Nitto NT421Q All Season 235/65R17 108H XL Passenger Tire

Never had an issue with tires on my SUVs before, until I got this big ole Traverse. Unlike other tires, these Nitto XLs are built to hold up the weight of heavy SUVs. The factory Continental tires that I bought my Traverse with, always looked "squished" and the air slowly leaked constantly on all tires. After putting these Nittos on, my Traverse actual sits higher off the road now, acceleration is easier (less drag from squishy tires) and they're super quiet. Wish I had done this a long time ago.

To put my review in context, the tire brand I've been using for the last 10 years was the Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 285/50R20 V Rated Street/Sport Truck All-Season. In all a decent tire and very sticky in dry conditions but not so much in wet stuff but then Vegas doesn't see much snow or rain. At about 40k miles I decided it was time to replace them, as I began to notice less traction/grip and a harsher ride. I would have used the same tire; only the tire was/is being discontinued. Enter Nitto. My local tire dealer and I discussed possible replacement options and the NT421Q kept rising to the top of the list mainly because of cost. I've owned Nitto's in the past on a sports car I once owned, and was very satisfied with the experience. Not knowing squat about this particular tire, I took a leap of faith and said what the heck. Fast forward 3 months and a few hundred miles, and my appreciation continues to grow for this tire. The first thing that is evident to me was how quiet they were compared to the Kumho's. A revelation not completely lost on me given the fact the NT421Q's are new and not 40k old. The grip these tires produce on dry pavement is tremendous. It takes a lot of effort on my part to get them to break loose, and their moment of breakaway during lateral acceleration is gradual and predictive. The confidence these tires instill is prodigiously inspiring. Small ruts in asphalt and broken pavement rarely upset the chassis which can be credited to the added shoulder inserts. I've had zero encounters with snow or rain so far, but will update any findings when that happens. Although I would have preferred Nitto to make a 285/45 size just for the sheer visual appearance of how the size would look on my truck, I'm satisfied with the size I picked.