Tires: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentHigh-performance all-season tires, once found mostly on luxury or sports cars, now come standard on everyday cars like the Toyota Camry, say editors at ConsumerReports.org. Performance tires handle and grip better than standard all-season tires, but they have traditionally worn out faster. ConsumerReports.org's testers drive 27 H- and V-rated performance all-season tires for 16,000 miles each to find out just how quickly they wear out. Testers also evaluate the tires' braking, traction and more on dry, wet, snowy and icy surfaces.

Our AssessmentSummer-only ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires are designed to deliver maximum performance on wet and dry roads. These tires should never be driven on snow or ice. ConsumerReports.org tests 21 summer UHP tires. These tires are commonly used on luxury or sports cars, and they tend to be very expensive, although ConsumerReports.org tests some budget versions as well.

Our AssessmentTireRack.com is a retail site whose staff also tests and reviews tires. Although the editors' evaluations are clear, logical and easy to read, tests are run in groups of three or four tires, and there's no overall ranking system. This makes it difficult to determine which tires are ultimately best in class. Comparison tests are conducted a couple of times a year, so the overall sampling size of tested tires is small compared to other reviewers. However, TireRack.com is usually one of the first sources to conduct expert tests of new tires on the market.

Our AssessmentThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires manufacturers to test their tires for tread wear, traction and heat resistance, and to label the tires with these ratings. Consumers can look up tires in the ratings on this website, either by brand or by rating. NHTSA offers thorough explanations of the ratings, but it does not recommend any tire over another. Defect and recall alerts are also posted here.

Our AssessmentWhat kind of tire should you pick? Popular Mechanics tests a tire from each of four categories -- all-season (Michelin MXM4), high-performance (Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, regular and plus-two sizes), fuel-miser (Bridgestone Ecopia) and cheap (Republic Enterprise) -- on a BMW 328i in wet and dry conditions on Tire Rack's test track. Each tire's stats for wet and dry braking, skid-pad gs and lap times are shown to demonstrate each category's strengths and weaknesses. Mike Allen steers readers clear of the cheap tire, and he says big wheels are pointless without a suspension upgrade.

Our AssessmentWhich? magazine is a U.K.-based publication that rivals ConsumerReports.org in thoroughness. Experts here run controlled tire tests for wet and dry grip and handling, and they also rate tire noise, wear rate and rolling resistance. This year, editors have switched from rating individual tire models to rating entire brands. They name the top six brands -- all available in the U.S. -- out of the 18 brands they test.

Our AssessmentCar and Driver sets out to see whether all-season tires are truly good enough to handle winter roads. Using an Infiniti G37, the expert driver tests two all-season tires -- the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 and the higher-performance Michelin Pilot Sport A/S -- against two dedicated winter tires from Michelin. Not surprisingly, the high-performance all-season Pilot Sport A/S handles wet and dry roads extremely well but slides in snow. On the other hand, the Pilot HX MXM4 is quite impressive as a "do-it-all tire," although it still doesn't grip as well on snow and ice as the dedicated winter tires. Car and Driver also lists comparable tires from other brands in each category.

Our AssessmentThe eco-friendly, orange oil-based Yokohama dB Super E-spec proves "mostly fine" on an autocross course in a short test here. Of course, Albert Austria notes that these tires aren't intended for autocross driving at all -- they're intended for ordinary driving.

Our AssessmentMore than 400 tire models have accumulated reviews from consumers who post at Epinions.com. Several tires have just a handful of reviews, and some reviews are dated. Different kinds of tires are mixed together – snow tires, big off-road truck tires, standard car tires and a lot of discontinued tires -- but if you have a specific tire in mind, you can do a keyword search. Six currently available car tires have achieved high ratings with at least 10 reviews -- the Michelin Pilot Sport, Michelin HydroEdge, Yokohama Avid T4, Continental ContiExtremeContact, BFGoodrich Radial T/A and Arizonian Silver Edition -- but beware of fake-sounding reviews. For example, several of the glowing Arizonian reviews list no cons and seem like they're ticking off press-release talking points.

Our AssessmentThis site collects user reviews of tires. Editors of the site have chosen six top picks -- tires that have scored at least 4 out of 5 points with between six and 59 users reviewing them. Three of these are currently available passenger-car tires: the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW, Nitto NT-555R and Dunlop SP Sport 5000.

Our AssessmentOn the advice of his longtime tire guy, Ernie, reviewer Michael Posner chooses the Nitto Invo ultra-high-performance tire for his BMW Roadster on both road and track. After 5,000 miles, Posner explains why the tires have been well worth the price.

Our AssessmentPopular Mechanics blogger Mike Allen tests three types of Dunlop performance tires -- the SP Sport Maxx GT, Direzza Sport Z1 and SP Sport Signature -- at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He doesn't pick a favorite, but his descriptions of the tires' respective strengths are helpful for shoppers considering one of these tires.