Tires, tires, tires

mz6greyghost · September 2006

Yeah... but dog dish caps only cover the inner 2/3 of the wheel (correct me, if I'm wrong).. I'm not sure the auto parts store will have that kind of cap.. A pickup truck would look goofy with full wheel covers..

According to his post, he's got a van with the full wheel covers, not a pickup with dog dishes.

kyfdx · September 2006

That is where the "correct me if I'm wrong" comes in... lol.

pathstar1 · September 2006

You have to be a little careful here. There are many different types of wheels and ways the covers attach. It's not just size. I've seen them offered in "big box" stores, but I suspect you will have to specify exactly which year and model as well as wheel.

mazda6iguy · September 2006

I'll probably check the salvage yards. I want my van to look professional, not like a 'hoopty'.

1racefan · September 2006

" I want my van to look professional, not like a 'hoopty'."

So what you are saying is that you have ruled out those cheap plastic ones that look like chrome spinners?

bremertong · October 2006

The recommended tire pressure on my Lincoln Town Car is 35 psi, I found the ride a little harsh at 35psi and have dropped the pressure to 32.5 with very much improvement in ride quality. Am I shortening the life of these tires by running at the lower pressure and making myself substantially more vulnerable to sidewall damage? The door sticker calls for 35 PSI and the tires are the original with the car, having just over 18,000 miles on it. Tire label says 35 psi maximum pressure. I rarely carry more than one passenger. All comments appreciated.

capriracer · October 2006

There are quite a few things that reducing the inflation pressure does. One way to look at it is that you are making the tire more flexible (less stiff), and everything is derived from that. But here's a list of the things things that happen when you reduce inflation pressure.

It reduces the tire durability (the question that you asked), the tread life, steering crispness, wet traction, snow traction, and fuel economy.

I'm surprised to hear that 2 1/2 psi can be felt in ride harshness reduction. Perhaps it is psychological?

corvette · October 2006

I put a set of Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdges on my mom's 2002 Volvo S80 (size 225/50R17). After they were installed, there was a vibration at highway speeds, and the installer determined that one of the rear tires had a high road force variation, so they ordered another tire to replace it. A couple of days later, I had it replaced, and all seems well now.

The car previously had Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires, which were making noise due to infrequent rotation and an alignment that was a little out of whack. These tires had a tendency to chirp very easily on dry pavement. The Goodyears do not exhibit this tendency so badly. Snow traction is a big question mark--one side of the asymmetrical tread has very few grooves--this hasn't really affected rain traction, but I'm not sure what will happen in the snow.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2006

That's a very subtle difference but perhaps it could change the ride a bit.

In theory, yes, under-inflation would cause the tires to wear irregularly---more on the edges than the center, and, again theoretically, will reduce fuel mileage.

But 2.5 lbs? It's hard to say if such a small variance matters.

kyfdx · October 2006

I wonder if the actual recommendation is for 35 psi... If that is indeed the MAX pressure listed on the sidewall..

Seems like little margin for error... I wonder if the car has the correct load rating tires..

imidazol97 · October 2006

really for 35 pounds cold? Unloaded? 04 Town Car?

I think that's a really high pressure. Usually recommended pressures are a little low, like 30 pounds, when they should be 32-33..

bremertong · October 2006

The tires were at 35 pounds cold and car unloaded. I think the 32.5 will work as the ride is much better. I have read some posts at this site that mention having pressures higher in the winter and lower in the summer months, makes sense based on outside temperatures. I take my pressure reading in my garage cold. My garage is insulated but not heated, outside temperatures the day I reset to 32.5 was around 60 degrees. I also checked to see that the side walls were not touching the ground at this lower pressure. Also wish to thank all the others for responding to my question regarding this issue.

capriracer · October 2006

A couple of thoughts:

For those who were worried about the vehicle calling for 35 psi and the tire saying 35 psi max - ....well.... the tire doesn't say 35 psi max!!! It says "Max Load XXXX at 35 psi." No maximum inflation pressure is listed.

However, there are tires (most of them, actually) that say "Max Load XXXX, Max Pressure YY."

Bottom line: 35 psi is an acceptable pressure for all passenger car tires and is nowhere near overstressing the tire.

But it has been pointed out that 35 psi may not be what the placard calls for. I apologize, I should have looked. I didn't see any mention of the year of the vehicle in the posting, but while there is a range of values listed in my book for Town Cars, 35 psi all around is not one of them. This needs to be checked!

"Sidewalls not touching the ground." Not a good way to tell if you have enough pressure.

First, if the sidewall are even close to touching the ground, you have way, way, WAY too little pressure!!

