Who has / had these. What are your thoughts? They seem to be a good balance of price and performance. I drive about 25,000 miles per year. I only see a little snow every couple of years in Atlanta and only go off road on a dirt road about 8-10 times a year. Highway and Atlanta driving - mostly dodging idiots...
Continental CrossContact LX
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coolpop
New member
I have them, having replaced the Toyo Open Country (which rode way too harshly and were a bit too noisy), so here is my opinion after about 3 months.
For price and performance, you can't beat them, not one bit. They look good, they are GREAT in wet conditions, and they are quiet. Definitely comparable to tires that cost a lot more (Forteras, Cross Terrains, Dueler Alenza).
I've had the Fortera Silent Armors and the Cross Terrains, so I will compare the Cross Contact to those other two. The Cross Contact is better in the rain and are equal in smoothness of ride and in the low noise levels. The Silent Armors excelled in ride comfort - insulating the driver from road cracks and imperfections, bumps, etc - and the Cross Terrains were not far behind. Both of those tires had very good ride comfort.
The Cross Contacts do not ride nearly as comfortably. Now don't get me wrong, they are nice and relatively comfortable, but they do not measure up to the other two. It seems as thought this tire is built for better handling, what with the max psi at 50.
All in all, I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.
Hope that helps.
For price and performance, you can't beat them, not one bit. They look good, they are GREAT in wet conditions, and they are quiet. Definitely comparable to tires that cost a lot more (Forteras, Cross Terrains, Dueler Alenza).
I've had the Fortera Silent Armors and the Cross Terrains, so I will compare the Cross Contact to those other two. The Cross Contact is better in the rain and are equal in smoothness of ride and in the low noise levels. The Silent Armors excelled in ride comfort - insulating the driver from road cracks and imperfections, bumps, etc - and the Cross Terrains were not far behind. Both of those tires had very good ride comfort.
The Cross Contacts do not ride nearly as comfortably. Now don't get me wrong, they are nice and relatively comfortable, but they do not measure up to the other two. It seems as thought this tire is built for better handling, what with the max psi at 50.
All in all, I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.
Hope that helps.
coolpop
New member
Let me rephrase, or further explain. I was spoiled by the comfort of the Silent Armors. For whatever reason, those tires soaked up road imperfections, bumps, cracks, expansion joints, etc. like no other tire I've ever had.
The Cross Contact is a great tire. I was driving on 95 last night and thought to myself how quiet these tires really are. They are just great in the rain, better than the Goodyear or Michelin. And they are comfortable. My comfort comment was in comparison to the Silent Armors, that's all.
Now...when you compare them to stock Duelers or Dunlops, there is no comparison. A friend's Runner has the Duelers and I've ridden in his truck many times. I test drove several that had Dunlops. In comparison to those, the Cross Contact is so much more comfortable. That's all I meant.
Throw in the fact that these tires are about $110 bucks a pop and I'd buy them again, no doubt.
Hope that clears it up.
The Cross Contact is a great tire. I was driving on 95 last night and thought to myself how quiet these tires really are. They are just great in the rain, better than the Goodyear or Michelin. And they are comfortable. My comfort comment was in comparison to the Silent Armors, that's all.
Now...when you compare them to stock Duelers or Dunlops, there is no comparison. A friend's Runner has the Duelers and I've ridden in his truck many times. I test drove several that had Dunlops. In comparison to those, the Cross Contact is so much more comfortable. That's all I meant.
Throw in the fact that these tires are about $110 bucks a pop and I'd buy them again, no doubt.
Hope that clears it up.
coolpop
New member
I upsized bc I like the way the tires fill out the wheel well. In my opinion, it just looks so much better.
The speedometer and odometer are not off all that much. Since it's a bigger tire, you get less revolutions per mile and that keeps the odometer down just a bit (good for resale
). As far as the speedometer is concerned, I read somewhere it's off by about 2.2%, so if you're drving 75 mph the speedometer reads about 72, and the difference goes down as the speed decreases. Hardly noticeable.
Hope that helps.
