Tires, tires, tires

steve234 · April 2001

I have 16" Goodyear LS tires on my truck and have 15,000 miles with no problems and little treadwear. I should get at least 45,000 miles with no problems. While I am leaning towards Michelins on my next set, I can tell you that I have got better truck performance out of Goodyears than Firestone and Bridgestone. I have never gotten less than 50K from a set of Goodyears in the past 15 years.

bretfraz · April 2001

Some creative clipping from some web searching for all you Regul tire fans out there:

Kelly-Springfield is a division of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Kelly-Springfield's Monarch tire lines have been sold by the North
Carolina company since 1972 (referring to Heafner Tire Group). Also, the company produces a high performance
line of Heafner's private label tires, Regul.

Kelly-Springfield will manufacture Winston brand radial light truck and
passenger tires in their plants in Fayetteville, N.C., and Tyler, Texas.

So, it looks like Regul is made by Kelly-Springfield, a division of Goodyear. And K-S will make Winston tires as well.

uncommonman · April 2001

I have not had any personal experience with a warranty claim at Sams, but I have 2 friends who have. One had very premature tread wear out on a set of General's on his 88 Caprice, and they gave him 85% of his money back toward a set of Michelins. Two months ago another friend of mine took his Honda Accord in to have a nail puncture repaired on one of the Michelin X Plus tires he bought there. When he came back to pick up the car, they had put 4 new Michelin X Plus tires on and told him the old ones were almost worn out (with 40,000 miles on them) and they should have lasted at least twice that long. NO CHARGE!! I think they had an 88,000 mile warranty. Needless to say, he was thrilled. Guess where he will be buying tires from now on? I have purchased 3 sets of tires at Sams for various vehicles. The last set I bought were for my 95 Caprice -- Michelin X Plus P235/70R-15. They are awesome on the highway, wet or dry, and they corner hard (my car is set up for fast cornering) but they are not good in the snow at all. You can spin 'em on a flat driveway with a little snow. The road hazzard warranty Sams has now for $9 (includes spin balancing) is well worth it, IMHO.

j_coleman · April 2001

Sam's did a bad job balancing my BFG Advantage Plus tires a few years back. They vibrated like hell so I had to take it back for re-balancing. Decided not to go back to Sam's for tires, so I went to Discount Tire on Saturday (for my Pirelli P3000) and they put the wrong size tire on one of my wheels. Not sure who to go to next time.

Does anyone know if Discount will replace a damaged, non-repairable tire if you opt not to get their certificate of free replacement?

heng · April 2001

at tirerack.com but they are limited in available sizes. Thanks for the tip

ryanbab · April 2001

Great Tires

BFG all terrain TA ko

Beats the heck outta those stock fstone at's.

tireguy · April 2001

There is no Michelin Radial Plus XSE. There are only two tires regularly stocked by Sam's wearing the coveted "Radial XSE" badging: the X Radial Plus and the Energy MXV4 Plus. Obviously you're speaking of the X Radial Plus. This tire is sold only to wholesalers, and is identical to the X-One. It once held a 6-year, unlimited mileage warranty, with free replacement within the first 3 years and pro-rata thereafter. This was consequently downgraded when the marketers at Michelin realized that any tire can wear out prematurely if the customer really wants it to. There were no structural changes made to the tire at that time, but I heard through the grapevine (I no longer sell tires) that the XSE compound was recently endured slight modifications for cosmetic reasons (to make it stay blacker). Every Michelin tire sold by Sam's Club, BJ's or whomever shares the same quality of any Michelin tire, whether O.E. or purchased for twice the price at an independant dealer. The X Radial Plus/X-One is probably the best broadline tire ever sold on these shores. A common misconception is that the Michelin tires sold by wholesalers are of a lesser grade, and therefore cheaper. This is 100% not true. This lie was based on the fact that Sam's and BJ's often sell them below the regular dealer-cost. Michelin simply prefers to do business with the big boys, and gives them a better deal. If you want Michelin, you need to go to a large distributor, preferably a wholesaler.
Bretfratz? Heng? You guys're still here? My wife banned me from this site months ago--she just threw a fit because I was writing to that "darn tire forum" again. I had to lock the door to the study to allow myself some peace and quiet. You laugh, I'm serious.
---Chris

stever · April 2001

lol tireguy--we thought it was the Marines that had cut back on your posting time!

