Tire Choices

[leftoverture]

Hi Guys, 

 

I still have the original Michelin tires on my 2018 MKZ AWD and they are at 6/32 tread depth in front and 7/32 in back.  But,  these are horrible tires in the rain and downright scary in the snow/ice/slush we see here in Minnesota for half the year.  

 

Dedicated snow tires are not a desirable option for me.  I'm looking at two tire options,  wondering if anyone who drives in winter condition has experience with either:

 

1)  Nokian WR G4

2)  Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750

 

Both are "all weather" tires. Anyone have experience with these in winter weather?

 

Thanks.

[bbf2530]

10 hours ago, leftoverture said:

Hi Guys, 

 

I still have the original Michelin tires on my 2018 MKZ AWD and they are at 6/32 tread depth in front and 7/32 in back.  But,  these are horrible tires in the rain and downright scary in the snow/ice/slush we see here in Minnesota for half the year.  

 

Dedicated snow tires are not a desirable option for me.  I'm looking at two tire options,  wondering if anyone who drives in winter condition has experience with either:

 

1)  Nokian WR G4

2)  Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750

 

Both are "all weather" tires. Anyone have experience with these in winter weather?

 

Thanks.

 

Hi leftoverture. Have you checked the existing threads discussing all-season and winter tires? I have not had any experience with those two tires. While I do not recall anyone discussing either of those tires in particular, I am sure someone has in one thread or another.

 

Personally, I would recommend going to The Tire Rack website and using their "Tire Decision Guide" to get expert recommendations for the all-season tire qualities you consider important (i.e. snow and wet condition handling): https://www.tirerack.com/content/tirerack/desktop/en/homepage.html

 

I realize winter tires are not a desirable option for you, but if you scroll down the first page, there is a good video showing the differences in snow/ice handling  between all-season and dedicated winter tires. I'm sure you already understand that no all-season tire will handle Minnesota snow/slush/ice at its worst.

 

I have had experience with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on my older MKZ (FWD). Their wet weather and snow handling capabilities were noticeably better than the OEM Michelins originally on the car. I believe they are now superseded by the Pilot Sport A/S 4 or a similar model name. They also handled far better in dry weather. And gave a better ride. I am sure there are other all-seasons with better snow handling.

Just keep in mind...What the gods give a tire in one area, they take away in another. So generally speaking, an all-season that handles snow better will have also have a bit lower dry handling capabilities, and ride a little harsher/louder.

 

And on a related subject (for others too): Keep in mind that with 6/32 to 7/32 remaining tread life, over half of the usable tread is gone. Most modern tires have anywhere from 10/32 to 12/32 of tread when new. A tire worn down to 3/32 is considered unusable in rain/snow. Even 4/32 is iffy for snow. The wear bars telling us the tire is total junk are at 2/32.  All of that also applies to snow tires.

So assuming our OEM Michelins have 11/32 new, even your 7/32 tires are over half worn when discussing snow application.

 

Anyway, just some FYI's for others interested in tires and tire life.

 

I am sure others will jump in with their own experience and recommendations.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited January 6, 2022 by bbf2530

[leftoverture]

Thanks for the reply.  Don't really need the tire decision guide,  I'm already past that point and trying to narrow my choices down.  I have read lots of reviews of the Nokians and Hankooks on line but not a one is on an MKZ or even a Fusion. But for the Nokian every review is very good, better than the Hankook it turns out. I was just trying to find someone who actually has experience with them on an MKZ. Based on what I've read,  I'll probably go with the Nokian.

 

I really liked the Falken Ziex on my last MKZ, excellent steering feel and handling,  they worked great everywhere except when roads were icy,  then not so much. If they would have been better on icy roads I'd buy another set. 

 

As for winter tires....I already have winter & summer tires for our BMW and I love them but don't have room to store another set of tires. We live in a condo and have limited storage space.  In a perfect world,  I'd have the two sets for the MKZ and all seasons on the Bimmer since we only put about 1200 to 1500 miles on the Bimmer during winter.....but put more than that on the MKZ in any given month. But the Bimmer came with brand new summer rubber so that's how we got where we are. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by leftoverture

[bbf2530]

Hi leftoverture. Just an opinion here: Generally speaking, a tire has no idea what vehicle is sitting on it. Other than whether a vehicle is FWD, AWD or RWD, power output (which is easily controlled/modulated with the accelerator pedal anyway) and weight distribution (which is relatively similar on most FWD/AWD sedans anyway), and to a certain extent vehicle weight, a tire will perform the same on similar vehicles.

