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Midsize Sedans 2.0

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Comments

  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Posts: 1,230
    Has anybody had any experiences with Pep Boys tires or tires ordered through Sam's Club?

    Avoid Pep Boys at all costs! Their tires are cheap, but you get what you pay for unfortunately. Plus, they've been known to sell and install tires that have too low a load or speed rating for the specific vehicle, creating a potentially dangerous situation, just to make a few $$$$.

    Check out Tirerack.com. There are plenty of tires in that size that are much less expensive than OEMs.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Posts: 9,731
    My family has been pleased with service through Wal-Mart. My dad just bought tires for his 2007 Civic through his local Wal-Mart, and had them installed there.

    I get my oil changed at my Wal-Mart as well in my Accord.
  • akirbyakirby Posts: 8,062
    I get my oil changed at my Wal-Mart as well in my Accord.

    Good luck with that. My buddy got a brand new engine after they put the wrong oil filter on his Camry. I wouldn't let Wal-Mart wash my dog.

    As for tires - you can change tire sizes up to a point - just try to keep the overall diameter close.
  • akirbyakirby Posts: 8,062
    Costco and Sam's are fine if you have one close to you. But the regular tire retailers offer more services and in a lot of cases have prices very close to tirerack, Sam's and Costco.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Posts: 9,731
    They don't touch my 2006 (I get that at the dealer). They service my 1996, with 176k miles. I'd love a new engine! :)
  • pmerk28pmerk28 Posts: 121
    The caddy STS has a nice interior.
  • bug4bug4 Posts: 370
    I would be reluctant to change tire sizes --- the suspension is tuned for the wheel and tire that come on your car. Other sizes, particularly if they have a heavier spring weight - mess with the suspension. [This is a major problem for vehicles that have adjustable suspensions or electronically controlled suspensions.]
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Posts: 3,159
    There is nothing wrong with i-drive. I figured it out in 30 seconds while travelling at 50 mph.

    I guess you may be an exception. The majority of owners and writers seem to think otherwise.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Posts: 3,159
    I won't really be looking for any kind of super-performance tires and I sure won't buy the Mazda6 OEM model that runs $200 even on tirerack.

    Tell me about it. It's time for me to replace mine, and I'm having a hard time finding tires I would be comfortable with. I am not spending $200/tire on the OEM Michelins, size P215/50 R17 93V. I am contemplating the Bridgestone Potenza G 009's.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Posts: 4,116
    Sometimes house brand tires are made by a major manufacturer but "private labeled." I have yet to be impressed with anything at all that ever came from Wal-Mart, and their prices for name brand products don't seem to be all that great.
    You are not obligated to get Michelin again, you might look at other tires in the same size on tirerack or discount tire to get an idea what they should cost. You may want to look at the treadware rating on the tire, as a higher number implies a longer life. That said, that usually results in a harder rubber compound which is typically less compliant and also typically increases braking distances. You get what you pay for.

    PS. on tirerack, your tires are $166-175 for the Michelins, and there are better options out there for less $$
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Posts: 4,116
    I would be reluctant to change tire sizes --- the suspension is tuned for the wheel and tire that come on your car. Other sizes, particularly if they have a heavier spring weight - mess with the suspension. [This is a major problem for vehicles that have adjustable suspensions or electronically controlled suspensions.]

    I disagree. The suspension design is a series of trade-offs between ride quality, nvh, and vehicle handling. Tire selection is mostly a matter of the purchasing group fighting with the marketing group. The priorities of the designers or marketing people may be different for your own (urnews wants things a little cushier, I would like things a little firmer, etc). An educated consumer can better align the vehicle to the driving characteristics they desire than it was delivered from the factory.
  • robertsmxrobertsmx Posts: 5,525
    To some extent, bug4 is correct. Accord comes with three different rim sizes depending on trim, and their diameter...
    P215/55/R16: 25.31" (LX/LX-P)
    P225/50/R17: 25.86" (LX-S, EX/EX-L, EXV6/EX-LV6 sedan)
    P235/45/R18: 26.32" (EXV6/EX-LV6 coupe)

    Each of the chassis is tuned differently, and likely matched to the tire as well. But more important thing to remember is that each of those rims have different width. IIRC...
    16x6.5
    17x7.5
    18x8.0

    The width determines how far you can go safely with the width of rubber. In 2007, Honda P215/50/R17 tires were mounted on 17x7 rims. For P225/50/R17 tires, the new choice is 17x7.5.

