Best Tires For Nissan Maxima - Complete Guide

‍Best All-Season Touring Tires for Nissan Maxima

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

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Premium brands like Michelin and Bridgestone have built quite a reputation over the years. This is one reason why tires from such brands are priced considerably high. But with the entry of manufacturers like Cooper Tires, premium quality tires can be found at lower prices.

One such example is the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring, which undercuts many tires in terms of price but does not compromise performance or reliability. Many users claim that they are delighted when it comes to the performance of these tires; some are even using them on high-performance cars.

According to the company, this tire is optimally suited for mid-sized and reasonably powerful sedans like the Nissan Maxima. Cooper Tires has engineered this tire to offer top-notch handling, superb traction, and a smooth and super-quiet ride. It is an all-season tire and can be used all year round as it comes with an M+S rating, which means that it is designed to perform in Mud and Snow.

The tire is equipped with Cooper Tire's StabilEdge technology, which improves the cornering abilities of the tire. When needed, it also interlocks the tread blocks, such as during hard braking or acceleration, to provide maximum traction.

The tire also has 3D Micro-gauge sipes, which offer exceptional grip on pavement, and serve as biting edges when rolling through light snow or mud. The tread compound comprises modern elements, which add to the tire's capabilities and give the tire remarkable tread life.

The tread design features wide shoulder blocks with little spacing and a center rib with additional sipes. Overall, the tread offers excellent steering response, handling, and excellent traction on both dry and wet surfaces.

 There are three broad and deep circumferential grooves on the tread, which work to displace water with the help of lateral grooves. The tire offers excellent traction and braking performance wet surfaces thanks to the well-engineered tread design.

The tire is equipped with Cooper's signature Wear Square Indicator technology. This technology comprises small rubber squares hidden in the tread. As the tire wears down, more of these rubber squares become visible. When the rubber squares cover the whole tire, the tire needs to be replaced.

Dry Surfaces

The tire offers excellent handling on dry tarmac. It is responsive and can take high-speed corners with no difficulty. Even when the tire is pushed to its limits, it does not forego handling or performance. Driving around with a set of CS5s is enjoyable as it gives the driver a sense of control and confidence.

Wet Surfaces

The tire works great on wet pavements. It offers ample grip and traction. With these tires on your Nissan Maxima, you will not have any issues with hard accelerations or emergency braking. As mentioned above, the tire drives out water very efficiently and can control hydroplaning.

Snow Covered Surfaces

Since this is an all-season tire, many expect it to perform well in wintry conditions. In reality, it depends on what the winter is like. If you drive around extremely cold areas but receive no or only a little snow, this tire will work very well. It is equipped with sipes that serve as biting edges to provide traction on snow-covered surfaces.

However, if you drive around areas that receive heavy snow, more than three inches to be precise, it is recommended to swap the CS5 for proper winter tires.

Pros of Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

• Impressive steering response, which gives a lively driving experience
• Exceptional grip and traction on dry surfaces
• Excellent performance on wet surfaces
• Short braking distance on wet and dry pavements
• Good tread life with a 70,000-mile warranty
• Good value for money

Cons of Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

• Traction on snow and ice is adequate, but many competing tires offer better performance.

Michelin Premier All Season

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Michelin is dedicated to producing tires that are no less than high-quality. One such example of the company's ingenuity is the Michelin Premier A/S. The tire competes well against premium brands' flagship tires like Bridgestone's QuietTrack, and Continental's PureContact LS, thanks to the various technologies it is equipped with.

One of the most prominent technologies on the tire is EverGrip. Michelin claims the tire offers the same level of performance throughout its useful life. There are additional grooves hidden in the tire's tread, which become apparent as the tire wears down. With these added grooves, the tire maintains its traction throughout. The original grooves are designed to wear out so that they make the tire more resistant to hydroplaning.

The tread compound comprises high amounts of silica and natural sunflower oil, yes sunflower oil. This advanced compound helps the tire maintain its pliability in cold weather and improves traction on wet surfaces.