 

My advice...Since you can not find any MKZ/Fusion reviews for those tires, I would recommend taking the reviews for mid size/large AWD sedans and even CUV's into consideration. Essentially, any honest review for any mid-size or so AWD vehicle is a useful review, whatever the vehicle.

 

Therefore, going by what you have posted about the reviews being better for the Nokian and the fact you are leaning that way anyway, I would go with the Nokian.

 

Again, just a bit of educated opinion.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited January 6, 2022 by bbf2530

[jimflutes]

So far the Michelin Crossclimate 2 ( 245 45 18 ) are the best in any weather  snow , rain or dry of any tire that I have had on my MKZh , I had the Perilli  A/S P7 2 and they were better than the MXM4 Michs ( not good in snow) , but these CC 2 live up to all the reviews about them so far , in Mass we have had some light snow and heavy rain and ice and these tires make you feel super confident driving . These are the only tires I have experience with ..  Jim

[17MKZ3.0TT]

12 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

Hi leftoverture. Just an opinion here: Generally speaking, a tire has no idea what vehicle is sitting on it. Other than whether a vehicle is FWD, AWD or RWD, power output (which is easily controlled/modulated with the accelerator pedal anyway) and weight distribution (which is relatively similar on most FWD/AWD sedans anyway), and to a certain extent vehicle weight, a tire will perform the same on similar vehicles.

 

My advice...Since you can not find any MKZ/Fusion reviews for those tires, I would recommend taking the reviews for mid size/large AWD sedans and even CUV's into consideration. Essentially, any honest review for any mid-size or so AWD vehicle is a useful review, whatever the vehicle.

 

Therefore, going by what you have posted about the reviews being better for the Nokian and the fact you are leaning that way anyway, I would go with the Nokian.

 

Again, just a bit of educated opinion.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

agreed, and try and make the comparison to a front wheel drive vehicle of similar weight. Sidewall flex is always an intangible short of an actual test usage.

[Zondedo]

1 hour ago, 17MKZ3.0TT said:

agreed, and try and make the comparison to a front wheel drive vehicle of similar weight. Sidewall flex is always an intangible short of an actual test usage.

Tire size will dramatically affect tire performance.  Don’t assume that a good review on a different vehicle make and model applies to an MKZ.

 

with that said, I recently switched from Michelin‘s to Hankook Kinergy’s on our daily driver minivan.  I am very pleased with the performance in snow and they are wearing better than a Michelin‘s did.

 

good luck with your quest and let us know what you decide

[leftoverture]

10 hours ago, jimflutes said:

So far the Michelin Crossclimate 2 ( 245 45 18 ) are the best in any weather  snow , rain or dry of any tire that I have had on my MKZh , I had the Perilli  A/S P7 2 and they were better than the MXM4 Michs ( not good in snow) , but these CC 2 live up to all the reviews about them so far , in Mass we have had some light snow and heavy rain and ice and these tires make you feel super confident driving . These are the only tires I have experience with ..  Jim

Strangely,  the Cross Climate 2 is not coming up in my search on Discount Tire's site (I buy all my tires through Discount Tire). Didn't come up on Tire Rack's site either.  DT will,  of course,  order any Tire I want,  but pricing isn't immediately available to me. But from what I've read on line this seems like a good option.  Thanks for your feedback. 

[leftoverture]

6 hours ago, Zondedo said:

Tire size will dramatically affect tire performance.  Don’t assume that a good review on a different vehicle make and model applies to an MKZ.

 

with that said, I recently switched from Michelin‘s to Hankook Kinergy’s on our daily driver minivan.  I am very pleased with the performance in snow and they are wearing better than a Michelin‘s did.

