Recently took the 07 DTS to the dealer for what seemed to be a rubbing sound in the left front. Dealer checked everthing and finally tested the tires. Bands slipping in all four. I didn't expect much from the Continental's, but to fall apart at 30K is not good. I'm replacing them with a set of Goodyear Assurance Comfortred - a well matched tire for the DTS. I can't believe that Continental can continue selling crap. My dealer will not install them anymore. If you have them, beware.

You will like those tires. I had them on a Monte Carlo I traded in for the STS. I wish I could put them on my STS.

You will like those tires. I had them on a Monte Carlo I traded in for the STS. I wish I could put them on my STS.


Why can't you put them on the STS?

Texas Jim

I don't think thry are available in the sizes I need.

If you thought the Continentals were terrible, you should experience the Bridgestones on my current DTS. As many times as I cussed the Contis on my '06 DTS, I'd take them in a heartbeat over the Bridgestones on my '08. I've given up trying to get GM/Cadillac or Bridgestone to replace these pieces of junk, and am going to bite the bullet and pay for a new set myself even though the dealer assures me that these Bridgestones will outlast my lease. These tires are that horrible.

I had Continentals on a 2002.
I HATED THEM.
Like you... I bought a new set of tires on my own.
I put the Michelin HYDRO EDGE on the '02.
Liked them real well.

I have the Bridgestone Turanza E400's on my 2006 DTS. 245x50x18 H rated
They have a little over 41,000 on them.
Will probably replace them at about 50k.
They have been fine... so far, (Knock on wood... :) ) but are starting to get worn a little.
Not sure yet what I am going to put on it. Maybe the same ones.

Texas JIm

At the risk of being accused of exaggerating, the Goodyear Assurance improved the handling of my 300C about 1000% over the Conti's. But I did feel that they were a bit more slick on wet pavement. My DTS came with the Bridgestones. No complaints yet....

Tulsa Vic,

I have not decided yet on which replacement tires to get.
I have heard good thing about the Goodyear Assurance tires.
Were yours the TRIPLE TREAD... or am I thinking of something else?

I am tempted to just go back with whats on it. They handle real well.
They have been good tires but I would like something without so much road noise. Mine are pretty loud.... especially on grooved concrete.


Texas Jim

Texas Jim,

At the time I replaced the tires, the selection was very limited. Only Continentals and Goodyear Assurance had that size. The Triple-Tred, as I think they're called, didn't come in the 300C size. Only the Assurance Comfort-Tred, which has a very conventional looking tread design. They had a 80K mile tread life guarantee, which probably explains why I thought them more slick on wet pavement: Harder rubber compound.

They were noticeably quieter and softer riding than the Continentals. But the big difference was in handling. Some people on the Edmunds 300C site complained of lower gas mileage with the Goodyear but I didn't see that. They might have been under inflating them (I like to run mine in the 32 - 34 lb. range). With the Continentals, on a very uneven secondary road, you'd have to hold on to the wheel with both hands The same road at the same speed could be driven with the Goodyears with just a couple of fingers on the wheel. If I hadn't experienced the difference myself, I never would have believed it. The DTS has a much more solid front end feel to begin with, courtesy of FWD. So can't even imagine how nice the Goodyears would feel.....

Tulsa Vic,

Thanks for the reply and information.
I will check into them after my Labor Day trip if not before I go.
Need to see if they have them in the size the Performance Sedan needs.

