1) Using a tire with a lower load carrying capacity increases the risk of a tire failure. Even compensating by adding 2 psi to the placard pressure doesn't get you even with the original risk.
2) Your speedo will read low by 2% - which isn't a big problem, but it's going to be on top of the error already built in to the speedo. You can find a lot of web sites that have these calculators by googling " tire calculator".
BTW you happen to be lucky that the rim width works for the size. In a lot of cases it doesn't.
there is really no reason for you to switch tire sizes as there are many good choices in the stock size and a lot less then the OEM. I would check Tire Rack for the different brands that meet the OEM specs. Narrow down to 3-4 tires. Your tire size is not uncommon so there are many choices.
there are a lot of good choices in your size tire that are much cheaper than OEM. I don't think you will have any problems going to an "H" rated tire. Just keep the same load rating. If you have any doubts, talk to a local tire shop (not the dealership) about dropping to an H rated tire.
I am repeating a question I asked one week ago, but received no replies to
"I own a 2002 Mazda Protege sedan. I originally thought it was only amusing that the supplied tires were V-rated (149 MPH) ----- since my car is a family car, not a sports car, and I have no intention of ever exceeding 80 MPH.
But now that I need to replace two road-damaged front tires, I am not amused over the $150-160 each price for V-rated replacement tires. I would like to buy two H-rated tires, at a much lower price, but several dealers have told me that they would not sell me H-rated tires. They say there is no Federal or other law prohibiting the use of H-rated tires on a car whose OEM tires were V-rated, but that their company policy is not to do so!
Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone found dealers who would supply tires H-rated tires for family sedans whose OEM tires were V-rated?"
Now the twist. I have found a good price on Dayton Daytona SR, S-rated tires (112 MPH rating). Is there really any reason not to install these on my family sedan?
There are several things that you have to consider when discussing changing speed ratings:
1) Speed rating not only indicate the maximum speed a tire will withstand, but what comes along for the ride is the handling. A drastic step downwards results in a sloppier handling car.
2) You have to understand the context of the speed rating. The test conisists of a new tire applied with the rated load to a smooth wheel in a 77F temperature room inflated to the rated inflation and operated for 10 minutes at the rated speed.
This means that if you have an not newly manufactured tire, or the temperature is above 77F, or the road is not glass smooth, or the pressure is less than the rated pressure, or you are traveling longer than 10 minutes, the actual speed capability is less - as much as 4 steps lower.
Besides, in order to make a tire with an H rating, you more or less have to use a nylon cap ply. This technical feature greatly reduces the risk of tire failure especially for road damage such as cuts and impacts - much more than just the increase in speed capability would suggest.
I therefore recommend a minimum of an H rated tire.
I have run into the same problem with Discount Tire. Lawsuit is the only reason that comes to mind as to why they will only mount a tire rated for the vehicle.
If you are dead set on buying an inferior tire, order them from Tire Rack, or some other internet site, then take them to an independent tire store and have them mount and balance them for you.
I agree that you shouldn't go below the H, but I personally don't think any car should come with less than H. Of course, I think my Odyssey has S rated, but they are quite large (65 series), so big sidewalls to help handle the load
IMO, V rated tires was overkill for something the size of a protege, and was done to push it more toward the sports end of the driving spectrum. I bet lower line modesl (base, LX whatever) came with H or below. So I don't see how you are putting your family at risk not getting V rated tires.
Still, a few caveats: Don't try to shave a few bucks getting ultra cheap tires. You get what you pay for in many cases. And, DO NOT mix 2 V rated performance tires with 2 el cheapo S rated ones. I don't think that will do good for your handling!
Since you seemed surprised about the cost, I assume you are on the original 4-5 year old skins? If so, for the cost of 2 V rated tires, why not get 4 new H rated tires from a good but not super expensive brand (Kuhmo, Yoko?) CR recently did a test of this type of tire, take a look there.
I have found that the tire suggestions (on line) for my 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier coupe at Discount Tire, Tire Rack and 1010 Tires all include a number of S-rated tires.
Customer reviews of all V-rated tires for my 2002 Mazda Protege LX sedan are nearly unanimous in berating their performance in the wet and on ice, with the Bridgestone Potenza R92 (the OEM tire on my Protege) being especially singled out for criticism.
I don't drive my Mazda any differently than my Cavalier (and never over 70 MPH), so I see no reason why S-rated tires are not adequate for my Mazda. Living in Central Indiana I am far more interested in good rain and ice performance than I am in high speed handling. Also, I expect to get a more comfortable ride and a treadwear warranty.
I plan to buy four S-rated Dayton Daytona SR tires.
I have found that the tire suggestions (on line) for my 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier coupe at Discount Tire, Tire Rack and 1010 Tires all include a number of S-rated tires
I'm not surprised. The Cavalier also doesn't inspire ANY confidence when taking the twisties, unlike the Protege. The suspension isn't the only thing to blame for that either.
