Need new tires ~ do you have a source for technical tire reviews?

I'm pushing up close to the 30,000 mile mark on my 2010 VW Jetta and I have one tire with a sidewall bulge. The tread on all 4 is worn down enough that the wet traction is becoming pretty bad. In short, its simply time for these tires to be replace.

Digging around I went to the Tire Rack website and it looks like the Continental Extreme Contact DWS has some great reviews and is ranked by users as the #1 tire in its category. But those are user reviews and since we don't know the background of the users we don't know how easy they are to impress???

Link to Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires => http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...eModel=ExtremeContact+DWS&partnum=245WR7ECDWS


I'm wondering if there is some company that actually does some sort of objective testing of things like traction and road noise (someone like UL) where I could confirm the user reviews?

You looking for all season, summer or winter tires?

I like Tirerack.com for information. Reviews are from users.

fogtender said:

You looking for all season, summer or winter tires?

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ALL SEASON tires.

Av8r3400 said:

I like Tirerack.com for information. Reviews are from users.

Click to expand...

Right, that is how I found these tires, they are the best rated for Wet/Snow and Dry in the size I am needing based on USER reviews. But I'm curious how accurate the user reviews really are and was hoping to find some sort of objective review data.

I need to give myself a negative rep point for not reading your entire posting. You even gave a link to Tirerack. I'm a clod sometimes.

I bought 2 sets of Blizzak WS60s for my VWs from Tirerack. I got them with steel rims and hubcaps to have two complete winter sets without the need to mount and remount. Great prices and good service.

Melensdad said:

ALL SEASON tires.


Right, that is how I found these tires, they are the best rated for Wet/Snow and Dry in the size I am needing based on USER reviews. But I'm curious how accurate the user reviews really are and was hoping to find some sort of objective review data.

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Well since you aren't in sub zero temps like here in Alaska, most of the Firestone, Bridgestone and other brands make some pretty fair tires. I like the Toyo winter tires I put on my truck, they are all season but have walnut shells in the rubber and they do seem to stick pretty well on ice.

But most of the all season tires seem to be pretty good. I haven't really every gone with "one" brand and they all seem to work about the same. I guess the point where you really start to notice the difference is when you are driving on the "Edge" all the time. Since I don't drive on the "Edge" anymore (more like an old fart), I don't press the different brands to a limit where that kind of performance is required.

I would look at a mid range prices on the tire lines and stick with a name brand of some sort. Bridgestone Blizzak's seem to be really good for a winter tire, but the rubber is too soft for the heat of the summer roads so you need to switch them to a summer tire in the spring.

One thing I would recommend though is that whatever tire you decide on, you get four of the same tread. The newer tires do have different grades of traction and two different brands on the front and back could be a control issue at times.

Anyway, good luck!

Tire Rack's South Bend center has a test track and they do their own testing as well as list consumer reviews. I would not take consumer reviews for any value. Tire Rack's website must link somehow to their own testing.

As for Blizzaks vs Conti Pros or Michelin MX something or others, Blizzak wins in snow hands down.

Folks around here are big on Cooper tires. I have a pair on my Prius with 2 more coming soon. Have 4 of their Armstrong brand on my pickup and like them so far. I will be switching to my studded diggers this week on the pickup for plowing.

Interesting Bill. Everyone around here is now running away from the Cooper tires. We put them on our van and every one of them has been replaced at least once on warrantee due to failures.

Man I hope that was just a particular size. I have about 5,000 on the Prius tires and maybe 2,000 on the truck ones. Know of quite a few guys running the truck ones with no problems but they are 10 ply tires also.

I have had good luck with my tires that came on my Ford F250 4x4 Crew cab . They are 20" Wranglers all season . I get about 40,000 out of a set . For a truck at weighs in at 9500 pounds , I am pretty happy about that .

Our rather large family being mostly in trucking or farming have never bought any other brand of tire then toyo for decades , For any piece of farm equipment , cars ,trucks whatever . We also got a rather large discounts & superb service/warranty due to buying in Bulk quantities .

I dont know if you can find reviews to compare them to , but I would suggest at leasting looking at them . Just a thought

http://toyotires.com/