Thinking of going to Glacier Natl Park in Montana.
After another 5k to 6k trip...I will be needing them when I get back. :)


Texas Jim

Jim, my Bridgestones are Turnaza EL400-02 with the -02 indicating the second generation of the EL400. All I can say is that if these are second generation, I pity anyone who had the first generation. Noise is but one of my complaints, and these tires are NOISY, so much so that on most surfaces you would think you're riding in a convertable rather than a closed body sedan. And its not just road roar, which is darn near unbearable most of the time, its that these tires broadcast everything on the road surface with lots of thuds, pings, rumbling, etc. These tires are also extremely rough riding, since I drive the same route day after day, I can tell you where every pit, pothole, etc is and with my '06, most of it went completely unnoticed, not so in this car, even if the suspension effectively absorbs the impact, the tires certainly broadcast it. Then there's the flat spotting that causes an extremely rough ride. The service techs were kind enough to point out that the flat spots smooth out after 10-15 miles of continuous driving, but during my daily commute, I usually don't travel more than 10 miles between stops, so the vibrations from the flat spotting never really disappears for me. If I let the car sit for more than a few days, I can't drive it faster than 20-30 mph for fear of shaking something loose due to such severe flat spotting. But my original complaint with the tires was hydroplaning. I'd owned the car about a week, and was driving in the rain when I noticed that telltale hydroplane signal, and I was traveling somewhere between 40-50 mph, and I could turn the wheel half a turn in each direction and the car just continued on a straight path. I've never experienced that before, and needless to say it was quite scary. Also, neither the dealer nor the local tire shop have been able to completely eliminate high speed vibration either, which the dealer attributes to the flat spotting, and my lack of longer drive distances. The only solution put forth other than repeated balancing is putting nitrogen in them, which the dealer said would eliminate the flat spotting (made no noticeable difference), and should help to alleviate some of the road noise (actually made it worse). And both Cadillac and Bridgestone customer service just pass the buck back and forth and have been completely useless.

So thats why I came to the decision to bite the bullet and replace them at my own expense. Also in all my research on these tires all the comments come from Honda and Toyota owners. If these are indeed the premium tires that Bridgestone claims they are, why are they on middle of the road Civics, Corollas, and Camrys???

RJM,

Just went to the garage and looked at mine. They are also -02.
They are also VERY noisy... as I mentioned in an earlier post.
They also transmit a tremendous amount of road imperfections to the car... JUST LIKE YOURS DO.

I have not had a problem with flat spotting on mine nor with hydroplaning.... that is until they wore to about half tread.

When they were close to new... I thought the wet weather handling was outstanding.... but as they have worn down... it is not very good at all.

This past Monday I was driving in the rain... and felt it skate on top of the water several times. I then slowed down even tho I wasn't driving real fast to start with. It shouldn't do that.

I am starting to research tires.
Problem is ... they are not very many choices in this size.
245x50x18. Darn it.

Too bad they don't still make the old Michelin X in this size.
I would put them on in a heartbeat.
I have had several sets of those... always a great tire.
Smooth...quite... and not great but acceptable handling.

I am going to check out the Goodyear's that Tulsa Vic mentioned.

Texas Jim

Jim,

I hear ya!!! I miss the Michelin XH4, THAT was a damn good tire. Although my '91 Brougham was the last Cadillac which had that tire, which coincidentally was my last REAL Cadillac (in my opinion), these FWD cars have all been nice, but for the most part I consider them just that, really nice cars, but not quite a Cadillac.

Back to the tires, my local tire store said we could probably fudge the numbers and go with a slightly different size (like 235/55 or 240/55)tire because the only Michelin tire they came up with in the original size is a Pilot which they said would be somewhat quieter than the Bridgestone (but not much), although ride and handling should improve significantly but if I get more than 12,000 miles on them they would be surprised, and I want something to go at least 25K-30K to make sure there is enough tread left at the end of my lease to satisfy that requirement.

I've only began my research but I've read great things about the Michelin Primacy MXV4.

Since I drive a Cadillac, I'm more concerned with a smooth, quiet ride than handling. So I'll sacrifice some handling if the tires will significantly improve ride and noise levels. I'm going to try and swing by the tire store tomorrow and see what can be arranged because I want peace and quiet back in my Cadillac. It hasn't rained here in over 2 weeks so the hydroplaning issue isn't a problem at this juncture, but the NOISE and flat spotting is.

