Tires, tires, tires

hpulley4

I got my X One Durablacks this past summer from my local Dettmer Tire centre. I got 195/65R15s for $122 CND each, including balancing and installation. Considering that the TireRack lists them for $83 USD (or ~$130 CND) without balance&install I thought this was a very good deal. For comparison, my local Saturn dealer wanted ~$145 CND each installed and balanced.

danjaecks

Thanks for your comments randyt2. I think I'm going to sipe the Yoko's, but I want to wait till we get some snow & ice around here so I can do a before/after comparison.

tpken

Jasdmw - How do you compare your new X Ones to the Aquatreads? I was planning on Aquatread IIIs for my '00 Bonneville but haven't been able to get them yet. Do you deal with winter snow conditions? What is the comparative smoothness, quietness and handling dry and wet?

Thanks

Ken

jasdmw

First, I paid $575 CDN, tax included. This includes lifetime rotation and 2 years roadside assistance. The size I bought was 215/65/15.

Second,, haven't had the chance to drive the XOnes in the rain yet (Imagine, mid December, no snow OR rain in South Central Ontario, WOW! People are still golfing), but had the same tires on my previous Voyager for 4 winters and was quite pleased with the grip in snow and wet. The Sienna has VSC and traction control, so the poor weather performance of the van should be even better.

I have found the XOnes superior in dry, everyday use. Upon leaving the tire store, I noticed immediately there were positive differences. The Aquatreads provided excellent wet traction. However, I noticed the feeling of excessive lean in corners which I'd put off on the Siennas softer suspension. That issue is gone with the XOnes. The van actually corners much better and leans less. This must be a case of softer sidewalls on the Aquatreads. I do notice a bit more transmission of road irregulaities into the van with the XOnes. I prefer the feedback and the cornering abillity with my style of driving. Steering effort seems to be less as well. Also, none of the balance vibration or pulling issues I had with the Aquatreads are evident with the XOnes.

tpken

So Aquatreads may be marginally better in wet but noticeably worse on dry and in cornering or handling aspects. X Ones outperform relative to vibration and road 'feel'.

How about smoothness and quietness on highway cruising?

Thanks

Ken

jasdmw

XOnes are much quieter @ highway speeds, in that no tire him is observed. I do notice a bit more noise over road imperfections with the XOnes, but not a great deal more. Smoothness?? Not sure what you mean with that one.

Wet handling of the Aquatreads is excellent and IMO their best feature. The XOnes are very good as well. It rained a bit last night and this morning. Although I didn't drive much, did try to toss the van into corners at higher than normal speeds and did accelerate faster than normal. Both produced good results; no tire spin and no sliding in the corners. Felt much more comfortable hard cornering than the Aquatreads.

tpken

Thanks for all the info on XOnes. Sounds like a great tire to look up pricing for. Relative to smoothness - I was just wondering if one tire was noticeably harsher than the other on normal roads. I believe you may have mentioned something earlier about the XOnes transmitting road imperfections into the passenger compartment more than the Aquatreads.

Ken

tpken

Is a 95 Suburban with 2 new Bridgstone Radial T/As on the front. In driving it to work today I noticed an obnoxious tire roar at 2 minute intervals - each time lasting for 1 minute at a time for 40 miles of highway driving at 70 mph. This has appeared since last Sat when I last drove the vehicle on the highway. These tires are about 2 weeks old. The old Generals on the back are still good for another season - no issues with them and we've never heard this noise before - sounds like the rumbling of a tank - and minor vibration is felt through the steering wheel. I suppose it's a balancing issue. Any comments?

Ken

heng

It sounds like you are seriously evaluating Aquatreads. Please don't overlook post 963 where jasdm says it took 10 aquatreads to come up with 4 good ones. This says a bunch about the lack of quality in that product.

And... if your vehicle is vibrating because the tires out of round and your vehicle is pulling to the side because of shifted belts, you are never going to get to care about how smooth the tires are suppose to be.

