I'd almost always go with a tire that has feedback on it. I hate to be the tester for an unknown tire. Believe it or not, tires vary a great deal in their performance...although most tires, well known or less well known, are at least well made.
Keep in mind that you can't trust a "line" of tires anymore, nor can you trust manufacturers' claims anymore. Every manufacturer and every line has some some, some great, some poor, and some lousy tires in it.
And if these 2 tires are compatiable...with the cracking on the tread and an indentation running down the right front tire, I'm thinking of getting rid of these suckers. Even though they have about 30k left of tread.
Hey, the tires are fine for driving under 50 mph - but who does that anymore? This isn't the 1950's - tires are one of the cheapest part of vehicle maintenance these days. Sear's sells H rated Sumitomo and Kumho tires for $50 on sale, out the door $300. You can go cheaper at Wal-Mart, but get lower performing (but still safer than what you've got) tires. I don't think its prudent to drive mismatched, cracking tires. You are asking for trouble. The 6 year age is just one part of the equation, probably the least important given teh actualy cracking and indentation.
Bridgestone Potenza G009 is a newer version of Firestone Firehawk HR-30, with a very similar tread pattern, but directional.
I also live in CT. Had the Firehawk on my Chevy Malibu for about 35K miles. Outstanding tires for rain: traction, stability is the same as on dry pavement. Absolutely great for most of year.
While new, the tires were fine (not great, but almost) on snow. However, when about 5/16" to 6/16" of tread was left, I had problems with starting uphill on wet snow on traffic lights, and slipped downhill once. I would not recommend the tires for driving on CT hills on wet snow.
I put some new T rated BFG Traction TA-s on my 2000 Taurus SES several weeks ago. So far I like them a lot. They are quiet, have very good wet traction compared to the OEM Continentals I changed out, and handling seems to be good as well.
The Continentals actually weren't too bad for an inexpensive tire. They went 51K and still had useable tread left, but I did not want to run them through another upper midwest winter. My biggest problem with them was they never had good wet road traction. It was very easy to spin the tires upon acceleration on wet pavement. They were quite good on snow before they started to get low on tread depth last winter.
Time will tell in the snow on the Traction TA's, but so far they are a very good low-mid priced tire, in my opinion.
Well, I've done a little bit of research into those Firestone tires I've posted about. The Firestone FR 680 was the OEM tire that came with my 1999 Buick Regal LS that I bought used a little over a year ago. They start out at $64 at tirerack in a 14" tire. The Firestone FR440, which is on the left front of my car, is a cheaper tire that starts out at $44 in a 14" tire. So, how this vehicle came about having such a mismatched/hodge podged assortment of tires on it is anyones guess.
Several of the people who reviewed the tires mentioned cracking problems and dry rot. Tireracks Firestone review noted the FR680 tires as " best luxury all season passenger tire for wet weather" It is the one with the indentation, about a quarter inch deep by an inch wide, running down the sidewall (normal?) The 440's look to be suffering a bit from dry rot. Anyhow, thanks to all for your comments. I'll be starting to research a good replacement tire for the Firestones. Probably replace the Goodyears in back as well.
Well, I ended up buying a tire/wheel package from the Prius owner's group buy at tirefactory.net for Nokian tires. I got the Nokian WRs mounted on steel rims, for both of my Prius. Free ground shipping, should arrive sometime next week.
For now, I'll just use the WRs as winter tires. I'll keep the OEMs on the alloys for spring/summer/fall use. When the OEMs die, I can either just use the WRs full-time, or I can buy a new 3-season tire, or I could buy a more agressive winter tire and use the WRs as 3-season (if I decide that the WRs aren't good enough for my winters). yes, more decisions, but they'll be a year from now at the earliest.
Oh, and I'm in the metrowest area of MA, USA.
As much as I tried to read the Nov. 2005 Consumer Reports on tires, I never found it as I don't know anyone who subscribes, and all the local libraries only have the Oct. 2005 issue as their newest mailed to them issue.
I have a Nitto NeoGen tire with a DOT CX6F and that's all it says on my tires. Can anyone tell me how old is this tire, after reading some of these posts i decided to see how old is my tires too but cant understand the DOT.
1) That the rest of the digits are on the other side of the tire.
2) That the rest if the digits are in a different print style (Is the word "Font" appropriate here?)
What you are looking for is an additional group of 3 or 4 digits followed by a group of 3 or 4 NUMBERS! And it is possible that they are on the other side. The TREAD act, which was the result of the Firestone / Ford thing, mandated a change of location for the TIN (Tire Identification Number) commonly called the DOT number or serial number. The new regulation requires the TIN to be on the side intended out, but this regulation doesn't take effect until 2006 (or 2007, I forget!) Many tire manufacturers are anticipating the regulation by stamping the partial TIN on BOTH sides and then filling in the rest of it on the side that's convenient for them now - usually the bottom half of the mold. which is the side intended in.
Thanks for the input, ill try to see what i can come up with and get back to you with my findings. I didnt bother to look in the inside but now ill do just that. Thanks.