    It happened with me once. I had tires replaced at Discount Tire Company, and they put a wider tire on one of the wheels which went into smokes about 30-40 mile later as I had embarked on my road trip soon after. I had to return, got it replaced, restarted my journey but before I went far, decided to check air pressure. In the process, noted there was another tire with the wrong size. Had to return again.

    So, it is important to consider more things.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Posts: 5,751
    "I guess you may be an exception. The majority of owners and writers seem to think otherwise"

    I disagree with this statement. Now if you want to say the majority of writers can't figure it out, I'll agree with you.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Posts: 3,159
    I guess we can agree to disagree. My uncle has a 745i and hates the iDrive, my chiropractor has a 525xi and he said he would prefer it didn't have it. I have also seen numerous complaints, most stemming from when the iDrive debuted, in a few BMW forums. That is why I said what I said.
  • robertsmxrobertsmx Posts: 5,525
    What is wrong with i-Drive? :shades:
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Posts: 4,116
    Putting a blatantly wrong size is different then using a +0,+1 or +2 fitments to achieve the desired performance result. You had a clearance issue when someone installed a tire (I'm guessing with the wrong aspect ratio) so the tire was hitting the upright or wishbone.

    As far as the tire size and circumference, I almost doubt there is a correction for the first 2 (LXs and EXs) in the speedometer, and in the 3rd case I bet it is handled in software.

    When you purchase tires, the tire will be spec'd for a rim width range. Even tires that are the same width occasionally have different upper and lower limits for rim width. It requires being knowledgeable and a little bit of checking.

    Does every Joe Average consumer need to worry about it? No. Can you make a better decision or purchase choice armed with a little information? Definitely.
  • robertsmxrobertsmx Posts: 5,525
    It was too wide for the rims, and came apart at high speed. I was traveling 70-75 mph when I felt a bit of wobble and droning noise, and pulled over to the shoulder. The right rear tire was smoking hot (literally). Apparently, it had lost air pressure a while ago.

    So, its not just being too tall or too wide from the sprung chassis, but also the rim size. One needs to be wary of those when changing tire size.
  • bug4bug4 Posts: 370
    I'm sure your right about the fight between purchasing and designers on tires / wheels. But, once that decision is made, I'm confident the chassis and suspension is tuned accordingly. Just as a transmission largely defines the actual performance of the engine, the suspension largely defines the performance of the tire. I dont' think you can effectively slap a 18" tire on a suspension set up for a lighter 17" tire. The extra tread on the 18" isn't going to as much good if the lighter-tuned suspension can't hold it on the ground :)
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Posts: 4,116
    I'm sure your right about the fight between purchasing and designers on tires / wheels. But, once that decision is made, I'm confident the chassis and suspension is tuned accordingly. Just as a transmission largely defines the actual performance of the engine, the suspension largely defines the performance of the tire. I dont' think you can effectively slap a 18" tire on a suspension set up for a lighter 17" tire. The extra tread on the 18" isn't going to as much good if the lighter-tuned suspension can't hold it on the ground

    Yeah I wouldn't want to replace my 16" rims with chrome 'dubs or anything, but going from my 16" rim to a relatively light weight 17" rim and a performance tire should be well within the approximate weights of the existing combination. If there was the clearance and offset, going to a wider tire in the same diameter would be an option as well.

