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Tires, tires, tires

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Comments

  • boredbored Member Posts: 300
    I need to know how much my mileage or odometer has been upset by my new tires and wheels. I don't want any speeding tickets, or people honking at me because I'm going too slow...

    The wheel and tire size that was replaced is

    P185 60R14

    The original tire and wheel size was

    P175 70R13

    Does anyone know how to calculate this information?
  • capriracercapriracer Member Posts: 907
    Find a search engine and type in "tire calculator". You'll find about a dozen web sites that will help you with this calculation.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    Try http://powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi/


    These look like a near perfect match with only 0.1" difference in diameter and 0.5% difference in revolutions per mile.

  • boredbored Member Posts: 300
    I'm going a bit faster than the Speedo says, right?
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    or slower sddlw didn't say, but only by ~0.3 mph. Is this a problem for you? That is what 1/2% works out to at 60 mph.

    That is less difference than when you wear your tires out.
  • boredbored Member Posts: 300
    Just wondering.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,440
    I need to replace the tires on my '99 Maxima SE (215-55/16, H rated). Not a particularly common size, so tends to be limited selection, high price.

    One that was recommended by a couple of shops is the General Exclaim. Supposed to be a brand new model. A/A/420 rated. Unidirectional. It also looks like General is owned by Continental now, FWIW.

    Anyone know anything about these, particularly what to expect for wet/snow traction (in case it snows this year in NJ)? Wet is the main concern.

    They are running $20-25 bucks each less than the Dunlop SPs (which I have on my other car). The 'Lops are nice, but I may not have the Maxima much longer, and don't put many miles on it (mostly around town).

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • leadfoot4leadfoot4 Member Posts: 593
    I had a set of Continental tires on my wife's Lincoln LS. They were OK, nothing spectacular, but when I needed some "road hazard" assistance this past July, forget it!! They were horrible.
    Shortly thereafter, I was talking to a local tire dealer about my experience. He said he had the same problems with Continental/General, therefore he stopped selling them.
    Just my $0.02 worth...
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    I have not been impressed with any General tire products, and they always seem to come out among the worst in consumer ratings. I had them on a couple of new cars and dumped them after 2 yrs. If you want a quality value priced tire try Kumho.
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    I just read the spec sheet on their website and they look OK to me. It's a brand new tire so I wouldn't put too much faith in opinions about their older tires, although it may not bode too well for General. Frankly, I don't think they're any worse than tires from the 3rd tier suppliers like Kumho, Nitto, Falken, Sumitomo, etc. If the price is right, put them on your list.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    I thought Sumitomo was the parent to Dunlop.

    Does that make Dunlop a 4th tier supplier?
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    They're 3rd tier since their market share and sales volume puts them at about 1% of the total US market. Right there with the others I mentioned.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    ...By "tier", you mean the amount of tires they sell?
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    I rank Michelin, Bridgestone, and Goodyear as Tier One mfr's due to their sales volume and market share.

    Brands like Dunlop, Firestone, Yokohama, Pirelli, Continental, etc fit into Tier Two.

    But I think most tire brands are Tire Three. The Tier One mfr's own well over 50% of the total market share in the US. Everyone else is sorta like small potatos.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Where would you put Cooper and Firestone? I see more of them than some of your tier 2 tires.

    Glad to see this is just your own personal feelings, and not something else.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,440
    That's kinda what I thought. Reading the specs and seeing one in person, they look pretty good. not really comparable to older basic S-rated passenger car tires. Hopefully all the effort to design a fancy unidirectional tread was worth something.

    Besides, they have to work better in the wet than Toyos that are down to the wear bars. And if I don't like them, it will give me an excuse to buy a new car.

    Funny that I never would have considered Generals unless the tire shop guy recommended them.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    I consider Cooper and Kelly in Tier Two. They have very good distribution in large parts of the country and make a wide line of good tires at excellent pricing. The only reason I put Firestone in Tier Two is because they don't get all the same technology as the Bridgestone parent gives their own brand.

