Does anyone know what brand of tires the 05 G35X's are coming with? I've heard about the Bridgestone Potenza nightmares on the TL website. I'm hoping some kind of Michelin's are available. Thanks.

 

I think it's still the Potenza EL-42s. There really isn't much out there in the stock size. I have an 04 G35x with the EL-42s and the tires aren't great. They have a fair bit of flex. That said, I've never felt "unsafe" on them at any point and they handle pretty high cornering loads without complaining. I know some people have said they're "scary". I've driven them in heavy rain, snow, etc. and they're ok. Just not anything special. YMMV.

 

I have the Bridgestone too - and I'm not too impressed with how sticky they are in cornering.... My Nokian Hakkapaleta (yeah like that is spelled right) tires on my last car were substantially better - even after 20k miles of wear.

 

Thanks guys. I found Michelin's MXV4's on TireRack.com in the same size. They cost about the same as the Turanza's. If I order a G35X, I'll have to see if the dealer will be nice enough to swap them out.

 

I've had the EL 42's. Seen alot of complains on them but I think since ours is an X, I don't think it's that bad. Certainly can be better. I've driven it in heavy rain, snow, dry up to 110mph and it's still feel stable. The tires and the tread pattern certain doesn't look aggressive but I think the tires are ok. I believed most of the one's that complained about the tires sliding back and forth are fwd or rwd's.

 

Mine came with Goodyear Eagle RS-A. They seem fine now ... but I'll reserve final judgement until after the weather turns in the Fall.

 

How come you get Goodyears? Is that what they give out in the West Coast? I am in East Coast. Curious why you need AWD on the west?

 

West coaster here with the Potenzas on an 05 X. They ride fine.

IMO here where the weather is not very snowy is EXACTLY where you would want AWD as patchy black ice is common (as opposed to tons of snow for months at a time). Back east I assume when the weather is terrible, people slow down and are therefore inherantly safer. Out here on a chilly/brisk morning the road looks black everyone is driving like normal (scary fast) and then you hit a patch of black ice... game over. Perfect place for AWD.

 

East coaster here. We have a ton of black ice as well since a fair bit of precipation in form of rain in early and late winter with a lot of freeze/thaw weather. Most of the accidents are right at that freezing point and you can't see the ice. A car with a thermometer is very important then. Unfortunately the last few years we have had a lot of snow too but my G gets stored for the winter anyhow.

 

Don't forget. 4wd gets you going in ice & snow. It won't save you from poor stopping, skidding or spin-outs (maybe worse with the I-got-4wd-so-I-can-do-anything mentality, like our behemoth SUV brethren.) If you NEED 4wd, you also NEED winter tires. A 2wd with good snow tires (I believe) is better than a 4wd with the generic OEM tires.

 

My 2005 G35x came with Goodyear Eagle RS-A also.
I am in NJ.

 

JimG35, do you own a rwd G? I know most people said winter tires on the rwd is fine for the G once they are on the road but can you get out from a stand still park with lets say 6 inches of snow on a city block?

 

Hmmm...you are in NJ and I am in NY but the dealer never even mention about Goodyear Eagle as an alternative besides the TL42 bridgestones. Wonder why

 

Not exactly sure the reasoning behind which brand of tires are fitted to each car. When I bought mine the dealer had 2 Gx's on the lot, and both of them had the Goodyears.

As to why I wanted a AWD ... I'm in the SF Bay Area, and that means I'm also close to the Sierras (Tahoe and all of the local resorts). I usually head up there to play during the Fall and Winter ... and I-80, Highway 50, as well as all of the back roads in the mountains get quite a bit of snow. I used to drive 4WD and AWD (4Runner, Murano). But since I really wanted a G, and I didn't want to have to leave it behind during the Winter, I thought that the G35x would be the best of all worlds.

I agree that snow tires are also a must ... I'll see how things play out later this year before I decide on that. Plus here in California, even with 4WD or AWD, there are times during the Winter when the CHP mandates chains as well. So I'll be keeping a set in the trunk for when that happens too.

 

My 05X came with the RS-As too. I drove it home in a snowstorm. They did fine in the snow. However, when they wear out, Blizzacks will be my next winter tire. For now, I am enjoying the nice weather and my 18s.