Your insights are always welcome, even months apart:-)

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

drew_ · April 2001

Tireguy, nice to see you back :-) Steve and I were wondering what happened when you went AWOL ;-)

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

aacrow · April 2001

This is a question to any experts. I have a 6 year old Chevy Lumina with 60,000 miles on it. I still have the original tires. I have rotated them through the years and they still have plenty of tread. (I did the penny test). I am concerned that because of the 60,000 miles on them, I should get new tires even though the tread looks good. Any comments and suggestions about what tires to buy would be appriciated.

bretfraz · April 2001

Welcome back! Yeah, I'm still here. I just love it sooooo much :-)

I've only been keeping the porch light on for you. Hope you'll get to stick around awhile.

- - Bret - -

namfflow · April 2001

If the tires still have adequate thread depth and you are happy with the performance of the tires then I see no reason for you to change them.

If you do not like how they ride or handle or grip in rain and so on then I would start looking at replacements.

vezini · April 2001

Uncommonman:

Thank you for the information. I am going to get the tires from Sams. What great testimonies!

Have you heard any thing about the Goodyear Allegra's?

Thanks!

Vezini

heng · April 2001

I'm around here somewhere.

Starting to scope out some replacement tires. 1 set for an SUV because the original Uniroyal Laredos don't have the full depth tread and these will be marginal if we have another snowy winter in the north east like this one. The other set for a sedan because the BFG touring TAs are going fast and they too will be marginal come next winter.

Michelins are the ticket.

blackjetta18t1 · April 2001

what do u think about the good year eagle LS, 195-65-15..i think those are the numbers...they are on my Jetta, well anyway ive heard that there is a silent recall on themm for early treadwear, i did the penny test on them and i can see the tiop of lincolns head and i have only 1,385 miles on them, what do u think?

uncommonman · April 2001

I really don't have any anecdotal experience I can relate concerning the Goodyear Allegra tires. I think tireguy is one of the experts here. Maybe he could sneak into his computer room to comment. Most of the 5 vehicles in my household now have Michelins, although my "baby", a 77 Buick LeSabre 2dr, has P255/60-R15 BFG Radial T/A's on 8 inch wide Corvette rims. I previously had the same size high performance Michelin tires on this car (the tire model escapes me -- they don't make it any more), and the BFG's aren't nearly as responsive. When it comes to handling, you can change the personality of a car dramatically by doing simple things like adding a rear sway bar, but basically, tires are everything. You also might want to snoop around at: http://www.tirerack.com for a while and read some of the tests and comments there. One also needs to consider exactly what their application and driving style require from a tire, ie; skinny tires with big lugs are great for the snow, fat tires are good for agressive dry driving, but may tend to hydroplane more--particularly if you have a light car, and wet driving likes full depth sipes to suck up the water, etc. Tire shopping can be fun. I once heard a guy on TV say his girlfirend was prettier than the new set of snow tires on his pickup truck. I guess you had to be there.

bretfraz · April 2001

I looked at a set yesterday. Sure look alot like the Goodyear Regatta. Didn't compare specs so if I were interested, I'd go to Sammy's and write down the specs, then go to K-Mart and compare to the Regattas. Or I'd write Goodyear and ask.

bretfraz · April 2001

Extra TV-watching mega-geek Bonus Points for anyone who can tell us what TV commercial had the guy who said, "honey, you look better than a new set of snow tires".

