Well about a year ago we had our car aligned. Unfortunately the people that did it apparently had no clue what they were doing. The inside of the tires has worn bald while the outside still looks great. Needless to say, we won't go back there. First question: would a Nissan dealership be able to align it as well as an Infiniti dealership? The Nissan dealer is much closer to us.

Second question: We're getting new tires, and we need them to be good in the wet and decent in the snow. Will a 235/50R17 Toyo Proxes 4 tire work for this? Anyone have experiences with them they'd like to share? Will a 235 cause any suspension/rubbing problems? Thanks for the help. I don't get around to this site often, but I really appreciate the help I get when I do.

 

I'm curious too, looking into lowering my car 1.3 in the front and am wondering if 235's will fit without rubbing in the front, and rather Toyo Proxes 4 is a very good performance choice (Les Schwab is pushin those with a special right now...)

 

I had toyos on my GT mustang before and they were pretty good, but they do wear beyond average (And depending on the driver). So anytime you want a good tire in the rain, you go softer/special tread design, which inevitabley leads to less tread life. Not sure about snow.
Toyos seem like good tires for a non-FI car in the low to mid ~200ish rwhp range. Softer tires are more expensive too. Best one I have had for wet and dry was a Goodyear GSD3 on my Cobra. But you don't need that kind performance tire, way to much $$. Besides the Tread Wear rating is a 280. I would stay in the 300/320 range or so for good rain traction and decent tread life.

 

I have Goodyear GSD3 on my 17s and they are the best wet tires. Never tried it in snow.

 

Hey, what did you pay for them?

 

Get the michelin pilot sports A/S the prices have gone down considerably over a couple years ago. I had the toyos on 19" wheels they have grip but are not as quiet as the tires I have now which are Bridgestones off the M35/4 sport they are the most quietest tires I have ever owned. Nittos are good tires also and are moderately quiet.

 

He needs them to be decent in the snow too guys....GY GS D3's won't be good at all....I don't know the Michelin Pilot sports.....but Tire Rack says they get a 6.1 out of 10 for snow traction.

 

In that case get all seasons Michelin makes an all season performance tire. I forgot the name of the series but I found it while doing some research when I was looking for tires. There are probably more options available for a 17 tire than my 19s

 

I put those exact same Toyos (same size and model) on my 03.5 RWD G sedan a year ago February. I have put about 30k on them and I don't think they will last more than 5-8k more - just in time to invest in some winter tires and wheels.

I was initially impressed but now I wouldn't buy them again. They handle and stick well on dry but their wet and snow performance has never really been great. As they have worn they have gotten worse.

I'm not sure why but even though I have had them balanced and rotated regularly, they have some cupping and irregular wear which has caused a noticable shimmy in the car on the highway. Also, after about 10k they started getting louder and now they are pretty darn loud.

I am not sure what my next tire will be but I think I am going to go with a winter and then a spring/summer/fall set. I live in Indiana and we don't get too much snow in the winter but enough. I travel through Indiana and Illinois on business so I am out on the highway during rain sleet and snow all year long.

Maybe some Avons. I don't know. But no more Proxies for me.

 

I payed around 750 shipped from tirerack 2-235/50/17 and 2-225/50/17.

 

Thanks for the info so far guys. Jimmyc13 is right, I need a decent tire in the snow. I don't know how the Turanza EL42's rate in the snow, but the new tires need to be at least equivalent to them. I am looking at some Avon M550 A/S tires on Tire Rack and they seem to rate very well, but I have some concerns about uneven tire wear and noise with them. (Uneven tire wear is why I'm getting new tires)

I'm now looking at: Kumho ECSTA ASX
Avon Tech M550 A/S
Any other suggestions?

Is the consensus that 235/50 17's will work fine? My dad came home and told me "he found some cheap cooper tires" at the local tire store, and I'm trying to shop to find a quality tire, not just a cheap one.

 

I keep preaching about the General Exclaim UHP's. They are not "sexy" yet, like Michelin, Toyo, Avon etc, but they are a superb summer tire for a reasonable price.Tirerack has them for around $140 ea in 245/45/18. I have 3K miles on mine and they are quiet, no vibrations, handle superbly in both wet and dry. In fact, they are rated #1 on the Tirerack. Check 'em out.

 

I have run the Toyo Proxes 4 in 245/45/17 no rubbing at all great tire for all season. They beat the Pilots A/S in all realms. The Pilots are a waste of money. I have switched to Falken ST115s..they are not an All Season but they are better than the Proxes 4s in all aspects. I am really shocked BUT I only have about 600 miles on them. The Toyos still had 40% of the tread left They were great but I did not need the All season and I wanted somehting new...tires were easy to sell the other half on. The price was screamin-$102 per 245/45/17 shipped. Go Toyo...you will not be sorry.