And the difference between a properly inflated tire and an underinflated tire is almost undetectable.

Now about outside temperature and inflation pressure: When temperatures drop, tire pressures drop. The pressure specified is not dependent on outside temperature, so the tire needs to have air added in the winter to maintain the proper pressure.

But the problem as stated was that tire pressures are set in a 60F garage. If that car is now subjected to 10F outside temperature, it will be 6 psi cold lower. This is not good!

Rule of thumb: For every 10F, the pressure in a tire changes 1 psi. Just don't forget, the proper operating pressure hasn't changed, so tires need to be adjusted in the winter (summer, too, if you want to get technical!)

Hope this helps.

imidazol97 · October 2006

>didn't see any mention of the year of the vehicle in

Elsewhere it's mentioned as a 2005 Town Car.

I didn't think the required pressure would be as high as 35 psi for a smooth-riding luxury-oriented car like a TC.

krzyss · October 2006

Ford will take load consideration before looking for smooth ride.
I hope.
Unless they want to spend all their money on lawyers and settlements.

Krzys

capriracer · October 2006

According to Tire Guides, a 2005 Lincoln Town Car came with P225/60R17's inflated to 32 front / 35 rear, except for the Signature L version where it is 35 psi all around.

sandman46 · October 2006

I have these in a 205/55/16 size on my '06 Civic and hate them...very squirrely around corners. Only have 2800 miles on the car so swapping them out is not an option at this point. Corvette, how are the new Responce Edge tires really? A bit pricey in my size but if they are that good, might be worth a check when it's time to buy. I haven't even done the 1st oil change yet.

The Sandman

jipster · October 2006

Can see under inflation reducing tire durability, tred life, steering crispness and fuel economy. But, wouldn't a slightly under inflated tire give better wet and snow traction as there would more rubber on the road? That would be somewhat the same principle as reducing tire pressure when driving on a sandy beach.

corvette · October 2006

The ResponsEdge tires are more of a performance-oriented tire than the RS-As. The RS-As are designed for comfort and low rolling resistance. The Pilot HX MXM4 (the old tire on the S80) is allegedly a performance tire, but I think its characteristics are closer to that of the "comfort" Energy MXV4 than they are to the rest of the Pilot line.

Since you're in Florida and don't see any snow, I'd consider the Michelin Pilot XGT H4 and/or V4 if they are available in your size--the rest of the Pilot line offers great wet and dry traction and better handling, but I think everything except the Pilot Sport All-Season ($$$$$) has poor to middling snow traction...

I'm happy with the Goodyears so far. It was annoying that it took three trips to get them right, but they're fine now. The increased traction seems to help lessen (but not eliminate) the annoying effects of trying to propel a nearly two-ton vehicle via FWD--namely, wheelspin with little or no provocation. The car still has issues getting power to the ground (wet or dry), but on a smaller scale.

I'm not terribly sensitive to any difference in ride comfort, which I think is an issue for you, if memory serves. What about getting the same model Bridgestones that you had and liked on your other vehicle(s)?

capriracer · October 2006

"Can see under inflation reducing tire durability, tred life, steering crispness and fuel economy. But, wouldn't a slightly under inflated tire give better wet and snow traction as there would more rubber on the road? That would be somewhat the same principle as reducing tire pressure when driving on a sandy beach."

The reason for reducing tire pressures on the beach is so the tire "floats" on top of the sand. If you didn't the pressure of the footprint of the tire would push the sand away and the tire sinks in.

Same principle for wet traction and snow traction. Higher pressure pushes through the water or snow and in this case reaches the road surface - which has much better traction than water or snow.

gasman1 · October 2006

Narrow tires do better in snow (not sure about rain/water). Under-inflated tires in severe winter weather are NOT a good idea. You don't want a wider/lower tire. A higher and narrower tire push through the snow better and provide more control. I know the wider the tire (in snow) the more resistance against it. I don't recall why the height effects this, but assume that it's connected.

capriracer · October 2006

".....I don't recall why the height effects this, but assume that it's connected."

To keep the overall diameter the same (and therefore the speedometer), a wider tire has to be shorter (or more properly stated, lower aspect ratio)

geffen · October 2006

I just got a set of Yokohama YK520 tires today on my 05 Taurus and noticed that the tire pressure was 35 in the front and the back tires were at 32, shouldn't the tire pressure be set at 35 on all 4 ? I noticed some previous postings about tire pressure, on my old set of tires i ran all tires at 32, any suggestions on which pressure i should actually use?

capriracer · October 2006

The first step in setting pressures is to find the vehicle placard. It is usually located on a doorpost or in the glovebox. The placard will tell you what the original tire size was and the vehicle manufacturer's pressure specification for that size.