My conclusion: Aquatreads are junk

hpulley4

Well, we finally got some snow on Friday, about 6" worth. The snow turned into a quagmire of slippery slush in the barely freezing conditions making for a very messy day of driving. My wife had the X Ones that day and felt completely confident in them, which makes me happy.

Yesterday we went around to do some shopping and went to a friends house so I got a chance to try them too. The slush had frozen into ice sheets in many parking lots but I didn't know until I got out and tried to walk that there was ice so they even seem OK there. We visited a friend's place where the street hadn't been plowed so it was also an ice sheet; the stop sign at the end of that downhill road was slippery and I took longer to stop than I would have liked (should have slowed down sooner, will next time) but I still stopped in time. After this first weekend of winter driving, I'm thinking that I won't need snows.

My other car with Rainforce MX4s only saw a little bit of driving so they haven't been tested enough for a report.

tpken

I talked to my tire dealer the other day again and asked him specifically what his experience has been with those tires. He was surprised by the reaction mentioned above and indicated he hasn't had anything like that happen. He confirmed the good reviews from Tirerack.

Now you may wonder just how forthright a dealer would be but he's treating me well in regards to the vibrations and niose I thought was coming from the Goodrich Long Trails I just put on the Suburban. Turned out there that the U joint was the culprit and now that vehicle is as quiet and smooth as ever. The tire dealer was ready to pull the Long Trails and get me something else if needed so I don't think he's pulling one on me here on the Aquatreads. We'll see how it goes; I plan to have them put on later this week. If they're a problem I'll be reporting it here for sure!

Best wishes to all for a wonderful Christmas.

Ken

chikoo

Does anyone here have any experience with yokohama Avid V4 tires?

I currently have bridgestone Poortenza RE92 and they make a lot of noise and hydroplane a lot

[Deleted User]

There are some posts on the Yokohama Avid V4's a little farther up. They may be of some help.

I have Potenza RE92's (OEM) on my 2000 Subaru Legacy GT Limited sedan, and most people have the same complaint you do with that tire. I'm shopping around for different tires that do better in the rain and snow, but it's been tough. Anything in a 205 55 R16 is designed for performance only, and handle miserably on wet or slippery roads. My only other alternative is a winter-specific tire, but I don't want to go with that either because of the major tradeoffs in dry road handling.

I'm still searching, and one I'm looking at right now is the Continental ContiTouring Contact CH95. Continental claims great handling on wet or dry pavement, but I want to hear from real owners to get to the truth.

Ty

ezaircon4jc

This tire came stock on my Lincoln LS, 215/60/16. I got about 25k on them before I hit the wear bars. I do drive a little aggressively on cornering. They were OK, IMHO. With the wear rating they had, 360, I expected better wear. I upgraded to 17" wheels and am replacing the 235/50/17 Firestone Firehawk LH's with 245/45/17 Yokohama AVS db's.

porknbeans

I need to replace the tires on my truck and was wondering if I could receive some specific suggestions. I've read all of the posts in this forum and have formed some ideas of which tires to purchase. I need a tire that will be used 80% highway and 20% hunting and on job sites. I would like it to be quiet on the highway, have decent treadlife and perform excellent in the snow and wet (due to the shortcomings of the Durango). I like the profile of an all terrain tire and I hate the Goodyear OE tires. That said, here is what I'm looking at for tires (please feel free to tell me if I'm half baked).

1. Michelin Cross Terrain - from research and the forum
2. BF Goodrich TA KO - from a tire shop recommendation
3. Cooper Discoverer AT - from my mechanic
4. Michelin LTX AT - an alternative

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the input on the H95s. Have you ever had a chance to drive with them in the snow? If so, how did they do?

Consider approaching a Continental dealer about the premature wear on your H95s. Those tires have a 60,000-mile warranty, which should be applicable to you if you are the original owner of the car. You may be able to get a set of new tires for half price.

Ty

bretfraz

Well, you've picked quite a lineup. I can't really say they are closely comparable but I suppose any of them will work for your needs.