Which tire would you recommed for this vehicle. I have a set of Bridgestone Turanza LS-H's on now and they only lasted 24K miles with uneven wear. I drive with respect and rarely put the tires "to the test". I live in south-central Pa. We get snow and ice and the snow plows are few and far between. I have a set of Blizzak WS-50 snows on seperate rims for winter so I am not looking for great snow traction in an all season tread. Any suggestions? 195R60-15 is stock size.
The Turanzas seem to get good reviews. Have you had your alignment checked lately? Do you move the car around in the driveway a lot (or otherwise turn the steering wheel when the car is stationary)?
The Michelin Hydroedge has an extremely high wear rating, as does the Goodyear Comfotread. I had the Hydroedge on an Altima, and they seemed capable of achieving very high mileage before they would be worn out.
I agree with mattski1. The Turanza LS-H is a top rated tire; although I have not owned them, I have had the 950's and they were excellent. I'd look at your alignment and balancing. It is very important to have tires balanced well; the wagon should feel very smooth on the road. Also, rotation is important if you are having accelerated wear. I don't rotate often because I am a light driver, but once the measurements are off by 1/32 I rotate them (my shop measures the wear and rotates based on wear instead of time, this saves wear and tear on the wheel bolts.
I am interested in the Michelin Pilot A/S for a Subaru WRX Wagon. I can purchase online @ Walmart and have them install them locally for the lowest price($12.00/tire). Otherwise I can carry them out and use another shop. I have heard that Hunter balancers are great for diagnosing vibration issues but are they significantly better for tire balancing? Or are the standard balancers fine? The only shop that seems friendly with carry in and has a Hunter is not the most competent in my friends experiences.
Hunter GSP9700's are excellent tools in the right hands.
What a 9700 does is not "balance" better. - it measures a form of "Out of Round". (The engineer in me cringed when I typed that sentence, because that's not quite accurate either.)
So these machines are really good tools for diagnosing vibration caused by "Out of Round" issues, (cringe) and using one when installing new tires and / or wheels MIGHT identify a potential problem area before the assembly is applied to the vehicle.
You can find other shops that have one at www.gsp9700.com
Having these tires for several weeks now, I can report a few things about them. I can say they are much quieter than my previous store brand tires, but the ride isn't any better. Then again, it is a Tercel and it will probably never ride very well regardless of the tires. One thing I don't like about these tires is they are very bad about wanting to follow seams in the road. They seem as bad as bias ply tires and I've never experienced a radial that's as badly affected as these tires are. They seem to handle wet pavement fine, but I haven't experienced their snow capabilities yet, which is why I bought these tires in the first place. When I do, I will post.
Capriracer has already explained the Hunter Road Force balancer and given the weblink on where to find one. Please note that many shops have Hunter balancers but few have the Road Force version.
I have found America's Tire Store and Tires Direct to have very good prices; they do a regular mount and balance for $10 per wheel, and up charge you $10 more for Road Force balancing at their stores (not all) that carry the machine. To save even more money, order from their on-line division at tires.com and have them shipped to a ATS/TD store with a 9700; right now ground shipping is free. The selection is bigger and cheaper through their online/800 number ordering than retail at the stores.
I have had mixed results with Walmart. At least choose one that isn't too busy and try to go in on a weeday morning. Otherwise they get rushed and their work shows it. If you go that route, ask them to mount the "dot" (looks like a chalk mark, but it can be different colors) next to your valve stem, that gets you part of the way there in terms of roundness and balance. I did this at a Sears and the ride was very smooth, very balanced.
Thanks for the info. This is my first time on the site and I appreciate the feed back.
I have the alignment checked (4 wheel) once a year in the spring after pot hole season. In five years it has never been out of spec - its a Honda. Anyway... I have a nice garage with a floor jack so I rotate the tires every oil change, about 4500 miles, but never over 5000. I cross the rears to the front and the fronts go straight back (same side). Given this and the 24K milage, each of the tires has been on each corner of the car. The strange thing is only two of the tires are worn and they are a pair on the same "axle". The wear is weird in that the tread is deeper (6/32) on the inside and shallow on the outside (2/32) -both side the same. These two tires are shot - poor wet performance. The wear on the other two is fine 6/32 deep in and out. Th wear was first noticed at my May 05 tire rotation. I took the car in for the annual alignment in May 05 and again in Sept 05 for a recheck - nothing out of spec. My align-mechanic, who is not my tire dealer, says some cars wear tires differently. I guess this it it. Weird and costly at $95 a tire. My dilimma is do I spend $500 plus for another set of great tires, the Turanzas are very good, or go with some less costly and replace more often?
If your vehicle was "in spec", it might not be "good enough". So it's possible that the alignment shop either didn't tell you the true facts, or didn't tell you all the facts.
It's also possible that there was a change in the type of driving a some point when the tires in question were on the front. Like a lot of city driving or some autocrossing - something like that.
It's generally best to check alignment right after installing new tires, since worn tires can affect the measurements.
I have found Falken Ziex 512k as recommended by Consumer Reports to be a superb tire for the money. Sears has them.
Another well-thought of tire is the Traction T/A (look for that exact branding) by BF Goodrich as sold at Walmart or Sears. Those are the cheapest tire outlets I know. Watch for sales and Walmart and keep your wits about you.
