OEM tire quality?

[Bob B.]

Well....I might be spoiled regarding my very comfortable ride. Goodyear TripleTreads on a 1993 Grand Marquis. Heh-heh-Heh. Hey, I'm an old man!

My 2 day old Fusion was factory fitted with Michelin Pilot HX MXM4. Dot M30A DECX. I Googled these and they seem to be a very low end tire. Do the car manufacturers usually fit this quality to their cars?

The ride seems a bit lumpy. Just wondering what other Fusion owners have as OEM tires.

 

Regards from

Canada.

[Waldo]

All 17in equipped Fusions have had this tire since day 1. There are so many different versions of this tire out there that getting an accurate database about them is impossible. For example the Volvo S80 used to use this tire but with a different DOT code. Even though it looks identical, it performs very differently. I think Hyundai also uses a version in the same size, and Honda uses a bunch of them, but with much different, low rolling resistance compounds that give it a bad reputation.

 

You're just spoiled, the "lumpy ride" is something you'll have to get used to while driving a car from this century...

[Bob B.]

All 17in equipped Fusions have had this tire since day 1. There are so many different versions of this tire out there that getting an accurate database about them is impossible. For example the Volvo S80 used to use this tire but with a different DOT code. Even though it looks identical, it performs very differently. I think Hyundai also uses a version in the same size, and Honda uses a bunch of them, but with much different, low rolling resistance compounds that give it a bad reputation.

 

You're just spoiled, the "lumpy ride" is something you'll have to get used to while driving a car from this century...

 

Thanks Waldo for your fast response. Yes, I am finally in this century. I drove the Grand M for 16 years and would probably still be driving it except a tree fell on it. I have been driving it with the tree dent since Aug 1 with an acrylic sheet temporary driver side window. Before the Grand M, drove a 1978 LTD II for 15 years. Cars seem to last me forever!!!

 

My "lumpiest ride" was a 1954 MG-TF. Also drove a 1954 XK-120 about 52 years ago. Sorry about the rambling. Old age.

Regards.

[skluck]

What do you mean by lumpy? Just bumpy in general? I had a 1999 Towncar before my 2010 FFH and with the FFH my ride is smoother, more "connected" to the ground, and I feel much more in control. The only area the TC was better is cabin noise, but the the TC is best in the industry in that regard.

[Bob B.]

What do you mean by lumpy? Just bumpy in general? I had a 1999 Towncar before my 2010 FFH and with the FFH my ride is smoother, more "connected" to the ground, and I feel much more in control. The only area the TC was better is cabin noise, but the the TC is best in the industry in that regard.

 

Yes, bumpy in general. Can feel every lump, bump and crack in the pavement. I thought that different tires might make some difference. Will stay with the Michelins until they are worn out, then do some Googling for replacements. The Grand Marquis also had self levelling air bag suspension (used to tow a sailboat). The Fusion is definately more "connected" to the ground. It goes exactly where it is aimed. I really like the Fusion. Only other complaint, cannot see much out of the rear window. But I appreciate the large trunk. Can't have it all! Now I see why a backup camera could be useful.

Regards.

[jtugfestiva]

Yes, bumpy in general. Can feel every lump, bump and crack in the pavement. I thought that different tires might make some difference. Will stay with the Michelins until they are worn out, then do some Googling for replacements. The Grand Marquis also had self levelling air bag suspension (used to tow a sailboat). The Fusion is definately more "connected" to the ground. It goes exactly where it is aimed. I really like the Fusion. Only other complaint, cannot see much out of the rear window. But I appreciate the large trunk. Can't have it all! Now I see why a backup camera could be useful.

Regards.

Yes i have rode in other cars for example friends lincoln town car and his ford taurus and yes the fusion is a bit more bumpy but has way better handling. For me i used a sound deadener called quiet coat to help lower the sound and noise in the older fusions. Not much of a difference but on choppy roads or concrete roads the sound is more muffled. BTW regarding the michilin tires they are decent but rated low on tire rack. Yes dont change them yet caz they do last quite long my brother had a set on his mazda that lasted 50000 miles. I recommend michelin, goodyear, or even general tires which are all the highest rated tires out there. Pirelli and continentals are good but they wear out too quickly. hope this helps.

