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Comments
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
There are several reasons that the Tire Rack will not sell snow tires when only being used on one axle. First and foremost it is dangerous not only to you but the people driving around you. The DOT requires that if you are running with two snow tire you must run with four so that you have comparable traction and handling in all four corners of the building. IT doesn't matter if the vehicle is FWD or RWD. As an example, if you take a RWD vehicle and place snow tires on drive axle you will have great traction to get moving however you may not be able to steer. To prove this point there was a lawsuit in California several years ago when a Les Schwab tire store sold and installed 2 snow tire on the back of a minivan. shortly after that the lady was driving the van on a snowy interstate and and lost control because she had no steering traction. Long story short she ended up in front of a semi and as i recall one of her children died in the accident. this was the beginning of a million dollar lawsuit for Les Schwab and the DOT rewriting the standards.
Example2: Placing two snow tire on the front axle of a FWD vehicle give excellent traction for pulling away from stops and basic braking. However under emergency stopping and even basic maneuvering situation you will not have any traction in the rear of the vehicle. this means that the vehicle can very quickly and easily start to spin when you are simply driving around a corner at 10-15 mph. You mentioned that the ABS helps with traction. The ABS only helps when you are using the brakes. if you arte changing the lanes on a highway or an interstate, you could very easily be sideways and in front of oncoming traffic before you can hit the brakes let alone before the ABS has a chance to get the slide under control.
Now to reverse the question, You are driving a vehicle that is equip with only two snow tires and you do slide sideways and loose control on a local highway or interstate. When the vehicle finally starts to slow and comes to a stop in front of oncoming traffic, what do you want the vehicle to be equip with that are coming straight at you at 45-55 mph, 2 or 4 snow tires?
If i was in this situation i would hope the cars coming straight at my family would have the best braking traction possible.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
BTW I live in California so snow is not a concern but rain is.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
I am scheduled to replace the existing Goodyear Integrity tires with new Goodyear Integrity's tomorrow (12/22) so if you have an alternative suggestion, please let me know today!
The Michelin Cross-Terrains are much more expensive and may be more appropriate for a sportier SUV than what I have.
Snow tire manufacturers only produce snow tires once a year and when that stock is depleted there are no more tires until the next winter season. Regrettably the winter tires are almost completely sold out for the year in all models. If you are looking for snow tires then i would not delay.
Also please keep in mind that i work on a strictly commissinary basis. I have noticed in several emails both in the forum and in direct emails i recieve from the forum that people have placed the orders through other salesmen or over the internet with out any reference on the order for the Edmunds.com forum or myself. I spend more time in this forum than any of the 5 forums i moderate and would simply appreciate it if when you are placing the order you could either place it through the "Tire Rack" links at the top of the page or simply reference my name when ordering over the internet.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
On a standard tire, from the inside out you have the:
1)halybutol innner lining
2)2-6 steel re enforcement belts
3)1-4 fabric belts
4)shoulder strips or belts
5)tread cap belt
Each belt has a seam were the belt ends are matted together. If all of these belt seams were in the exact same spot then you would have an extremely hard tire to balance. the seams are staggered all over the tire to make it safer as well as easier to balance. this again is why we do the road force variation test on every tire and wheel that we balance.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
Thank you for the recommendation of Potenza G009s. When I checked out your website for other high performance all-seasons, many users also recommended the BFGoodrich Traction TAs. Since there is only a $2 price difference between the two tires, what are the differences between them? Would one set work better for the Neon than the other?
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
Most of my driving is highway, some snow a couple a weeks a year and mud a few times a year but no real off-roading anymore. Only occasional mud during hunting season. Also, the rims appear to be 8x17 but the original tires sure look like they are not wide enough for the rims. The sidewall seems to wrap around way too much at the road.
What do you recommend?
Have never been loyal to any one brand, but have been using Michelins lately. However, due to budget constraints, I am interested in hearing how other options may measure up to Michelin.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Paul
Thanks in advance
I don't want to "plus" the car as the tires and wheels are already plenty big.
But it would be nice to find some Forged 16" wheels that fit the Maxx, and similar sized tires that, while keeping intact the nice ride of the Insignia;
have a little less rolling resistance,
corner a little better (more quietly if possible),
have excellent wet traction
work decently in the snow,
Have decent tread life
Suggestions? Thanks!
STEVE
For my wife's Avalon, I am more interested in a smooth, quiet ride and decent rain and snow performance than I am in dry handling. I want all-season tires that are good at everything. She has the XLS model, which has 205-60-16 tires.
The tires I am considering are the Falken ZE-512 (about $60 per tire), Yokohama Avid H4 or T4 ($70), Kumho ECSTA HP4 ($60), and Goodyear Assurance ComforTred ($95).
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
And, does it really matter anymore, are the all season performance and all season touring categories that far apart anymore?