The next step is to make sure you have the same size tire as the placard. If you don't, you'll have to recalculate. This is a simple calculation, but you need some specialized tables, and they are difficult to find. But if you ask nicely, I'll do it for you.

Once you gotten this far, the question is: Do I want to use the placard inflation or not?

For heaven's sake, don't go by what is written on the sidewall of the tire. Sometimes it says "Max Pressure YY psi" and sometimes it says "Max Load XXXX at YY psi" (which doesn't specify the max pressure), so it isn't a reliable source of information about what YOUR car should use.

Personally I use 3 to 5 psi above what is written on the placard. I get better tire wear, better tire durability, better steering response, better wet traction, better snow traction, better fuel economy, and only give up a bit of ride harshness.

pathstar1 · October 2006

I've always wanted to post this -

What he ^ said!

shark715 · October 2006

I'm the original owner of an '01 Pathfinder, and from the time it was new my truck has suffered from the well documented highway speed (60-65 MPH) front wheel shimmy problem. As I recall this problem is common on Pathfinders from '99 to '04. The only solution I have ever found is to have the tires/wheels balanced periodically by a repair shop that has a Hunter GSP9700 "Road Force" balancing machine as recommended by a Nissan Service Bulletin that was issued many years ago. I still use the same model tires that came on the truck (Bridgestone Dueler HT689). When I had the front tires balanced yesterday, the tire dealer gave me the computer printouts from the balancing machine, and he explained to me that the lowest "Assembly Road Force" they could achieve with my right front wheel/tire was 25 lbs. Apparently this is a measurement of how far out of "perfect balance" the tire/wheel assembly is. He told me that typically they are able to achieve 10 to 20 lbs. from most tires and wheels, and that I might still feel some vibration from that wheel. He also told me in his experience Michelin tires are best for vehicles that are "balance sensitive" as the '01 Pathfinder is because they are typically able to achieve as low as a 2 to 8 lb. Assembly Road Force, much lower than any other brand they sell. Was he simply trying to sell me new tires, or are Michelin tires easier to balance and keep balanced versus other brands? Thanks in advance for your input.

imidazol97 · October 2006

>Was he simply trying to sell me new tires, or are Michelin tires easier to balance and keep balanced versus other brands?

I've known through the decades that Michelins stayed balanced longer and better than other brands, and they required less weight to balance originally.

When I got my 03 LeSabre the Deville and Park Avenues had gone to Michelins from the factory for replacing problem tires that had shipped on some of the cars that were giving trouble balancing. The Michelin Symmetry had become standard on the SLS and LeSabres with 16 inch rims on special packages. The dealer rebalanced mine twice on Hunter 9700 and touched up the alignment himself--he started as an alignment guy before becoming service manager. Fixed it. He told me some of the new XXXXX brand tires they'd gotten in for replacing problem tires on new cars of one of their brands had high road force ratings from the factory. My Symmetrys were below 10 except for one combination wheel and tire which was about 12.

Alignment perfection by someone who understands what happens when the driving wheels pull or push is really important. I told him I could feel slight vibration on long upill climbs on Tennessee "hills" and that there was none on the downslopes and his eyes lit up like I'd given him the answer to the problem...

ronfc · October 2006

It is time for new tires on my 2003 bmw 325i, i am retired
so if the weather is real bad i dont drive,i live in central Ontario,i was thinking all seasons,either Michelin
Pilot Exallto a/s, or Michelin Hydroedge,they seem to have a good reputation in the wet and a bit of snow,anyone have
any experience with either of these.genuine only please

corvette · October 2006

The HydroEdge is a great, long-wearing tire, but its speed rating is too low for the BMW. If your car doesn't have the sport package, it requires an H-rated tire.

If you frequently drive in the snow (more than a few times a year), I would consider a separate set of winter wheels and tires.

The Pilot Exalto A/S do have the correct speed rating for the BMW, and they have a good tread life for a tire with that speed rating. It seems to have good ratings on Tire Rack. I think it would work well if you want a four-season tire for your BMW, and it would also work well if you wanted to use it most of the year and switch to a set of winter tires when the snow starts flying.

geffen · October 2006

Thanks for the info on tire pressure, I should've asked this before just wondered if anyone has had any experiences with the Yokohama YK520 tires ? I didn't see them on Tire rack.com or other sites since they are only sold at Discount Tire stores.

galloway1520 · October 2006

I have a Vibe with 205-55-R16. Am considering going with a 205-60-R16 on same rims. What would be the diameter increase be? Would there likely be problems or safety concerns?
btw- Car is used for commute to work, nothing drag-racing-ish at all.

