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2017 MDX tires

10K views 35 replies 18 participants last post by  PDXsailor 
#1 ·
Just purchased a used MDX in great condition... except for the tires. The worn tires on the vehicle are Continental Cross Contact LX Sport, which will cost me about $1000 to replace. Online I come up with a Bridgestone DriveGuard tire as compatible, and it has lots of good ratings. Those will save me $150 + installation cost. Do you think it's important to stick with the original tire? Thanks for any input!
 
#2 ·
Not important to stick with original tires, but the DriveGuard is a run-flat, so I suspect you won't like the ride nor the tire life. You didn't post what your tire size is or your car model and since different MDX's come with different size wheels it's not safe to guess and tire availability varies widely based on size. Having been in the tire biz I can't stress enough the value of talking to a local tire pro and telling them your primary desires for your tires. Some people want sporty handling while others was a very smooth ride, some great wet traction while someone in Phoenix, Palm Springs, or Las Vegas see so little rain that wet traction isn't a major factor. I am most familiar with Continental/General and GoodYear, but even within those brands there are tires I wouldn't recommend because every brand has a lemon or two. Those OEM tires have NO treadlife warranty which pretty much tells you they are geared toward performance. With the tire size and a bit more information I can give you several suggestions that will be a far better value than the tires that are on it now.
 
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#10 ·
Thanks for the detailed response. The current tires are the Continental CrossContact LX Sport 245/50R20. Smooth ride, traction, and reliability would be my priorities. Glad to know that the DriveGuard isn't the right thing. You mention the General Altimax RT43 as a good option. Is this the one? https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...3 (H- or V-Speed Rated)&partnum=45HR0AMRT43XL I like the price and the reviews!
 
#3 ·
I too have a '17 Advance with 245/50/20 that will need tires soon. High performance driving is not on the agenda so good tread life, quiet ride, and decent wet traction would be qualities I'd look for. Anything in the Conti or GY that would fill that role?
 
#5 · (Edited)
The suggestion to go to 265/45/20 for the Conti DWS06 isn't a horrible one as that is a great tire, but that is geared more toward delivering a sporty ride/handling. The 45 sidewall is shorter than the 50 sidewall which will stiffen the ride and make every crack in the pavement even more pronounced. In the 245/50/20 size there is a monster value in the General Altimax RT43. General, being a division of Continental, gets all of the Continental engineering without the price tag and it gets a 65K treadlife warranty. Tirerack.com has them for $120.99 a tire and if I didn't already know it was a great tire (has won numerous awards over the last several years) I might be suspicious why the price is so low. Based on your description of qualities desired you can only spend more money, but you can't buy a better tire. I just put a set of these on my wife's Honda Odyssey last week. Super smooth, very quiet, and excellent wet traction.

P.S. I am not advertising for TireRack. I simply use them as a good source for availability and an idea of pricing. I much prefer to buy from a local source and find that they will typically match or beat the price as well as provide local service such as free rotations after the sale.
 
#4 ·
If you go to a 265/45/R20 the Conti DWS-06 is available. I've used the DWS-06 on my MB 420 for a long time. It is a very quite tire, good dry, wet traction and when new pretty good in light snow/ice. I started with the DWS when years ago, then they upgraded to the DWS-06. In total I've gone through 3 set, and when the MDX needs a new set of shoes I'm tempted to go with the DWS-06. And they are competatively priced. IIRC they have a 50-60K tread wear warranty. Now I've never ever gotten claimed tread wear out of any tire. (must be the way I drive!) typical tread life for me on a car or truck is the 25-30K miles regardless. On the DWS it's been 30-35K, but discount/Americas tire has been good about tread wear warranty coverage.

And if you go to the 265/45/20 there are MANY more tires to choose from compare to the 245/50/20 selection. The 265/45/20 is slightly smaller diameter (like 0.5" or less) than the 245/50. The 265/45/20 is what is on the A spec option. One issue may be rim width. The 265/45/20 recomended rim widht is usually listed as 8.5-10 inches, although seems like there have been a fair number of MDX'rs that have run the 265/45 on an 8" rim.
 