    Its not even so much about changing the size, its about the tire itself. The PepBoys house brand tire isn't going to handle like a Pirelli P-Zero. That same P-Zero will have different characteristics than the Yokahama AVID H4. Tires are the single biggest factor on the vehicle when it comes to handling and ride. There are gains to be had when replacing the stock configuration.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Posts: 5,751
    I guess we can agree to disagree. My uncle has a 745i and hates the iDrive, my chiropractor has a 525xi and he said he would prefer it didn't have it

    I drove the 750il and adjusted specific idrive settings while driving. Now I don't read the manual to see what the 100s of settings for for, but in 1 minute I set up the car for me. The new incarnation of the idrive is far and away better than the old, but I'd rather have idrive than 100s of buttons.
  • robertsmxrobertsmx Posts: 5,525
    That...

    image

    ... takes the cake, IMO.
  • urnewsurnews Posts: 668
    What is that?
  • thegraduatethegraduate Posts: 9,731
    Voice activation for over 700 commands, I believe.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Posts: 4,116
    I drove the 750il and adjusted specific idrive settings while driving. Now I don't read the manual to see what the 100s of settings for for, but in 1 minute I set up the car for me. The new incarnation of the idrive is far and away better than the old, but I'd rather have idrive than 100s of buttons.

    There are a few issues here.
    1. The increasing complexity of vehicles leads to 1000 tiny buttons or having a control structure like i-Drive or Audi's MMI.
    2. The original incarnation of i-Drive was not a user centered design, and I doubt they did use cases to determine the feature set. I think they made a big list of task and put them on different menus. There was no prioritizing tasks and very limited short-cuts.
    3. More recent versions of i-Drive are based on a combination of prioritized menus and standard buttons, making for an easier to use/simplified interface
    4. The design changes with each iteration and with each model (3ser,5ser,7ser) so there is little consistency between models/revisions, so there is a learning curve with each edition.
  • robertsmxrobertsmx Posts: 5,525
    Yep.

    60-70% of the time, I use voice control in my TL (the picture is from 2008 Accord). The rest is done via touch screen (unfortunately, no longer an option in the new Accord).
  • robertsmxrobertsmx Posts: 5,525
    I will take well placed, easy to read buttons over anything that remotely resembles i-Drive or a jog dial.

    For folks that are intimidated by buttons (and the count of), I feel touch-screen menu may be the better way to go. Select function then have the buttons related to it on the screen. It is the way I control audio controls in my TL. The buttons below the screen are redundant and could be used when at a complete stop (or if anything goes wrong with LCD over time).

    I read somewhere that Audi/VW is planning use of touch screen dash. Great idea. Although, I hope there is also some room for fall back option. After 6-7 years, I don't want to learn that there is no way to control features if the touch screen dies (like those small digital cameras that are getting rid of optical view finders in favor of LCD/EVF... the LCD breaks, the camera is rendered virtually useless).
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Posts: 5,751
    I *hate* let, me emphasize, *hate* voice activation. I don't know if the 750 had it or not, but I wouldn't use it if it did.
  • moparbadmoparbad Posts: 3,870
    Ford's Sync supposedly has fantastic voice recognition/activation. I have not tried it yet.
  • baggs32baggs32 Posts: 3,229
    Ford's Sync supposedly has fantastic voice recognition/activation. I have not tried it yet.

    Me neither but I've heard the same thing and have watched several online demos and videos of Sync in action. If we get another Ford I'm definitely paying the $300 for Sync. I'm sold.

    What will the 2008 Accord voice commands control? Sync allows you to control everything from your bluetooth cell phone (which can be in your purse or pocket) right down to the mp3 player you have plugged into the USB port. That USB port allows you to get software/feature updates into the system using your own USB drive too IIRC. Pretty cool IMO.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Posts: 4,116
    60-70% of the time, I use voice control in my TL (the picture is from 2008 Accord)

    Voice is a good option, especially when it works correctly. The car is a horrible place to try to do sound recognition, it requires expensive mics and noise canceling software, etc.

    The rest is done via touch screen (unfortunately, no longer an option in the new Accord).

    Touchscreen = eyes off road time. No tactile feedback that your finger is on the button, or that it pressed the button means you have to look every time. A real button is a ballistic motion for your body. Even in my 3 mo old Accord the main radio controls are operated by touch not by looking.
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