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Nitto Motivo Summer Performance vs Goodyear Eagle Sport All Season
A few assumptions first...
1. Motivos are on the S, Goodyears are on the Turbo
2. Tire pressures are similar and in spec
3. Exact same roads during my unofficial "test"
4. Tread meets NC standards on both
5. Identical wheels (Sport Techno 20") and identical tire sizes (275/40 20)
My test started out earlier this year when I was bragging to my wife about the Cayenne's all-wheel drive and handling capability. It was pouring down rain, we were driving carefully but still 50-60 mph down the highway. There were several saturated areas of the highway we were on, and we were discussing my wife's close friend whose husband perished about a year ago after hydroplaning and dying upon impact. The Cayenne was stable on both the highway, and the NC "backroads" to our house. Tons of confidence in this vehicle over the past several years of ownership, in all driving conditions.
Jump ahead to driving the Turbo. From what I can tell, there is nothing substantially different to be expected from the S to the Turbo when it comes to wet-weather driving, except that pertaining to the tires. The adjustable suspension or ride-height shouldn't play a factor (another assumption with Turbo, my "test" was done in all driving modes and both low and normal ride height.
I am driving the Turbo for the first time in a downpour on the exact same roads. I can literally feel the vehicle slide as I hit the heavy spots of water. I am traveling at similar speeds (50-60mph) down the exact same roads (both highway and back roads). It happens quite often at even the slightest puddle of water in the road. In fact, it continued to happen even after the rain stopped, but there was still standing water in the roads. I continued my "test" to see if it was a fluke, and was able to easily hydroplane even at substantially slower speeds (35-45mph).
Am I missing something? The Turbo literally feels like her wheels are getting pulled to one side or the other, whereas the S was dead straight and I NEVER lost confidence.
Next set of tires will certainly NOT be the Goodyear Eagle Sports, and I will probably go with what I know and have confidence in with the Motivos.
This is a sincere issue/question and I am not looking to start a tire debate (even though my title may seem otherwise). Are there suspension issues I should look at?
Could be tires, but I doubt it would be THAT pronounced. Given your description, it sounds more like an alignment issue. I had a car (non-Cayenne) that on the dry seemed fine, but on the wet, the *** would always want to step out. There was a "thrust angle" in the alignment. Basically, the car was crabbing down the street.
FWIW, my CTT seems very planted in dry, wet and snow. I'm driving on some Falken tires (forget which model), same size as yours.
It could be as significant as described... the capability of a tire to pump water away from treat contact sites varies radically depending on tread design. Internal construction can also produce substantial differences in feel. About the only variable in a test would be treadwear and the vehicle. Swapping the tires to the same vehicle would be the ultimate "decider". I would suggest reading reviews of the 2 tires on tirerack.com to see if others note that the Goodyear tire is not very good through puddles and that the Nitto model IS good though puddles in spite of being a summer tire which are generally LESS good in rain than all-season tires.
For curiosity, I looked these tires up to look at the tread pattern. "looks" about the same general pattern. Reviews seem to be similar as well. Only way to tell for sure is to swap wheels and tire around and see if the problem stays with the cars or the tires.
Thanks for all the replies and input. I will definitely swap out the wheels and see how they perform. Fortunately we have a hurricane heading this way so we'll have plenty of water on the ground.
There have been numerous test, the latest I can recall was from Consumer Reports a year or two ago, but the conclusion was the same as in the past. If you need summer tires buy summer tires; if you need winter tires, buy winter tires. All season tires do a poorer job in both conditions, i.e. they are not as good as summer tires in the summer nor as good as winter tires in the winter.
That being said, there are some A/S tires that are better than others so if you want A/S tires check out the test from the different groups.
To your point though, a lot of variables in play in your comparison so it may be difficult to reach a definitive conclusion, but eliminating whatever variables you can is a good start.
There have been numerous test, the latest I can recall was from Consumer Reports a year or two ago, but the conclusion was the same as in the past. If you need summer tires buy summer tires; if you need winter tires, buy winter tires. All season tires do a poorer job in both conditions, i.e. they are not as good as summer tires in the summer nor as good as winter tires in the winter.
That being said, there are some A/S tires that are better than others so if you want A/S tires check out the test from the different groups.
To your point though, a lot of variables in play in your comparison so it may be difficult to reach a definitive conclusion, but eliminating whatever variables you can is a good start.
Stay safe and out of harms way.
Not tracking your point. Summer or All Season shouldn't really play into this wet conditions issue. This isn't just a summer performs better than and A/S in the rain... this is the A/S is downright unsafe. Am I missing something in your post? I would expect the poorest All Season tire to perform at least to a basic level in wet weather.
Not tracking your point. Summer or All Season shouldn't really play into this wet conditions issue. This isn't just a summer performs better than and A/S in the rain... this is the A/S is downright unsafe. Am I missing something in your post? I would expect the poorest All Season tire to perform at least to a basic level in wet weather.
Thanks for the reply, however.
Sorry if my post was not clear - I don't think there is disagreement here, just not a very well worded reply by me. My point is specific tires designed for specific purposes (i.e. race tracks and/or seasons) should be expected to out perform multi-use tires. Thus summer tires in summer or winter tires in winter should out perform A/S tires in that respective season. But you cannot leave a summer tire on in the winter or a winter tire on in the summer and expect top performance either, and thus the attractiveness of the A/S tire.
The fact that your summer tire in summer rain is better than your A/S is not too surprising. But to your point, and I agree completely, even a basic A/S should not cause driving anxiety in the rain, assuming it is DOT approved/compliant. So something has gone astray with your A/S tires it would seem.
Swapped wheels, inspected and found a bit of negative camber wear on right rear. Took in for alignment, and the Turbo's alignment was pretty far off, and I have an issue with the right rear camber.
The S performs very well with the A/S Goodyears.
I did NOT expect this purchasing this from a Porsche dealership, and honestly, is nail in the coffin (3rd unacceptable issue) for ever returning back to that dealership. Not a lemon of a Cayenne, but not pleased with the transaction. Another discussion for another day.
09-05-2017, 07:46 AM
Nitto Motivo Summer Performance vs Goodyear Eagle Sport All Season