I have left Costco out due to a couple of bad installs from them. Their overall price is great, but the lines are too long, so warranty work and rotations (not just initial install) are grueling. When I factored in my time, even at minimum wage, Costco didn't pencil out for me!
I have found that many of the chain stores selling tires are quite variable based on current personnel, not that this is any revelation. For example, I have lost my previous strong attraction to doing business at my nearby Discount Tire due to the manager leaving for another location in another state. After his departure, I found I could not do business there with the great results and satisfaction I was accustomed to achieving.
Those Falkens come in the correct (uncommon) 17" size for my mom's S80. The Pilot MXM4's are kind of loud after 30,000 miles (5/32" tread remains). How quiet are the Falkens?
The Yokohama was included in CR's testing of "performance all-season tires". It finished 13th. Falken Ziex 512 finished first. to read report go to consumerreports.org
I have been researching tires and have noticed some manufacturers offer a free 30 trial when purchasing a new set of tires. If you don't like them I believe you can just trade them in for another set. Question: What do tire stores do with these tires when someone turns them back in. Can they still sell them as new? Or, do they sell them at a discount? Thanks.
my daughter is now driving my 99 escort - the original tires were uniroyal m&s p185/65 r14 tiger paws and were an excellent tire - handled extremely well in snow. i need to get a new set of tires and i'm looking for input - considered going with the tigerpaws again but have been advised to go with a dunlop sp winter sport m3 for a first class snow tire. since my daughter may drive to snow country skiing i wan to make sure she has the best tire for the money on the escort.
if you have any other recommendations for tires or experiences please let me know.
In the past I have purchased Uniroyal tires for my daughters and have been very pleased. In addition, I would mention that I have had great luck with Firestone tires here in Rocky Mountain snow country.
I have a 2000 Nissan Altima SE that I just bought. The ride is extremely rough. I was hoping a change of tires would help the ride. Right now it has Douglas M+S 205/55 R16 90H Performance GT-H on the front and Mastercraft Avenger LSR 205/55 R16 on the rear (M+S also). Please recommend something that can ease the bumpy ride.
"I maintain all my vehicles tire pressure with what the tire sidewall states usually 44 psi. The ride maybe slightly stiffer but is much safer and greater tread life."
Running around with your tires pumped up to max pressure would result in an unacceptably harsh ride on the Northeastern roads I am used to. It might work in California or Arizona.
OTOH I tend to go a bit above the recommended pressure figuring harder tires have less rolling resistance ergo better gas mileage.
I think you get the most even wear by running slightly above the mfr's recommendation too.
...has absolutely nothing to do with the proper pressure for an individual car.
That doesn't mean you can't run your car at 44 PSI.. But, why you would consider that number as an option... when that tire might be the proper size for a number of cars.. that may have PSI recommendations ranging from 26 PSI to 38 PSI, is beyond me..
I'm just constantly amazed, that Joe Tire Dealer pulls a tire out of a big stack, and somehow, Joe Tire Buyer thinks that number is custom-made for his vehicle.. There are plenty of options with regard to tire pressure, besides the manufacturer recommendation, but using the sidewall as a barometer... :surprise:
You know, passenger car tires only come with basically three sidewall numbers.. 35 PSI, 44 PSI, and 51 PSI... They really have no relation to what pressure you should actually have in your tires..
Using what is on the sidewall of the tire as a basis for usage inflation pressure is just plain wrong-headed.
Vehicle manufactrers spent a lot of time setting the spring rates of the springs and the sway bars and the damping coefficients of the shock absorbers based on the spring rate and damping coefficient of the tire at the placard inflation pressure. This is particularly important in emergency manuevers - when you'd want the vehicle to behave predictably. Change the inflation pressure and all this time and effort is wasted.
For small differences (up to 3 psi), the effects are relatively small and so safety is not compromised much - particularly if you consider that increased inflation pressure reduces the risk of a tire failure.
But for larger differences (over 5 psi), the effects can be quite dramatic. This is something that is beyond the ability for the average driver to assess - both from a practical point of view (Where would you conduct these types of tests?) and an expertise point of view (Who would have the expertise to conduct theses types of tests?)
While there are some real benefits for using inflation pressures above the placard (fuel economy, tire durability, tire wear, etc), large differencs actual decrease the "safety" due to the change in vehicle handling.
And using 44 psi as written on the sidewall would be considered a large difference (at least 9 psi).
If you've got "extremely rough" ride, think your going to find that new shocks are in order. A change in tires would change an extremely rough ride to a moderately rough ride.
But be sure to check your inflation pressure. My book says your placard ought to say 30 front 29 rear. Find it an verify these values.
is weight distribution. Mfrs of FWD and AWD cars typically suggest higher pressures in front to tame the understeer inherent in a front heavy design. RWD cars may have close to 50/50 weight distribution or be heavier in back than in front, Typically manufacturers will suggest higher pressures in the rear on these cars to tame the oversteer inherent in these designs.
Putting the max pressure all around means using the same settings on both ends of the car which might result in less than optimum or even poor handling.