[Rodeo]

How "low end" can those Michelin Pilot's be (MXM4s) because they're close to $200 a piece if Im not mistaken from the Tire Rack? Normally yes, Car manufacturers put on very inexpensive (ok-cheap) tires as OE fitment and the Fusion Sport is just such an example. That is fitted with Gooryear Eagle RS-As and are worth about $68 a piece. I don't have my Milan yet but was hoping those Michelin's would be decent rubber.

 

As a side note, my current ride is a 2007 Ford Escape and that came fitted with Continental Conti-Tracs and they wore like IRON. I didn't replace them until 60,000 miles and they still had plenty of (more then legal) tread left on them. I really liked how they wore and how they handled dry AND snow covered roads too, even deep snow although I did have 4WD. No complaints except they are known for generating road noise, which is their one weakness. Anyway, I did replace them with another new set of the same tire, except I got blackwalls this time. For the price, they last forever...

Edited February 28, 2010 by Rodeo

[toyz]

"My 2 day old Fusion was factory fitted with Michelin Pilot HX MXM4. Dot M30A DECX. I Googled these and they seem to be a very low end tire."

 

Michelin Pilot's are a higher performance tire. I have used the Pilot HX's on two cars that I have owned and find them a very good performing and fairly long wearing tire. Like you, I noted that my 2010 Fusion Sport (with Goodyear tires) had a very harsh ride. When I checked, the car had been delivered to me with the tires filled to 45 psi. It is amazing how much better the car felt when I lowered them to the proper level. I recommend you check your tire pressure.

[bren5666]

Michelin's a low end tire? Never heard that before! Although the price of a tire doesn't always mean dictate quality, Michelin's are normally labeled as high quality. We have a few customers that have gotten 65-70,000 miles out of theirs. As for ride quality, I have them on my 2010 SE and haven't noticed anything unusual with the ride.

[FtLewis2002]

There's nothing "wrong" with the Michelin's if the car is being driven as designed...(It's a family car)

[midas]

Michelin's a low end tire? Never heard that before! Although the price of a tire doesn't always mean dictate quality, Michelin's are normally labeled as high quality. We have a few customers that have gotten 65-70,000 miles out of theirs. As for ride quality, I have them on my 2010 SE and haven't noticed anything unusual with the ride.

 

Longevity has nothing to do with quality unless longevity is what you're looking for. Me, I want a tire that handles well in rain and snow. I want a tire that can handle an emergency maneuver. For those qualities you want a tire that typically has a soft pliable rubber compound. Those type of compounds tend to have much shorter life spans. A tire with a hard rubber compound will last forever. But the traction will be compromised. This is especially true when the temperatures start to get colder. If the rubber compound doesn't stay soft when it gets cold you can start to skid even on dry pavement. But boy, they will sure last a long time.

[jtugfestiva]

How "low end" can those Michelin Pilot's be (MXM4s) because they're close to $200 a piece if Im not mistaken from the Tire Rack? Normally yes, Car manufacturers put on very inexpensive (ok-cheap) tires as OE fitment and the Fusion Sport is just such an example. That is fitted with Gooryear Eagle RS-As and are worth about $68 a piece. I don't have my Milan yet but was hoping those Michelin's would be decent rubber.

 

As a side note, my current ride is a 2007 Ford Escape and that came fitted with Continental Conti-Tracs and they wore like IRON. I didn't replace them until 60,000 miles and they still had plenty of (more then legal) tread left on them. I really liked how they wore and how they handled dry AND snow covered roads too, even deep snow although I did have 4WD. No complaints except they are known for generating road noise, which is their one weakness. Anyway, I did replace them with another new set of the same tire, except I got blackwalls this time. For the price, they last forever...

