Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel

Mr_Shiftright said:

See you on the trail, pardners....

I just read the email, good luck on your future endeavors and may they be prosperous.

stickguy

they might be able to make it pop up. But they (for now!) can't make you read it.

houdini2

snakeweasel said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

See you on the trail, pardners....

I just read the email, good luck on your future endeavors and may they be prosperous.

As a general rule, most companies don't treat their older long term employees very well. That is why you see so many age discrimination lawsuits.

omarman

Don't forget about Steve either(Stever?).

That reminds me of a post about Smart cars a few years ago...

Still makes me laugh.

henryn

explorerx4 said:

Don't forget about Steve either(Stever?).

Yeah, I miss Steve as well. Definitely a different point of view, and very easy going.

sda

I was hoping Steve would check in from time to time. I don’t think he has.

imidazol97

sda said:

I was hoping Steve would check in from time to time. I don’t think he has.

I don't know that anyone knows where he has gone. He truly rode off into the sunset!

28firefighter

I was always under the impression that once a Mod left, they were not allowed to post as civilians. I could be wrong though and it’s just been personal choices. 

cdnpinhead

houdini2 said:

As a general rule, most companies don't treat their older long term employees very well. That is why you see so many age discrimination lawsuits.

This is most certainly true. The company from which I "retired" back in August used to treat their employees as assets to a degree no one in today's world even comprehends. Now there's much outsourcing to India, Mexico, Puerto Rico and elsewhere, along with a concerted effort to get rid of high-dollar experienced people. I've sold my stock. It'll be interesting to see what the next five years brings. See GE.

houdini2

cdnpinhead said:

houdini2 said:

As a general rule, most companies don't treat their older long term employees very well. That is why you see so many age discrimination lawsuits.

This is most certainly true. The company from which I "retired" back in August used to treat their employees as assets to a degree no one in today's world even comprehends. Now there's much outsourcing to India, Mexico, Puerto Rico and elsewhere, along with a concerted effort to get rid of high-dollar experienced people. I've sold my stock. It'll be interesting to see what the next five years brings. See GE.

I guess it just comes down to what companies think they have to do to stay alive and stay competitive.

stickguy

the problem is too many got short sighted into the next quarters earnings or the stock price needed to get their bonuses. Long term vision became irrelevant.

thebean

Last week, I got a new set of tires (or casings/casin’s as an old friend of mine says) for the Accord. The OEM Goodyears (with 30K miles) only had about 2/32 left and were not doing well in the rain. Got a set of Michelin Defender T+H’s. Not cheap at all, but since I plan to keep it for a few more years at least, I wanted quality tires. So far, a big difference in wet and dry handling. I have always had good luck with Michelins.

imidazol97

thebean said:

Last week, I got a new set of tires (or casings/casin’s as an old friend of mine says) for the Accord. The OEM Goodyears (with 30K miles) only had about 2/32 left and were not doing well in the rain. Got a set of Michelin Defender T+H’s. Not cheap at all, but since I plan to keep it for a few more years at least, I wanted quality tires. So far, a big difference in wet and dry handling. I have always had good luck with Michelins.

I bought a set of those for the Cruze that my son now owns and drives. His original Continental tires had scalloped on the edges, not due to alignment, just a typical wear pattern for them. The T&H are stiffer than the regular Defenders.

A few weeks later I replaced the Defenders on the Cobalt he had used through college with the Defender T&H model. The manager reminded me they're stiffer. I haven't liked them since I got them. I should have gotten the regular Defenders.

They rolled and felt good on the Cruze in that size. But the size for the Cobalt, 16 inch x 205 x 55, is a large tire for the car and the Defender T&H are too stiff.