For the money, IMHO Cooper Tire Lifleliner SLE is every bit of good tire as there is on the market.
We have owned 4 sets of Cooper Tires over the years and will probably buy again when we need ot replace ranging from the SUV tire Discoverer to the touring Lifeliner SLEs. At half the cost, I did not see any difference between the Michilin and Cooper. Both the Cooper sets had very good rides and traction, plus life wear was at least 12,000 miles over the warrenty. Check them out and compare, if you need a replacement tire and want to save some money with quality, Cooper I feel is a good bet. Just my opinion.
"I would expect to see pronounced uneven wear in the center of the tread area of the tire as a result of this over inflation.
I would also expect to see poorer handling due to the reduced tire contact patch.
Seems like a very poor idea to me."
Over inflation given the max tire wall pressure designation is pretty easy to see i.e,. If you have 44 max PSI max sidewall, OVER inflation is indeed 45 and over. (cold) A low tech white chalk mark drawn across the treads of the tires can easitly tell you if the middle of the tread is wearing more than the edges.
In fact the culprit of majority is indeed UNDER inflation!! The real problem is what does UNDER inflation REALLY mean? Under inflation has no real hard and fast rule. Case in point. my VW Jetta TDI that has placards of 26 psi front and rear with half load and 30 psi front and 41 PSI full load. Now this is with oem 44 max psi tires. However the same car (different trim) CAN come with oem 51 PSI max sidewall pressure.. So given psi of : 26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39, 40,41, and for 51 psi add 42,43,44,45,46,47,: what is OVERrinflation? UNDER inflation? The variables and factors are now multiplied?!
So for example , if I follow my placard of 26 psi f/r for half load, what do I do if I carry say up to 5 people? If folks ignore the weekly psi check, compounded by gauges that are NOT calibrated, do we honestly expect folks to put in 30/41 when they load up the car with say 5 people?? How accurate is it now? to give a real example Las Vegas NV, 110 degrees in the shade, car parked so some tires in shade/out of shade!?
I just had a set of Cooper Lifeliner Touring SLE tires put on my wife's car last week. This is my first set of Cooper tires, but after reading some of the on line reviews about them, I decided to give them a shot. I drove her car a lot over the weekend, and must say these are the smoothest, quitest tires I have ever experienced on any vehicle. This is the third set of tires on this particular vehicle. The first set were Michelin Energy tires, then we replaced those with Uniroyal Tiger Paws, and now we have the Cooper Lifeliner Touring tires. I am hoping that they last as long as you claim!!!
I was under the impression that the vehicle placard which states 32PSI was the "ideal"tire pressure and that running at less than this setting would result in greater wear at the tread edges and more than this pressure would result in greater wear at the tread center. Perhaps this is a simplistic concept and does not apply, however as you state the real world temperature range can be extreme and can render any initial setting invalid.
I have noted - on one of my cars which has tire pressure monitor display - that after a few miles the higher tires on the sunny side balance out with the lower shade tires and that regardless of outside temperature, 30's or 90's , I see only a 3 to 5 psi pressure rise during high speed driving.
So what is the answer, since it is usually impractical to adjust tire pressure several times a day?
Indeed that is the real question. For example, I have a "gentleman's disagreement" with one of the more respected posters on this web site., CapriRacer. If I were to guess, he has probably forgotten more about the subject of tires than I will probably ever concern myself. While I have to admit you can "take hi advice to the bank", I truly have found the % of maximum side wall pressure to work. I think it true especially since both he and I understand the American public tends to ignore tire pressures. Some folks don't even check their tire pressures unless it is pretty close to FLAT. Then of course wonder why they at best don't last as long as they had hoped. In extreme cases, i.e., FORD Explorer/Firestone tires, they dont live to tell the tale or have crippling injuries. I am sure if one checks, the overwhelming majority of the failures are due to "underinflation"
So even if we check tire pressure for "fun" there are truly big ranges of PSI that can literally be used and still be "correct" i.e,as I posted about just one example 2003 VW Jetta TDI.
The subject: %'s of maximum side wall tire pressure as a starting point. I use 85%. Why, because tires are manufactured to a standard (35,44,51 as examples) and with a safety factor in mind. Also almost nothing manufactured is really build to run at 100% . Of course you can run things AT 100% but there will be some fall off!, and/or disadvantages? It is NOT ambiguous So using your example of the magical "32 psi" Why does it work? 32/44 = 73% (.7272727 actually) So for example, it would be an absolute no brainer to use 32 psi or 73% of max sidewall tire pressure. I know however 1. my tread life will be a tad shorter than at say 85% or 38 psi. 2. It would tend to get a tad bit hotter at higher speed runs.3. It would tend not to steer as well as at 85%. 4 performance would be slightly less 5 The other is there are sweet spots for tires and 85% seems to be where it is at, for other than fully loaded cars. Not many folks drive fully loaded cars a majority of the time.
Can you deviate from 85%? ABSOLUTELY. In my thinking, you should /can deviate for any number of reasons. In the worst case if I fill with 85%/44=38 psi I can literally ignore TP (given a loss of 1 PSI per mo) for (38-26=) 12 (PSI) MONTHS!!!!!!!! Trust me, this is not what I am advocating, just looking at what I do vs the placard of 26 psi.