 

Yes these tires arent the best but they do offer decent performance but very good longevity. they are very expensive and i know there are better tires for the money. Continental tires are decent but i also owned a 2008 ford escape with the conti tracs and they were soooooo noisey!!!!! i was planning to change them with the michelin ATX which i used on our work truck explorer and its so much quieter. How is the transmission on your escape?? make sure you change the transmission fluid every 30000 miles cause they fail early due to the CD4E being such a small transmission esp when its equipped with the V6. Easy to change due to a drain plug and surly i miss my truck which i sold to my girl friend when i was living in NY.

[FtLewis2002]

Yes these tires arent the best but they do offer decent performance but very good longevity. they are very expensive and i know there are better tires for the money. Continental tires are decent but i also owned a 2008 ford escape with the conti tracs and they were soooooo noisey!!!!! i was planning to change them with the michelin ATX which i used on our work truck explorer and its so much quieter. How is the transmission on your escape?? make sure you change the transmission fluid every 30000 miles cause they fail early due to the CD4E being such a small transmission esp when its equipped with the V6. Easy to change due to a drain plug and surly i miss my truck which i sold to my girl friend when i was living in NY.

 

The sidewall height on your Explorer is just a "little bit" taller than the sidewalls on a Fusion...that's why your tire is so much quieter on your Explorer.

[jtugfestiva]

The sidewall height on your Explorer is just a "little bit" taller than the sidewalls on a Fusion...that's why your tire is so much quieter on your Explorer.

I was comparing an 2000 explorer with the michelin atx to my ford escape sorry to get you mixed up i was a bit off topic

[pcsgrp35se]

I have the RS-As on my sport. Everything I read said that the OEM versions of the tire stinks, they don't last and they don't handle well in rain. I have about 12k miles on fhem, they look like the day I took the car home. I keep them inflated at 33lbs, they handle well and they are not noisy. I can't say how winter is with these tires since I use Xice-2s on 17" rims. Someone mentioned different dot numbers for the same tire. Can someone explain that. Call me stupid but are there different versions of the same tire?

[Rodeo]

No MXM4s here!

 

Just took delivery of my 2010 Milan Premier and found it interesting that the OE Tires are Michellin Energy Saver A/S (Green X) tires. I would have thought these would be reserved for Hybrid models but here they are on my 3.0 V6 (Ride quality is pretty good IMO)

 

 

Energy™ Saver A/S

Passenger Car/Minivan Tire

All-Season Tires

 

Up to 8% more fuel-efficient than standard tires to save you money

EnergySaver Construction™, combined with a special type of tread rubber, keeps the tire cooler - helping your engine to improve its fuel efficiency.

 

Stops up to 8 feet shorter for added safety

Silica-based unique tread rubber compound provides all-season traction and no-compromise stopping performances to keep you safe without trading fuel efficiency.

 

Reduces CO2 emissions as much as planting 40 trees

Lower rolling resistance requires less effort from your engine and helps reduce harmful CO2 emissions from your vehicle.

-

[deo1929]

One thing to remember is that the 17"s on the Fusion are a 50 series tire. The sidewall is relatively narrow compared to, say, a 60 or 65 series tire. That means you will sacrifice some ride quality with a narrower and stiffer sidewall than with a tire that has a "taller" sidewall which will have more flex. The upside is handling is improved. FWIW....

[pcsgrp35se]

I was thinking when I take a few days and head out to the mid-west I would stop in South Bend and have Tire Rack put on a new set of tires. I now have 18k miles on the car with about 4K in the winte on winter tires. I measured the tread depth on the RS-As looking for an excuse to justify spending $800 for new Pilot sports A/S but ther is still 10/32's of tread left on all the tires. These things are lasting forever and they are not all that bad but not the best in the rain. Of course, it might just be that there is a bit of power going to the wheels because I notice that when I take off the traction control, I can slip the tires whenever I want. They seem to handle most driving situations without any problems and the one or two times I had to make a quick stop the felt ok. I don't drive spirited but the other day I did an exit ramp without slowing down and the car was on rails. When you consider the very low price of these tires, I wouldn't have any problem getting them again. However, I would to to the 235-45-18 size for a little more rubber on the road