Updated: Wet Okole's installed!!! New Michelins on!!

spacebug · 06-08-2006, 10:24 PM

Installed them in about 20 minutes without removing the seats. (Would've been quicker, but the amp under the passenger seat made it a bit tight working under there.) Excellent fit and finish. They look factory installed and the grey and black is exactly opposite the factory seats!

Haven't driven much with them yet, but they feel very comfortable and I have a feeling I'll be very happy with this purchase!

Will report back in a week or so on both the seat comfort and the mileage hit, ride and handling changes from the Michelin Pilot Exaltos.

The ride and handling is fantastic with the Michelins. I can't imagine any reason to go back. The car hold the curves like a go-cart and the harshness of the ride is better distributed over these tires than the RE92s.

Willie Williford · 06-09-2006, 01:06 AM

I installed the Okole's prior to the trip to the Del Sol in NY last month.
After the 6900 miles round trip, I can say they are great. Very comfortable, the little extra padding is the secret.

Willie

dloop · 06-09-2006, 10:47 AM

Curious. What made you decide to go with the Michelin Pilot Exaltos?

spacebug · 06-09-2006, 02:35 PM

After reading through dozens of reviews on tirerack.com, I decided on the Pilot Exalto A/S as a solid compromise between the RE92s and a very sticky dedicated summer tire. I've had excellent luck in the past with Michelins, so felt pretty good about going with them.

In the past I've run Dunlop Winter Sport M3s and Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3s on my Audis. I knew a dedicated summer tire would probably cost me more than I was willing to give up on mileage, so I started looking for a high performance all season tire to bridge the gap.

I settled on the 185/60/14 size with its slight variance rather than take the hit from a wider tire. Preliminary results are proving quite satisfactory. The car handles beautifully through the curves and offramps, doesn't feel especially burdened on acceleration by the additional size, weight and footprint and the ride is still firm with the tires at manufacturer's max of 44 psi but certainly better than before.

I'll post mpg results after the next full tank to see the real world results of the switch.

merigayle · 06-09-2006, 07:59 PM

I got my seat covers last week, blue and black to go with my blue Insight. Did yours have a weird odor? Like Oregano???

spacebug · 06-09-2006, 08:16 PM

They do smell a bit odd, but I figure that's just the neoprene out-gassing combined with the padding material they use. It should lessen after a couple of weeks.

Very comfortable though!

MrCoffee · 06-28-2006, 09:41 PM

no problem with fit on those 185/60r14's?
stock rims or after market?
where are you guys getting the seat covers?
i'd like a black and red set for mine.
thanks

spacebug · 06-29-2006, 07:29 AM

No problem at all with tire fit. They are mounted on my factory wheels since I've purchased a set of Civic HX wheels to mount Nokian RSI winter tires.

The seat covers are from Wet Okole.

http://wetokole.net/page/WOH/PROD/HONDA/INSIGHT

I am very happy with the tires and seat covers.

See my other post for more details on the tires.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/n...date.8115.html