#7 ·
Having been in the tire biz I can tell you in most cases I can beat the price of a Michelin by 30% and get just as good a tire if not better. Environment compatibility is also an issue for Michelin. Here in the mid west we see a lot of dry rot as soon as 2-3 years with Michelin's rubber compounds.
 
#15 ·
Copy: "Having been in the tire biz I can tell you in most cases I can beat the price of a Michelin by 30% and get just as good a tire if not better. Environment compatibility is also an issue for Michelin. Here in the mid west we see a lot of dry rot as soon as 2-3 years with Michelin's rubber compounds."

Michelins are known for this and have been for years. Supposedly the surface cracks do not affect state auto inspections but this has always perplexed me about Michelins, and have seen this for myself through the years. Why does this still happen in our modern age?
 
#16 ·
Honestly can't say I know, but it is an easy way to sell against them. For high mileage drivers, say 20K+ a year, they often go through them fast enough it isn't an issue. That still doesn't negate the fact that with a bit of due diligence you can get a very comparable if not better tire for significantly less money with rare exceptions. I often get friends and family asking for a tire recommendation and I always tell them I have to look up the specific size before I'll know. It's wild how much the price point for a tire in one size will vary vs another size and I'm always looking for the most bang for the buck along with the specific criteria the buyer is looking for. Add in all of the big chains with their exclusive models that you won't see inside the normal channels and that adds to the complexity. Another reason why a good tire guy is worth a lot.
 
#17 ·
I have a set of the Altimax RT43 on my 2017 now for over 20,000 miles. They are as quiet as the Continental LX, great in the rain and not bad in the snow. They have 9/32 tread left, run them at 37 lbs cold. I would buy them again, they should last 40 to 50,000 miles total, only got about 36,000 out of the Continental LX. I think for the $$ they are the best buyout there.
 
#18 ·
I suffer here in the Northeast, with bad roads and a very punishing ride in my MDX. I was hoping to get a better ride with Michelins when it comes time to replace, because they have a good rep as far as ride quality. Not too thrilled with the OEM Conti's. Poor snow performance, but not willing to use snow tires. Tread is at around 5 or 6/32, so they're past half-way. Conti's not as quiet as they used to be but most tires get noisier as they wear. These are 20's, by the way.
 
#19 ·
Whatever you do don't lump all Conti's (nor Michelin's for that matter) into the same basket. The CrossContact LX Sport for example is a far different tire than the CrossContact LX 25 as an example. The LX Sport gets no treadwear warranty while the LX 25 gets 70K. The LX Sport is designed to deliver crisp handling while the LX 25 is designed to be smooth and comfortable. The LX 25 and Altimax RT43 could be considered sister tires and IMO are pretty much equal except for paying more for the Conti simply for the name, and there's no way they are worth the $75 per tire extra. For a smooth ride I would put the Altimax RT43 up against either of the Michelin choices any day and save you over $100 a tire.
 
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#20 ·
OEM tires are continental lx sport and micheline latitute tour hp. acura chose these ones for reasons. i think they chose these tires for comfort, quiteness and handling but they lack in thread life. and they are more expensive than others and i don't think it is worth extra. there are tires that are similar but maybe unnoticible performance difference with better priced tires out there.
 
#31 ·
I get all my tires from Costco too, of all the tire places where I live Costco has the best warranty by far over any other shop. Usually I buy Bridgestone because they last longer than Michelin, but I didn't know that Acura was for some reason not real happy with Bridgestone tires, they make a lot of noise in that car, whereas Michelin are more quieter, but now I have to wait for the Bridgestones to wear out before I can switch.

I can't figure out is why when I used Bridgestone on any of my other cars in the past they never made that much noise, in fact I could hardly even hear the tires, but Acura for some reason makes a lot of noise on those tires, and they really sing loudly on concrete that has the rain grooves cut into them.
 
