[MattZX3]

This ones kinda long... sorry

About two weeks ago, i purchased a set of 2003 euro rims off of a buddys svt. It has the stock conti's on them. the tires i have on them now are good.. there are two tires that are worn more then the other two.. but i would still be able to drive on them with no isues. one of the worn ones is wonr on the outside(or inner) i cant remmeber... but i will be able to get the summer and fall out of these tires.. so i wont need to replace untill next spring... But as anxious as i am.. im already tire shopping.

I am only using the euros in the summer, spring, and part of fall.. untill snow hits.. so i want a good summer tire.

Heres what im looking for.. i want tires that have a very long tread rating... somthing that i could use for about 3 years or so.. if longer, thats great. I really like the conti's, they are much better than the stock 16 inch eagle rs'a tires i had on the car before... The conti's are great in the rain, and excellent in dry conditions. I want a tire that has the same grip, both in the rain and dry.. but i also need a tire that will last a long time. Ive been looking on tirerack.com.. but im kinda clueless with what to get.. id like to go with the sport contact 2.. but the tread rating, im assuming, is similar to the sport contacts i have now..

Also.. i am clueless as to how to read tread ratings.. i know the higher the number, the longer it will last... but how do you know what the rating means?

E.X. :

Size: 215/45WR17
Serv. Desc: 87W
UTQG: 400 AA A

i know the tire sizing.. but what is the serv. Description? and what is the UTQG rating? how do you know how many miles you will get off of a 400 AA A rated tire.. the info i listed is for the ContiExtremeContact tire.. which is one of the ones i am looking at getting...

Thanks for taking the time to read this... and any suggestions would be awesome! Heres a teaser for your time.. my new rims:

Before:

After:

Matt

 

[Geezer]

The UTQG is a tread wear comparison number (among other things such as temperature rating and load rating system). Its only good for comparing tires from a particular manufacturer. Example, you can use the number to compare Kumho to Kumho tires but not Kumho to Goodyear. A tire with a rating of 400 should get better mileage (if properly cared for) than one rated 300 or 200. There are no magic mileages associated with these numbers. The maufacturer selects a control tire (it may not be one that they even make available to the public). All other tires are compared to the control tire. The control tire is always given a rating of 100. A tire compared to the control tire that lasts two times longer than the control tire is given a treadwear number of 200. One that last three times longer 300, etc. Since you never know the expected life (mileage) of the control tire you will never know the life of the other tires being compared to it!

Michelin is noted for having "some" very long lasting tires. Look at their tire line and ones with treadwear ratings in excess of 700. The downside is that these tires are as hard as rocks and you will trade some handling (grip, traction, etc.) in exchange for the long life.

 

[SkaAddict]

If you want a long lifespan out of your tires, you might want to look at an all-season tire. Generally, high-performance summer tires wear out in 20,000 miles or less (depending on several factors.) How far do you typically drive your car in a year? Three years is a lot to ask out of a set of summer tires unless you only put a few thousand on the car each year.

 

[MattZX3]

well. i drive the average of about 12,000 to 15,000 per year. usuially the norm is 12,000 but im only going to be using the tires for the spring, summer and fall. what do you guys think about the conti extreme contact? the treadlife looks like it is decent

 

[SVT_BMXer]

well. i drive the average of about 12,000 to 15,000 per year. usuially the norm is 12,000 but im only going to be using the tires for the spring, summer and fall. what do you guys think about the conti extreme contact? the treadlife looks like it is decent

ive had bad luck with these, wearing out quite fast. Ive had it aligned and camber adjusted a few times thinking that is the problem but they still seem to wear fast....great tires tho.

 

[Chick]

BFG g-Force Sports

 

[ZX4STDoug]

I got over 34K miles on a set of ContiExtremeContacts on my Audi. They were on the car year round. Were decent in snow (within their limitations of course) and I felt they were excellent in rain and on dry pavement. Quiet, compared to what was on the car, though the sidewall felt a little "squishy", they stuck very well. My only real issue with them was the occasional "flat-spotting" if the car sat for a few days at a time. But that'd go away within just a couple miles of driving. In my mind, they were a good compromise tire, as I didn't have a set of dedicated winter tires/wheels for the car.