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Comments
Any model recommendations for a 1996 Jetta in 196/60R14?
Either that, or I am going to look at Coopers locally, or get a tirerack price and see if anyone locally will match or come close.
I was told that the special ends Sunday, June 30.
Generally speaking, the higher the speed rating, the more robust the construction and the higher quality of materials. Now, I know that stands to reason but it does affect how well your tires perform and how long they can last.
Some cars are notorious tire eaters. One that comes to mind is the Infiniti Q45, 1st generation. OE tire size is a wimpy 215/65-15. The suspension design of this car was one of most advanced ever on a Japanese car. The car was designed from the outset to drive and feel like a true high performance sport sedan. This design put an incredible strain on the tires, fronts especially. To get any tire life at all owners needed to run a V rated tire, regardless of how fast they drove. A lower rated tire would simply get eaten up in 15,000 miles. Cheapo V rated tires wouldn't last much longer. Durability came only from top quality V rated tires.
Even if you're not driving a car like that, higher speed ratings provide a larger safety margin. Tires run cooler, sidewalls are stiffer so they handle emergency situations much better, driving at interstate speeds is not stressful for a speed rated tire providing a larger safety margin. This is one area that played a role in the Explorer/Firestone tragedy a few years ago. The Firestones on Exploders had a speed rating that was quite low. Many of the problems arose when vehicles were being driven at high interstate speeds; 70+ MPH. At those speeds the tires were at or above 80% of their max speed rating - little room for error. Add to this high surface temps on the roads, owner negligence, and a tire whose quality was shoddy right out of the mold and you have a perfect recipe for disaster.
Now, I'm not saying a low speed rated tire is gonna cause accidents so don't infer that. What I am saying is that higher speed ratings provide a safety cushion that is invisible until you really need it. It's up to each of you to decide whether that cushion has any value.
Hope this helps.
What you said has merit but not very helpful to Imn908 in making a decision. (too open ended)
The X-ones are a good choice. I've run them on a mini-van and a sporty sedan. Two very different vehicles but the quality of the X-ones is evident in each application in terms of wear, handling and ride quality. Even my wife can tell the difference between the X-ones (or Plus's) and lesser tires.
If you are constantly hot footing it, the X-ones are not for you.
Of course, either of the above could lead to overheating a tire. But they are for two VERY different reasons.
The tires were rated "C" concerning heat resistance. It is the minimal rating for tires which can be legally used on public roads. The requrements were explained in the article. I remember very well that these requrements are surprisingly low. Something like the car can be driven 2 hours at 75 mph, after this 1/2 hour at 80 mph, and finally 1/2 hour at 85 mph, without tire damage. Am not sure if I used the precise numbers, but something in this kind.
This is with properly inflated tires and properly loaded vehicle.
Speed rating of tires was not discussed specifically in this article, but, as you can see, the heat rating is directly related to speed. A typical touring tire, rated "T" or "S" for speed (112 - 118 mph), has heat resistance rate "B". Performance tires, rated "H" (130+ mph) have heat rating "A".
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
You could probably get a tire with a good heat rating and low speed rating; and, less likely, but still possible, a higher speed rating and poor heat rating. It might be temperature, not heat rating, BTW.
Turned to be, the requirements for "C" tires are even lower, than I remember. If tires (properly maintained, inflated and loaded) endure only 1.5 hour driving on highway speed, after initial 2 hour warming on rural roads, they are passing the legal standards.
Take a 2-3 hour trip, on highway, and you are on risk even with perfectly legal "C" tires.
At high speeds internal components in a tire deform. This deformation results in heat build up. A high speed rated tire means the tire components will not deform as much at a certain speed. Less deformation, less heat build up, less chances for tire failure.
Here's a comment I snagged from a tire website:
Contrary to the assumption made by many consumers, the speed rating does not pertain to the tire's performance capabilities at high speeds. Rather, it is solely a measure of the tire's ability to withstand the heat generated by driving at high speeds. Tires with lower speed ratings will deteriorate faster as a result of heat if the vehicle on which they are used is frequently driven at high speeds
And here's a link to a short article from ABC news:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/CloserLook/wnt000921_CL_tireabuse_feature.html
Most of the tires I saw on Explorers when all the problems were occuring had speed ratings of Q (99mph) and R (106mph). If drivers were speeding along at 80+mph then they were pushing their tires to over 80% of their rated maximum. So while Congress or the media has not made a direct correlation of speed ratings and tire failure, IMO it's pretty hard to ignore when you look at all the info. Again, speed ratings are just one aspect to consider when deciding on a tire. My only goal here is to encourge lurkers and members to pay attention to the ratings and make a more informed decision.
How many trucks do you see on the highway going over the speed limit, say, 75 mph?
This could refer to pickup trucks with D or E load rated tires pulling a motor home or boat to family vacation, or to a semi tractor trailer. Are those also rated for H speed?
I was considering replacing them with the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV Tire. Has anyone had any experience/thoughts/opinions on this tire?? Would I even see a difference?? Please...all opinions welcome!!!
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
Those are pretty much the agreed upon best all purpose truck tire you can get with good road manners, decent off road ability, long life, and not too loud running.
They have an EXCELLENT reputation across all brands and makes of trucks and SUV's.
24 models total of the size, rated S or a bit higher (T). I checked for a half-dosen of them: all had the heat rating B.
By the way, Tirerack recommends for Explorer only tires with speed rating S and higher.
Or SEMI truck tires?
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
If you want something that looks that way, with a good highway ride, you want to see if it has a connected tread, meaning not separate blocks, at least down the middle.