    And thanks for noticing it's my personal value guide, as it were. I should have been more clear in my previous post.
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    Now you're a man who thinks like I do :) I haven't bought tires for the last three cars I've owned; when the tires are worn out, I get rid of the car.

    But if you get those Generals, please post back and let us know how you like them. I missed them at SEMA (funny, I did go to the Continental/General booth) and you are the first person who has asked about them. I'll be interested to read your comments.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,440
    Unless I find something better in the next day or so, I will probably give them a try. Tirerack doesn't carry them, so can't use that for reference.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Did you ever get a chance to find out about those Michelin's at SEMA convention?
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    I.....uhhhh......I... missed the Michelin booth. I'm sorry, I know I told you I'd check them out. I even wrote myself a note on my PDA.

    Darn those gentlemen's clubs! They kept me there all night!!! How's a guy supposed to get some rest and take care of business when they force you to be there until 5:30AM???? Unbelieveable......
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    Your three tiers are meaningless IMO because sales frequently do not correlate with quality.
  • stantontstantont Member Posts: 148
    I just got a set of these from Tire Rack, size 205/65-15 for my Honda Accord, delivered to a local installer yesterday. They showed very little run-out on the spin machine, and the largest weight was 1 ounce; most were 0.25-0.75 ounce. They replaced the OEM Michelin Energy MXV4+. Wow! What amazing tires! Much quieter than the Michelins on coarse surfaces, much quicker response - they changed the whole steering feel of the car. More like my old SHO: the steering got heavier, tracking was notably more precise, sidewalls feel much stiffer (you could feel the difference between the Michelins and the LSV's when off the rim - Michelin sidewalls were much softer). I couldn't make them squeal on turns yet, and their precise feel makes me much more secure on twisty local roads.

    This morning the rains came, and the wet grip is phenomenal, all this compared to a tire (the MXV4) that ain't exactly shabby in its own right. Wet roads feel like they are dry!

    The B'Stones come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, but I'm certainly not going to be using it unless something totally unforseen occurs. They aren't cheap, though I could have gotten the H-rated ones for about $20 less apiece. I can't speak to snow grip; I'm in Austin, Texas. If you are looking for serious Grand Touring tires, I recommend these very highly.

    I have no connection to Bridgestone, BTW, though this is the third (and best!) set of B'Stones on our family cars.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    I thought the same thing. I thought he meant 3rd tier in the same way we say 3rd world country.

    He meant in terms of sales, not quality. Hey, if it works for him, whatever.
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    You can't go by consumer comments since they aren't based on anything scientific.

    There is no way I know of for the average consumer to independently measure tire quality, let alone define it. If y'all know something I don't, I'd sure appreciate the help.

    Publications like Consumer Reports are a small help but they're evaluations are infrequent and limited in scope sometimes.

    Reviews/analysis/evaluations conducted by people on various websites is questionable due to their limited expertise about tire engineering. Tire Rack is probably the most helpful but they're only one operation.

    So IMO all were left with is individually-based value judgements based on whatever amount of information we compile and analyse. My tire info folder is about 4" thick. I have copies of Tire Review, Tire Business, and Modern Tire Dealer on my desk. That and what I can cull of the internet is all I have to go by when offering my opinions. Don't know what the rest of you have.

    All I can offer is all I can offer. Sorry if you find it meaningless. Good luck in your quest for more tire info.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    Thanks for the commentary. I've been eying the Turanza LS tires for my ES300 in the 225/55 16, which currently has original 205/60 16 MXV4Energy+ on it. At 34k miles these Michelins are noisy and hard to balance, but still have about 3-5K miles of usable tread on them. But I'm starting to cave in though and am thinking of replacing them soon.
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    CR tests are good enough for me.
  • stantontstantont Member Posts: 148
    On a very quiet car like the ES300, you could probably use a cheaper and even more-responsive tire like the Birdgestone Potenze RE 950. My brother put a set of these on his Camry and is very pleased. He says they whine a little at certain speeds and certain road surfaces, but even on a car as quiet as the Camry (which I think is almost a clone of the ES300) they are nearly silent. He travels a lot, so silence and steering precision were important to him.