The only thing that gives my pause is the prices. This is the first time in many a year that I've had to replace tires (another benefit of 2 year leases), but some of the price quotes I've seen while doing research are INSANE. I don't expect them to be cheap, but I've seen some Michelins, Pirellis, and Goodyears in the $250-$300/tire range.

Wishing us both good luck!

My 07 DTS is leased and i bought some Regatta tires and they work fine.The Continentals were cheap and had little traction in snow. Not good for Ohio!

Jim,

I hear ya!!! I miss the Michelin XH4, THAT was a damn good tire. Although my '91 Brougham was the last Cadillac which had that tire, which coincidentally was my last REAL Cadillac (in my opinion), these FWD cars have all been nice, but for the most part I consider them just that, really nice cars, but not quite a Cadillac.

Back to the tires, my local tire store said we could probably fudge the numbers and go with a slightly different size (like 235/55 or 240/55)tire because the only Michelin tire they came up with in the original size is a Pilot which they said would be somewhat quieter than the Bridgestone (but not much), although ride and handling should improve significantly but if I get more than 12,000 miles on them they would be surprised, and I want something to go at least 25K-30K to make sure there is enough tread left at the end of my lease to satisfy that requirement.

I've only began my research but I've read great things about the Michelin Primacy MXV4.

Since I drive a Cadillac, I'm more concerned with a smooth, quiet ride than handling. So I'll sacrifice some handling if the tires will significantly improve ride and noise levels. I'm going to try and swing by the tire store tomorrow and see what can be arranged because I want peace and quiet back in my Cadillac. It hasn't rained here in over 2 weeks so the hydroplaning issue isn't a problem at this juncture, but the NOISE and flat spotting is.

The only thing that gives my pause is the prices. This is the first time in many a year that I've had to replace tires (another benefit of 2 year leases), but some of the price quotes I've seen while doing research are INSANE. I don't expect them to be cheap, but I've seen some Michelins, Pirellis, and Goodyears in the $250-$300/tire range.

Wishing us both good luck!



I chose the Goodyear Assurance Comfortred because they offered the smoothest and most quiet ride I could find. Handling and traction are secondary to me in the DTS. $777 included mounting and road force balancing. I had to order the 235-55-17's. 3-5 day delivery. Tire Rack comparison chart is a good place to rate tires on the attributes you want most. This tire rated 1st in smooth ride and quiet ride. It rated 5th overall in it's class. It blew the Michelin Symetry away (and less expensive).

Jim,
Back to the tires, my local tire store said we could probably fudge the numbers and go with a slightly different size (like 235/55 or 240/55)tire

I've only began my research but I've read great things about the Michelin Primacy MXV4.

Since I drive a Cadillac, I'm more concerned with a smooth, quiet ride than handling.

The only thing that gives my pause is the prices.

I've seen some Michelins, Pirellis, and Goodyears in the $250-$300/tire range.

Wishing us both good luck!


RJM,

Like you, I have just begun to look at new tires.
I am not looking forward to paying $1000 to $1200 bucks for a set of tires.

I too am willing, at this point, to sacrifice some handling for a smooth quite ride.

I sometimes like to drive the car HARD AND FAST and I appreciate what it is capable of...BUT... THAT KIND of driving is probably 1 or 2 percent of my driving.

The other 99 percent of the time...just cruising down the highway... it is too rough and noisy to be a Cadillac.

I have put over 41,000 miles on it in a year and a half. Most of that was highway miles. When I am home and working at my regular job... it sometimes sits for several days at a time in the garage. My wife doesn't drive.

I also put almost 40,000 (in less than a year) on my FIRST 2006 that burned in my garage fire. That is almost 80,000 miles in 2 1/2 years and I am tired of the noise.

Will be leaving out on the 29th for another 5k to 6k trip. In case you hadn't noticed... we like ROAD TRIPS. :) :) :)

I too will check on the different size thing and see what I can come up with.