I wish I had gone back and used the 1 month guarantee and switched them for the regular Defender. After a couple years I long for soft tires.

explorerx4

@thebean,
30k is not a lot of miles on a tire nowadays.
How do the new tires compare to the old ones?
It may take a while for them to break in.

berri

I put regular Defenders on my car. Been a good tire, but they are also a bit stiff and a little less traction than prior Michelin's I've had. Perhaps for reduced rolling resistance and better tread wear life. I think they offer a slightly more expensive tire (Primacy maybe?) that ride and adhere a little nicer than the Defender. Probably go with those next.

fintail

But this way executive compensation can balloon while others remain stagnant or even decline (or are eliminated), as we must attract and retain "talent". Meanwhile, socio-economic mobility has collapsed and ranks below numerous competitive nations. I wonder how that happened.

stickguy said:

the problem is too many got short sighted into the next quarters earnings or the stock price needed to get their bonuses. Long term vision became irrelevant.

thebean

explorerx4 said:

@thebean,
30k is not a lot of miles on a tire nowadays.
How do the new tires compare to the old ones?
It may take a while for them to break in.

@explorerx4, they are better in the wet than the OEM Goodyears were when new. I was a bit surprised that I only got 30K out of them. I haven’t driven the Michelin’s on any real twisties, so I can’t comment on extreme handling. I haven’t noticed the sidewalks being unreasonably stiff. Overall, I’m happy so far.

I don’t think they make regular Defenders for Accords.

driver100

All I know is I got 4 Michelins to replace the 4 Conti's on the C250...not sure which model, but they are far superior to the Conti's. The Michees have a firmer ride, but what a difference in grip.

imidazol97

thebean said:

explorerx4 said:

@thebean,
30k is not a lot of miles on a tire nowadays.
How do the new tires compare to the old ones?
It may take a while for them to break in.

@explorerx4, they are better in the wet than the OEM Goodyears were when new. I was a bit surprised that I only got 30K out of them. I haven’t driven the Michelin’s on any real twisties, so I can’t comment on extreme handling. I haven’t noticed the sidewalks being unreasonably stiff. Overall, I’m happy so far.

I don’t think they make regular Defenders for Accords.

Defenders weren't available in all sizes, IIRC, after the introduction of the higher speed rated H&T. The size for the Cruze with 16-inch wheels was only available in T&H; the Cobalt, in both regular and T&H.

I have always been a fan of Michelins for their quality. For driving on curving roads, I'd suggest 2 pounds over what your car maker recommends in front and the rears right on. For highway driving and mileage, 3 & 1 over.

tjc78

I know I've said it before, but Michelin are by far my favorite tire. They always seem to last a long time, keep their balance and have a great combination of grip and ride quality.

I've never seemed to have good luck with Dunlop, Bridgestone or Goodyear. The Kumho's on the Elantra seem fine for that car, but, after 16,000 miles I do think they ride firmer than they used to.

stickguy

The 2 sets I had on a new car that wore out way too soon were both Michelin’s. I’ve never found it worth the extra money to put them on as replacements.

fintail

I think the wagon has German-made Contis on it, which surprised me a little. I bet they aren't cheap. I've never had to replace tires on prior leases. The E55 always had Michelin PS2s, which seemed to be the best quality, but at a price. And with staggered wheels and a powerful RWD platform, in 20K miles you could be on racing slicks - there goes another $1300, and that was 10 years ago. The old car now wears BF Goodrich Silvertowns, which are kind of a retro tire, a radial made to look old. They are all about ride quality, as one would expect.

imidazol97

Some lines of Michelins are meant for long wear. Others are built for traction along with a softer ride for premiium touring applications of upline vehicles. Off the top of my head one of those may be "Premier." I was looking at those for replacement for the Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires on my Malibu. The Goodyears have had great grip and superb shock control in conjunction with the suspension on the car. Changing tires often changes that symbiotic relationship and gives more feel from the road. So I was looking at various, lower wear mileage Michelins along with the fact in the size for my 18-inch wheels some tire models are available.