Thanks for your input!

mz6greyghost · October 2006

I wouldn't recommend it, the diameter increase is over 3%.

raprider · October 2006

About 3 years ago (at 20k miles) I replaced my OEM MXV4s with Toyo Proxes. I recently blew the front drivers side, and have temporarily re-installed one of the MXV4's I'd kept in storage.

I'm now considering replacing all 4 tires.

The spec is 205/60/16 91V. It's a tough size to find, but available in a few different tires, notably Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus

A couple things to note...1)I have only 60k miles on the car since my commute varies between 15 and 20 miles r/t per day and we usually use our Highlander on the weekends... 2)I'm starting to get bored with this car and may replace it in the next year or two, so high treadlife is not especially important...3)I do push the car and tend to drive it hard (don't we all?!?), but I also maintain it pretty well...4)I was not a big fan of the Michelin MXV4 series, at least not the OEM equipment, which I found very sloppy esp. in rainy conditions, compared to the Toyos I'd replaced them with, but I'm not prepared to drop $150+ per tire, given 1) and 2) above...5)I live in central NJ, so although snow/ice is an occasional consideration, I do not expect to purchase dedicated snow tires.

A couple tires I'm considering:
Yokohama Avid V4s, Goodyear Assurance TripleTred (only available as H-rated), Falken Ziex (also only available as H-rated), Dunlop SP Sport A2, Sumitomo HTR.

What are you riding on?
Any specific experience with either of the above tires, or recommendations for alternatives, is appreciated.

Thanks for your help,

Rich

wai · October 2006

Try Bridgestone RE960AS, very good all season tire for the money, but you have to give up a little comfort and change to 215 55 16.

galloway1520 · October 2006

I just bought a set of Kumho Solus KH16 tires from TireRack.com for my Vibe at $65 ea. The car takes 205/55R16s, but I was eyeballing the 205/60s which were $10 less each.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Solus+KH16
This links to the specs on the tire & customer feedback [which is pretty freakin good for a $55-65 tire]. This may be what you need, especially if you may be selling the car shortly & don't want to put big bucks into it.

raprider · October 2006

Galloway,
That looks like a pretty good deal. Problem is the Kumho in that size is an H-rated, and I believe the spec calls for a V-rated tire. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Rap

pathstar1 · October 2006

How fast do you drive? Do you need the extra speed rating (which is what the letter designations are for). H rated tires are good up to 130 MPH and V rated are good up to 149 MPH. Unless you're on the autobaun in Germany or on a track, I doubt you need a V rated tire. Or I may be nieve.

raprider · October 2006

Pathstar1,
NEED? No. Realistically I don't even NEED H-rated...I don't think I've ever driven over 100mph. But the manufacturer spec calls for it, which I assume is based on certain handling characteristics of the car.
Rap

pathstar1 · October 2006

The manufacturer spec usually is because the car -can- go that fast, so if someone is stupid enough to do it and crashes, it's not because the manuf. skimped on the specs.

I have a 1993 Mazda RX-7 which can probably get close to 300 km/hr. I wouldn't know for sure though, as I'm not -that- stupid. Tires are "Z" rated. I got it up to 200 km/hr once, just to see what it would do at high speed (nothing dangerous), and then my imagination cut in. Three point seatbelt and one airbag - no harness, no roll cage. If -ANYTHING- bad happens the pieces left would be very small, so I slowed back down to reasonable speeds.

I think you'd be fine with the lower speed-rated tires. The speed rating doen't reflect on any other aspect of the tire rating. It's speed specific.

galloway1520 · October 2006

If you're looking to sell in near future, what's the problem anyway, especially if you don't drive it 100+ mph once in a while? In case you're not sure on the brand, the same site has a road test with the tire & several others on a 2003 BMW 330Ci Coupe.
Advancements in Tire Design Make Their Way Into Standard Touring All-Season Tires
I liked what I read, especially for the price paid.
I get the tires Friday, so I'll let you know how they ride after the weekend. :shades:

reallymad · October 2006

Had several tire problems with my Yokohama tires. The worst was a disaterous delamination. Yokohama weaseled despite strong evidence of manyfacturing defect. I found an Ive found an interesting way to get revenge that you may find VERY helpful.

Visit http://yokohama-tires-suck.com

reallymad · October 2006

Had several tire problems with my Yokohama tires. The worst was a disaterous delamination. Yokohama weaseled despite strong evidence of manyfacturing defect. I found an Ive found an interesting way to get revenge that you may find VERY helpful.