There's no question that the LTX A/T and the All-Terrain T/A will work great off-road. Both are excellent for the person who needs off-road performance but still wants some civility on-road. Quiet on the highway? Mmm, not really, especially as they wear both will become "howley". Decent treadlife? Well, yeah, decent.

The Cross-Terrain will do what you want on-road, no problem, but will not help you off-road. Since it's a new tire there is no real-world consumer usage of it during winter. So that critical snow traction is an unknown right now. Probably this one should be scratched off the list until more votes have been cast.

Which leaves the Cooper. They do have a reputation for making a very good 4 season tire so it may be your best overall choice, especially when price comes into play. Give this one some serious consideration.

While you are looking consider putting the Pirelli Scorpion A/T on your list. It's also good for what you are needing.

ezaircon4jc

I got rid of them in July. I wanted the 17's anyway. As I live in San Diego you'll have to explain what "snow" is :)They did pretty well in the traction department, wet and dry. They were VERY noisy. In that area I was very disappointed.
I hope this helps.

zsac09

Time to replace the stock 235/70R15 tires on aluminum rims with something a bit beefier. I asked the local Firestone/Bridgestone dealer for a wider tire and he recommended a Bridgestone (surprise) Dueler H/L in a 265/70R15 size. The diameter on this tire is 1.7 inches larger than the stock tires. Does this present any problems other than the 6% speedometer error. Any warranty issues here? Can tranny be adjusted to compensate for this? Thanks for all input!!!

bj02176

I have the cross terrains on a jeep liberty, they replaced bfg longtrail TA, the tires recommended by CR. They slid badly in slightly wet weather. I don't think I can trust CR again. But I should have checked, they are rated B for traction. I give them a c- or d. Anyway cross terrains are excellent, great stopping, no sliding on wet roads. They did well in the snow and when they hit a deep puddle at highway speed hydro was minimal.

ezaircon4jc

Now that I've put a few (130) miles on the Yokohama's, I feel somewhat confident to make a report. The AVS dB's are EXTREMELY quiet. Up to 90 (didn't get any faster due to passenger seat whine) there was no noticeable road noise, on either concrete or asphalt. I was surprised that the 245/45/17 rode more smoothly than the 235/50/17 'Stones. Steering response is outstanding. Haven't had them in rain yet, so I'll wait for some to pass judgement on wet handling. I was a little concerned at first about the lower profile, but these tires are all their cracked up to be over at Tire Rack.

Merry Christmas to all and Jesus IS the reason for the season!

dugtam

Like clockwork I thoroughly wore out original MX4 215-65-16 every 30,000 miles. Fed up at 90,000, I put on X Plus Radials from Costco. $20 per tire cheaper than my Michelin dealer for X Ones and Costco price includes mounting, balancing, valve stems and true Road Hazard warranty. Treadwear rating of 700. I expect they will outlast the Chrysler. Superior in rain. Have yet to see snow. Very happy so far. Tempted to put them on 95 Mercedes wagon, because I hate the MXV4's on it. I did that switch on 90 Volvo 745 and did not regret it, but Benz has H speed rating. Maybe RE-950 Bridgestones?

thewolverine

Do you mind sharing what you paid - I'm considering the same size at Costco.

ajcai

Noelle,

In case you live in Twin cities, MN, could you recommend your mechanic?

Thanks.

AJ

this_is_nascar

Looking for comments concerning this tire.

ezaircon4jc

I have them on my '96 Sable. They've been on for about 20k. I am really happy with them. They are good on dry pavement and at least as good in the wet. Were I not looking more for a performance oriented tire, I would've given them top priority when replacing the tires on my Lincooln LS.

yurakm

Have them on my 98 Malibu. Installed in Nov, 2000, 13 months ago, put about 10k miles.

We are using the car for daily driving to work, shopping, etc., and for shorter trips around our home state (CT) and to close places (RI, MA, NY City). Mostly suburban and city driving, with some rural roads and a bit of highways.

