Been running the Yokohama parada spec-x's (275/45/20) and thought I'd check with the team for any recent experiences

Looking for a 4 season tire than I can take skiing to the northeast in the winter but handles reasonably well the rest of the time. Comfort and quiet are more important than the last ounce of cornering ability.

Right now I'm looking at the Continental Extreme Contact DWS, Pirelli Scorpion Verde, and Vredestein Quatrac 3. Of course can always fallback to the Yoko's. Can't seem to find any info on the Vreds. The Contis get a more favorable reviews on Tirerack but the Pirellis actually score higher when you compare the #'s side by. Contis are rated for higher speed (186mph) but the Pirellis are N0 rated.

Based on the reviews it would be the Contis hands down (even though I haven't taken her past 130mph) but based on the numerical scores I'd be ordering the Pirellis.

Thanks for any thoughts

PS - the Yokos have been satisfactory though I'm starting to experience vibrations/harshness that I haven't before, including on my previous set of Yoko's.

 

Hi Russ,
Like you I wanted quiet and comfort also. I read all forum posts everywhere, including tire rack, who has a video comparing tires on a Cayenne. That helped make my choice easy.

I put the Pirelli Scorpion Verde on my S a month ago. Quietest SUV tire I have ever heard. Nice to be hearing just that sweet engine note now. I hit some corners hard to test them out, not a peep! Have not been able to feel them break free on dry pavement. Got them at all weather tire on Long Island. Great rain tire. Great tread wear rating. High quality manufacture. Jury is still out on snow performance until we get the white stuff. So far, best tires I have ever owned.

 

hey hal, thanks for the feedback. I looked at the write-ups on tire rack and the video. The writeups from a couple/few years ago complained about noise at around 10,000 miles but your feedback and the tirerack video combined are pretty compelling. Did you look at the conti extreme contact? if so, curious why you went with the pirellis? thanks again!

 

I would stick to count is dws if you plan driving up to snow country. Feeds are AWESOME but would not recommend them for snow (better in summer). So count is should do for you. Good luck though whatever your choice.

 

I didn't look at the Contis. I went with the pirellis because of slightly better noise, handling, and snow ratings as listed on tire rack. The Verdes are stock on the new Touregs, if that means anything.

 

To add in another tire option, I recently installed Nitto Invos. Great ride, minimal tire noise, handle wonderful, and great wet weather tire too. I live in FL, so rain is the only weather factor for me in making considerations. I previously had Scorpions and the Invo was an upgrade in overall tire.

http://www.nittotire.com/Tire/invo

 

russnyc,

You may want to check out Vredestein tires. I don't know how they will handle winters in New York, but they are getting good reviews. When I need some new shoes for my CTT, I gonna give them a try.

 

I'm on my second set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. I run them as my "summer" tires on my 20" wheels because we can get snow here any month other than July or August. I do drop down to 18" and switch over to proper winter tires from Oct - May.

The Conti is the best tire I've had on any SUV. It's quiet, handles well and has reasonable tread wear. The first set I bought were very quiet, even when they were significantly worn. It's interesting that my OE tires were Continental SportContact 4x4, and I didn't like them nearly as much as the DWS.

I highly recommend the DWS.

 

I won't put down the Conti DWS, which I am quite sure is an exceptional tire, I'm just saying, in Tire Racks 13 categories of user surveys, when compared to the Pirelli Verde, the Pirelli beats them in 12 categories and matches the DWS in 1. Where the Pirelli Verde were much higher rated than the DWS was in dry traction, steering response, and treadwear. These surveys were taken with many different vehicles however. I'll need a track day with Dennis to know for sure, but i bet these two are pretty much equal, so it would come down to price.

 

Obviously user surveys are subjective. That being said, I'm sure the Pirelli is an excellent tire. I haven't used that particular Pirelli tire, so I can't provide a direct comparison. My only experience with Pirellis is with P-Zero Rosso, P-Zero Nero and P6 All-Seasons. I wasn't impressed with any of them. However, I also wasn't that impressed with the OE Contis that I mentioned above.

How you use your car impacts your opinion too. The Conti DWS is a smooth, quiet cruising tire. I don't think it would be my first choice if I was planning to take my Cayenne to the track.

I think you'll do well either way...

 

hey guys, thanks very much for your insight. The feedback is really helpful particularly given the price difference is a whopping $4/tire. And it does seem like I'll be fine either way.

Hal, I saw the same things you did on Tirerack but my reservations were that the aggregate mileage logged in the surveys was in the 300k range vs the contis where the miles logged exceed 20m so given the discrepancy in sample size and the fact that they're in different categories I felt the score differences we close enough to call it a tie.

I checked out those Nitto Invos and they must look great on the truck! They just won't work for my cold weather needs.

I can't seem to find any useful (tested on a Cayenne or at least heavy vehicle) feedback on the Quattrac 3 so have pretty much eliminated that option.

I'm still a week away from pulling the trigger but for the moment, I'm leaning heavily towards the Conti DWS because of Dennis' longer experience and Tireracks Arctic Circle testing. Tirerack does have a winter test in the works so if they publish before I purchase and if the Pirellis fare well I'll have to rethink my decision.

Regardless of the outcome, I appreciate you guys taking the time to share your experience.