vliou

I just thought I'd post a review of three tires I have owned within 6 months (albeit one for a few hours and one for only a day).

I lived with the Toyo Versado LX for 6 months.
Review: Undoubtely the quietest tires I have ever owned. This tire served me well over 20,000km - with long roadtrips from Ontario to NYC, Washington DC, etc. It is absolutely amazing how quiet they are, and how luxurious they feel. They are, by no means, a sport tire, but they won't leave you wishing for more. I sold these tires on Kijiji mainly because it's a great GT tire, but I didn't feel comfortable going into winter without snow tires - and starting in summer, I'm putting slicks on and going to track days. Judging from the tread patter, i'd say it wouldn't be great in the snow...
Downside #2 - Treadwear is a bit quick - I'd imagine about 50,000km out of the tire driving like an old lady

Nokian WRG2 - I bought these on Friday and returned them on Saturday (went to Kingston from Mississauga and back - highway and city driving). I WAS NOT IMPRESSED. Sure, the traction is great, but the ride is far too firm (rated as a 97XL load rating). The worst part is the NOISE - how the hell anybody lives with these "all weather tires" and calls them "spookily quiet" is beyond me. Clearly people have never had "quiet" tires before. The WRG2 creates a very medium pitched hum which sounds EXACTLY like owning mud terrain or all terrain tires on a SUV - versus the Toyos which were not only quiet, but what little noise they did produce, it sounded like wind noise.

The Nokian WRG2 is an epic fail in my books - if you own an Audi, or a BMW, or a MB (which is what the Nokian was targeted for), do yourself a favor and own a dedicated set of Winters and Summers. There is no such thing as a "perfect tire", and the Kal Tire guys have got to stop marketing it as such. What a TOTAL disappointment.

I swapped out, under the 30 day guarantee, the WRG2's for the Michelin Pilot Exaltos. Initial impressions: Great dry and even better wet traction, great "connected to road" feeling - without being intrusive. They are also very good GT tires but they know how to have fun! The tires are touted as being a great AS tire - great in the winter due to its tread pattern, and the wear rate is apparently fantastic. I cannot comment on wear and snow yet, but I can comment that it is a great tire to own and even to look at.
Downside: It is a marvelously quiet tire, but on some pavements, it's louder than the Toyos (think the red asphalt we have on the 401), but it's quieter marginally than the Toyos on freshly paved asphalt. All in all, the Toyos were better for quietness, but the Michelin's, I'm sure, will annihilate the Toyos in the winter.

And best of all, 70,000km warranty on the Exaltos =)

I hope this helps in your tire purchasing wonders!

melong

Thanks for the info. It is helpful