First person to answer correctly gets anything they want from the Prize Closet.

bluex19 · April 2001

Recently, I purchased four Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus P225/60/16 97V tires for
my 1995 LS400. Yesterday I noticed that three tires have 44 max psi indication
and one tire has 35 max psi specified. Of course I use no more than 32 psi
inflation but should I be concerned about varying max psi indication? Should
I complain to the dealer? By the way, the 35 max psi tire was made about
1.5 years ago and the other tires were made in Nov 2000. Would the older tire
be not as good as a one made more recently? If you purchased these tires in the above
size and speed rating, what is the max psi indicated on the tires?

brucer2 · April 2001

Look on the tire for its maximum load rating. If the load rating is the same, but the maximum pressure is different, then the tire construction is probably different. What some tire makers have done is to make the sidewalls more flexable for a better ride, but it takes a higher psi to maintain its load rating.
I strongly suspect that the older tire does not match the newer ones. For a number of reasons I would want them to all match, and would return that to get the old one changed.

bretfraz · April 2001

I heartily second that recommendation. I'd get another tire to match the others. To me it's like buying 4 hamburgers at a fast food joint; 3 are sizzling hot from the grill and one has been sitting around. Sure, the one is made with the same stuff as the others but do you want to eat it? If the tire place wanks, I'd say it wouldn't be a big deal if these were "4 for $99" tires, but I'll bet you paid about $120/tire. That's a lot of $$. You should get the freshest merchandise.

fineman2 · April 2001

Hi,

I need to replace my original Michelin tires on my 1997 Lexus ES300. The tire is P205/65R15 92V MXV4. I have one full size spare tire which has never been used. Can I get 3 new tires and put this spare tire as a set of 4. I checked in costco and they have P205/65R15 92V MXV4 plus. Are these tires same. What should I look for to ensure if these 3 new tires and 1 old tires can be used together?

javadoc · April 2001

Er, was it a Blizzaks commercial? Of course, I'm guessing, but I'd say I knew for sure if I'm right.

--java

bretfraz · April 2001

No, I don't think I've seen a Bridgestone Blizzak commercial.

Anyone thinking Pep Boys?

bretfraz · April 2001

Well,

I'm not clear as to why you'd want to do this.......I mean, if you use your spare tire as an in-service tire, what will you do if you get a flat?

Although the technical side to this question is right up Tireguy's alley, I'll take a shot. The MXV4 Plus is more energy efficient design, it has a different tread design (more ribs, etc), and includes some of Michelin's newest tire technology. Will the old tire work with the new ones? I'm sure it will. But, like the poster with the LS400 and the 3 new MXV4's and the one older MXV4, the question is, is this a detrement in any way?

IMHO, the Energy MXV4 Plus is the ideal tire for the ES300. The tire performance, the car's capabilities, and the typical Lexus owner all mesh here. It'll meet just about any ES300 driver's expectations. Why not just go with a new complete set and enjoy?

javadoc · April 2001

...I can remember about Pep Boys is "people like us, cars *love* us!" Did the guy get smacked silly for his remark in the commercial?

brucer2 · April 2001

My Maxima uses the same size tire as your Lexus, so here is my reccomendation. First, I wouldn't use the spare tire, because it is different than the new ones. Michelin uses subtle name changes for completely new tires. When I recently replaced all 4 tires, I went to Costco and had them order me a set of Michelin Pilot XGT-H4, 215/60 - 15 tires ($94). They are cheaper than the MXV4 Plus and better in the rain & snow. The ride and noise are excellent. I went to 215/60 for better handling (same diameter as 205/65). If you have a 6.5" wide rim, I think the 215/60 is a better choice.

fineman2 · April 2001

Thanks for the responses. My original question was to replace original Michelin MXV4 tires of my 1997 Lexus ES300. The tire spacification is P205/65R15 92V. Can I use Michelin P205/60R15 91V PILOT XGTV4. If doable, what will the effect on ride quality and performance.
Thanks,

alex18t · April 2001

Kumho 712 Tires.

What does anyone know about them? are they good performance tires? anyone ever owned a set?

i want to put a set of 205/55VR 15 on my Celica GT '00

Further. if there are any club racers here, do you think a set of 15' wheels with good rubber would be as good as 16' wheels on a car that has only 125 Ibft of torque?