    Because the Accord has had a bit of road noise and I didn't know if it was inherent to the car or a function of the tires, I opted for the touring tire (LS) instead of the ultra-high-performance tire (RE950).

    Either way I think you'll be pleased.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    Interesting thought. Though I would like to stress quiet and comfort over performance on my ES. Let's face it, it ain't no sports car. When new, the MXV4s provided a very nice quiet ride. But around 20k miles they started to get noisy and less well behaved. My thoughts in going from the 205s to the 225s, but staying in a touring type tire is to try and get both worlds. A slightly better level of performance, but a quiet longer lasting tire. Don't know if this will work, but I figured what the heck. It's only a set of tires. I'm staying with the 16" OEM wheels so the cost of this experiment will be limited to the cost of tires.
  • lovable90lovable90 Member Posts: 27
    How ya doing? I need to get some information for a friend of mine, Lee, who has a 1998 Mercury Mystique LS, 205 60 15. She needs a very reasonably priced tire with great traction in snow, good on ice, good cornering and reasonable performance on everything else. She will be driving up to Duluth this weekend and it has already snowed two days in a row down here. We're assuming it will be worse up there. The whole idea is to feel SAFE!

    What's around that would give her what she needs. Discount Tire recommended a Kumho ECSTA 716. I looked it up on Tire Rack -- good traction, but the reviews make it sound like it has problems tracking straight. The type of tire she wants seems to be hard to find in that size. The other standard good, cheap tires don't come in her size -- Yoko Aegis LS4, BFG M65, BFG M80 (not cheap). I haven't checked out the Goodyear Regatta 2 for her.

    Your thoughts?

    Regards,

    Noelle
  • stantontstantont Member Posts: 148
    If you want improved performance but still quiet and comfort in the ES 300, you might do well to stick with the original tire profile. I tried wider tires on two different cars in the past (275/60x15 on a Chevy Suburban w/7" rims, and 225/60x15 on a Taurus SHO with 6" rims), and in both cases the tire centers wore unevenly, eventually causing very bad road noise. In both cases, the tire brand and model were not known to be noisy. In both cases, the tire dealer told me (after the fact, of course!) that the change to a very wide tire on a relatively narrow rim was the problem.

    In the case of the B'stone LS's versus the MXV4+'s, the change in performance was quite noticeable even with the stock profile.

    What is the rim width on your ES300?
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    Nice to see you again.

    Well, that's a bit of a challenge you've presented. First off no all season tire will perform great in the snow and their wet weather performance will vary. Some of the best tires I can think of is the Michelin X-One or a couple Nokian models but they will probably be way out of your friends price range. All season tires are a compromise and its bad weather traction that usually suffers.

    The Regatta 2 has got some good reviews for snow traction and I'd suggest putting them on her list. BTW, this tire is sold at Sams Club as the Allegra so if she has a Sams membership it would be a good idea to check it out.

    I recall we discussed a Cooper Lifeliner SLE which might be a good choice in terms of price/performance.

    A few others would be Bridgestone Turanza LS-T, Yokohama Avid Touring or Dunlop SP Sport A2.

    One last comment: If she changes the tire size to 195/65-15 her choices improve significantly. This tire is almost the same size but will have a little narrower tread and a little taller sidewall. This profile is actually better in snow. Not a dramatic change but just enough to offer more options.

    I hope this helps. Let me know what she decides to do.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    The wife has 205/60/15's on her GXE Ltd. Edition 2001 Altima and I was hoping to go to 205/65/15's next time around. Is this a possible alternative? I hate to go down to 195/65/15's, eventhough that's the standard size on the Altima GXE's of that year. The Tire Plus guy seemed to think that this is doable, but since you are the tire Guru and I value your input, what say the all knowing Bret!
    Thanks for any insight on this matter as we still have about 3k of usable tread life left.(Car gets a little squirrely in the rain and don't want to wait that long to replace them.)

