Maxtrek MAXIMUS M1 Reviews - Page 4

Almost didn't buy because of the reviews about this tire in the wet, but being these were for my summer car, I ended up going for them anyways. I live in Western Canada, we get plenty of spring rainfall. I've driven on these now in the wet several times (older 3 series BMW) and had zero issues. I have no idea what people were talking about with this tire? I've driven on many performance tires that are much worse than these in the rain, this one is actually one of the better ones. Most of Canada has slightly crowned roads and good water drainage/storm drains, maybe it has something to do with standing water which we don't get much of here. In the dry they are very good, better than I expected. They don't have as high as maximum grip as some other UHP tires I've had on this car, but the limit is in a good zone. (You'll be going plenty fast before they protest) That's actually this tires sweet spot, they are extremely predictable and forgiving. Up near the very edge they let out a soft/very quiet howl before they break loose, and when they do break loose the car slides out nicely and easily controllable. I've had stickier tires that made no noise, and could be pushed harder but when they let go it, it can be a bit alarming and much harder to gather back up. For that reason, I'd say these are a great street tire, would definitely buy again!

A bizarre Jekyll and Hyde tire, good value and pleasing in dry weather, deadly and unpredictable in wet. Former (retired) car journalist, I knew that Chinese tires had "improved" in the last few years so I wanted to try a full set on our second car. My mechanic said he had a lot of experience with Chinese brands and he picked this model WHICH I DID NOT RESEARCH BEFOREHAND, Big mistake. Back in the day, tire companies would invite onto the track to test their products. First few days I was very pleased, tire was comfortable, seemed to have solid handling and braking characteristcs, were basically doing their job. Then we had a good rain. Just turning the corner on a flat surface (which should not have taxed the tires or the contact patch at all) I felt all four tires momentarily break free on the turn (as if on ice) and then stabilize. Coming down a hill there was a red light. I stopped but the car did not. It travelled two full car lengths, like on ice. Anyone in front of me would have been hit hard. Last time I experienced that behavior was on a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible which weighed over two tons and ran on standard non-radial tires, just after a rain. This is one very dangerous tire in the rain.

I bought these 2 seasons ago as I was on a limited budget despite the reviews. In the dry they were good. I even did a couple of autocross events, and could feel how they were at the limit of grip. In the wet, they were horrible. I had to drive quite gently, and had to remind myself that these are a SUMMER TIRE and not an ALL SEASON TIRE. Naturally, they won't be that great in the wet.
However, it made me more aware of what the car was doing in various conditions. Now with some mileage on them, they seem to have gotten better in the wet - today was pouring rain, and I decided to push the car more than I did when the tires were new. They seem to grip better. Now, it's important to note that when the tires were new, my suspension was on it's way out. Now with new suspension components, and new-ish tires, everything seems better than before. Would I buy these again? Probably not, unless I absolutely needed new tires, and the budget was tight. One thing is certain with these tires: it makes you aware of how road conditions should affect your driving habits, and why so many idiots end up in the ditch when the weather turns nasty.

Bought a 2013 Honda Jazz from a main dealer in Durham, had 2 of these fitted to the rear and 2 Landsail 388's on the front. Pretty happy in the dry apart from a fair bit of road noise. First time it rained I ended up with the back end slipping out, I put it down to a greasy road or maybe a diesel spillage. Next time it happened I was on a large dual carriageway roundabout and I ended up in the wrong lane.

Read the reviews here and took the car back to the dealer (Vertu Honda) who were adamant that the tyres were perfectly OK, a quick email to Honda UK asking why a main dealer would sell me a car with cheap dangerous tyres fitted to it helped to change their mind. After a lot of arguing they replaced they with another pair of the Landsail 388's, not my first choice but better than what was on. The Landsails are not perfect by any means but at least I've stopped skating around in the wet.

A huge thank you to this site for providing such a good source of information :)