The Michelins you have are great tires. Depending upon what the damage to the tire is, another brand won't make any difference. It sounds more like the condition of your roads or maybe there's a lot of road debris where you drive regularly. Maybe you keep hitting curbs or orphans. I don't know. That said, if you want to put a cheaper tire on just so the replacement costs are lower, Continentals are almost always less expensive and in my opinion, about the same quality as Michelins. As to decreasing the sidewall height of the tires by getting larger rims/shorter tires, it may very well increase the amount of damage you sustain to the tires on a regular basis. Adversely, decreasing the rim size and increasing the sidewall height will almost definitely decrease your number of tire replacements because the tire is better able to absorb impacts without contacting the bead of the rim. If the damaged belts you mentioned are in the sidewalls and manifest themselves in the form of a bubble, this is exactly what's happening to your tires. Replacing the rims and tires is probably impractical for several reasons. Buy Continental Contiprocontact with good ratings and ask if they sell a road hazard warranty. You'll need it. Pirelli P6 four seasons are pretty decent also, but not my personal favorites. They will be cheaper than the Conti's though.

 

I agree with Candor -- I now run the Micheline 16 inch tires in the summer and the 15 inch BF Goodrich in the winter. They have the same diameter because the sidewall on the Goodriches are larger and they are able to handle the potholes better. I drive 100 miles a day so I get lots of experience in a short time

 

One thing to keep in mind is the way different tires will perform in different situations My Michelin's seemed to be popping chordes on a regular basis but it could have been from the constant heat in South Florida. I have had better luck with the Bridgestones Maybe the compound they use is stiffer and holds up to heat better Where the Compound in the Michelins would be better up North in The cold. Now Florida roads are pretty smooth and by NY standards I'll say they are brand spanking new however they are made with coral and are aggresive like rat tail files not smooth to the touch. I'm back in NY now and I doubt I'll be able to feel the steering shake in between pot holes So I guess in a weird sort of way my problem will be solved...I can never win!