Bridgestone Turanza EL42 Tire - Squeal and More Squeal
Written: Aug 02 '04 (Updated Dec 14 '07)
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Pros: They look OK and perform reasonably well in the rain, seem durable
Cons: Expensive, mediocre traction in the dry, squeal in turns
The Bottom Line: Designed to be a good performer in all areas, the EL42 turns out to be a good performer in no one. It is unfortunate that...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Bridgestone Turanza Tire EL42 |
My Infiniti G35 Sedan came with Bridgestone Turanza EL42 in size 215/55-17. Once they are worn, I will definitely get something else.
My Dilemma
Unfortunately, my Infiniti G35 uses tires of the 215/55-17 size. This size is so rare that there aren't many choices of tires available. Goodyear GS-D, Goodyear RS-A and Bridgestone Turanza EL42 are the only choices I could find so far.
I might try to get wider tires keeping the same sidewall height in the future, but for now I am stuck with EL42. I wish I could get Kumho Ecsta 716 HP4 - aside from the lower speed rating, they would do much better job (and I don't expect going faster than 130 mph).
About EL42
As the name implies, the Turanza EL42 is a Grand-Touring All-Season tire. It was designed to do many things well, but unfortunately it does not excel in any of them. The marketing hype is that the EL42 is designed for sports sedans and coupes and blends low noise and ride comfort with performance, at the same time delivering year-round traction, even in the light snow.
The tire is available in sizes fitting wheels from 15 to 18 inches in diameter and from 205 to 255 mm in width and with 50, 55, 60 and 65 aspect ratios. The tire comes with no treadlife warranty and relatively low UTQG rating (260 in my case) does not inspire confidence in its longevity.
The EL42 comes in H and V speed ratings. Since my G35 can go faster than 130 mph, I have the V-rated tires.
Squeal and More of It
I am unimpressed with my tires' performance. Even moderate braking causes embarrassing squeal just before the car comes to a stop (an I only have 5K miles on them). I have to substantially ease off the brake pedal at the end of the braking to avoid looking/sounding like a high-school kid in a lowered Honda.
I do check the tire inflation pressure periodically and it is correct (factory-recommended 30 psi). The squeal also manifests itself in turns at much slower speeds than what my car is capable of.
I have not been able to test the snow traction of these tires since in the Southern California, it is difficult to find snow. The behave reasonably well in the rain however - better then what I expected based on their squealing in the dry weather. The stops are reassuring (my car's 52/48 weight distribution front to rear helps in this respect).
The tires are relatively quiet (and my car has a lot of sound insulation to boot), but I can still hear impacts over uneven road surfaces. I am unimpressed with the ride quality either.
Update 06/2006: I currently have 23K miles on these tires and it seems that they are squealing less. There is about 50-60 % of the usable tread left, which means they should be good for a total mileage of 40-50K. Pretty good, considering I am ocassionally go full-throttle (260hp) and take some turns as fast as the tires can handle.
Still, as soon as they are close to the wear bars, I am going to replace them with something better.
I have driven the same car model (Infiniti G35) fitted with the tires of the same size and speed rating (215/55-VR17) - Goodyear Eagle RS-A. The car behaved much better - no squeal, queter and generally better ride and better traction.
According to my own impressions and reviews on tirerack.com, neither this EL42 nor the RS-A are good tires. At least not for the price. I am definitely getting something better (and maybe even cheaper at the same time): Michelin Pilot something or Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3.
Update: I got Yokohama YK520 and it is much better.
Conclusion
Designed to be a good performer in all areas, the EL42 turns out to be a good performer in no one. It is unfortunate that OEM tires (tires that come with cars) are often not worthy of the car they come with. I cannot recommend these tires due to their squealing and lack of performance.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): OEM
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dkozin
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