#22 ·
On the issue of low profile tires, not only are they rougher riding and more prone to tire and rim damage, they also have lower load ratings. Of course this is a disadvantage for towing, but it also affects how heavily the MDX is loaded (if you're paying attention, that is). Also, aftermarket rims often have lower load ratings, as well as being difficult to find with the proper offset.

As with other tire threads there is a lack of consideration about weather conditions. If you are going to be dealing with winter conditions but don't want to deal with specialized winter tires there are some great options now available, in the all-weather (not all-season) category. These are tires that perform as all-season tires most of the year, and also perform as an average winter tire with the Severe Service (mountain/snowflake logo). I have about a decade of experience with the excellent Nokian WR tires, and this past winter with the Goodyear WeatherReady tires. Not only do they perform exceptionally in winter conditions, they meet the legal requirements for traction tires in states that require them. Here in Oregon traction tires or chains are required when the passes are in snow. Most of the major tire manufacturers now offer all-weather tires, although I personally can just vouch for the Nokian and Goodyear brands.
 
#23 ·
No I wouldn’t necessarily stick with OEM. By chance, my tire dealer hasn’t a set of Yokohama Geolander H/T

I put a set of Yokohama Geolander H/T G056 on my 2014 and they are absolutely the best tires I’ve ever purchased. I have 50 K miles on them and they still have a crazy amount of tread left on them. I’m from western PA where conventional wisdom is they wear out after 30 K due to bad roads and hills. They ride very well, handle very well for a crossover, and highly recommended. In 30+ years living in this region I’ve never had a better, long lasting set of tires. Liked them so much I put Yokohama’s on my Lexus IS 250 and definitely improved the ride and hope to get similar treadwear.
 
#24 ·
I own a 2nd generation 2007 MDX with over 210,000 miles. The first three sets of tires were all Continental Cross Contact LX20, 255/55-18 and they each lasted over 60,000 miles. The ride was smooth and comfortable and they wore evenly. I was pleased with them.
 
#26 ·
My '12 came with the Michelin Latitude Tour HP's which I tossed after about 20k miles. Loud, terrible wear, and terrible in the snow. Glad the '18 came with the Continentals which have been pretty decent so far through 20k miles. Decided to install winter tires this year (which was probably a mistake.....) and when I removed the Continentals I noticed two of the tires have pea-sized or smaller chunks missing in several spots of the tread. Not sure what that's about but they may have to be replaced prematurely.

One thing I will say about the winter tires I bought (Continental VikingContact) is that they're by-far the best I've ever used when the roads are dry/warm. These feel as good as any all-season even with temps in the 60's and they're super quiet and handle great. They blast through water like nothing but we've had no winter to speak of this year. Yet.
 
#30 ·
Glad the '18 came with the Continentals which have been pretty decent so far through 20k miles. Decided to install winter tires this year (which was probably a mistake.....) and when I removed the Continentals I noticed two of the tires have pea-sized or smaller chunks missing in several spots of the tread. Not sure what that's about but they may have to be replaced prematurely.
I noticed small pitting in the tread on all four tires (OEM 20" Continentals). I'm at 35k miles and it's fairly widespread. Still lots of tread left so I will monitor it, but at this point the condition doesn't warrant replacement in my opinion.
 
#36 ·
It makes no sense to ask for tire recommendations without describing how/where and in what conditions they are going to be used, and what your preferences are for performance and treadwear, If you live in LA and want a summer performance tire that is one thing, and a tire for occasional winter driving is quite another. There are many tires that fit the MDX - it just depends what you are looking for. Details please?
 
#35 ·
I've used LTX Michelins on my trucks for many years. For a truck towing, they have been a good tire, although I have never gotten more than 35K miles out of a set. But for use on a 3/4 ton truck and towing I liked them. That said, IMHO I would NEVER use them on my MDX. they are a LT tire for towing etc. They are NOT a performance tire, they are not as quite as many other tires. Now mine were all LRE (80psi) so I'm sure that had an effect on ride quality and noise, so a lower LR might be better.
 
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