Tires, tires, tires

mazda6iguy

I am looking to replace my Firestone Firehawk GTA02 tires with Goodyear Eagle GT-HR's. My question is on the Firestones the service description is 86H. On the Goodyears they are 87H. Is it ok to put 87H tires on a car that has been using 86H?

okko1

have you considered fusions or fierce brand tires and the 86-87 issue will be fine

yurakm

Well, after fixing alignment the problems disappeared. Now the car drives fine. I am going to buy another set of G009 tires for our second car this weekend.

Thank you very much!

mz6greyghost

Is it ok to put 87H tires on a car that has been using 86H?

Yes. The number indicates the load rating of the tire. It's quite all right to use a higher number when replacing the tires. I wouldn't buy anything lower, that may cause trouble in the future.

krzyss

I would have bought SP 5000.

Goodyear will release Eagle F1 A/S. If you can wait I would check them out.

Krzys

mazda6iguy

Goodyear will release Eagle F1 A/S. If you can wait I would check them out.

We're only talking about a Ford Focus here, not a Corvette!

krzyss

If tires are good for Corvette (the only size available now) they must be good enough for Focus (if proper size is available in August).

Krzys

stever

Has the UTQG Ratings test changed at all in the last few years?

Is there still no correlation between test results from one manufacturer to another?

thanks

Steve, visiting host

krzyss

UTQG is still valid for single manufacturer.

Now please tell me how 160 rated RE92 OE tire for Subaru Legacy GT can last 50k+ miles.

Krzys

PS They still have 5/32nd tread left. I hope to use them up by autumn.

capriracer

"....Has the UTQG Ratings test changed at all in the last few years?

Is there still no correlation between test results from one manufacturer to another?......."

No, the test hasn't changed......and there always was a correlation between manufacturers - the test.

The test prescribes a ceratin course and certain test conditions. So every manufacturer should get reasonably repeatable results.

Where the problem is - and why many folks think there is "No" correlation - is that the test requires a correlation to a "Standard Reference Test Tire" (SRTT) and these are only produced in one size. If the tire that needs to be tested is such that there is no vehicle where both tires fit on - such as some of that larger SUV tires - it is allowed to use another known tire as the control.

Sometimes, the "string" of tests gets pretty long - and hence the idea that you could get pretty much any result you wanted - ie, no correlation.

".......Now please tell me how 160 rated RE92 OE tire for Subaru Legacy GT can last 50k+ miles....."

That's easy. The tire is rated for AT LEAST 160 - which means it could have been rated for more, but Brdigestone decided to be conservative in the rating.

The second thing is that most tire wear occurrs in cornering. Drive in a straight line and tires wear great!! (provided the vehicle is aligned properly.)

krzyss

Well, with first 64 miles one way commute and then with 45 miles one way commute my RE92s saw plenty of long, straight roads. But I still slow down just barely for turns.

Krzys

badpoker

Hey guys we have a g35 coupe , this is the first rear wheel drive car i've owned. I have a little over 20k on the car, do not drive it too hard, mostly work commute miles. Anyhow the front tires are wearing out quicker it seems than the rear tires. I always thought it should be the other way around for rear wheel drive. I notice that my rears defintly have decent tread left while the fronts are likely needing replacement in the next few months.

Is there something wrong with my driving style or alignment? I'm a little confused. Any opinions if I should replace all 4 at once or replace the fronts first and try to get a ltitle extra life out of the rears? I love this car but it's the first one where I couldn't rotate tires, and the cost seems really pricey.. so I want to make the right decision.

capriracer

In addition to most wear occurring in cornering, steer tires tend to wear on the tread shoulders, while drive tires tend to wear in the center.

On FWD, this results in more rapid, but even wear on the fronts, and on RWD, the wear rate is more even, but different front to rear.

But it is quite possible that your alignment is out, or your driving style is too agressive for the steering geometry, OR, because you can't rotate tires, this is the price that must be paid.

okko1

put the new ones on the rear if there is no front to rear size difference have the alignment checked by a shop that knows your car then if alignment corrections are made replace in the same manner as needed

brent217

Hi guys. I own a 1992 Honda Accord Sedan. 2 years ago I put on 4 new tires, Semperit Viking S/T. Since then I have driven the car 15,000km. Today I had the car in for an oil change and tune-up, and my mechanic (a different shop than where I bought the tires) pointed out small cracks in both rear tires, in the grooves between the treads. The cracks are up to 0.5cm long, and the cracks go all around both rear tires.

