Americus Sport Hp

15000 mile update from my first review. Nothing has changed. Still love them. I haven't actually measured, but they're not showing that much wear and I do push these tires. And the Volvo V70 is known for eating tires.

I can't remember if they are rated for 60 or 80 Thousand Miles, I'd be surprised with this car if I got that much. But I'm on track to easily get at least 40 to 50,000, and at the price I got them for I'm very happy.
PS I have yet to try them in snow or ice which is why I gave the mid-range rating for that.

Bear in mind this review is only after 500 miles. Bottom line is I'm so far very happy especially for $340 USD out the door.

First impressions were positive as the first day was spent in light to heavy rain on a curvy mountain highway. The Americus HP's stuck well and did not hydroplane...I did challenge them. Even from a right turn out of a parking lot at about 3/4 throttle with the turbo working and TRACS off they didn't spin.

Dry performance is fine too. I might wish for a tiny bit stiffer sidewall, but it doesn't bother me. We'll see how it affects wear.

Bearded Ninja is right...they were overinflated from the shop. I noticed they were much quieter than the old Michelins (and a past set of NEW Sumitomos)but harsher ride...until I deflated them from 40 to 34 PSI. Much smoother. Sorry Jeremey, but I don't share the concern about wide treads. In fact, I like them as I do drive wet mountain and some dirt roads.

I bought this car used years ago with a half worn set of Sumitomo Touring tires which lasted well, performed well, and were quiet all through their life. So I bought another set of the SAME model to replace...and they sucked. Noisy, less adhesion, and lasted only 35K. Pricey too. Sumitomo denied the warranty because I missed a rotation. Never again Sumitomo.

As a stopgap I picked up a used set of Michelins which were better. When one recently shredded from debris, I was forced by circumstance and lack of $$ to get the Americus HP's, set of 4.

Happy so far and hoping they continue to perform well and last even half of their predicted 80k. For $340 it'd be a steal.

The gentleman with the Mazda and poor rating is crying. When it comes to road noise and “drifting” around on the freeway it’s because all tire shops air up brand new tires to the maximum recommended pressure. That means there’s less grip because the tread of the tire is crowned in the middle. Duh. I’ve prob been to 25 different shops and 15 different vehicles over the course of driving for 20 years, and all of them aired up to max pressure. Once I got home and aired down the tires to Toyota’s suggested operating pressure the ride was quite comfortable and road noise was a lot less than the previous set of a different brand.

Jeremy/Mazda guy says it’s like sliding on thin ice while on dry pavement but says “large grooves may be good at driving over wet roads.” What a contradiction hahahaha!

When it comes to body roll, the guy with the Mazda is full of crap LMAO!!!!!! Body roll has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH TIRES and everything to do with suspension and the way the unibody was made!!!!!

So in conclusion, these tires are very well made, came with free road hazard warranty from the manufacturer and are rated at 70,000 miles which will last me over 3 years. Win win win!

You get what you pay for with these Americus Thunderer Sport HP tires...literally. If you pay close attention to the tread you basically get half a tire. Although the multiple large grooves may be good at driving over wet roads, there isn't much rubber that makes contact with the road. I thought I was getting a heck of a deal for 4 of these for $300 mounted and balanced, but the moment I drove on them a huge feeling of regret overwhelmed me. They ride rough as in being able to feel just about every small crack in the road. There is also excessive ground noise when driving on the highway. Cornering is very poor as there is a lot of body roll when sharp turns. Lastly my biggest complaint is during highway driving about 60mph plus they tend to drift. What I mean by that is that due to less rubber contact on the road and driving on 1 inch treads the car is not stable at all. It feels like driving on a thin layer of ice. With just a slight movement of the steering wheel or a gust of wind, such as a big rig driving by, the entire car feels like it's slipping and sliding. My old Kumho Ecsta tires were bad I felt but nowhere near as bad as these. If you want junk tires then these are certainly the ones to buy. If you are on a budget and don't want to spend too much, I would highly recommend a different brand. I've bought a lot of new tires in my 25 years of driving and I must say these are by far the worst tires that I've ever purchased and have driven on. These tires are poorly designed and the most unsafe tires to be driving on in my opinion. Only because I had already spent $300 on these, I will drive on them for just a bit longer. I plan to swap them out for some used Pirellis, Goodyears, or anything else that won't cause me to get into an accident. And lastly, these are advertised as ZR18 on the side when in fact they are not even Z rated. This particular size 225/45/R18 are actually W rated, but the company has ZR18 in the tire size. Tell me if that's not misleading and should be a big red flag for anyone to avoid this tire.