Except on highways, the speed is low, mostly around 40 mph in suburbs, even less in city. However, our CT roads are rather hilly and winding, with a lot of turns, often sharp. I like to turn fast, without reducing speed, and the previous tires used to sing songs on the turns.

The SH-30 tires are excellent for this driving style. Especially on wet roads: practically no difference with the dry ones. They also stops fast when braking.

There was a lot of snow in our places the last winter. The tires are generally good at snow, but nothing outstanding.

The tires are not noisy. A bit stiff, but my wife and I like it. I am overinflating them 3 psi above the manufacturer recommendations. However, we have mostly asphalt roads in CT. On bad concrete NY highways it was unpleasant to feel all the slabs borders.

A pecurarity: when the car was not used for several days, the tires behave as if out of round at low speed for first 1/2 miles or so.

kcreature

All right, I've done some investigating on my own now. I was really close to getting Spectum tires from Les Schwab yesterday. I drove into the parking lot to find that it was closed. I took this as a sign that I should do some more investigating, so that's what I did. I went to Sears, and they recommended the popular Michelin X-Ones. Unfortunately, that leads to my first question: They quoted me a price close to $700 for four tires. I have to read the past posts to see if they are cheaper elsewhere. Any ideas? Then I went to Goodyear, where they suggested Regatta 2's or Aquatreads. They will give me a really good deal on either one, so I was sold on them. Now I read on here that you all don't like Aquatreads, especially on turns. I don't expect that driving on dirt roads in the mountains would get great reviews for them either. The Goodyear people said that either tire would work for the same thing, with Aquatreads doing better in wet weather. They also said that they wouldn't be any worse than my Yokohama Geolanders (which, by the way have a treadwear warrantee of 60,000 miles - what a joke!). Oh, what to do? I have to get new tires soon because I'm getting wary of potholes in the road. Has anyone had Regatta 2's? My tire size is 215/60/16, which is known as a hard to find size.

I will spend my New Year's Eve reading all of the previous posts, so hopefully I will get additional info.

Thanks again!

K

P.S. I have also been told that I need tires with mud and snow rating. Will that be obvious or do I need to find out that specifically?

K

ezaircon4jc

www.tirerack.com is a GREAT source of tire info! A lot of the tires also have a customer survey. 215/60/16 should be a pretty easy size to find. I just checked and from ultra high performance all season down to plain all season there are at least 50 tires. The M&S rating should be printed on the side of the tire. Tirerack even has an 800 number so you can talk to a real person. I would've purchased my present set (Yokohama AVS dB, 245/45/17) from them, however Discount tire matched their price, and I got them in 2 days. I would wholeheartdly suggest a trip to www.tirerack.com and check out what they have. On the right (at their site) you can either select your vehicle or tire size.

this_is_nascar

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think I'm going to give them a try. My OEM GoodYear Eagle GA's have 35k on them now. Although tread depth is still fine, the tires have seemed to lose their grip to the road, especially in wet weather.

The articles that I've been reading about the SH30 sound really impressive. I'm hoping for the wet surface and corner performance increases that everyone who seems to report are a reality for me once I mount these to my 2000 Impala LS.

hpulley4

Tires on a low-mileage car may appear to have lots of tread but in my experience, years of weathering do something to harden the rubber compound, making them much worse for traction, especially in wet and snow but even on dry pavement.

Also remember that the wear bars are for DRY pavement only. At a minimum, you need double that tread depth for wet and triple the depth for mud and snow. In rain, as soon as the puddles are deeper than your tread depth, you can hydroplane if you are going fast enough (depends on your tire pressure with higher being better).

A decent tire link was posted on another discussion recently: http://www.autospeed.com/A_0996/P_2/article.html

Mud and snow tires say M + S on the sidewall. Snow tires have a snowflake on them.

tpken

I've had my Aquatreads on the Bonneville for just over a week - hard to make definitive judgements but so far no problems have surfaced. The tires are quiet but at 80 - 85 there is just the trace of a whine - have to listen hard for it. Had one rain storm and went out for a drive specifically to test the wet traction - certainly felt grippy. Dry performance seems fine so far. No snow yet to report on. Thankfully, I don't live in Buffalo!