 

good luck with your quest and let us know what you decide

Yes,  I agree how a tire performs in one application isn't always a good indicator for how it will perform in another. The Kinergy is a similar design to the Cross Climate, so good to hear they are working well for you. 

[bbf2530]

3 hours ago, leftoverture said:

Yes,  I agree how a tire performs in one application isn't always a good indicator for how it will perform in another. The Kinergy is a similar design to the Cross Climate, so good to hear they are working well for you. 

 

Hi leftoverture. Yes, but the reason for my advice was: It is better than no information at all. When you state you have zip/zilch/zero/no owner reviews for the two tires you are interested in on MKZ's (or even a Fusion), then do the next best thing, and take the reviews of those two tires on similar vehicles into consideration.

No assumptions..and certainly not perfect as far as information goes...just simply adapting to the information available. And obviously better than nothing.

 

The option is to fly and choose completely blind.

 

Hope that makes the reason for my reply clearer.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited January 7, 2022 by bbf2530

[leftoverture]

7 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi leftoverture. Yes, but the reason for my advice was: It is better than no information at all. When you state you have zip/zilch/zero/no owner reviews for the two tires you are interested in on MKZ's (or even a Fusion), then do the next best thing, and take the reviews of those two tires on similar vehicles into consideration.

No assumptions..and certainly not perfect as far as information goes...just simply adapting to the information available. And obviously better than nothing.

 

The option is to fly and choose completely blind.

 

Hope that makes the reason for my reply clearer.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Yep, I agree with that,  too. We have to work with the info we have.  But I once bought a set of General tires that I was very pleased with,  so I had my daughter put them on her car and they did not work nearly as well in her application. Sorry,  though,  if I wasn't clear that I do agree with your point as well. 

 

[leftoverture]

Well,  I got sidetracked on ordering tires due to illness,  but today I placed my order for a set of Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750 all-weather tires.  I ended up going with these because I felt they might have an edge in dry road performance over the Nokians and they saved me $120. And they promise excellent winter performance as well.  They will go on Saturday morning.  And,  as with all purchases at Discount Tire, if I'm not satisfied they will exchange them. 

 

Good thing,  too, because the stock Michelin tires are virtually undriveable right now.  Even the slightest amount of slush and you lose all steering and braking. They are down right dangerous,  as bad as (or maybe even worse than) the summer only tires that were on our BMW. I honestly can't believe these tires are sold by Michelin and put on as standard equipment by Lincoln. 

 

46 years of driving and over 60 cars and I think these are very likely the worst tires I've experienced.... at least since the 70's.

[bbf2530]

2 hours ago, leftoverture said:

Well,  I got sidetracked on ordering tires due to illness,  but today I placed my order for a set of Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750 all-weather tires.  I ended up going with these because I felt they might have an edge in dry road performance over the Nokians and they saved me $120. And they promise excellent winter performance as well.  They will go on Saturday morning.  And,  as with all purchases at Discount Tire, if I'm not satisfied they will exchange them. 

 

Good thing,  too, because the stock Michelin tires are virtually undriveable right now.  Even the slightest amount of slush and you lose all steering and braking. They are down right dangerous,  as bad as (or maybe even worse than) the summer only tires that were on our BMW. I honestly can't believe these tires are sold by Michelin and put on as standard equipment by Lincoln. 

 

46 years of driving and over 60 cars and I think these are very likely the worst tires I've experienced.... at least since the 70's.

 

Hi leftoverture. Give us your personal review when you have some miles on them. It will certainly be helpful for other MKZ owners in the market for new tires.

 

Good luck.

[leftoverture]

Yep.  Absolutely I will.

[leftoverture]

If anyone is interested,  this is the tire I went with.  Notice the directional tread design.

 

[leftoverture]

Well, thank you FedEx. I was supposed to get my new tires on tomorrow but today FedEx mistakenly only delivered 3 of them and now they won't deliver the 4th until Monday.  And since my work schedule won't allow for installation during the week, I now have to wait until next Saturday. My bad experiences with FedEx continue to accrue.

[leftoverture]

The Hankook Kinergy tires are on! Discount Tire really out did themselves today,  I think it was about 20 minutes and I was out the door! Of course,  the roads here are perfectly clear and dry today so hard to make any immediate assessment of their performance,  but I'll provide an update as soon as I have something to report. For now,  I'm just happy to finally have them on!