The Defender T&H did include the size for my Malibu. But I suspect they would be stiffer than I want. There's a new Touring line that's been available several months that may give me a tire if I change but at lower mileage than the 80-90K miles.

I believe @driver100 replaced tires on his Florida car with Michelins.

ab348

The OEM tires on the ATS are Bridgestone summer-only performance tires whose rubber compound must largely be made up of artgum erasers, since the treadwear rating is only 140. When those wear out I will likely replace them with Michelins. I have had good luck with every Michelin tire I ever bought.

dino001

I have all-season Pirellis P7 RFTs on my 430 GC (no sport/track pack). As new they were well balanced and quiet, but not awfully grippy in corners. 26K miles, need to replace them soon, they've been noticeably losing some wet grip in last few months, not to the point of being scary, but the rear is getting a little loose in rain. Still fairly quiet on smooth roads and not awfully noisy on rough ones.

My previous 328 wagon had sports pack with staggered size Contis Sport (summer performance) RFTs. Those lasted around 25K (a bit less) with rears were completely worn, fronts were still "legal". They also got noisy at the end of their life.

I think best RFTs today for balanced sport sedan all-season ride are Bridgestone Driveguard. Had them on my wagon before sold it. I liked them - smooth and quiet, good wet grip, will likely use them as replacements for those Pirellis.

tjc78

stickguy said:

The 2 sets I had on a new car that wore out way too soon were both Michelin’s. I’ve never found it worth the extra money to put them on as replacements.

That’s surprising.   I had over 50k on the set that was on the 04 Mercury.  All three Buick’s have had Michelin’s and at 30k looked barely worn.  

The LaCrosse had Pilots which I thought would wear quickly but they didn’t. 

28firefighter

The RFTs on the X1 lasted 24k miles. Ended up buying a set barely used Goodyear Eagle Sport RFTs for a few hundred bucks ahead of our lease end.

roadburner

dino001 said:

I have all-season Pirellis P7 RFTs on my 430 GC (no sport/track pack). As new they were well balanced and quiet, but not awfully grippy in corners. 26K miles, need to replace them soon, they've been noticeably losing some wet grip in last few months, not to the point of being scary, but the rear is getting a little loose in rain. Still fairly quiet on smooth roads and not awfully noisy on rough ones. My previous 328 wagon had sports pack with staggered size Contis Sport (summer performance) RFTs. Those lasted around 25K (a bit less) with rears were completely worn, fronts were still "legal". They also got noisy at the end of their life. I think best RFTs today for balanced sport sedan all-season ride are Bridgestone Driveguard. Had them on my wagon before sold it. I liked them - smooth and quiet, good wet grip, will likely use them as replacements for those Pirellis.

Our X1 has Driveguard tires on it. No complaints so far. 

henryn

thebean said:

Last week, I got a new set of tires (or casings/casin’s as an old friend of mine says) for the Accord. The OEM Goodyears (with 30K miles) only had about 2/32 left and were not doing well in the rain. Got a set of Michelin Defender T+H’s. Not cheap at all, but since I plan to keep it for a few more years at least, I wanted quality tires. So far, a big difference in wet and dry handling. I have always had good luck with Michelins.

Man, 2/32 left? That is bald! I really don't like driving on worn out tires, I hate getting a flat, and even a slight occurrence of hydro planing is enough to ruin your day.

henryn

cdnpinhead said:

houdini2 said:

As a general rule, most companies don't treat their older long term employees very well. That is why you see so many age discrimination lawsuits.

This is most certainly true. The company from which I "retired" back in August used to treat their employees as assets to a degree no one in today's world even comprehends. Now there's much outsourcing to India, Mexico, Puerto Rico and elsewhere, along with a concerted effort to get rid of high-dollar experienced people. I've sold my stock. It'll be interesting to see what the next five years brings. See GE.

I can't argue with your statements, as I know them to be true. I do observe that (some) individual members of management do treat long term employees with a certain degree of respect. But that is not the company policy. The company policy is to reduce the payroll, offshore, cut corners.

ruking1

Mr_Shiftright said:

See you on the trail, pardners....