Ken

bretfraz

Whew, lots going on. OK, let's see here.......

The GY Aquatread 3 and the Michelin X-One are direct competitors. So compare feature for feature, dollar to dollar.

The Regatta 2 uses a lot of the design elements of the Aquatread but as the dealer said, the Aquatread is a little more focused on wet weather performance. So it really depends on what kind of driving you do and what your priorities are. I think either would work well.

So, where to buy them.... The $700 price for the X-One is a rip off IMHO. I wonder how many additional charges are tacked on to that quote. Probably a big x-mas tip for himself ;-) That's a tire that shouldn't cost more than $110 each. Add in $20/tire for mounting and balancing, new valve stems, tax, and you should be out of the door for $525-550.

Do you have a Sam's Club or Costco membership? Have a friend or family member that does? Reason I ask is that both offer a Michelin that is the same as the X-One but sold under a different model name (X Radial Plus). You can save some $$ by just going for that model. In the Goodyear line Sam's sells the Allegra which is very similar to the Regatta 2 but, again, under a different name. If you are leaning towards the Regatta 2, look at K-Mart as I know they sell that model at great prices.

Finally, if you are still considering Toyo (I think that's what you were referring to as "Spectrum tires") look at the Toyo 800 Ultra as a low-priced competitor to the X-One and the Aquatread 3. I'd say skip the Toyo Spectrum unless you've got a case of sticker shock. Even Toyo uses words like "economical" and "value conscious" in their literature to describe the Spectrum.

rangerron7

chikoo

anybody has any experience to share about this one?

I am looking to replace my bridgestone poortenzas RE-92 195/55/vr15 with BFGoodrich touring T/A VR4 205/55/15.

What I am looking for?
Quiter and more comfortable ride with good wet and dry traction.

lovable90

ajcai: My mechanic is Terry Anderson of TA's Texaco on the corner of East 46th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis (the address is on Chicago). Terry's the boss; his crew is very good -- Nick, Darryl, Lars, and a couple of newer guys. And they have ethics up the ying yang!! Very honest, straight forward and competent; they would never recommend anything you did not need and will let you know if you shouldn't put any more money into a car. They service both domestic and foreign, old and newer cars. Everyone in the area raves about them. Unless something drastic happens, they always have your car ready on time and they always call.

If you try them, let me know what your experience is. I think you'll love 'em like everyone else does.

Noelle

bretfraz

And they have ethics up the ying yang!!

A little more than I wanted to know about the placement of their ethics. :-0

j/funnin' u :-)

softgenious

I would like to have everyones opinion on what tire they would recommend for my SUV. I have a Ford Excursion Limited with Firestone ATX 265-75-16(loud, bad riding and handling). Currently I do a little bit of off roading but mostly highway driving(Wisconsin driving). What brand, tire and size would be best for my truck.

Thanks

iontrap

Does anyone have an opinion on these tires?

stever

Tireguy was a great resource - he last posted in here in July 2001. I think family commitments keep him otherwise occupied, plus he hasn't worked in a tire shop for a while now.

Steve
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lovable90

"And they have ethics up the ying yang!!" (How do you do italics on this thing?)

With their moral judgement residing so strategically on their person, no one can ever say of these guys: "They left their ethics at home."

Hey, I couldn't let that one pass! :>

Noelle

rangerron7

chikoo

After hearing a lot of snow and rain warnings, I deicied to change my tires(my RE-92 spin easily on rain after 35,000 miles and 1/2 tread wear - no sipes left)

I changed over to 205/55/VR15 tires, "BFGoodrich Touring T/A VR4 M+S", to be precise.

Quiet when compared to the RE-92 on rough concrete roads. A Tad more comfortable than the RE-92, especially by not letting me feel the tiny irregularities on the road. It soaks them pretty good.

But surprisingly they still retain the driving & Handling characteristics of the car.