The tread flaunts a symmetric design with broad shoulder blocks and a center rib connected to intermediate ribs on either side. The modern design ensures impressive responsiveness, handling, and stability, especially on dry surfaces.

The tire comes with low rolling resistance, which helps with fuel economy and the vehicle's overall performance.

Dry Surfaces

Few tires handle as well as the Premier A/S on dry pavements. These tires will make your Nissan Maxima more stable and give you a top-notch steering response, making your drives more enjoyable.

With advanced engineering from Michelin, the tire offers exceptional cornering grip, braking performance, and straight-line hard accelerations. The tire makes highway cruises and street driving more enjoyable.

Wet Surfaces

Do you know that 73% of accidents happen due to bad weather? When the engineers were designing the Premier A/S, one of their objectives was to reduce the number of accidents during rainy seasons.

This tire beats many premium competitors by lengths when it comes to performance on wet surfaces. Handling is precise and predictable, without any unwanted slippages. Thanks to the top-notch hydroplaning resistance, wet or even oily surfaces do not threaten the Premier A/S.

Snow Covered Surfaces

The tread has several sipes on blocks, which serve as biting edges to provide good traction on snow. Although the tire offers good traction on light snow and dispels slush efficiently, it is not designed for deep snow.

If you drive around areas that do not experience very harsh winters, you will not be disappointed when it comes to the winter performance of this tire.

Pros of Michelin Premier A/S

• Top-notch braking performance on wet and dry pavements
• Maintains traction due to excellent hydroplaning resistance, even during heavy rain and driving through puddles
• Impressive handling and steering response
• The ride quality is very comfortable and quiet, even at highway speeds.
• Tread life is perfect.
• EverGrip technology maintains performance throughout the useful life.
• Performs very well on light snow-covered surfaces.

Cons of Michelin Premier A/S

• The advanced technologies and features come at a premium price.
• The treadwear warranty is 60,000 miles, much shorter than other competing tires.

Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

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One brand that is renowned for producing exceptional all-season touring tires is Pirelli. One of their most advanced tires is the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus, which offers an advanced tread compound to provide improved overall performance.

The tread compound comprises high silica content, which naturally enhances the wet traction of the tire. This compound is molded into an asymmetric tread to provide excellent handling and stability on wet and dry pavements.

The tire is equipped with a unique five-rib tread, which works together with broad shoulder blocks to offer an excellent cornering ability, good responsiveness, and improved stability at high speeds. Pitch sequencing and other design features are added to minimize tire noise.

There are four wide and deep circumferential grooves, which work well to dispel water and maintain traction on wet surfaces.

The tire offers low rolling resistance, ensuring maximum fuel efficiency and performance for your Nissan Maxima.

Dry Surfaces

The tire provides an excellent cornering grip and maintains stability even when the Nissan Maxima is pushed to its limits. It offers that driver added confidence and a sense of control thanks to the traction and handling performance it offers.

One area where this tire trails slightly behind the competition is responsiveness. This is not to say responsiveness is terrible, but to make the tire more comfortable and quiet, Pirelli seems to have forgone its signature razor-sharp responsiveness. That said, you will only notice a difference if you were using high-performance tires on your Maxima.

The braking performance is exceptional; in fact, it can be termed as one of the best in the class. The tire feels solid when behind the wheel, offers ample road grip, and is fun to drive.

Wet Surfaces

Pirelli's effort to improve overall wet performance is evident on the Cinturato P7. The tire hardly misses a beat when it comes to cornering, braking performance, and handling on wet and very wet surfaces.

 The braking distance on wet pavement is among the shortest in its class. There is excellent wet traction thanks to the four circumferential grooves, which perform with lateral grooves to drive out water effectively. The tire is also highly resistant to hydroplaning.

Driving with aggressive steering inputs can pose a problem on wet surfaces as the tire will lose its balance. But every sane driver knows that it is not wise to test the limits of any tire during wet and slippery conditions.

Overall, the tire fares well for everyday driving and highway cruises. It offers exceptional traction, cornering grip, and handling capabilities on wet surfaces.