Happy trails to you, till we meet again!

oldfarmer50

thebean said:

Last week, I got a new set of tires (or casings/casin’s as an old friend of mine says) for the Accord. The OEM Goodyears (with 30K miles) only had about 2/32 left and were not doing well in the rain. Got a set of Michelin Defender T+H’s. Not cheap at all, but since I plan to keep it for a few more years at least, I wanted quality tires. So far, a big difference in wet and dry handling. I have always had good luck with Michelins.

The Perrelli P Zero Neros on my Ford are a disappointment. After only 10k miles they developed an annoying whine. I’d like to replace them with some Michelin Pilot Sports but most of the higher performance styles don’t come in 18” wheel sizes. I’m considering an upgrade to 19”.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

thebean said:

Last week, I got a new set of tires (or casings/casin’s as an old friend of mine says) for the Accord. The OEM Goodyears (with 30K miles) only had about 2/32 left and were not doing well in the rain. Got a set of Michelin Defender T+H’s. Not cheap at all, but since I plan to keep it for a few more years at least, I wanted quality tires. So far, a big difference in wet and dry handling. I have always had good luck with Michelins.

The Perrelli P Zero Neros on my Ford are a disappointment. After only 10k miles they developed an annoying whine. I’d like to replace them with some Michelin Pilot Sports but most of the higher performance styles don’t come in 18” wheel sizes. I’m considering an upgrade to 19”.

"On my Ford"!
Don't call it a Ford.....it's a Stang!

I like my Michelin Pilot Sports on the C250.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
Run in a lower gear, with that exhaust upgrade you have, you won't hear them.
You're not driving 'Miss Daisy'.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

I like my Michelin Pilot Sports on the C250.

I looked up the Pilot Sports on michelinman.com. Usually Michelin describes the properties of a tire
with things like eco-friendly, winter safety, relaxing precision, to describe the characteristics.
The Pilot Sports is described with "exhilaration." It's a summer tire with great grip. Should
be fun to whip that C250 around curves or corners to see how they do grip!

imidazol97

The last time I checked on my tire strore's group web site they still had Defenders listed. Probably still in their warehouse supplier.

They are no longer on Michelin's site. There is a Defender XLS or some name like that which may have replaced it for certain tire sizes now.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
Run in a lower gear, with that exhaust upgrade you have, you won't hear them.
You're not driving 'Miss Daisy'.

LOL!

roadburner

I put PSS tires on my MS3 while the M235i came with them from the factory- I run out of nerve before I run out of grip- amazing tires.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

I like my Michelin Pilot Sports on the C250.

I looked up the Pilot Sports on michelinman.com. Usually Michelin describes the properties of a tire
with things like eco-friendly, winter safety, relaxing precision, to describe the characteristics.
The Pilot Sports is described with "exhilaration." It's a summer tire with great grip. Should
be fun to whip that C250 around curves or corners to see how they do grip!

I don't go crazy but sometimes I do take a curve or corner fairly briskly. But even on the highway or going around mild curves, you can feel the car holding the road. Good tires make a huge difference.

Once when I was stuggling financially, I had an 81 Olds Cutlass, and I had to get tires. I bought Esso tires at a gas station.......they ruined the car. In those years I once needed shoes and I bought cheap dressy shoes, almost ruined my feet. I learned a very valuable lesson in life....pay a bit more and you will never be sorry, and you will probably save money because you only have to buy these things once and they will last a long time...and I will be happy.

stickguy

you can save money on a lot of things with no issue, but certain things you really should pay more for the quality. Shoes and Tires definitely 2 of them!

cdnpinhead

driver100 said:

I bought Esso tires at a gas station.......they ruined the car..