Any info you help. thanks.

bretfraz · April 2001

If you go to 205/60-15 the tire will be about 3/8" shorter and the speedo will run 3% faster. The shorter sidewall will look dorky on the factory wheels, IMO.

The XGTH4 is a stiffer tire and the shorter sidewall will provide a firmer ride. You might like it, or you might not. It will also wear quicker (UTQG 340, unless you get the 205/60-15 then UTQG is 240).

But the XGTH4 will outperform the Energy MXV4+ in handling in the wet and dry. The Energy MXV4 Plus will wear better (UTQG 400), be smoother and quieter and provide a better ride.

So, it's up to you. Do you want a performance-oriented tire or a tire tilted towards refinement and luxury?

javadoc · April 2001

I was going to buy a set of Kumhos a couple of weeks ago. Alot of the people I talked to said they were really good. I didn't buy them, only because they were an unknown brand to me. Apparently, they're a good sticky tire and they're not expensive at all. I believe tirerack.com has a good customer survey database you can look at about the tires.

Actually, I think you'd be best off with 14inch wheels (if they'll fit over your brake rotors) for your track tires, given the relatively lower torque number you quoted. Only because you don't have either enough power to really thrash the tires (think Corvette, M3, etc) or the weight to heat up more rubber. When you're on the track, you want the tires hot, and right now. The only advantage (a small one) of going up in rim size is going to be less sidewall, but a racing tire, or high performance tire, will have a stiffer sidewall anyway, and partially negate the larger rim's advantage. Also, a bigger rim weighs more (14", much less than a 16") and you want as little unsprung weight out there as possible. My 2cents.

--javadoc

bretfraz · April 2001

Most everyone thinks by going to a bigger wheel/tire, they'll get better handling. And they're right, just not all the time.

A few years ago, Oldsmobile was heavily involved in production sports car racing. One of the cars they focused their efforts around was the Achieva. Olds sold the car to the public with 16" wheels and tires. But if you got the car with the sport suspension, it came with 14". Why? Well, when Olds developed the suspension for racing, they found the smaller tire worked better on the track. Sounds opposite of logic but its true.

A similar situation exists with the Chrysler 300M. You can get 17" wheels and tires but they are for fashion not performance. You want the handling package? You get 16" wheels and tires.

So what's the point? Bigger is not always better. A balanced, tuned suspension will outperform cubic rubber most every time.

alex18t · April 2001

great posts guys.

a friend of mine who races was telling me about smaller wheels. he races a ford pinto with 13" wheels. i figure i should be able to go to a junk yard and find some wheels on a totaled car that would fit my car. i've never been to a track but now that i got the right car i really want to go.

thanks for the input guys, i just had to check on these tires. i couldnt beleive the price.

brucer2 · April 2001

Aside from the previously mentioned diameter drawbacks of the 205/60 tire, note the the last set of characters in the tire spec: 92V & 91V. The numbers relate to the maximum load rating of the tires, and the 205/60 is lower than the OEM tire. This is something you don't want to do. This is why I would get either the 205/65 or 215/60.
Maximum load rating is dependent on tire construction and the cross section area of the tire.

fried2 · April 2001

Looking to replace original Firestone Affinity tires (215x65x16). Scanning Tirerack site and see Michelin Symmetry and Goodyear Aquatred 3 at the top of the list. I had the original Aquatreds on an Astro van previously - they had miserable treadlife (yes they were rotated regularly). I have seen few complaints on Michelin regarding wet traction. Any suggestions/comments on these tires (or others for that matter). My experience with the Affinities has been poor treadlife (possibly due somewhat to low tire pressure) and they seem very noisy.

bretfraz · April 2001

Well I figured I'd ask Goodyear about the Allegra, just for grins. They were very prompt in their response.

Essentially the same as the Regatta 2, the Allegra is made, sold, and warranted exclusively thru Sam's Club. It comes with a 75K tradlife warranty.

