alaxgoaly8

As an update. The tires are still great. No complaints. I've used them in all types of driving and I'm not disappointed.

SSjTrunks112O

Hey all, been awhile since I've been on here.
I still am on my OEM's and am finally going to get replacement tires as my wife and I are just a few weeks away from having our first baby!!
I agree about the pros about buying at Costco which has the BS Serenity+ and the Michelin Pilot AS+..
I live on LI and was looking for something safe and cushy for the baby but also can let me have some fun on the road by myself. Judging by all the reviews on here of the 2, the Serenities sound like the better choice. How do they handle in the snow?
Secondly, the guy there said that Michelin has Pilot AS 3 in addition to the pluses, but said that Michelin doesn't have it available for the 17" OEM RL wheels yet.. Does anyone know offhand if that will change? The guy there said the the 3's would be better and longer lasting than the pluses if they came out for the RL's later this year.

BDoggPrelude

Honestly, it's hard to compare the Pilot A/S Plus to the Serenity Plus. One is an ultra high performance all season tire and the other is more of a touring all season tire. Only a head to head test is going to really answer all of the questions and you're never going to see that since they are in different performance categories. The Bridgestone is going to be quieter and smoother riding, the Michelin is going to be a better tire in wet and dry conditions. Snow traction is going to be about equal between the two. I would put my money on the Serenity Plus lasting longer than the Pilot A/S Plus. A better comparison is the Serenity Plus vs the Primacy MXM4 or the Potenza RE970 vs the Pilot A/S Plus.

The A/S3 has only been out for 2 months so the jury is still out on snow and ice traction, longevity and overall performance through its life. Michelin has been slowly rolling out the A/S3 since July starting with the most common tire sizes. Considering the RL's 245/50R17 is far from being a common size, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for it to be released in the stock size. I doubt it will be out before winter.

If you at all think you're going to go with the Bridgestone, make sure you get them ASAP while you can still take advantage of the $70 rebate on them. Unlike Michelin who runs their $70 rebate every other week, Bridgestone only does their rebate 2-3 times a year. They probably won't be doing the rebate again before winter.

SSjTrunks112O

I also saw decent reviews for the Versados, however, when I went to STS (a big seller of Toyo tires), and entered the specs of my stock RL, the Versados didn't come up.. Does this mean that they are discontinued, that STS doesn't sell them anymore, or that they don't fit the OEM wheel, but rather a modified or ASpec real. Thanks again guys!

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

seeing as toyos website lists them for the non tech cars the error is either between the chair and the keyboard or on their site.

BDoggPrelude

Like Heavy said, Toyo lists the Versado LX-II in a P245/50R17 on their website under sizes and specs. I will be the first to tell you though, tire manufacturers have some of the worst and most outdated websites in the world. A couple days ago I called Michelin to check availability on a tire they have listed on their website only to find it had been discontinued in that size over a year ago. We've had the new Hankook Winter i-Pike RS W419 in our stores for weeks now and Hankook still does not even have it up on their website.

As for the Toyo's, you may want to also look into the Nitto Motivo if you're going to to that route. Nitto and Toyo are the same company. The Motivo and Versado have comparable tread designs. I got a free set of Motivo's for our TL. I don't love them but I don't hate them. They are very average at everything. I would imagine the Toyo's are the same way.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

bumping this up, I got word today that the Conti DWS2 are coming out in Jan... they are in production now.

CANNOT wait to see these.

stchas

Just replaced a set of Conti DWS with a second set. Got 60k on the first set. Mostly highway driving. Great in the snow.

RL-SK8

Yes great in the snow!!!!!!

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

waiting patiently for this first quarter DWS2 release.

BDoggPrelude

Makes me wonder what they'll do with it. I think the biggest improvement to be made is in the belt/ply structures. I needs a stiffer and more durable sidewall build. Maybe increase the wear by a little bit. I haven't seen any news about it. I would imagine they probably improve on the gas mileage so that it falls into their "Eco" tires. That's been a huge deal over the last few years. All the tire companies are basically trying to catch up to Michelin.

We just started getting the Continental ControlContact Sport AS in our stores a few weeks ago. It is a tire being made exclusively for Discount Tire. I've sold a few sets but have not gotten any feedback on them yet. They kind of look like a cross between the DWS and the Pure Contact.

http://www.discounttire.com/infocont...ctsportas.html

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

thats a good sign that we may see a whole new design.