    The Sandman :-)
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    Hi Sandman, and thanks for the terrific salutation.


    I input those numbers into the tire size calculator at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html and its look OK to me; a bit larger tire but there should be plenty wheelwell clearance to go to the 65 series.


    Like Noelle's question above the 195/65 tires are within fractions of the 205/60 so technically that's a better choice but I think the 205/65's are fine. Double check with your tire installer to be sure; maybe do a test fit if you're concerned.


    Someday, with 20 or 30 years of hard work, I really will become the Tire Guru of Town Hall. But right now I'm just an apprentice. Happy to help, though. Let us know what tires you decide on.

  • tntitantntitan Member Posts: 306
    Put these on Tuesday right before all of the bad weather that was forecast here. Replaced the OEM Michelin MXV4 Energy +'s that came on my 2000 Accord. The Michelin were fairly quiet and rode really well but after about 20K the wet weather traction sucked and I finally replaced them with 36K.

    I left the store, went home and retorqued the lug nuts and then went straight to the Interstate. Entrance ramp was one of those sharp cloverleafs and I was pleased with the handling characteristics of the Dunlop. They were also noticeably quieter at highway speeds (even better than when the Michelins were still new). It rained Wednesday all day long and the wet weather traction was all that I had hoped for and more. This was the real reason I went with this tire (only time will tell if it continues after I get 20-30K on them). I got them mounted, balanced, and out the door for $340. I really thought about the Turanza but thought I would give these tires a try since they just seemed to have everything I was looking for at a hard to beat price.
  • zueslewiszueslewis Member Posts: 2,353
    I'm a hard core tire nut, and I believe the Dunlop Sport A2 (formererly D60 A2) is the best all-around passenger car tire on the market.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    I think my wheels are 16x7. The tire size recommendation comes from my local performance tire store, who, after looking at the car, did not think I should go wider than 225s without going to a wider wheel.I can see where you might have problems with 225s on 6" wheel. That is a lot of tire overlap. I recently upgraded my wife's wheels and tires on her 84 SL, going with 225s on a 16x7.5" rims. That is a really nice fit. But I'm not interested in spending the extra money for new rims on my car so I'm going to stick with my 7.0" wheels.
  • eharri3eharri3 Member Posts: 640
    Man am I glad I put these on the Ranger last month. Used to have a set of the garbage Firestone FR480s, then some Laramies. Firestones Did everything Fair, nothing really well. The Laramies stuck like glue on tight turns but were only fair in snow. Then it came time for new rubber again and I figured its a truck, it should have truck tires. We got hit with our first major snow storm today and my truck handles better in snow now than it ever has before in the 4 years Ive owned it. The at the limit handling on dry roads is a little floatier than it used to be, but I guess that's to be expected.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    Do you mean the weight limit?
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,440
    I took the budget route and went with the General Exclaims over the Dunlop SP sports (excellent tire, I have them on my wife's van).

    Anyway, my initial impression is that they may not be the best choice for a Maxima SE. They seem a bit "squirmy", and somewhat noisier than what I had before. Definitely a softer ride, and less of a sharp edge in handling, but they seem to corner well without squeal.

    Some of this may be my neurosis about my cars, combined with the fact that bald Toyos are pretty hard edged. That is, it's hard to have tread noise or flex when you have no tread.

    Since i'm in NJ, I can vouch that they are a good snow tire. I don't think the old Toyos would have made it out of the driveway, and it's downhill.

    Anyway, I will drive on them for a week and see if they grow on me. If not, back to the tire store for an exchange to the Dunlop's (the place I got them has a 30 day/500 mile exchange program, full credit on the price, not sure if you have to pay for balancing again).