[leftoverture]

I can finally give an initial report on my new Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750 All Weather tires. On Thursday and Friday this week we had one of those Minnesota "all weather" event. Snow, sleet, hail, rain, and ice all within about 24 hours.  And thanks to a visit to a supplier in a rural area,  I even got some snow packed dirt roads in. 

 

The Hankooks have made a remarkable difference. On snow and slush I get fairly crisp turn in and reliable braking. Even on ice,  the car stops so much better. On all surfaces and all conditions,  the car is just so much more sure-footed. Confidence has been restored! I am quite pleased with these tires overall.  They are quiet on the highway. I do notice the sidewalls are just slightly stiffer than the Michelins I replaced, but not so much as to ruin the ride. (Though I surely would prefer 18 inch wheels [or even 17s] to the 19 inch wheels Lincoln put on the vehicle.)

 

I will provide further updates as the miles roll on,  but so far I am very satisfied with these tires. 

[jimflutes]

leftoverture , That tread design looks to be the same as the Cross Climate 2 .  You are getting great results with your tires because these all weather tires are the future of the tire world , you can ride year round in all conditions without having to change tires for winter and they feel like a summer tire . Now I would not say that they are comparable to winter tires in deeper snow , but so far I have driven in snow up to 5 inches with great confidence , anything deeper and I stay home. They have made my hybrid front wheel drive with the CVT able to handle winter where before I would not feel safe  especially with the MXM4s , these tires on an all wheel drive would be awesome . Thank you for the updates , drive safe .  

[17MKZ3.0TT]

How is the noise level? The four Blizzak's I put on for Winter-only driving are pretty noisy at slow speed in a sharp to medium turn, but I wouldn't dream of giving them up. 

[leftoverture]

1 hour ago, 17MKZ3.0TT said:

How is the noise level? The four Blizzak's I put on for Winter-only driving are pretty noisy at slow speed in a sharp to medium turn, but I wouldn't dream of giving them up. 

Silent. Well,  very quiet.  The only thing I noticed was they can be loud on certain kinds of snow:  on the dry, powdery stuff when it is super cold,  they make a peculiar sound,  but in all other situations they are as quiet if not more quiet than the original Michelins. And the grip is very nearly as good as the winter only tires on our BMW. Today,  I hit an exit ramp that was far more icy than I anticipated and on the original Michelins I definitely would have went right off the road.  But while the Hankooks were challenged to their limits, I was able to slow down plenty fast enough to circle the cloverleaf smoothly (though slowly) with little drama.  I am quite pleased with these tires. 

[17MKZ3.0TT]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:34 PM, leftoverture said:

Silent. Well,  very quiet.  The only thing I noticed was they can be loud on certain kinds of snow:  on the dry, powdery stuff when it is super cold,  they make a peculiar sound,  but in all other situations they are as quiet if not more quiet than the original Michelins. And the grip is very nearly as good as the winter only tires on our BMW. Today,  I hit an exit ramp that was far more icy than I anticipated and on the original Michelins I definitely would have went right off the road.  But while the Hankooks were challenged to their limits, I was able to slow down plenty fast enough to circle the cloverleaf smoothly (though slowly) with little drama.  I am quite pleased with these tires. 

Nice, thanks for the report. 

[mkaplan40]

Late to this post, but I had a 2007 Lincoln MKZ and had michelin cross climate and when I purchased a newer 2017 Lincoln MKZ I wanted to see if I could get cross climates on the car and Michelin does not make cross climates in 245/40/19.  The Hankook's do look similar to the cross climate but do not have the similar love received to the cross climate. Is that because 245/40/19 is an uncommon tire size? 

[drolds1]

Hi, mkaplan40 and welcome to the Forum.

 

In answer to your question, no, the 245/40r19 is not an uncommon size at all.  Here's a list of cars that use it.  A quick search revealed that the Michelin CrossClimate has been replaced by the CrossClimate+ and it's just not offered in any diameter larger than 18" and no cross-section larger than 225 mm.