Just ordered Good Year RS-A in H-speed rating... $456 from Discount Tire Direct

So let me put my flame suit on first as I know how HORRIBLE these tires are!

But seriously, I've gone through 3-4 sets of these tires on a different vehicle and they aren't that bad. I wasn't really falling in love with any of the other tires that are available so I didn't really want to pay $1k for a set. I decided to go with a tire I know very well and, honestly, was extremely inexpensive.

Discount Tire Direct currently has $100 off a $400 purchase of 4 tires. Free 2-day shipping and no tax collected as well!

http://dealnews.com/Discount-Tire-Direct-via-eBay-coupon-100-off-400-or-more/996663.html

I also went with the H-speed rating tire. I am hoping that the ride will be just a bit more comfortable vs the V-speed rating (which are $100 more expensive each) and they have the same wear rating. The decider was when I saw my brother's '11 Toyota Highlander tires only had an S-speed rating (112 mph)! Why do we need a 149 mph rated tire?! I understand it probably has to do more with handling "feel" than speed but I am willing to give up a little of that in this family vehicle. I actually wouldn't mind a softer ride and less impact harshness which is what I am hoping to get with the lower speed rating.

The wear rating on these tires is pretty low (260) but this vehicle will see less than 10k per year so that isn't too much of a worry for me. I think the low rating comes from a tire compound that is softer and more focused on grip than long-term wear.

Also, these will be sitting in my garage until the fall (most likely) because the OEM tires still have some life in them. Just had to pull the trigger now to save the cash in the long run!

Will report back when I get them installed later this year.

(Also, after my first year with dedicated winter tires on my wife's BMW RWD sedan I became a BIG believer in them. Saving the money on the RS-A tires makes it a lot easier to spend money on winter tires for the CX-9 if I want to.)

Curious to see how you like them....personally never been a fan of Goodyear.

You must be a Mustang guy as well based on your user name.

Be careful driving those RS-A's in the rain, I wouldn't take them much past 60 or 65. Just sayin'

Yes, my 3-season car is a '06 Mustang GT. The CX-9 will replace the Mustang in storage fairly soon with occasional use on road trips and when we need the extra space.

I am also not, in general, a fan of Goodyear. We had a horrible experience with their F1 All-season tires on my wife's BMW 330i. I try not to be one to exaggerate... but after they wore down, not even to the wear bar, they made an incredible noise that sounded like off road mud tires. I've never experienced anything like it before and people who bought them from TireRack actually get free replacements from TireRack. We didn't and dumped them.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/foru...-Goodyear-F1-Eagle-All-Season-Tirerack-recall

They have since re-designed that model of tire.

I've put easily 120k+ miles on RS-A tires in my work vehicle in all kinds of weather. Again, they are not the best tire. If I drove the CX-9 more I'd probably not buy them due to their low wear rating. The Conti DWS we have on my wife's sedan are really great tires. I'm not so convinced they are that great in the snow like everyone else says but we have winter tires now so it is moot for me. If they had it in our size I'd probably go with them. Great grip and handling and excellent wear. Definitely worth paying more for those tires.

I just don't feel like the other more expensive tires available are worth their price premium and the less expensive ones are relatively unknown models (though still from decent brands). I am sure the tires cited on here are good tires but they are still more expensive and I am not convinced worth their price premium over what I could get with this deal.

I feel I know what I am getting with the RS-A. I don't know how they will work with the CX-9 but I will definitely report back. Also, it gives me the opportunity to try a switch to a lower speed rating tire (H) and document the differences, if any...

They arrived today.

-------UPDATE------



So here is my problem with TireRack reviews. The RS-A has been around FOREVER. I am pretty sure there have been running changes made to the tire over the years. I don't think that is accounted for in the reviews.

For example: I attached a picture of the tread of the tires I received. It is much different from the thread design I am used to seeing for the RS-A. It actually looks like a hybrid of the original RS-A design and the RS-A2!

I can't find any information on why the tread on my RS-A labeled tires are different from the traditional tread design you find in every goodyear pic...

Makes me want to throw them on now eve more and see how they perform but I am gonna wait. No point in taking off tires with life still in them. I looked at the production date on the tires I received from D.D.D. and it was "0614" which means the 6th week of 2014. Pretty fresh tires!

Compare the tread of my tires to the traditionally shown tread of the RS-A:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+RS-A

Here is the RS-A2 tread design:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+RS-A2

My DD is a '06GT as well We traded the wife's '11V6 for the CX-9. Interesting on the redesign, for sure.