in your tire selections

Thanks, Luke@tirerack
800-428-8355 ext. 362

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I wasn't too impressed with the Pirelli P7000SSs when I first got them. I liked them more than the stock E1 tires though.

Summer tires - Bridgestone Potenza S02s - awesome
Winter Tires - BF Goodrich Comp TAs - not happy w/ them

After driving around with the Comp TAs, I have come to appreciate the Pirellis a lot more.

My advice:

- Do your research on Tirerack and find what you want
- Find the best price possible on the web
- Print it out
- Take it to some local shops and ask them to match the price

My local Merchant's agreed to match any price.

Good luck.

Well I just have a SE but I like the Dunlop SP sport A2 tires. I am currently on my second set of them and have been happy with the way they hold and mileage(would love to get more mileage out of them but my driving habits kill that). They manage to get me up my driveway whenever other people in my family are able to make it up (1/3 mile gravel driveway and mostly uphill so lots of fun when it snows)

What are you looking for in a tire?

Good summer performance?
Nice All season?
High tread wear rating?

I run Potenza 950's in the winter and Firehawk SX 50 EP's in the summer.

-Andy

I have about 4K mi. on my Dunlop SP Sport 5000's. Better all-around than the old KDW's. Only tradeoff is fractionally more sidewall flex, which I don't notice unless driving at 8/10 or better.

Here's one that you never really hear about, but I put Yokohama Avid V4 in 225/50R16 on my Contour (within a week of getting the BAT suspension kit installed) and I've been nothing but happy with them. Since getting them around the end of November, I've done lots of DC-area city driving, a trip to TN and back over Xmas, rain & snow, and some pretty hard cornering at times, and they haven't lost grip, howled, felt too soft (or too hard, compared to my KDWs), and general ride noise level is pretty low, enough so that I enjoy my exhaust note a lot more. Factor in the cost of about $75 per tire from Tire Rack, and you really might want to look at these.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice. I will take a good look at Tirerack for sure.

Andy, in regards to what you said, I am looking for a tire that I can keep on the car year around (which is what I do now with the stock BFG's) that will offer good dry and wet traction (dry being more important) and that I can get some good miles out of. My original BFG's now have 50,000 miles on them.

Again, thanks for the advice guys, especially the bit about trying to get shops to match internet prices.

MBR2003,
The stock KDW's are actually only summer tires. They aren't to be used in snow. You could try the KDWSs if you want a similar all season. I had them and didn't like them. If you don't drive the car in the snow, I would go with the SZ 50 EPs. Simply awesome tires with one third the noise of the abnoxious KDW's!

-Andy