Snow Covered Surfaces

The advanced tread compound works excellent in wintry and light snow conditions. There is ample traction on snow or slush-covered roads. The asymmetric tread features adequate siping, which serves as biting edges to provide light snow and ice traction.

Pros of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

• Excellent ride quality. The tire absorbs many dips, crests, and other road imperfections without difficulty.
• Super-quiet even when cruising at high speeds or on rough paved surfaces.
• Braking performance and cornering grip on dry surfaces are top-notch.
• Handling, traction, and braking performance on wet surfaces are very good.
• The tire comes with a 70,000-mile warranty, which means that it has excellent tread life.
• Handles wintry conditions and light snow quite well

Cons of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

• The responsiveness of the tire can take some time to get used to. It is responsive but handles slightly differently from competing tires.

Best All-Season High-Performance Tires for Nissan Maxima

Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

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The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 has unique features, making it a genuine all-season tire. The letters DWS mean Dry, Wet, and Snow. You read that right; Continental designed the DWS06 to perform in snow as well. When was the last time you saw an ultra-high-performance tire suited for snow?

The tread compound comprises high levels of +Silane and Silica. These additives offer excellent wet surface traction, precision handling experience and improve tire longevity. The tread compound is molded into an asymmetric pattern consisting of a center rib and broad shoulder blocks.

The X-Sipe technology equips the tires with several traction grooves, which provide the tire with grip and traction on all types of surfaces. This technology also reduces the braking distance, significantly ensuring better performance for your Nissan Maxima.

Irrespective of whether you use your Maxima as a daily grocery-getter or like to push the sedan to its limits, the DWS06 will always have your back. The tire maintains stability and handles sharp bends and corners without squealing for mercy, even at high speeds. You will notice that the tire maintains its line and does not under or over-steer.

There are many indicators on this tire to give you an idea of how well it is wearing down. Alignment indicators ensure that the tire is wearing down evenly and the alignment and balancing of your Maxima's wheels are correct.

The tire also has unique DWS indicators; these letters disappear as the tire wears down. The first to go is the S, which means that the tire has lost enough tread to make it unsafe for use on snow. The W is next to go, which signifies that the tire is no longer suited for wet or slippery surfaces. The last to go is the D, which means that the tire no longer offers traction on dry surfaces and must be replaced.

Dry Surfaces

The DWS06 is excellent on dry surfaces. You can notice the exceptionally sporty DNA of the tire if you push it to its limits. The steering response is predictable and precise, while handling is top-notch. With the tire's ability to grip the road as if stuck by glue, it offers impressive braking performance and cornering abilities.

When the tire becomes warmer during longer runs, its traction and grip seem to increase considerably. The tire performance varies with temperature, and it delivers top-notch performance at its ideal warm temperature.

Wet Surfaces

The DWS06 is designed to handle wet and very wet conditions effectively. It provides an exceptional grip on wet surfaces and feels stable and composed when going through puddles. Braking performance was also outstanding without any considerable slippages.

The tire offers the driver added confidence with its excellent handling abilities on wet surfaces. It takes corners well without unnecessary slips or slides. Few high-performance tires depict wet surface capabilities that meet or exceed those of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06.

Snow Covered Surfaces

The tire offers excellent traction on light snow and ice as long as the S indicator is visible. The X-Sipe technology, which features additional sipes, provides biting edges for good traction on light snow-covered pavements.

But if you plan to drive around in areas that receive heavy snow or face extreme temperatures, your best bet would be to mount winter tires on your Maxima.

Pros of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

• Exceptional traction on all surfaces, including dry, wet, and snow
• Very responsive to steering input.
• Excellent performance on twisty roads and high-speed cornering.
• Tread life is excellent, and the DWS indicators are a big plus.
• Smooth, comfortable, and quiet ride.

Cons of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

• The warranty of 50,000 miles is adequate for high-performance tires but is lower than the competition.

Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus

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The Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus is a good choice for Nissan Maxima if you like to push the sedan to its limits. The ultra-high performance tire is designed to deliver optimal performance all year round and even in light snow. It is engineered to offer a comfortable ride with little tire noise.

The advanced tread compound comprises a blend of high Silica with other polymers. This improves the tire's overall performance and reduces rolling resistance to ensure maximum longevity and better fuel economy for your Nissan Maxima.

The asymmetric tread design features broad circumferential grooves, which work well with other grooves to drive out water efficiently when running on wet surfaces. The tire exhibits excellent hydroplaning resistance and maintains traction on slippery surfaces.

The tread features wide shoulder blocks, ensuring better handling and excellent cornering abilities. There is sufficient siping on the shoulder blocks to provide additional road grip when going through corners or sharp bends at high speeds.

The center rib serves to improve the overall stability and responsiveness of the tire. It maintains good stability and gives the driver added confidence, even at high speeds.

Dry Surfaces

The tire delivers exactly what you would expect from an ultra-high performance tire on dry surfaces. You can push your Nissan Maxima to its limits, and the tire will maintain its balance throughout. In fact, this tire is designed to be abused when hitting top speeds.

The braking performance is top-notch, and you will notice that the braking distance is considerably shorter than many other traditional tires on your Maxima.

Wet Surfaces

Pirelli tires are renowned for performance on wet surfaces, and the P Zero All Season Plus lives up to the standards. The advanced tread compound and design ensure that the tire offers excellent traction, grip, and handling performance in heavy rain or even when driving through puddles of water.

The braking performance is also exemplary, and the tire maintains traction when accelerating hard on wet surfaces.

Snow Covered Surfaces

The tire fares well when faced with light snow and ice. However, traction becomes a little compromised as the snow thickens. If you drive around areas with heavy snow or slush-covered roads, it is best to swap in winter tires on your maxima.

Pros of Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus

• The traction is exemplary on dry and wet surfaces.
• The ride quality is quiet, comfortable, and smooth.
• The tire offers a lively driving experience thanks to its responsiveness.

Cons of Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus

• The advanced technologies and features come at a premium price.

Best High-Performance Summer Tires for Nissan Maxima

Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

The Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport is designed to handle power from high-performance sedans and sports cars. It is an excellent choice if you like to squeeze the maximum potential out of your Nissan Maxima and drive around in areas with a warmer climate.

Bridgestone has equipped the RE760 with several technologies. The asymmetric tread design features a unique 3D center portion, which increases surface contact to provide exceptional traction and grip. The tire features two offset ribs and a stiff sidewall. These features work together to offer impressive steering response and excellent stability at high speeds.

The Semi-Slick Shoulder technology helps give the tire exemplary cornering abilities. You can run your Maxima at high speeds through twisty roads and sharp turns, and the tire will help the sedan maintain its line.

As a UHP, the tire is significantly quiet and offers a smooth ride. It absorbs many bumps and dips and runs well over uneven patches.

 Dry Surfaces

The tire offers impressive handling, stability, and cornering grip on dry pavements. The braking distance is short, and you can easily squeeze out the full potential of your Nissan Maxima with a set of RE760. The tire offers good acceleration traction even if you floor your sedan.

Wet Surfaces

The tire features broad circumferential grooves, making it highly resistant to hydroplaning. The grooves have been optimized to displace water efficiently on slippery and wet surfaces. The tire maintains traction, handling, and cornering abilities on wet pavements.

Pros of Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

• Exceptional traction and handling on dry surfaces.
• Excellent cornering abilities.
• Wet traction and grip are excellent.
• The ride is smooth with minimum noise.

Cons of Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

• It is a summer tire, so you will have to swap it for different tires if you drive around areas that face frigid temperatures.

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

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Bridgestone is the mother company of Firestone, so it is expected that Firestone will borrow more than a few technologies from its parent. One of the tires that runs borrows a lot of features from a Bridgestone tire is the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.

The tire is designed with exceptional quality and offers responsiveness, grip, and traction comparable to many premium tires such as the Bridgestone RE760 Sport and the Pirelli P Zero. However, in terms of price, it competes with low-budget tires such as the Kumho Ecsta PS31 or Falken FK510.