I drove the car to tire warehouse, where I bought the tires, and explained the problem. One of their sales reps looked at the side of the tire (he did not go underneath the car to look between the treads) and he assured me that cracks in the grooves were perfectly normal. Since I was there, I made an appointment to have them rotate the tires tomorrow morning, and to look closer at the cracking.

Upon getting home, I looked up the tires and tire problems on google, and found the term "Circumferential Cracking" which is cracking on the tread or in the grooves between the treads along the outside of the tire. Also, on tirefailure.com, they have number "17 Tread cracks in grooves" as an eligable adjustment condition, and their whitepaper says that tires with eligable adjusment conditions should be replaced, with the consumer (me) getting a discount on a replacement set of tires equal to the value of the remaining tread life.

So, my questions are, first, are these tires safe to drive on in their current form? and second, if I feel they should be replaced how do I suggest this to the Tire Warehouse employees?

okko1

put a set of yokohama's a focus today 205/50zr16 looked very nice

luck11

Hi. I had a similar problem many years ago when I bought some Pirelli winter tires. They started cracking at the based of the treads and in the middle of the treads during 2nd winter.

I found out the hard way that tires (ie. the rubber) does have a shelf life (ie 5 yrs for most). Turns out that my tires were already 3 years old when I bought them new from a tire shop.

On the side wall of your tires, there should a DOT or TIN code stamped in that tells you when the tires were manufactured. Check this site for info on how to interpret code: http://www.sizes.com/home/automobile_tires.htm

Now, when I buy new tires, I always check this code just before they install the tires on the wheels. (Burn me once....not twice)

If they were old when you bought them, that could explain why they are starting to crack.

THAT SAID, if these were my tires, I would be very concerned about saftety and have them professionally checked out by the manufacturer. I suggest you definitely contact the dealer where you bought them, and bring the info you have found on the internet as proof that there may be a safety issue, and INSIST that they contact the local area rep for the tire manufacturer to come and take a look....that is if they don't work something out without taking it to that step. If they do call the rep, make sure you document everything....especially if they say "all is okay...not to worry".

Cheers, and good luck.

stevecebu

You're in Minnesota? If you want -good- all season tires, I'd recommend Nokian WR. Good on warm dry summer roads, great in rain, and fine in snow and on ice. They do not wear out rapidly on warm dry roads. They're not sold by Tire Rack, so you can't use that site to compare them. Shop around, you've got time.

I used to own Nokian Hakkapalita Q's and I ran them on my Miata and from late October to march and I found that they were pretty worn out by then and if we had ice all the grip was gone. How much better are the Nokian WR's for say a real all season as far as longevity. I really want a High Performance tire for the Summer but for the rest of the year, I need a good snow rated tire that lasts for new England Roads. Probably mounted on the stock rims. I'm very seriously considering a 2008 Subaru WRX hatch. So it's AWD. I just need the tires to last. I looked at the Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero and the 210 SnowSport high performance snow tires and some other brands. Does anyone have any experience with these? I had no problems with my Nokian Hakka Q's except they'd need replacing every year on the Miata which I sold. They had plenty of tread on them, they just didn't grip anymore.
I want something that will grip until it's worn out. Also the Hakka Q's were very squishy to drive on. Fantastic Grip. I even drove that Miata through a Blizzard on a trip up to Quebec City.
Thanks.

stevecebu

Hi I'm trying to get some research done on tires and I'm planning on getting the new 2008 Subaru WRX when it comes out in a few months. I'm figuring I might have to buy a new set of lightweight rims for it and get a bigger size tire but not excessively bigger.
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the Continental ContiSportContact 3 or the Pirelli PZero Neros.
I plan on running a winter rated all season in the snow. But want a good summer tire with good longevity and yet really good grip. I had Michelin Pilots before on my Miata. They were ok but not great. I ran Kuhmo's for autocross great for that but I want a street tire that is really good. Prices on these are not that cheap. But still it's where I'm thinking since there is no way a snow rated all season will be fun to drive in the summer.
So dedicated tires 6 months all season and 6 months of summer.
Suggestions would be great.
Thanks

sky23213

Last week I went to replace the old tires on my 01 Galant. It had the standard size 195/65-15 Michelin Hydroedge with around 75K on them, about 4 years old, with 5/32 remaining, so I thought it was about time. Just waited couple of months for the rebates to come out. So I'm about to head to Discount tire and take a last look at the tires. And then I notice that the front left tire is actually 205/65-15!
In almost four years no one had noticed it, and I've had the tires balanced twice, an alignment, brake jobs... And never noticed anything since the car drove nicely.
How weird is that?!
At least I'm glad I saw it, otherwise I would have had a pretty silly look on my face when the kid at Discount tire asked "Do you want 195s or 205s, 'cause you've got 205 here.

wtaylor1972

I'm having a similar problem with an 05 Camry - after 30,000 they have told me I need new tires! These are the original tires - they need to be replaced after 30,000?! Surely not, shouldn't their life be twice that long?