Now we all can sleep easy knowing it's not some Goodyear reject product.

cambridge123 · April 2001

I've been happy with my Michelin X-One's on my 1996 Maxima until the last tire rotation. After religiously rotating the tires every 6000 miles, I missed one interval and after the rotation my car sounded like a 4x4 pick up with huge offroad tires. The dealer said the car was badly out of alignment and one of the tires had worn irregularly. It was easy to determine the culprit by listening to the location of the loud drone.

I've got 64000 miles on the tires and now notice a thumping sound coming from that tire. Could a belt be loose? When driving slowly the sound is obviously an irregularity in the tire's symmetry--either a bump or a flat spot. I don't recall locking up the brakes so a flat spot seems unlikely. Should I be concerned the tire is deteriorating? Is there any way the dealer can find out the cause of the noise?
I'm considering replacing the X-One's with Pirelli P6000, Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce or new Michelin X-One's. Anybody have feelings on the Pirelli's vs Michelin's? I live in Florida and snow is not a concern but we do get significant thunderstorms.

namfflow · April 2001

I would personally go with the Pirelli P6000. These have better wet and dry handling than the Sport Veloce or any Michelin I have tried.

I have found Pirellis in general to be better than any other tire I have used or seen. The only negative is they are noisier than others and some are hard riding. But I have never seen anything out handle them.

I will admit that I am just a bit bias toward Pirellis. They have never let me down and the prices are a bargain compared to some others.

chuasan · April 2001

Sorry if someone answer this question earlier - I read the entire topic but no result:

I am wondering do alloy wheels get much lighter/heavier from 15" to 17" (include tires)? I am thinking to replace my 15" OEM wheels to 17", but not sure if bigger wheels will perform better in term of acceleration. Let say the spec will be 195/65/15 and 205/50/17.

Any info will be appreciated. Thank you

lwittorf · April 2001

http://powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi/here is a good place to go to tell if the tires you want to get will be in the range that you have to have to match the factory spec or not good luck.

brucer2 · April 2001

To get a definitive answer you have to know the weight of your original wheels. Tire weight can be obtained from tire mfg web sites. Wheel weight data can be found on-line, or from retailers/mfg's. In general, unless you buy expensive, light weight, racing wheels the wheels will be heavier and the tires are heavier. Probably 50% over stock. This will adversly effect acceleration, braking and ride.
Big wheels are for looks and not performance. Even handling isn't better past 16".

alex18t · April 2001

someone was just talking about that a few posts ago. it depends on the torque your engine has. a larger wheel might be too heavy for your engine to really get turning and will definately affect acceleration. i own a celica GT '00 with 15 inch wheels and im just gonna stay with OEM wheels. the most i would change is go with lighter 15 inch wheels. im putting wider rubber on the stock wheels and im pretty sure it will help all handling aspects. acceleration, handling, and braking.

alex18t · April 2001

but as far as looks go, the bigger the wheel and the smaller the profile on the tires the better. IMO

javadoc · April 2001

If you opt for different 15" wheels, you could look for some Revolution or Panasport wheels. Those are about as light as wheels come, and strong, but hard to find anymore. A "plus zero" fitment would almost definitely benefit handling btw. I'd prolly stay w/in 20mm of stock width, so if you have a 195, you could prolly still generate good tire heat with a 215...maybe even a 225.

--java

texbean · April 2001

I'm replacing the tires on my MB E320 next week. My two top choices are the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus and the Bridgestone Turanza H Revo. The Bridgestones have a lower wear rating than the Michelins, but a higher customer rating on Tirerack.com. The Bridgestones are also about $18/tire cheaper. Any inputs? I usually buy Michelins, but the OEM Energy MXV4's have only lasted 23K miles, and I'm sure no hotrodder. I live in Texas, so heat is a concern, and rain, but not snow.

