Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S

Reviews say the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S is a fine performance all-season tire -- it's just not the best. The Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position (*Est. $185) costs about the same, but its dry- and wet-road performance and higher speed ratings boost it into the ultra-high-performance (UHP) all-season class. No expert has tested it on ice and snow yet, though. A less expensive performance all-season tire, the Yokohama Avid Envigor (*Est. $140), outclasses the Michelin in one expert test on dry and wet tracks, although owners say it's not as good on ice and snow. The Michelin boasts a history of good behavior on winter roads in both expert tests and owner reviews, but it's still not the best performance all-season for challenging winters: That honor goes to another runner-up in this category, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS (*Est. $160).

ConsumerReports.org's thorough comparisons and reputation for objectivity makes it the most valuable review source here, although its test of the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S does not include any narrative detail. Expert testers at TireRack.com go into more detail on the Pilot Exalto A/S's strengths and weaknesses, but their comparison includes fewer tires than ConsumerReports.org's analysis. TireRack.com also collects owner-written reviews -- including more than 900 for the Pilot Exalto A/S -- but it breaks tires into so many categories (including six all-season categories, from passenger all-season to ultra-high-performance all-season) that the Exalto A/S isn't compared directly with some of its main competitors. Another retail site, 1010Tires.com, collects far fewer user ratings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a valuable source for government-mandated tire ratings.