I finally got around to replacing my OEM RSAs, 18" stock rims. What a huge difference. I bought bridgestone Potenza 970AS from discount tire, and even with just a standard spin balancing I got no steering wheel wobble.
Pros - quieter than old crappy RSAs, better traction overall, better road feel without following lines in the road, and best of all no steering wheel wobble.
Cons - I think I'm getting about 1 less MPG with these. Not entirely sure, but on my daily commute where I typically get 24-25 mpg, I was more like 23-24 mpg. Also, price... They are expensive tires, about $200 each before you add mounting/balancing/whatever. I did spring for the discount tire replacement warranty certificates, since every time I've done that I've had a tire replaced free under warranty so it has paid for itself in the past.
I think the pros certainly outweigh the cons. The RSAs were horrible. No grip and it took 5 trips to the dealer before they got the exact perfect match of which wheel/tire on which corner of the car to tame the steering wheel wobble. With these tires, we got it on the first try with only a spin balance.
Pros - quieter than old crappy RSAs, better traction overall, better road feel without following lines in the road, and best of all no steering wheel wobble.
Cons - I think I'm getting about 1 less MPG with these. Not entirely sure, but on my daily commute where I typically get 24-25 mpg, I was more like 23-24 mpg. Also, price... They are expensive tires, about $200 each before you add mounting/balancing/whatever. I did spring for the discount tire replacement warranty certificates, since every time I've done that I've had a tire replaced free under warranty so it has paid for itself in the past.
I think the pros certainly outweigh the cons. The RSAs were horrible. No grip and it took 5 trips to the dealer before they got the exact perfect match of which wheel/tire on which corner of the car to tame the steering wheel wobble. With these tires, we got it on the first try with only a spin balance.