I think we're not too different in age. I worked the overnight shift at an Amoco (remember them? of course not, but they were affiliated with Chevron, Enco, Standard Oil & several others) station on route 66 in Santa Rosa, NM in the summers of '66 and '67, and selling tires was part of the gig. The tires here in the U.S. were branded Atlas back in those days, and i thought they were decent. Apparently not.

ab348

Atlas Tires were sold (and maybe even made) by Standard Oil back then. Their Bucron tire was very sticky and apparently the hot setup for drag/street racers.

The Atlas brand has made a return recently after the brand was sold to the Chinese.

jipster

roadburner said:

I put PSS tires on my MS3 while the M235i came with them from the factory- I run out of nerve before I run out of grip- amazing tires.

"I run out of nerve before I run out of grip"... now that would be a great performance tire slogan!
I'd copyright that fast before jmonroe steals it. ;-).

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I put PSS tires on my MS3 while the M235i came with them from the factory- I run out of nerve before I run out of grip- amazing tires.

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

I like my Michelin Pilot Sports on the C250.

I looked up the Pilot Sports on michelinman.com. Usually Michelin describes the properties of a tire
with things like eco-friendly, winter safety, relaxing precision, to describe the characteristics.
The Pilot Sports is described with "exhilaration." It's a summer tire with great grip. Should
be fun to whip that C250 around curves or corners to see how they do grip!

I don't go crazy but sometimes I do take a curve or corner fairly briskly. But even on the highway or going around mild curves, you can feel the car holding the road. Good tires make a huge difference.

Once when I was stuggling financially, I had an 81 Olds Cutlass, and I had to get tires. I bought Esso tires at a gas station.......they ruined the car. In those years I once needed shoes and I bought cheap dressy shoes, almost ruined my feet. I learned a very valuable lesson in life....pay a bit more and you will never be sorry, and you will probably save money because you only have to buy these things once and they will last a long time...and I will be happy.

I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had bad tires.

driver100

cdnpinhead said:

driver100 said:

I bought Esso tires at a gas station.......they ruined the car..

I think we're not too different in age. I worked the overnight shift at an Amoco (remember them? of course not, but they were affiliated with Chevron, Enco, Standard Oil & several others) station on route 66 in Santa Rosa, NM in the summers of '66 and '67, and selling tires was part of the gig. The tires here in the U.S. were branded Atlas back in those days, and i thought they were decent. Apparently not.

Thanks for reminding me...yes, they were Atlas brand. They didn't even look right on my beautiful 81 Cutlass...they looked small and skinny compared to the tires that it came with. Very hard riding.....I guess they were made as Atlas but when I bought them I thought they were made for Standard Oil by one of the larger companies- Firestone or Goodyear maybe.
I sure do remember Amoco and Gulf, Phillips and there were others that are no longer with us.

imidazol97

On the Michelin Pilot Sports..., those are designated summer tires. Does that mean @driver100 can't drive the car if it's below 32 deg F in FL?

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

I put PSS tires on my MS3 while the M235i came with them from the factory- I run out of nerve before I run out of grip- amazing tires.

Grip lessens with age while nerve grows with experience, therefore nerve will eventually grow to exceed grip. Those who are truly wise understand this and seek equilibrium, those who are not end up on YouTube.

graphicguy

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/06/04/ford-fusion-sport-discontinued-2020/

I was mildly interested in this car when it first came out. I recall going to the Ford dealer where my son bought his ill-fated Ford Fiesta (dangerous transmission). True to form, the sales person said I should test drive the Fusion Sport. They had two of them.

Unfortunately, after waiting around for 20 minutes they couldn’t find the keys to either one. Test drive thwarted.

berri

@cdnpinhead
Standard in much of the Midwest became Amoco, then BP bought them. Amoco had some major research labs and executive offices in the Chicago area back then. Amoco was probably the most popular brand in Chicago back then followed by Shell. I remember as a kid that Standard had those different colored glass globes atop their pumps to reflect the grade of gas.