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
There are a few different tire in the OE 215/60/16 size the really perform wheel in all of the categories you listed. My personal preference is the Bridgestone Potenza G009 (70.00 each). This tire offers excellent traction and handling in all condition and is offered at an great price. another tire in this size Continental Extreme Contact (82.00 each). This tire offers good overall traction and handling but does tend to be a little noisier and wears quite a bit faster.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
When it comes to choosing wheels for a car that are simply for every day use and not special purpose wheels such as racing, It is really a matter of personal choice. Regrettably there is no way for me to tell you what you will like. This is simply my personal choice in wheels and you may or may not like it when you see it on your car. just some food for thought...
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
Can you re-read my post (#601) about my wife's Avalon and recommend some tires? Thanks.
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred
Kumho ECSTA HP4
Yokohama Avid H4
Falken ZE-512
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
First -- the most important factor, "what is the exact year make and model and trim level?". I have to know this because not all tires are made in all sizes. Which is why there isn't "one" best tire. I also have to know the manufacturers minimum requirement for speed rating, load capacity, and maximum and minimum fitment ranges.
Second -- "what are do you as the consumer want the tires to do?" in other words are you an aggressive driver, a passive driver, do you love taking the highway cloverleaf's as fast as you tires will let you, or when a speed limit says 55 you do 50?
Third -- what kind of conditions do you plan (and sometimes not plan) to drive the tires in.
As an example, you live in San Carlos CA. You probably do not see any snow but you do have plenty of sun and a fair amount of rain.
Fourth -- How is the vehicle set up as far as suspension and power train VS. The person driving. There people who buy corvettes and drive them 5 miles under the speed limit and there are people who by Ford Contours and try and race them. So i have to try and determine what will perform well with the vehicle set up as well as meet the drivers needs.
As you can see i rarely get all of the information i listed above so i have to try and make certain assumption you a members public profile as well as reading some of there other posts. This takes allot of extra time sometimes, but that is how i come to a conclusion on what to recommend.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
I was on the Tirerack website and they recommended Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50s with nice alloy wheels for my Subaru Outback XT Ltd wagon. Here is my question: Does it matter that they suggest 225-60-16 Q-rated tires when my car came with 225-55-17 inch all season, V-rated tires? Since this is a winter application and the base model of the Subaru OB comes with the 16 inch wheels, is that why the Q-rated tires are being recommended?
Thanks for your assistance,
Bob
Long Island
I know that Tirerack has preferred installers but can I have my new tires and wheels mailed directly to my local gas station? Of course I would tell the owner to expect such a delivery.
Thanks,
Bob
Bottom line: I need handling and comfort with low noise.
What is your recommendation?
I am already registered at the Tire Rack and have picked my installer. I would like to get these installed ASAP.
Connor, you forgot to mention that the same people drive in the left lane, even though right and probably center are empty.
Krzys
Happy New Year everyone - we hope it's a prosperous one (especially for you Connor - we really appreciate you taking the time to answer questions here on Edmunds!).
Steve, Host
So, I think that leaves me back with the Michelin unless you have a better suggestion.
I will not buy different rims.
Out of the four tires you had listed (Faulken ZE-512, Yokohama Avid H4, Kumho ECSTA HP4, and Goodyear Assurance Comfort tread) i would recommend the Kumho HP4 716. this is a touring all season tire that will offer you a quiet comfortable ride quality with decent wet and dry traction at an affordable price. The ice and snow traction is OK but not great. Then again none of the tire you posted do have great ice and snow traction.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
I will use your car as an example: 2005 Subaru Outback XT LTD with stock 17" package. You have the availability to downsize to a 16" tire and wheel package or stay with the original 17" wheels and new tires. I would recommend dropping down to the smallest rim diameter possible for winter usage, i.e., 16". There are a few reasons for doing this.
1) By lowering the rim diameter and keeping the overall diameter the same, you increase the sidewall height. By doing this you are also increasing the flexibility in the tire which gives the tire more time to respond on ice and snow and giving the tire better ice and snow traction.
2) By increasing your sidewall height you are increasing the amount of distance between the road and your rim. i get hundred of calls every winter and spring from people saying the damaged the rims on pot holes over the winter. The added height of the side will help insulate against impact damage.
3) Most vehicle have the ability to use a steel wheel in a smaller size. If you down size to a 16" steel wheel we can send you tires and wheels mounted and balanced, ready to install so that there are no mount and balance costs to you. the average mount and balance from you corner store will run you between 15-25.00 per tire. as a comparison:
--16" package--
225/60R16 Dunlop Winter Sport M2 -- 98.00 ea
16X6.5 Subaru Steel wheel -- 49.00
Total mounted and balanced -- 588.00 +s/h
--17" tires--
225/55R17 Dunlop Winter Sport M2 -- 125.00 ea
Mount and balance -- 80.00 2x/year X 3 years
Total at the end of the tires 3yr life -- 980.00 +s/h
The savings is obvious. As a side note i would recommend the Bridgestone Blizzack WS-50 as the best tire however they are sold in the 17" fitment for this car. I used the Dunlop Winter Sport M2 for comparison purposes.
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
Connor, you forgot to mention that the same people drive in the left lane, even though right and probably center are empty. "
Amen! Thanks for the post Krzys
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269
connor@tirerack.com
Tire & Wheel Specialist
The Tire Rack
877-522-8473 ext 269
When placing an order online or the phone, please reference Connor at ext 269