Mr_Shiftright

That's not unusual....of course, you should make sure they are really worn out...some shops will alarm you when you have another 5K-10K miles left in them. You can buy a simple depth gauge at Kragen etc. I have a Toyota and my tires will be ready to replace at 30,000 as well. OEM tires really aren't that good.

imidazol97

I'm up to 60,000 on original tires on my 03 LeSabre. It must vary drastically between brands how much you get on OEMs.

kyfdx

I'm always happy when my OEM tires wear out... :surprise:

mazda6iguy

I only made it to 45,000 miles with my OEM Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus. I replaced them with Goodyear Assurance TripleTred's and so far they're great.

ruking1

Curiosity would ask the question, did you take a mpg hit with the switch?

mazda6iguy

i really never personally measured my mpg with the old tires, so i cant answer that. Using the 'seat of my pants' method, it seems that the mpg is the same.

paisan

I always replace my tires long long before the tread is worn out. Why? Because they stop gripping when they get a certain amount of heat cycles/age on them. I also drive fairly agressively and feel tires are the most important item to keep you glued to the road. In general I replace my tires at 30k-40k miles or when they start to lose grip. I always laugh at what someone sent me once, it's one of those Mastercard Commercials it went something like this:

Brand New Car: $30,000
Gas Bill per year: $1500
Car Insurance per year: $2500
Seeing someone ruin their $30,000 car because they tried to eek out 40k miles on their tires.... Priceless

My opinion is if you think you need tires, or they seem slippery, replace em, it's about $500-600 well spent and may just save your life.

-mike

capriracer

If you go back to previous postings in this forum, you will find several discussions on OEM tires. Summarizing:

OEM tires are generally designed for good fuel economy. This is achieved at the expense of wear and / or traction, especially wet traction. This is not tire brand specific, nor is it vehicle brand specific.

Even new cars can have alignment problems. The published alignment tolerances are pretty wide, so "in spec" isn't good enough. Misalignment can lead to rapid tire wear as well as irregular wear (symptom - noise and / or vibration)

There are certain vehicle that are known as "tire eaters". I am not sure that the Toyota Camry is one of them because they are so plentiful, so you would naturally hear more about any problem.

Tire wear is more a function of how many turns you make than the tire itself. Any tire can go 100,000 miles if you drive in a straight line. Cornering is the primary situation where tire wear occurs. This means that even good wearing tires can be worn out quickly if you drive in the city.

There is a trend towards higher speed ratings in tires in new cars - a safety feature. What usually comes along with this is also better grip as well as less wear.

wtaylor1972

Great advice all. Thanks much. I'll be paying more attention the next time I buy tires. Glad this forum is here!

okko1

i would agree bragging writes are not worth it. i change my tires at about the same mileage. just because the manufacturer warranty is for lets say 80,000 miles doesn't mean that the tire will preform well at that mileage. i work with heavy truck tires where 350,000 miles is not uncommon to see on a drive tire but about 100,000 is average for a steering tire with a 12,000lbs. axle load and 18/32 of tread. now for the rub 4000lbs. car with premium tires will safely do 50,000 miles.

paisan

I'd agree if I'm getting 30-40k miles out of my street tires on my car, then someone who is a less agressive aka normal driver will likely be able to get an addition 10k miles out of em. Heck I'm not opposed to a tire lasting 80k miles, but only if it hasn't lost it's grip.

-mike

mazda6iguy

I mention 45,000 miles on my old michelins because the warranty rating on them was for 60,000 and the fell well short of the claims. When I researched replacements, many folks said that the OEM Michelins longevity was sub par for this particular car. As i said i replaced them with GY Assurances because I liked the look of the tred design and they are rated at 80,000 miles.

Mr_Shiftright

Most people won't meet the rating system mileages I don't believe.

imidazol97

Michelin Symmetry tires with 65000 mile retail warranty are at 60,000 on my LeSabre. They have several 32nds of depth left.