Indeed that is the real question. For example, I have a "gentleman's disagreement" with one of the more respected posters on this web site., CapriRacer. If I were to guess, he has probably forgotten more about the subject of tires than I will probably ever concern myself. While I have to admit you can "take hi advice to the bank", I truly have found the % of maximum side wall pressure to work. I think it true especially since both he and I understand the American public tends to ignore tire pressures. Some folks don't even check their tire pressures unless it is pretty close to FLAT. Then of course wonder why they at best don't last as long as they had hoped. In extreme cases, i.e., FORD Explorer/Firestone tires, they dont live to tell the tale or have crippling injuries. I am sure if one checks, the overwhelming majority of the failures are due to "underinflation"
So even if we check tire pressure for "fun" there are truly big ranges of PSI that can literally be used and still be "correct" i.e,as I posted about just one example 2003 VW Jetta TDI.
The subject: %'s of maximum side wall tire pressure as a starting point. I use 85%. Why, because tires are manufactured to a standard (35,44,51 as examples) and with a safety factor in mind. Also almost nothing manufactured is really build to run at 100% . Of course you can run things AT 100% but there will be some fall off!, and/or disadvantages? It is NOT ambiguous So using your example of the magical "32 psi" Why does it work? 32/44 = 73% (.7272727 actually) So for example, it would be an absolute no brainer to use 32 psi or 73% of max sidewall tire pressure. I know however 1. my tread life will be a tad shorter than at say 85% or 38 psi. 2. It would tend to get a tad bit hotter at higher speed runs.3. It would tend not to steer as well as at 85%. 4 performance would be slightly less 5 The other is there are sweet spots for tires and 85% seems to be where it is at, for other than fully loaded cars. Not many folks drive fully loaded cars a majority of the time.
Can you deviate from 85%? ABSOLUTELY. In my thinking, you should /can deviate for any number of reasons. In the worst case if I fill (with 85%/44=) 38 psi, I can literally ignore TP (given a loss of 1 PSI per mo) for (38-26=) 12 (PSI) MONTHS!!!!!!!! Trust me, this is not what I am advocating, just looking at what I CAN do vs the placard of 26 psi, NOT what I actually do. I run 85%/44-38 psi and check TP weekly. A consequence has been (may or may not be causal) is on acknowledged "worst of breed" oem tires which most folks surveyed say are totally shot at 45,000 miles and most before, mine are at 68,000 miles and have experienced 14,000-16,500 miles per 1/32 in of wear. So that converts to a PROJECTED 112,000-132,000 miles. on a front wheel drive car to boot!!
Perhaps, but generally correct. But the real problem with tread wear is that most tread wear occurs in cornering, so you can get shoulder wear (or lack of shoulder wear) depending on a lot of variables, such as alignment settings, speed around corners - stuff like that.
Another thing to consider is that the footprint pressure distribution in radial tires is somewhat insensitive to inflation pressure, so a few psi doesn't make a lot of difference compared to what misalignment and hard cornering could do. And that would apply to a little pressure build up due to heat (sun or otherwise).
But where inflation pressure really comes into play is for load capacity - and that's why a little extra pressure becomes important - durability.
I'm looking for a tire to compliment my Wife's newly lifted Isuzu Axiom 4x4. The truck now has a 2inch lift and the stock tires (235/65/17) now look way too small.
P265/65R17 Bridgestone A/T Revos were recommended to me by members of several Isuzu forums that I belong to. But, I'm concerned that my wheels are only 7in wide (factory 17x7), while Bridgestone seems to recommend a 7.5 wide wheel. Do I need to be concerned?
If the 265 is too wide, what other sizes would you recommend that are about 30.5" tall? I would like to stay with a width of at least 255. if possible.
Comments
Keep in mind that you can't trust a "line" of tires anymore, nor can you trust manufacturers' claims anymore. Every manufacturer and every line has some some, some great, some poor, and some lousy tires in it.
So go with a known quantity.
And if these 2 tires are compatiable...with the cracking on the tread and an indentation running down the right front tire, I'm thinking of getting rid of these suckers. Even though they have about 30k left of tread.
Hey, the tires are fine for driving under 50 mph - but who does that anymore? This isn't the 1950's - tires are one of the cheapest part of vehicle maintenance these days. Sear's sells H rated Sumitomo and Kumho tires for $50 on sale, out the door $300. You can go cheaper at Wal-Mart, but get lower performing (but still safer than what you've got) tires. I don't think its prudent to drive mismatched, cracking tires. You are asking for trouble. The 6 year age is just one part of the equation, probably the least important given teh actualy cracking and indentation.
I also live in CT. Had the Firehawk on my Chevy Malibu for about 35K miles. Outstanding tires for rain: traction, stability is the same as on dry pavement. Absolutely great for most of year.
While new, the tires were fine (not great, but almost) on snow. However, when about 5/16" to 6/16" of tread was left, I had problems with starting uphill on wet snow on traffic lights, and slipped downhill once. I would not recommend the tires for driving on CT hills on wet snow.