All these for just $83.94 per tire installed with lifetime flat repairs, rotation and balancing.

Why did not go with yokohama avid? well they are not good in snow - they are not M+S rated.

And all the reviews lead me to believe that that they are as quiet&comfortable as the yokohama Avid V4.

check this out

http://www.1010tires.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000038.html

or read this:

Hi,

I am looking for a replacement tire that is not as hard riding and noisy(plus the excellent ability to hydroplane!!)

as the Bridgestone RE92 195/55/VR15. My choices are:

1. BF goodrich Touring T/A VR4 (205/55/VR15)

2. Yokohama Avid T4(195/55/TR15)

3. Yokohama Avid V4(205/55/VR15).

Which of the three provides:

1. A comforatable ride (quiet&soft)

2. good Hydroplaning resistance

Thanks for your time,

Nick

Reply:TechGuy Administrator Posts: 354

Registered: Nov 2000 posted 01-03-2002 11:07 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You don't want to drop to a T-rated tire from a V-rated tire, so skip the AVID T4.

The other two are pretty similar with the B.F.G being a bit more quiet and comfortable. Either of them will be a significant upgrade from your RE92.

 

thanks techguy.

But again, which is a better choice in wet handling and road noise between the yokohama avid V4 and BFG touring T/A VR4?

Want to make the right decision this time since once I get them, I have to stay with them for the next couple of years come snowy winter or dry summer or rainy fall here in philly.

thanks again.

REPLY:TechGuy Administrator Posts: 354 Registered: Nov 2000 posted 01-04-2002 05:15 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The B.F.G. will be slightly more quiet and comfortable, as well as giving a slight advantage in wet and snow traction. There isn't a big difference, but it is the better tire in these conditions.

bretfraz

To do italics and other fun stuff, you need to know a little HTML. This is a good site to learn about it:

http://www.htmlclinic.com/

this_is_nascar

Today, I had the SH30's installed to my 2000 Impala LS. What a difference between the the Firehawks and the OEM Goodyear Eagle GA's that had 36k miles. The ride is smoother and quieter. Corning is no comparision and the tires look like they were built specifically for the Impala. With less than 100 miles on them, I think I made the right choice. I'm waiting for both rain and snow to see how the do in those conditions.

kansan

I'm looking at performance All-season radials, and the Yokohama Avid S/T is the number 1 rated tire in that category on Tire Rack, and for a 245/60TR15 it's only $54. Has anyone had any experience with these or heard anything about them? I have Yokohama Avid Tourings on the minivan, and think they're probably the best 80,000 mile family tires I've ever ridden on, so expect the Avid S/Ts would be very good also. I'm putting them on a 1940 Plymouth Hot Rod.
Thanks,
Ken

mdisaacs

Hi there - FYI
I purchased a set of Yoko YK420s and wanted more info
so I emailed the company:

The Yokohama YK420 is a high-performance all-season tire
that is offered exclusively through Discount Tire nation
wide. Because this tire is only offered to one specific
chain of dealers, we do not include it on our website.
However, the YK420 is designed to deliver very good performance
in dry, wet and light snow and ice conditions. In terms of
performance, the YK420 most closely compares to the Avid H4/V4
that appears on our website. I hope this information has been
helpful. Thank you for contacting Yokohama Tire Corporation.

Hope this is helpful for others out there - Mike

bretfraz

Thanks a million!! There's alot of private labelling that goes on in the tire industry and it's impossible for enthusiasts to know all the little marketing tricks. The info you shared is always helpful.

lmacmil

I notice many tire models on the Discount Tire and Sears sites do not appear on the manufacturer sites. I assume that's because the manufacturer's have given them an exclusive model name. Is there a conversion table anywhere? For example, what is the BFG Precept that Discount Tire sells?

stever

I used to have a better link that listed models but can't put my fingers on it. This link will decipher the DOT codes on the sidewall so you can determine what company made the tire and in what factory. Also will tell you who owns who.

Steve
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