Andrew/RL

I have also been considering the DWS vs the bridgestone serenity plus. I currently have general g max as 03 and they are the worst. Noisy, rough ride, tramlining like crazy. I am planning on the bridgestone's based on mostly positive reviews.

sonny@tirerack

Based on the problems you cite with the General, the Bridgestone is likely going to be more satisfying for you. It will be much quieter and more comfortable. You will give up some steering response and dry grip as a trade-off.

rlerman

I just switched from the serenities to the Versado lx 2, really like them and much cheaper. I got about 45k out of the serenities.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

Versado is my second favorite

BDoggPrelude

Sonny, you guys should do some sort of big tire test putting the top tires from various performance categories against each other. It would be an industry first I think.

sonny@tirerack

It would be interesting for sure! I'm not 100% certain why that hasn't been done. The unfortunate thing is that sometimes the test numbers and in car experience do not 100% coincide (sometimes the fastest lap times aren't on the tire that feels the best/fastest). The closest thing available is me answering questions like these on the forum. As a test driver here at the tire rack I test more tires of different categories in one year than most people drive on in a lifetime. That being said, there are some brands/models we do not carry, so I will never try to claim something we carry is better than something which we do not offer.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Don't blame the DWS for something that could be wrong with installation. I bought it for winter traction and its done a great job. Isn't great for hard driving but the ride quality is exceptional and cabin noise is next to non-existant. Want a quiet comfy ride with decent snow traction the DWS is great. Its is soft so expect side wall flex.

Slight wandering and soft feeling under braking shouldn't scare you if you know what you're doing. The car isn't going to kick out and fly all over the place. Its not a lack of traction that is causing the car squirm under braking but soft sidewalls doing its job.

BDoggPrelude

I think the biggest issue you'd run into is finding a common size between all of the tires. You cannot test one tire in a 225/45R17 vs another tire in a 205/55R16 and come away with conclusive evidence. A 225/45R17 will yield better summer traction while a 205/55R16 will produce better snow traction. It's just the nature of wider vs narrower tires and shorter vs taller sidewalls.
What would installation do to change traction other than possibly mounting them wrong side out or improper air pressures. Either way, it wouldn't be the difference between no traction whatsoever and conquering all conditions.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

It was in reference to some earlier posts mentioning that the DWS was bad cause they felt it 'off balance'. The tires should be covered under warranty if that were the case and as far as the feel goes people bag on it since it has a lot of sidewall flex but that is what gives it the smooth ride quality. Its not a huge difference in performance from car to car but it is what each driver perceives. A lot of drivers here complain that it doesn't inspire confidence but that is side wall flex and unless you're drifting or driving on track you won't loose traction and have an unpredictable ride.

A lot of drivers give themselves way too much credit claiming that it isn't a safe tire or makes the car squirm when in fact the car is doing just fine and its them not understanding what's really happening.

TampaRLX-SH

As the OP to this thread I thought I would add a quick long-term update to the BS Serenities.


I have had them 3.5 years for a total of 20K miles. I notice little to no degradation in the tire's characteristics since new. They are still very quiet, very smooth and show surprisingly minimal wear. Many tires perform well when new, but degrade shortly thereafter or around half life. I have had no balancing, tramlining or progressive flatspotting issues. I run with 35f/34r psi.

The only criticism I have was the well reported hit to mpg (1-2 mpg / city, 1mpg hwy avg). Apparently the new generation Serenity+ addresses this.

I cannot comment on snow, ice conditions as I live in FL.

oo7spy

I never felt unsure about the DWS, but I sure as hell felt vibrations. I have never had a tire vibrate as much as the DWS did. When I find that one specific tire tends to vibrate and I find multiple accounts of others reporting the same issues, I can pretty much rule out installation being the root cause.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

it takes 40 psi and a few miles of driving to level out my DWS... they are suuuuuper soft.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Wasn't aware of that. Haven't had any issues so far. Hopefully nothing comes up later!

Gwr51

Looks like the BS Turanza Serenity is the number 1 choice. I currently have Yokohama's that came with the car when I bought it (2005 RL) and are just about worn out but they seem to be fairly quite and comfortable. Still leaning towards the Serenity though because of all the good feedback.

Gwr51

Seems like QC is all over the map on the Continentals as I've seen mostly negative comments but several positive feedbacks as well. Still going with the Bridgestone Serenitys.

kingofbytes

Just bought the Falken PT 722's for my 2006 RL. Just get them. Quiet, don't squeal around exit ramps, great in the rain, great on the highway....had them up to 120mph today....smooth smooth smooth.

They just replaced the Conti DWS which I disliked tremendously.

Pepboys has a 10% off installation coupon, as well as buy 3 get one free.

My total cost installed was about $675 all in. Best tire for the money I promise you!

kingofbytes

btw Gwr51, I was looking at the Serenity Plus for my next tire but was talked out of it be people who said it was a noisier tire.

kingofbytes

----------------------------------------
UPDATE:
Just drove up to Canada, eh?, roughly 1000 mile round trip. The tires were fantastic. Smooth at any speed, no squealing, good feel. The feel isn't a sports car feel, just a nice smooth ride feel that CAN take a little sporty driving.

The installer put 40lbs in the tire and that was too much. I dropped them to 35lbs and it was much better. I'll be dropping them to 32 today to try that. I did have a very miniscule amount of flat spotting that went away once the tires warmed up.

I am THRILLED with this purchase - this feels like a premium tire at a value price. I'm a Falken fan now!