The Continentals actually weren't too bad for an inexpensive tire. They went 51K and still had useable tread left, but I did not want to run them through another upper midwest winter. My biggest problem with them was they never had good wet road traction. It was very easy to spin the tires upon acceleration on wet pavement. They were quite good on snow before they started to get low on tread depth last winter.
Time will tell in the snow on the Traction TA's, but so far they are a very good low-mid priced tire, in my opinion.
Several of the people who reviewed the tires mentioned cracking problems and dry rot. Tireracks Firestone review noted the FR680 tires as " best luxury all season passenger tire for wet weather" It is the one with the indentation, about a quarter inch deep by an inch wide, running down the sidewall (normal?) The 440's look to be suffering a bit from dry rot. Anyhow, thanks to all for your comments. I'll be starting to research a good replacement tire for the Firestones. Probably replace the Goodyears in back as well.
For now, I'll just use the WRs as winter tires. I'll keep the OEMs on the alloys for spring/summer/fall use. When the OEMs die, I can either just use the WRs full-time, or I can buy a new 3-season tire, or I could buy a more agressive winter tire and use the WRs as 3-season (if I decide that the WRs aren't good enough for my winters). yes, more decisions, but they'll be a year from now at the earliest.
Oh, and I'm in the metrowest area of MA, USA.
As much as I tried to read the Nov. 2005 Consumer Reports on tires, I never found it as I don't know anyone who subscribes, and all the local libraries only have the Oct. 2005 issue as their newest mailed to them issue.
1) That the rest of the digits are on the other side of the tire.
2) That the rest if the digits are in a different print style (Is the word "Font" appropriate here?)
What you are looking for is an additional group of 3 or 4 digits followed by a group of 3 or 4 NUMBERS! And it is possible that they are on the other side. The TREAD act, which was the result of the Firestone / Ford thing, mandated a change of location for the TIN (Tire Identification Number) commonly called the DOT number or serial number. The new regulation requires the TIN to be on the side intended out, but this regulation doesn't take effect until 2006 (or 2007, I forget!) Many tire manufacturers are anticipating the regulation by stamping the partial TIN on BOTH sides and then filling in the rest of it on the side that's convenient for them now - usually the bottom half of the mold. which is the side intended in.
Hope this helps.
The Michelin Hydroedge has an extremely high wear rating, as does the Goodyear Comfotread. I had the Hydroedge on an Altima, and they seemed capable of achieving very high mileage before they would be worn out.
I am interested in the Michelin Pilot A/S for a Subaru WRX Wagon. I can purchase online @ Walmart and have them install them locally for the lowest price($12.00/tire). Otherwise I can carry them out and use another shop. I have heard that Hunter balancers are great for diagnosing vibration issues but are they significantly better for tire balancing? Or are the standard balancers fine? The only shop that seems friendly with carry in and has a Hunter is not the most competent in my friends experiences.
Thanks for any insight.
What a 9700 does is not "balance" better. - it measures a form of "Out of Round". (The engineer in me cringed when I typed that sentence, because that's not quite accurate either.)
So these machines are really good tools for diagnosing vibration caused by "Out of Round" issues, (cringe) and using one when installing new tires and / or wheels MIGHT identify a potential problem area before the assembly is applied to the vehicle.
You can find other shops that have one at www.gsp9700.com
Hope this helps.
I have found America's Tire Store and Tires Direct to have very good prices; they do a regular mount and balance for $10 per wheel, and up charge you $10 more for Road Force balancing at their stores (not all) that carry the machine. To save even more money, order from their on-line division at tires.com and have them shipped to a ATS/TD store with a 9700; right now ground shipping is free. The selection is bigger and cheaper through their online/800 number ordering than retail at the stores.
I have had mixed results with Walmart. At least choose one that isn't too busy and try to go in on a weeday morning. Otherwise they get rushed and their work shows it. If you go that route, ask them to mount the "dot" (looks like a chalk mark, but it can be different colors) next to your valve stem, that gets you part of the way there in terms of roundness and balance. I did this at a Sears and the ride was very smooth, very balanced.
I have the alignment checked (4 wheel) once a year in the spring after pot hole season. In five years it has never been out of spec - its a Honda. Anyway... I have a nice garage with a floor jack so I rotate the tires every oil change, about 4500 miles, but never over 5000. I cross the rears to the front and the fronts go straight back (same side). Given this and the 24K milage, each of the tires has been on each corner of the car. The strange thing is only two of the tires are worn and they are a pair on the same "axle". The wear is weird in that the tread is deeper (6/32) on the inside and shallow on the outside (2/32) -both side the same. These two tires are shot - poor wet performance. The wear on the other two is fine 6/32 deep in and out. Th wear was first noticed at my May 05 tire rotation. I took the car in for the annual alignment in May 05 and again in Sept 05 for a recheck - nothing out of spec. My align-mechanic, who is not my tire dealer, says some cars wear tires differently. I guess this it it. Weird and costly at $95 a tire. My dilimma is do I spend $500 plus for another set of great tires, the Turanzas are very good, or go with some less costly and replace more often?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It's also possible that there was a change in the type of driving a some point when the tires in question were on the front. Like a lot of city driving or some autocrossing - something like that.