The speedometer and odometer are not off all that much. Since it's a bigger tire, you get less revolutions per mile and that keeps the odometer down just a bit (good for resale
). As far as the speedometer is concerned, I read somewhere it's off by about 2.2%, so if you're drving 75 mph the speedometer reads about 72, and the difference goes down as the speed decreases. Hardly noticeable.Hope that helps.
delmartian4
New member
Coolpop, what sizes were the michelin's and goodyear's? ... have a feeling the size your now using contributed to the ride of the conti's being not as comfortable as your previous two sets of tires ... seems like the conti cross contact's and michelin cross terrain's are tops for ride, handling, comfort and low rolling resistance (contributing factor in better gas mileage)
coolpop
New member
The Cross Terrains came stock on my 04 Runner, so they were the stock size of 265/65/17. When I bought the Silent Armors, I upsized to 265/70/17 and that is where I have stayed with the Continentals.
And I will say it again - this tire is just a great value. For everything you get you just can't beat the price.
And I will say it again - this tire is just a great value. For everything you get you just can't beat the price.
delmartian4
New member
Thanks coolpop, one more question. If you had the chance to buy another set of tires, price being no object, which set of tires would you buy?
I went 285x55x17 on some Hancook Ventus and although they look great (very wide footpriont) and handle great, VR rated, the ride is harsh. They worked great on an Infiniti FX-35 I owned but on the 4runner i am leaning towards the best ride, rolling resistance and handling combination i can find, and i like the idea of going 265x70x17, i imagine that improves the handling with some trade off in ride.
Yours has been one of the most helpful postings on street tires for the 4th gen 4runner. thanks again.
I went 285x55x17 on some Hancook Ventus and although they look great (very wide footpriont) and handle great, VR rated, the ride is harsh. They worked great on an Infiniti FX-35 I owned but on the 4runner i am leaning towards the best ride, rolling resistance and handling combination i can find, and i like the idea of going 265x70x17, i imagine that improves the handling with some trade off in ride.
Yours has been one of the most helpful postings on street tires for the 4th gen 4runner. thanks again.
coolpop
New member
Thanks delmartian.
I can only go based on the tires I've had, and that being the case, I would probably pick the Fortera Silent Armors. IMO, they are by far the best looking SUV tires, they have the most comfortable ride, and they are quiet. Without the Goodyear issues, I think they'd be great.
I can only go based on the tires I've had, and that being the case, I would probably pick the Fortera Silent Armors. IMO, they are by far the best looking SUV tires, they have the most comfortable ride, and they are quiet. Without the Goodyear issues, I think they'd be great.
olsen_karl
New member
Bumping up an older thread.
Any higher-mileage feedback? Still liking these tires? -- wearing well, handling turned out to be OK, wet/dry/snow traction?
Any higher-mileage feedback? Still liking these tires? -- wearing well, handling turned out to be OK, wet/dry/snow traction?
delmartian4
New member
Increase in gas mileage
I decided on the Michelin Cross Terrain tire and will comment on it. Reviews on this site, Tirerack, Discount Tire, JD Powers and 1010tire helped with my decision. I also noticed the price of the Michelin Cross Terrain tire was not much more than the comparable Continental Cross Country tire. I shopped prices at Discount, Tirerack and Costco.
The only negative review I found on the Michelin Cross Terrains was on Consumer Reports, but I will add they did say rolling resistance was very good, a contributing factor to improving gas mileage. My personal feeling is Consumer Reports did not have enough of a break in period on this tire, it is an excellent tire. Since purchasing the Michelins the ride, braking and gas mileage has improved. I have experienced an extra 40 miles per tank in my driving range, its now 375 miles, and an improvement in ride and handling. The baseline/controls for my comparison are the stock Dunlops and some Hankook's I had on the 4runner.
I will add I long ago started using some of the hypermiler recommendations on the 4runner, all this before purchasing the Michelins. I use 5-20w fully synthetic oil, keep the air filter clean and increased the tire pressure to 35 lbs. with no noticeable difference in the ride. Good luck on your choice with the price of gas headed for $5 a gallon improving gas mileage on the 4runner is an issue.
I decided on the Michelin Cross Terrain tire and will comment on it. Reviews on this site, Tirerack, Discount Tire, JD Powers and 1010tire helped with my decision. I also noticed the price of the Michelin Cross Terrain tire was not much more than the comparable Continental Cross Country tire. I shopped prices at Discount, Tirerack and Costco.