Any opinions? I had Bridgestones on a '78 Celica, many years ago, but no experience since then.

fineman2 · April 2001

I need to replace Michelin MXV4 P205/65R15 92V on my Lexus 1997 ES300. I just spoke with Michelin rep. on phone and she told me that if I want better performance, at the expense of ride quality, I can use PILOT XGTV4 P215/60R15 93V. I checked their website and they also have XGTV4 P215/65R15. What's the difference in P205 and P215. I have 6.0 inches whhels. The Michelin web site says that I need +0" new wheels for these tires. Can I use P215 instead of P205 as per Michelin rep.
Thanks,
Amitabh

djg1351 · April 2001

My saturn coupe came with Firestone Firehawk GTA tires P195/60R/15 - they are already badly worn with only 19,000 miles on them - dealer is giving us a hard time - anyone out there had a similar experience or can offer any suggestions on what we should do about this?? Also. any recommendations for new tires for this vehicle would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!!!

currey · April 2001

I really don't know that much about tires except that I really like the Michelins I put on my Volvo 240DL (great wear). My question is that I just bought a new Mazda Tribute that has Firestone Wilderness(?) tires, are these ok? I know the recall has already been done and these should not self destruct while driving, but, should I really replace them now? Granted, when the tread goes new Michelins will be acquired. Is it reasonable (safety wise) to wait for the Firestones to wear out first? Thanks in advance for your input.

tireguy · April 2001

You, sir, have excellent taste in vehicles. I, too am the proud owner of a black 1.8 Liter 20 valve, DOHC, KO3 turbocharged, intercooled, 2000 Jetta GLS. Mine also has a 5 speed, luxury package, monsoon system, 6 disc changer, VW dealer installed Eibach springs, and... I bet you can guess: I wouldn't take delivery unless, of the three choices, she wore Michelins. Though the MXV4s aren't my favorite model (not quite suited to my driving), they're infinitely better than the Eagles or the Contis. I have not heard of the "silent recall," BUT, I do have two friends who couldn't coerce the dealer into removing the Badyears from their new VWs and they have experienced similar problems. Though,to Goodyear's credit, my Michelins aren't wearing as well as they should, either. I think the new VWs are just really hard on tires (or so are the new VW drivers). The MXV4s are excellent at "touring." And I guess that's what I'm doing when I rip down I-10 from Pensacola to New Orleans at 85 mph and they track like she's on rails (forgive the cliche) for the entire 2.5 hour drive. I plan to replace them with Pilot XGT H4s, probably in the 205/60R15, though I might consider the 215/60, after I take a closer look at the dimensions and measure my clearance. Yeah, with everything else I ordered on the car, she still has the standard 15" alloys. Reason being I had planned to order 17" BBS rims within a month, and therefore didn't opt for the VW 16s or 17s. But suddenly I got married, and my wife won't let me spend $2,000 on a new set of wheels. Go figure. The Eibach springs dropped it about 1.5 inches--not noticable to the layman, but remarkably improving performance and adding to the unwitting sex appeal (since I'm not much to look at, I have to rely on my car). I feel the XGT H4/V4 is unqustionably the best choice for guys who drive their Jettas aggressively and whose wives won't let them buy aftermarket wheels.
And let this be a lesson to all of you single guys out there: buy as much stuff as you can before you get married (fancy cars, boats, motorcycles, guns, cabin by the lake, etc.). Because as soon as you're married, she'll want to do sick things like actually SAVE your money.
---Chris

tireguy · April 2001

Try to get the tire replaced, for two reasons: 1) though Michelin often rates tires of identical construction differently, the difference in max pressures might hint to a slight structural difference, and though it probably will never affect anything, I would want it rectified. And 2) Tires should always be at least paired up (if not all four identical) with another of the same batch (DOT#), especially when you're particular enough to buy Michelins. Again, 99% of the time it is not a problem to have an oddball DOT, but tires which have been sitting around longer usually wear out quicker. Also, subtle changes are sometimes made to the compound without notice, as production is constantly being improved upon. Matching up all 4 with the same DOT # will avoid this problem.
Mismatched DOT numbers are not a great cause for concern, but the difference in pressures is something you should address. If the dealer is not willing to accomodate you, call Michelin (1-800-TIRE-HELP) and they will take care of it (if needed).
------Chris

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