I have found Falken Ziex 512k as recommended by Consumer Reports to be a superb tire for the money. Sears has them.
Another well-thought of tire is the Traction T/A (look for that exact branding) by BF Goodrich as sold at Walmart or Sears. Those are the cheapest tire outlets I know. Watch for sales and Walmart and keep your wits about you.
I have left Costco out due to a couple of bad installs from them. Their overall price is great, but the lines are too long, so warranty work and rotations (not just initial install) are grueling. When I factored in my time, even at minimum wage, Costco didn't pencil out for me!
i actually did this once (bought a set and returned them because I did not like them). No idea what they did with them though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
if you have any other recommendations for tires or experiences please let me know.
thanks
youngstown
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So I'm wondering if I can go with P215/70R16's? There are a lot more and better choices in that size.
Thanks.
"I maintain all my vehicles tire pressure with what the tire sidewall states usually 44 psi. The ride maybe slightly stiffer but is much safer and greater tread life."
tls8th, "Subaru B9 Tribeca: Problems & Solutions" #126, 28 Oct 2005 5:26 pm
I know we've been through this a few times before, but I still have trouble wrapping my head around it.
Steve, Host
OTOH I tend to go a bit above the recommended pressure figuring harder tires have less rolling resistance ergo better gas mileage.
I think you get the most even wear by running slightly above the mfr's recommendation too.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
That doesn't mean you can't run your car at 44 PSI.. But, why you would consider that number as an option... when that tire might be the proper size for a number of cars.. that may have PSI recommendations ranging from 26 PSI to 38 PSI, is beyond me..
I'm just constantly amazed, that Joe Tire Dealer pulls a tire out of a big stack, and somehow, Joe Tire Buyer thinks that number is custom-made for his vehicle.. There are plenty of options with regard to tire pressure, besides the manufacturer recommendation, but using the sidewall as a barometer... :surprise:
You know, passenger car tires only come with basically three sidewall numbers.. 35 PSI, 44 PSI, and 51 PSI... They really have no relation to what pressure you should actually have in your tires..
regards,
kyfdx
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Vehicle manufactrers spent a lot of time setting the spring rates of the springs and the sway bars and the damping coefficients of the shock absorbers based on the spring rate and damping coefficient of the tire at the placard inflation pressure. This is particularly important in emergency manuevers - when you'd want the vehicle to behave predictably. Change the inflation pressure and all this time and effort is wasted.
For small differences (up to 3 psi), the effects are relatively small and so safety is not compromised much - particularly if you consider that increased inflation pressure reduces the risk of a tire failure.
But for larger differences (over 5 psi), the effects can be quite dramatic. This is something that is beyond the ability for the average driver to assess - both from a practical point of view (Where would you conduct these types of tests?) and an expertise point of view (Who would have the expertise to conduct theses types of tests?)
While there are some real benefits for using inflation pressures above the placard (fuel economy, tire durability, tire wear, etc), large differencs actual decrease the "safety" due to the change in vehicle handling.
And using 44 psi as written on the sidewall would be considered a large difference (at least 9 psi).
Hope this helps.
But be sure to check your inflation pressure. My book says your placard ought to say 30 front 29 rear. Find it an verify these values.
Hope this helps.
Putting the max pressure all around means using the same settings on both ends of the car which might result in less than optimum or even poor handling.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I would also expect to see poorer handling due to the reduced tire contact patch.
Seems like a very poor idea to me.
We have owned 4 sets of Cooper Tires over the years and will probably buy again when we need ot replace ranging from the SUV tire Discoverer to the touring Lifeliner SLEs. At half the cost, I did not see any difference between the Michilin and Cooper. Both the Cooper sets had very good rides and traction, plus life wear was at least 12,000 miles over the warrenty. Check them out and compare, if you need a replacement tire and want to save some money with quality, Cooper I feel is a good bet. Just my opinion.
http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/default_US.asp
I would also expect to see poorer handling due to the reduced tire contact patch.
Seems like a very poor idea to me."
Over inflation given the max tire wall pressure designation is pretty easy to see i.e,. If you have 44 max PSI max sidewall, OVER inflation is indeed 45 and over. (cold) A low tech white chalk mark drawn across the treads of the tires can easitly tell you if the middle of the tread is wearing more than the edges.
In fact the culprit of majority is indeed UNDER inflation!! The real problem is what does UNDER inflation REALLY mean? Under inflation has no real hard and fast rule. Case in point. my VW Jetta TDI that has placards of 26 psi front and rear with half load and 30 psi front and 41 PSI full load. Now this is with oem 44 max psi tires. However the same car (different trim) CAN come with oem 51 PSI max sidewall pressure.. So given psi of : 26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39, 40,41, and for 51 psi add 42,43,44,45,46,47,: what is OVERrinflation? UNDER inflation? The variables and factors are now multiplied?!
So for example , if I follow my placard of 26 psi f/r for half load, what do I do if I carry say up to 5 people? If folks ignore the weekly psi check, compounded by gauges that are NOT calibrated, do we honestly expect folks to put in 30/41 when they load up the car with say 5 people??