The only negative review I found on the Michelin Cross Terrains was on Consumer Reports, but I will add they did say rolling resistance was very good, a contributing factor to improving gas mileage. My personal feeling is Consumer Reports did not have enough of a break in period on this tire, it is an excellent tire. Since purchasing the Michelins the ride, braking and gas mileage has improved. I have experienced an extra 40 miles per tank in my driving range, its now 375 miles, and an improvement in ride and handling. The baseline/controls for my comparison are the stock Dunlops and some Hankook's I had on the 4runner.
I will add I long ago started using some of the hypermiler recommendations on the 4runner, all this before purchasing the Michelins. I use 5-20w fully synthetic oil, keep the air filter clean and increased the tire pressure to 35 lbs. with no noticeable difference in the ride. Good luck on your choice with the price of gas headed for $5 a gallon improving gas mileage on the 4runner is an issue.
coolpop
New member
Not much more than the Cross Contact? Hmmmm. Every site I've visited shows the Michelins to be almost twice the price and that was definitely a deciding factor for me.
But no worries. The Cross Terrains are a great tire, you cannot go wrong with them.
One question - which tread pattern does your tire have? It seems as though the Michelins have 2 - the one shown on the various sites (closed shoulder) and the one that comes stock on some 4 Runners (much more open pattern).
But no worries. The Cross Terrains are a great tire, you cannot go wrong with them.
One question - which tread pattern does your tire have? It seems as though the Michelins have 2 - the one shown on the various sites (closed shoulder) and the one that comes stock on some 4 Runners (much more open pattern).
delmartian4
New member
The Continentals were $141.99 at Discount before installation. balancing and taxes. The Michelins were $157.99 at Costco, the price includes installation, balancing, warranty and taxes plus they had a $60 rebate for the purchase of four. Ironically Discount was willing to beat the Costco price by about $20. Still I went with Costco because of the nitrogen.
delmartian4
New member
Continental CrossContact LX (HR Rated)
I have an 05 Limited V6 4WD and looking to purchase new tires soon. I have the Michelin Cross Terrain's SUV and have about 44,000 miles on them thus far. I'm about 60% worn on the back and 50% on the front per Discount Tire a few days ago. I thought they were worn down more, but they're the experts. Anyway, I rotate them ever 6000 and they seem to be good tires, but I can't justify the cost of them! I'm concerned about gas mileage with the Cross Contacts. Do they really give you less MPG? The cost of the tire is very pleasing though!
Thanks for any info.
Rick
I have an 05 Limited V6 4WD and looking to purchase new tires soon. I have the Michelin Cross Terrain's SUV and have about 44,000 miles on them thus far. I'm about 60% worn on the back and 50% on the front per Discount Tire a few days ago. I thought they were worn down more, but they're the experts. Anyway, I rotate them ever 6000 and they seem to be good tires, but I can't justify the cost of them! I'm concerned about gas mileage with the Cross Contacts. Do they really give you less MPG? The cost of the tire is very pleasing though!
Thanks for any info.
Rick
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nyc4runnin
New member
just got them last night ! I've driven on them for approx 15 miles on the highway and they are silky smooth. the dunlops were horrible. The car has never driven so smoothly even when it was new ! I'll post more when I get some more miles on them.
Mtneer001
New member
bump this to the top.
i have 40,000 on my truck and am thinking about getting new tires. continental tires to be specific.
i was going to go with michelins just because i have always liked them, but the continentals seem to be the best deal.
i would love some cooler looking tires, but i am rough on tires...
i have 40,000 on my truck and am thinking about getting new tires. continental tires to be specific.
i was going to go with michelins just because i have always liked them, but the continentals seem to be the best deal.
i would love some cooler looking tires, but i am rough on tires...
Update...
Okay I went to Discount Tire today and the were able to change my mind about the Comtiental tires for my Runner... I had my heart set on them, but the Yokohama Geolanders are more similar to the Mich CT SUV tires. So it looks like I'm going with the Yoko in the next couple of weeks.
Anyone have these Geolandar H/T-S G051?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=S
Okay I went to Discount Tire today and the were able to change my mind about the Comtiental tires for my Runner... I had my heart set on them, but the Yokohama Geolanders are more similar to the Mich CT SUV tires. So it looks like I'm going with the Yoko in the next couple of weeks.
Anyone have these Geolandar H/T-S G051?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=S