BUT like someone has said those last several 32nds of wear are not as good as the first. I'll probably replace them in the fall with new Michelins-not Symmetrys.

The General tires on my 98 LeSabre lasted longer than I wanted them to. I ditched them at t5000 miles because I don't like Generals. The ones on my 93 LeSabre were awful and I got rid of them at 25 and 35000 miles. Junk.

krzyss

How long would it take you to accumulate this 80,000 miles?

Krzys

sky23213

4 years. I replaced my Hydroedges at about 70K (maybe a little more). I average about 20K a year (long commute). I had about 5/32nds left, but I'm with with Paisan on this one - it's not the same tire as with 11/32nds. And over 4 years old (according to the DOT numbers on the sidewall the tires were manufactured in June 2003).

beer30

i'm looking for wheels that will fit my mustang i want to know what offset i need for the 2004 model i am also a newbe at this so all help is welcome

badyokohama

I purchased a set of ES100 V rated 195/55r15 on APRIL 11, 2005. I have LESS THAN 25,000 miles on the tires and they are so worn that they will not meet PA inspection requirements. I am not an aggressive driver, mostly steady speed highway driving. Has anyone else had this type of problem? Yokohama has zero interest in customer service.

okko1

yokohama has a market reputation for being cheap not for service. the companies that i worked for carry yokohamas but only as a cost reduced tire. also in 15 years in retail i have never met a yokohama rep. though i have from general,michelin.goodyear,firestone, and bridgestone. what i am saying is don't be fooled by these import tires they are tested and in many cases designed for much different conditions than american hiways.

stickguy

Mileage also depends on what kind of car it is. Alignment (or lack of same) also makes a big difference.

Also, V rated tires are more performance orienteted, so are likely to wear out quicker.

Unfortunately, the trade off for more grip is still usually more wear!

capriracer

I'm afraid you have some unrealistic expectations.

Yokohama ES100's have no tread wear warranty and they have a 280 AA A UTQG rating. This means that the treadwear rating (280) is low compared to other tires. Obviously these tires were designed for grip.

25,000 miles sounds reasonable given what the tire was intended for and that's the reason Yokohama isn't addressing the issue - the tire did what it was intended to do.

Perhaps a little more research before purchasing tires would prevent a reoccurrance.

krzyss

"Has anyone else had this type of problem?"

Probably anyone who chose performance tires instead of passenger, touring or grand touring ones.

What do you want your tires to deliver? List with priority and somebody may help you pick tires that suite you better.

Krzys

ruking1

I would have to agree. While UTOQ does vary from oem to oem, I did have GY tires with a 220 UTOQ that had a lot of life left with 56,000 miles (I estimate a min of 10,000 miles left). Threee variables mitigate against longer tire wear.1. It came standard with 2/32nds less than most tires. (8/32nds)2. Front and rear tires were different sizes; precluding rotation (except for left to right and right to left). 3. Lastly, the car is set for massive negative camber which was corrected more for longer distance touring (i.e., less camber), which early on caused the inside front edges of the front tires to wear faster than normal.

cusafr

I was going to buy a set of Michelin HydroEdge tires for my new 2007 Accord because I have had several sets on my other vehicles. However, the owners manual states that if you change the size of your tires the ABS and/or VSA could be affected.

The HydroEdge does not come in a 215/50-17. There are a couple sizes that are very close (215/60-17 and 225/55/17). Will that little difference really make a difference?

Thanks,

cusafr

driveright

Yes. Your tire diameters will be 6.2% and 4.8% larger, respectively. Your speedometer will be 6.6% and 5% too slow. If you raise your aspect to 60, the tire width needs to be reduced to 175 (175/60-17) to keep the diameter and speedometer within 1% of original.

Calculations can conveniently be done here: Tire Size Calculator

cusafr

Thanks! To be careful, I decided to go with the same size. I am buying the Goodyear tires instead of Michelin. I hope I like them.

cusafr

driveright

I decided to go with the same size.

Good decision. I hope you like your choice.

stickguy

maybe a dumb question, but why not just use the tires that come on it? Mine has Michelins (not hydroedge). Do you really think the other tires will be that much better that it is worth the cost to replace brand new tires?

stickguy

I did see some good news for those of us that have a current generation (2005+) non-touring Odyssey. Tire rack now lists a few more tire options. There is now a Yokohama avid touring in that strange size, pretty cheap and got excellent reviews.

I'm not quite ready, but we are up to about 30K on the van, so it won't be too much longer!