I too hope they last as well. Just keep them rotated every 7,500 - 8,000 miles and you will get the life expectency you desire.
Good Luck.
Perhaps this is a simplistic concept and does not apply, however as you state the real world temperature range can be extreme and can render any initial setting invalid.
I have noted - on one of my cars which has tire pressure monitor display - that after a few miles the higher tires on the sunny side balance out with the lower shade tires and that regardless of outside temperature, 30's or 90's , I see only a 3 to 5 psi pressure rise during high speed driving.
So what is the answer, since it is usually impractical to adjust tire pressure several times a day?
So even if we check tire pressure for "fun" there are truly big ranges of PSI that can literally be used and still be "correct" i.e,as I posted about just one example 2003 VW Jetta TDI.
The subject: %'s of maximum side wall tire pressure as a starting point. I use 85%. Why, because tires are manufactured to a standard (35,44,51 as examples) and with a safety factor in mind. Also almost nothing manufactured is really build to run at 100% . Of course you can run things AT 100% but there will be some fall off!, and/or disadvantages? It is NOT ambiguous So using your example of the magical "32 psi" Why does it work? 32/44 = 73% (.7272727 actually) So for example, it would be an absolute no brainer to use 32 psi or 73% of max sidewall tire pressure. I know however 1. my tread life will be a tad shorter than at say 85% or 38 psi. 2. It would tend to get a tad bit hotter at higher speed runs.3. It would tend not to steer as well as at 85%. 4 performance would be slightly less 5 The other is there are sweet spots for tires and 85% seems to be where it is at, for other than fully loaded cars. Not many folks drive fully loaded cars a majority of the time.
Can you deviate from 85%? ABSOLUTELY. In my thinking, you should /can deviate for any number of reasons. In the worst case if I fill with 85%/44=38 psi I can literally ignore TP (given a loss of 1 PSI per mo) for (38-26=) 12 (PSI) MONTHS!!!!!!!! Trust me, this is not what I am advocating, just looking at what I do vs the placard of 26 psi.
So even if we check tire pressure for "fun" there are truly big ranges of PSI that can literally be used and still be "correct" i.e,as I posted about just one example 2003 VW Jetta TDI.
The subject: %'s of maximum side wall tire pressure as a starting point. I use 85%. Why, because tires are manufactured to a standard (35,44,51 as examples) and with a safety factor in mind. Also almost nothing manufactured is really build to run at 100% . Of course you can run things AT 100% but there will be some fall off!, and/or disadvantages? It is NOT ambiguous So using your example of the magical "32 psi" Why does it work? 32/44 = 73% (.7272727 actually) So for example, it would be an absolute no brainer to use 32 psi or 73% of max sidewall tire pressure. I know however 1. my tread life will be a tad shorter than at say 85% or 38 psi. 2. It would tend to get a tad bit hotter at higher speed runs.3. It would tend not to steer as well as at 85%. 4 performance would be slightly less 5 The other is there are sweet spots for tires and 85% seems to be where it is at, for other than fully loaded cars. Not many folks drive fully loaded cars a majority of the time.
Can you deviate from 85%? ABSOLUTELY. In my thinking, you should /can deviate for any number of reasons. In the worst case if I fill (with 85%/44=) 38 psi, I can literally ignore TP (given a loss of 1 PSI per mo) for (38-26=) 12 (PSI) MONTHS!!!!!!!! Trust me, this is not what I am advocating, just looking at what I CAN do vs the placard of 26 psi, NOT what I actually do. I run 85%/44-38 psi and check TP weekly. A consequence has been (may or may not be causal) is on acknowledged "worst of breed" oem tires which most folks surveyed say are totally shot at 45,000 miles and most before, mine are at 68,000 miles and have experienced 14,000-16,500 miles per 1/32 in of wear. So that converts to a PROJECTED 112,000-132,000 miles. on a front wheel drive car to boot!!
Perhaps, but generally correct. But the real problem with tread wear is that most tread wear occurs in cornering, so you can get shoulder wear (or lack of shoulder wear) depending on a lot of variables, such as alignment settings, speed around corners - stuff like that.
Another thing to consider is that the footprint pressure distribution in radial tires is somewhat insensitive to inflation pressure, so a few psi doesn't make a lot of difference compared to what misalignment and hard cornering could do. And that would apply to a little pressure build up due to heat (sun or otherwise).
But where inflation pressure really comes into play is for load capacity - and that's why a little extra pressure becomes important - durability.
I'm looking for a tire to compliment my Wife's newly lifted Isuzu Axiom 4x4. The truck now has a 2inch lift and the stock tires (235/65/17) now look way too small.
P265/65R17 Bridgestone A/T Revos were recommended to me by members of several Isuzu forums that I belong to. But, I'm concerned that my wheels are only 7in wide (factory 17x7), while Bridgestone seems to recommend a 7.5 wide wheel. Do I need to be concerned?
If the 265 is too wide, what other sizes would you recommend that are about 30.5" tall? I would like to stay with a width of at least 255. if possible.
Thanks for any help you can provide.