The BFG AT KO is not bad on the street, not bad off the street; a compromise overall.
Good luck.
Thank you for the recommendation. ywilson from the Durango thread is putting them on his 2000 DD (similar to mine) in the fall. If I can wait that long I'll also see what he has to say about them.
You have all been very informative and helpful. Thanks again
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
I don't know much about them, but there is one which has the solid tread, with "grippy looking" "outsoles" or lugs on the outside.
Here, I found some:
Grabber AP: http://www.generaltire.com/tire_detail.cfm?tire_name=GRABBER%20AP
Grabber AW: http://www.generaltire.com/tire_detail.cfm?tire_name=GRABBER%20AW
Ameri*660AS : http://www.generaltire.com/tire_detail.cfm?tire_name=AMERI*660%20AS
Maybe that will help you.
good luck!
Good Luck.
Do you think Michilin Cross Terrains would be a big improvement????
All opinions wanted!
If not, why not?
4.00X 8 (?) maybe
What is a good tire in this (or close) size for a trailer for 1700# boat?
If enough room, is there a bigger tire which could be mounted on the same rim to get more safety margin?
Thanks
*Tire size on the car now
*how many miles per year you drive
*where you live regionally (get alot of snow? or alot of rain?)
*type of driving you do (city, long distance, commuting, etc)
*kind of driver you are (aggressive, mellow, crazy
Help us with a little more info and we can help you.
millage per year 7000 miles
in san antonio, tx where it rains a lot (50 inches)
i drive mostly to school and back home (houston)
normal type driver.
Thanks
Robert
The Pirelli P400 Touring is a terrific deal right now. TR has them on special for $38 each and that's a very good tire for that price. If you want a little more sportiness the Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce at $52 each is also a great deal.
Yokohama makes some excellent tires for the price. I like the Avid series so look for the T4 or H4.
If you want a tire that's great in the wet look at the Goodyear Aquatread 3. That tire should be about $50-60 each locally.
If you are a member of Sams Club or Costco they offer great prices on tires. One of the best all season radial tires you can buy is the Michelin X-One aka X Radial Plus. Sams and Costco will have it for about $70/tire which is expensive but worth it if you want an excellent tire. The X-One was top rated by Consumer Reports in their last tire test.
Any of these tires will work well on your car. All are made by quality mfr's and would be much better choices than some no-name cheapo tire. You might want to take some of this info and shop locally to see if anyone can meet their prices. Good luck.
Also buy 4 new tires if you can afford it instead of just 2.
I have the exact same tire on my car as you do: Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus in 215/55-16 on a Saab 9-5. I like these tires alot and feel they perform exactly as designed. They are a luxury touring tire that's meant to provide a smooth, quiet ride while giving drivers a little bit of sportiness. I've found that most people who criticise this tire are expecting it to act like its not. I've also found that it is rather sensitive to air pressure and frequent rotations. I rotate and balance mine every 6k-7k and check the pressures weekly, sometimes more often. I feel its a tire that can give you a good 30K, maybe even 40K, of tread wear if its taken care of properly. For an E-class I think its an excellent choice.
I've driven cars with the Contis on them, in particular an E320 with that tire. I think the Conti is a direct competitor to the Michelin and will do most of the same things the Michelin can do. Since MBz uses the Conti as OE on E and C class it seems it would be a good choice. I found the Conti to be a little noisier on asphalt than the Michelin but that might be just my impression.
The Bridgestone is a much sportier, performance-oriented tire. It'll provide more steering response and grippier handling compared to the other two. But I imagine its a bit noisier and may not offer quite the tread life. So its a trade off to a certain extent.
As much as I like the Michelin, when it comes time to replace my tires I'll probably go with the Bridgestones. Personally, I'm willing to trade some luxury and smoothness for added performance and I don't really care about tread life.
So it all depends on your preferences and driving needs. I hope these comments help.
I recall my salesperson telling me how good the deals were for GMS buyers. I wished I were a GM employee or supplier just to get that deal. It's certainly worth looking into.
I've never had Michelins or Conti's on my E320; when I bought it they dealer had put Goodyear Eagle LS tires on it. THey weren't bad but when they wore out I tried the Yokohama AVS db and they got to be VERY noisy by 10-12 K miles (sounded and felt like snow tires!) so I complained enough that Yoko allowed me to trade them towards their Avid V4 rated tires. I've got about 7K on them so far and I am very happy with them. They are quiet and excellent on wet roads. And the ride and handling are very good. I suggest you take a look at them.
Well the wheelbase is 1" less than the average car and it has a bit of a roll on the highway, like curved ramps and is sensitive to crosswinds.
Anyway I did feel a difference on the street, but the highway performance is about the same.
If that's the way it is so be it. But I don't want to bug the guy for no reason.
What about getting a wider tire? Any recommendations?
Oh yeah, he said Cooper is right up there in quality. Any comments?
FTR the car runs great, people like the design, and the V6 feels good on the highway.
Now I've learned that a lower aspect ratio provides better lateral stability, which is what I want.
Current tires are P195/70R14.
I' ve seen specs for P205(and 215)/70R14 and P195/65R14.
Soooooo will these two be similar in performance? The first is wiiiiiider, but for the width to increase and the aspect ratio to remain the same then the height has to increase(basic math).
From the first one I can get a 10mm or 20mm width increase and from the second the same width but a 5 pt decrease in aspect ratio, which would affect lateral stability - how much?
Know what I mean?
I have 4.00X8.
Is it possible to go up a size? I would like to maximize safety and ride quality.
Any online sources for these?
I am not sure if current ones are bias ply or radial. I am thinking bias.
Thanks in advance.