Visit http://yokohama-tires-suck.com

alternator · October 2006

I own a 2002 Mazda Protege sedan. I originally thought it was only amusing that the supplied tires were V-rated (149 MPH) ----- since my car is a family car, not a sports car, and I have no intention of ever exceeding 80 MPH.

But now that I need to replace two road-damaged front tires, I am not amused over the $150-160 each price for V-rated replacement tires. I would like to buy two H-rated tires, at a much lower price, but several dealers have told me that they would not sell me H-rated tires. They say there is no Federal or other law prohibiting the use of H-rated tires on a car whose OEM tires were V-rated, but that their company policy is not to do so!

Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone found dealers who would supply tires H-rated tires for family sedans whose OEM tires were V-rated?

geffen · October 2006

I've actually heard nothing but good reviews about Yokohama tires thats why i decided to purchase a set however any manufacturer will have some issues of quality.

srogers · October 2006

Hi There

I have bought a new Volvo S80. The suggested tire size is 225/50 R17.

I still have the tires I bought last year for my Volvo S80. They are Fulda 215/55 R16 97H.

Can I still use the old tires on the new car????

Thanks in advance ....

mz6greyghost · October 2006

Tirerack offers the same size as part of their winter tire/wheel package for the S80, so I don't see why not.

Of course, I'm assuming that you have a dedicated set of wheels for those snow tires...

pathstar1 · October 2006

Just make sure you check the load rating with the pressure you are supposed to run them at. The load rating is printed on the sidewall and is at the tire pressure specified. I'm hoping Capriracer will pipe in here, as I'm not sure how to use the printed number at other pressures. I suspect it's linear, that is, the tire can handle half the load at half the pressure, but I don't know that for sure.

Note as well, the tires are 16" and the new car has 17" rims, so you'd have to use different rims as posted above.

galloway1520 · October 2006

Got the Kumhos in Friday at 5 by UPS. Tirerack.com rules! Oh, and Walmart installed by 7:30 that night!
We drove though the smokey mts all over Saturday (Gators weren't playing, so good fall family day

). These tires as SO much better than the original Goodyear Eagles on it. For starters, have 440 vs. 240 treadwear. Are much quieter, better handling & getter grip/don't spin-out when accelerating fast from a stop.
Consumer reports liked these & so far, they've lived up to their ratings. I'll report in after several thousand miles, or whenever something changes.

galloway1520 · October 2006

My Tribute has 235/70R16 Goodyear Crapper's, err, Tracker's on now. We use it 99% on highway & want a tire that is MUCH quieter but not $140 like some Michelins I've seen.
I have spoken to a tire shop that says it will take a 225/70R16 tire, it is just about a half inch smaller in diameter & width. I checked on the load rating: it is 102 vs 104 now, so just 110 lbs less on this tire.
I don't see any major problems with going this rout, but I'm not a tire expert... I'm all ears for any advice, pros & cons, etc. :confuse:
Also, how can I figure out how much my Spedometer will be off if I go this route, i.e. what percent under will it read? Any cool websites that have functions like that out there? Inquiring minds want to know!

Seriously, any help would be greatly appreciated!

capriracer · October 2006

".....Just make sure you check the load rating with the pressure you are supposed to run them at. The load rating is printed on the sidewall and is at the tire pressure specified. I'm hoping Capriracer will pipe in here, as I'm not sure how to use the printed number at other pressures. I suspect it's linear, that is, the tire can handle half the load at half the pressure, but I don't know that for sure......"

There are 2 problems:

1) The relationship between pressure and load carrying capvity is not linear - it's a curve. And it's especially non-linear near zero load, which means you can't even do an approximation of linear.

2) What appears on the sidewall of a tire takes 2 forms:

A) Max Load XXXX at YY psi - This states clearly at what pressure the maximum load occurs, but says nothing about the maximum allowable pressure.

Max Load XXXX, Max Pressure YY - This states clearly what the maximum allowable pressure is, but says nothing about the relationship between the maximum load and the pressure this occurs.

So if you aren't using the original tire size as mentioned on the vehicle placard, you need to find the load tables for the tire sizes involved - and those are hard to find. But I happen to have them and I'll help anyone who needs assistance in this area.

In the case of the Volvo with 225/50R17's - the Load Index is 94, and even though the 215/55RR16's are Load Index 97, they are Extra Load, which means they need 1 psi more to achieve the same load carrying capacity as the 17's.

Tires, tires, tires

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