    Overall, they seem like good tires, but may be more suited for "softer" car like a Camry or a Buick.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • stantontstantont Member Posts: 148
    If you have 7 inch rims, the 225's should be fine; nearly perfect, in fact. You might have your tire dealer give you some sort of tire clearance check with the agreement that they'll swap them if they rub anywhere.

    The only other downside to using the 225's would be a slightly greater tendency to hydroplane at high speeds in the rain. That may or may not be inportant to you. (For any given tread design and rubber compound, a wider tire will hydroplane at lower speed, unless the mfr. uses wider drainage grooves to compensate.)
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    after all the comments on here about these tires.. i'll be mounting them on my 2000 maxima with 16in rims...

    i was considering the Michelin MVX+'s but after all the postings here about how expensive they are and not everyone liking them.. I'll choose the dunlops... thanks everyone..

    How long the the dunlop sport A2's last? how many miles in general?
  • lovable90lovable90 Member Posts: 27
    Changing tire size really does open up tire choices for that Mercury Mystique. The 195 65 15's are also cheaper! Lee is very interested in the Cooper Lifeliner SLE and the BFG TA M65 & M80. She's still willing to look at the Kumhos because of the great price. You really do people a great service by telling them what "equivalent" sizes will fit their car. Sometimes there's no other way to get a great tire unless you change from the OEM to an equivalent size. I did and I'm still in love with my Nokians. I'd kiss those tires, but they'd have to start calling me "gravel lips".


    As an alternative solution to her tire problem, today Lee test drove a 2002 Subaru Impreza wagon. This all could be moot in a few days!


    Noelle

  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    stickguy - your impression of the Exclaims seem to confirm that General does not make the 'most desireable' tires on the market. I was tempted to get a set of their Grabbers for a 4WD application recently since they were $50 a piece (the budget route). Then reviews on Tire Rack showed they were pretty mediocre in a lot of ways and that seems to be true for all their tires.

    Since you drove the Exclaims to the point of getting a 'squirmy' reaction out of them, you pushed them to their limit. Tire performance gets interesting out there.

    'The budget' is a reality and dictates some decisions. But where the rubber meets the road and if you are sensitive to tire performance (through the steering wheel), the budget tires usually will be a disappointment.

    Let us know if you switch to the Dunlop A2s. Then you can give us a side-by-side comparison from the same vehicle. I can guess the outcome since I have the A2s on a vehicle too.
  • zueslewiszueslewis Member Posts: 2,353
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    Thanks Stantont. Hydroplaning isn't too much of an issue here in San Diego. Last year we got a whole 3" of rain for the entire year. And yes, I had my tire guys take a look before I came up with the 225 replacement idea. Besides, Tire Rack is offering up to 18x8" wheels as replacement wheels for this car. Should be plenty of clearance.

    A note on drainage grooves. My wifes car now has 225/50 16 Dunlop Sport 8000 on it. these are really grippy tires and pretty quiet too. But those deep vertical chanels get stuck on small imperfections in the road, making them kind of twitchy.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    "If you have 7 inch rims, the 225's should be fine; nearly perfect, in fact. You might have your tire dealer give you some sort of tire clearance check with the agreement that they'll swap them if they rub anywhere."

    My experience is that if they tell me not to do it, and I insist upon it, that I own them after that. They are not in the business of spending a grease monkey's time doing my experimental projects.

    Am I off base here? Just relating from several past experiences here...
  • tylercntylercn Member Posts: 2
    I am about to change my tires on my 2K max, from the original tires. I am looking for any reccomendations that anyone might have about what tires I should look into buying. I hate the Bridgestone Potenza's that came stock and am looking for something that handles a little better in we weather, that not going to break the bank. A colleague has reccomended Kumho Supra 712's although I would have to size up to 235/45/17's. Any feedback would be appreciated.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,440
    time to trot out the old standby, the Dunlop SP SPort A2. I'm starting to agree that it is the best all around tire form most applications, and a good value to boot.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

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