Firestone has designed the tire to be used on high-performance sedans and offers impressive responsiveness, handling, and cornering abilities. The braking performance is also top-notch, and the tire does not disappoint when it comes to stability at high speeds.

The tread compound comprises long-chain Carbon and high silica content. These compounds are molded to give a tread design that flaunts broad shoulder blocks and an aggressive center rib. The tread compound and design are the critical role players in cornering performance and excellent traction.

The tire is equipped with Pulse Groove technology, adding to the hydroplaning resistance. It helps the tire maintain traction and grip on wet and slippery surfaces due to advanced water evacuation capabilities. With this technology, the stopping distance of the tire is surprisingly short on wet pavements.

Dry Surfaces

It is evident from the performance of the Indy 500 that Bridgestone has equipped it with a lot of its signature engineering technologies. The tire seems to know how to handle aggressive driving very well.

It is highly responsive and does not let go of the road even when driving on roads with sharp twists and turns. It reacts almost instantaneously to all steering input. The traction and road grip are very good and increase as the tire gets warmer. The braking distance is delightfully short, and your Maxima will stop on a dime.

Wet Surfaces

The tire is equipped with technologies that make the circumferential grooves super-efficient at dispelling water. The tire performs exceptionally well on wet surfaces and maintains traction and grip even in heavy rains.

You might find the wet performance of other premium tires better, but the Indy 500 fares quite well against other tires of the same price range.

Pros of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

• Extremely responsive to steering inputs and provides a fun driving experience.
• Grip and traction are above par in dry and wet conditions.
• Braking distance is exceptional on all surfaces.
• The tire offers the best value for money.

Cons of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

• Firestone does not offer a treadwear warranty on this tire.
• It cannot be compared with premium tires in terms of overall performance.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

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The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is designed for high-performance sedans and goes well with the power of the 3.5 liter V6 on the Nissan Maxima. Michelin claims this tire will achieve the best wet and dry lap time and braking distance on both wet and dry pavements.

The tread compound comprises a blend similar to the one found on racecar tires. It extensively focuses on improving braking and handling on dry pavements. The center rib and broad shoulders are equipped with an advanced compound with high silica content, promoting improved braking and handling on wet pavements. All in all, the tire is equipped with several technologies to ensure exceptional dry and wet performance.

Another revolutionary technology on this tire is Michelin's Acoustic technology, which minimizes noise even when the tire is running at high speeds. A layer of sound-absorbing foam hidden in the tread absorbs vibrations and ensures a super-quiet ride.

Dry Surfaces

Michelin has years of experience in making phenomenal performance tires, and the Pilot Sport 4S takes it one step further. The tire feels soft and offers a smooth and comfortable ride.

But if you like to push the tires hard, you will see what the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is all about. The tires can easily handle the power from your V6, keeping your sedan stable at high speeds and even on twisty roads.

The steering response is excellent, and the tires provide you with a sense of control and confidence. If you were to take your Nissan Maxima to a race track, you would not be disappointed by the performance of these tires.

The braking performance is excellent, as is the traction when accelerating hard from a stop.

Wet Surfaces

The advanced tread compound ensures that the tire sticks to the road like glue, even when running on wet pavements. The cornering grip, traction, responsiveness, and handling are excellent on a wet surface.

However, there is a slight compromise in hydroplaning resistance, which can be attributed to the narrow circumferential grooves. The tire does not displace water very efficiently and can lag in deep water puddles or heavy rain.

Pros of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

• Top-notch cornering abilities on dry pavements.
• Exceptional traction during hard accelerations and impressive stopping power.
• Wet grip is excellent; the tire sticks like glue even on wet pavements.
• Maintains stability even when pushed to the limits.
• Comfortable and quiet ride.

Cons of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

• Hydroplaning can be an issue due to the narrow circumferential grooves.
• Very expensive.
• It can take a little while to get used to steering responsiveness.