Texas Jim

I chose the Goodyear Assurance Comfortred because they offered the smoothest and most quiet ride I could find.

This tire rated 1st in smooth ride and quiet ride. It rated 5th overall in it's class. It blew the Michelin Symetry away (and less expensive).


I too have read good things about those tires.
I will check into them but I don't think they make them in 245x50x18.
I hope I am wrong.

Texas Jim

Though hopefully I'm a good 40K away from needing tires....I had to look. Unfortunately no Comfort-Treds for you Texas Jim. The only Goodyear listed for a 245/50/18 is their Eagle F1. Might be OK for you in Texas--it's definitely a summer performance tire. TireRack does show several other brands, including Pirelli and Michelin (Pilot).
As a side comment, when I was shopping for tires, I deliberately avoided the Goodyear stores, thinking I would get a better price at places that carried a wide range of brands. Robertson's is one of those stores here in Tulsa. Got a price, then for the heck of it went to Goodyear. The Comfort-Treds at Goodyear were $35. less PER TIRE! Pays to shop around.....

1Eldo1,

The Michelin Symmetry was on my '98 and it was a horrible tire. I'd rank them right up there with these Bridgestones. If that had been my only experience with Michelin tires, I'd never consider Michelin tires again. I've only limited experience with Goodyear tires, but most of what I've heard hasn't been good. But I'm open to suggestions, and if the Comfort-Treds are smooth and extremely quiet, I'd be willing to consider.

Jim,

I can't imagine taking a road trip with these tires. Above 60mph, even on the smoothest of pavement, the symphony of road noises from the tires is darn near unbearable. For short hops, I can tolerate them. But they seem to be getting louder every day, and I'm worried that by the time I reach 10K miles, the only way I'll be able to drive this car over 50mph is to wear my BOSE noise canceling headset!

1Eldo1,
Jim,

I can't imagine taking a road trip with these tires. Above 60mph, even on the smoothest of pavement, the symphony of road noises from the tires is darn near unbearable. For short hops, I can tolerate them. But they seem to be getting louder every day, and I'm worried that by the time I reach 10K miles, the only way I'll be able to drive this car over 50mph is to wear my BOSE noise canceling headset!


RJM,

Maybe mine are not quite as bad as yours are... or maybe it is because I am getting a little old and a little hard of hearing. :)

On smooth asphalt they are fine, actually pretty quite... it is only on concrete roads or the textured asphalt that they are noisy.
On textured or grooved concrete, they are HORRIBLE.

Mine are definitely louder and more noisy than when they were new. They now have almost 41,000 on them. By looking at the tread... they will probably run to about 60,000... but they will be replaced when I get back from Montana and Idaho. I can't stand them any longer. :crying:

Texas Jim

The Goodyear Assurance Comfortreds were installed yesterday. What a difference. WOW! The car now feels like a Cadillac. The ride is quiet and smooth as glass. These tires handle fine for a Caddy on dry pavement. We'll have to see how they do in rain and snow. Hopefully they will last. Why GM stuck cheap Continentals on a DTS a mystery to me. I can now see that they were crap from day one. :cookoo:

Before I put the Regatta,s on my DTS i tried the not the comfort tread but the others similar tires and I did not like them. I was told they didn't make comfort treads for the DTS and since Goodyear has a 30 day trial period they traded out the tires and i got Regatta,s instead and they are fine. The other tires might have been called Triple tread I don't recall but now I have a CADDY ride again.

Put two new Bridgestone Turanza's on the DTS today.
Build date 12/07

Took it to have the wheels balanced before leaving on a 5000 mile trip tomorrow.

The front tires were worn a LOT more than I realized. One was almost to the wear bars. I NEVER let my tires get worn that bad.

Didn't have time to shop around... and knowing I will have several days of ALL DAY fairly high speed running...just put two new Bridgestones back on it.


Texas Jim