Stock Conti vs. Cross Terrain SUV
ZRMAnn,
Good questions! I try my best to answer and compare between the 2 tires. I had spent more time with the Contis, so I know they're average tires.
Visual comparison: The XTerrain SUV's have smoother sidewalls, better
uniformitty and have no blemish. Improve look on the
Armada. The Contis have sidewall blemish and uniform
quality is not as good. I do not like the look of the
Contis.
On Road Comparison: At high speed on smooth road, the Contis are
wandering aimlessly or shimmy. There are also
too much road feedback through the steering wheel.
Tail happy during sharp cornering, not good.
Probably due to the sidewall not as rugged as the
Michelins. The Michelins have good road feedback
through the steering wheels. At 90 MPH, the steering
wheel is tight, no vibration and straight. That's a
good thing. The XTerrains are grippier through sharp
turns due to their tread design and rugged sidewall. I
still need to spend more time on the Michelins to really
appreciate these tires.
Price: I bought these tires from America's Tire Co. for only $149 each
plus installation. The manager filled in the $50 rebate form for me, too.
On their website listed at over $200 each.
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/findTireDetail.do?rc=CALINT&cs=265&pc=34629&rcc=&rd=18&ar=70
P.S. This is just my opinion and some experience on the Contis and Mich's. Anybody out there with the Xterrains, please post your comments.
I hope this will help
Al