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YK580 vs Michelin Defender

Impala131

Impala131

New member
Hey guys,

I have been blessed this Christmas, and intend to put tires on my new Impala (2004 N/A 3800) that needs tires.

I know the YK580 is a community favorite here, which is where I leaned first.

The Michelin Defender seems to be getting better reviews, 50% longer tread wear rating, people definitely seem to like them.

I live in an area (Mid Tennessee) where the coldest I've seen is single digit negatives, which is extremely rare. 20's are as cold as it gets on a regular basis. Snowfall is a joke, but it does tend to rain a lot in the winter months. Grip in wet conditions is obviously going to be important then.

My girlfriend will probably drive the car more than myself, a good 100 miles per day, likely. That's part of the attraction of the tread wear stats of the Defender. Sporty handling is not important, but safety and reliability is.

What do you all think? Real life experience?
 


Yk580 is what I call the discount tire special. It's a good overall tire but just never lasts as long as many other tires that are in the same ball park for type of tire.

The defender is good, long tread wear life but that too has 1 slight downfall as the tire wears. Figure sometime after half tread the tire will become "harder" and thats how they make it last so long, where you live it prolly won't be an issue though.
 
Fivefingerdeathpunch said:
Yk580 is what I call the discount tire special. It's a good overall tire but just never lasts as long as many other tires that are in the same ball park for type of tire.

The defender is good, long tread wear life but that too has 1 slight downfall as the tire wears. Figure sometime after half tread the tire will become "harder" and thats how they make it last so long, where you live it prolly won't be an issue though.
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Maybe I need to expand my options a little bit here. I figured each was a really good tire... what would you recommend? I think I can go up to $150 / tire if it's justifiable.
 
You are right, both are good tires. I just said my opinions and minor facts about them is all.

There are many other tires you can pick too and all should be below 150 easy, likely even just around 100 each for something that will last 50-60K on a avg car. Driving style and where you drive (like all city) will affect that number alot.


Look into the Cooper CS5's, Firestone FR710's, Firestone Precision Tourings, Uniroyal Tiger Paws or the Runway Enduro (a uniroyal in reality, private label michelin product, they are nearly the same just the molds are used by a another company and michelin owns part of them).
 
On my 1999 Grand Prix GTP, I went with the Arizonian Silver Edition (~100 each with warranty from discount). They were okay, not particularly great in any respect. I think I'm willing to spend a bit more this time to get something better. I'll look into your suggestions.
 
Might want to also give the General Altimax RT43's a look. I run them on my 00 GPGT and haven't had an issue yet. They seem to do great in wet weather and I drive at least 100mi./day in it. Lots of standing puddles/water on our 2-lane country highway when weather is bad and have yet to feel any hydroplane or have stopping issues. My wife or I often have our 6 year old daughter in the car so I'm picky when it comes to safety and tires nowadays. They also seem to be wearing quite well and aren't really noisy (if that is a concern).
 


The Michelin Primacy MXV4's are great all-seasons if you can find them at a good price, I've had them for a little over a year so far. They've got impressive grip in the snow for all-seasons. Overall pretty nice grip, and the treadwear has been excellent.
 
nik12937 said:
The Michelin Primacy MXV4's are great all-seasons if you can find them at a good price, I've had them for a little over a year so far. They've got impressive grip in the snow for all-seasons. Overall pretty nice grip, and the treadwear has been excellent.
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Thanks guys, how do the MXV4's do when wet? Rarely any snow here in TN, but lots and lots of cold rain.
 
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