Customer reviews of all V-rated tires for my 2002 Mazda Protege LX sedan are nearly unanimous in berating their performance in the wet and on ice, with the Bridgestone Potenza R92 (the OEM tire on my Protege) being especially singled out for criticism.
Have you tried the BFGoodrich Traction T/A V? For a performance tire, it handles the wet and snow nicely. There are a lot of H-rated tires that will do the same. If you want inexpensive, try out the Kumho ECSTA HP4 716. Kumho has been making some very good tires, at a fraction of the price...
I don't drive my Mazda any differently than my Cavalier (and never over 70 MPH), so I see no reason why S-rated tires are not adequate for my Mazda. Living in Central Indiana I am far more interested in good rain and ice performance than I am in high speed handling. Also, I expect to get a more comfortable ride and a treadwear warranty.
As capriracer stated previously, it isn't just high-speed handling thats affected, it's handling at ALL speeds, including city streets and highway onramps. Trust me, you'll notice the difference. Your once-excellent handling will turn into mush. Even if you never exceed 70 MPH, you still drive on highways at high speeds, where the difference between swerving and missing a deer (or other obstacle) and smacking it head-on can lie completely in the tires. Yes, you'll get a more comfortable ride, but treadwear warranties aren't limited to S-rated tires. The Kumhos even have a 50K warranty.
It's your car, but for your safety of yourself, your passengers, and other drivers, I'd spend the extra $$$ and get a decent set of H-rated tires.
Unless you specify otherwise, TireRack will feed you back ALL the tires that they have based on the Sizing for your car, NOT based on the Load or Speed Rating that the manufacturer "recommends".
Tires that came with my 2005 Cavalier were Goodyear Conquest 195/70R-14 with S speed rating. I have owned five Cavaliers in a row and I have never sensed a problem with their handling - using OEM tires on each. During my lifetime I have driven well over one million miles without a collision. I'm just stating things as I see them, not trying for an argument. Best regards to all those replying to my original question.
"..... I'm just stating things as I see them, not trying for an argument....."
I think all of us were commenting on the Mazda that originally came with V rated tires, and there, S rated tires would make a difference in handling. However, I think that using higher speed rated tires would also improve the handling of your Cavalier, even though it wasn't designed for it.
Just bought a new Suzuki SX4 AWD mini-hatchback... stock tires are Bridgestone Turanza 400's - 205/60-16. I live in New England (CT) and we get a good amount of snow but in my opinion not enough for true snow tires as I drive close to 550 miles a week back and forth from work. All highway more or less, my local street where my home is - is hilly and not plowed well at times.
The stock tires don't seem good in the rain, almost hydroplane like? So I figure in snow they will stink; I have seen some reviews on tirerack but wanted some more thoughts.
I'm thinking about replacing them with Goodyear Tripple Tread Assuarnce tires or maybe Bridgestone G009 tires which seem to "sporty" but are rated as good in snow?
Nokian WRsuv tires. Great on dry summer road, in rain, and on snow. Little iffy on ice, but we only get one or two episodes of freezing rain a year, so I make do (in other words, they are not an ice tire). They last a long time as well - warranted for 100,000 km in Canada. That's over 60,000 mi. They are rated as all season performance tires, and have the winter snowflake symbol on the sidewall, so are ok when snow tires are required.
I had the triple treads on my Escape before I traded it, I thought them to be excellent all around, rain, dry, snow, and ice. I made it home on that afternoon snow storm last year on 128 where a lot of vehicles were stuck and sliding about.
The next time I was going to try the Nokians on what ever vehicle I have but that last post put me off, not good on ice, I think we are going to see more of that (ice) here in New England.
the triple treads you had were they the fortera or assurance model? I too have the fortera version on our Ascender. Which is why I thought they would be good on the hatchback we have now as well? the WR tires look great; I have to find someone near that will actually sell them to me. I used the dealer locator feature and called a couple but none "wanted" me to buy that tire???
The only tires that do well on ice are "ice tires". You will not find an all-season ice tire. They will be destroyed on warm roads. If you want ice tires, you have to put them on for winter only. The Nokian WR works better on ice than any other "non-ice" tire I've tried, but it is not an ice tire. It's an "all season performance tire" with snow tire rating (snowflake symbol on sidewall).
The Nokian tire dealers you tried probably didn't have them in stock, so didn't want you to buy them, they wanted you to buy something they had in stock.
You may have noticed I like these tires. I hear they now come with tread depth indicators built in, as well as temp. indicators.
I was considering a set of new tires for my Maxima. I came across the Michelin HydroEdge tires at Costco. However this is T rated tires (which is 2 levels below the recommended tires). Recommended tires for the 01 Maxima with Performance package is H rated. I have read reviews about this tires that it has good traction. I don't really care about the performance aspect as my wife is the primary driver on this car and she is a very conservative driver.
Other than taking a perforance hit, is there any other issues if I put the T rated tires on the Maxima?
I continue to believe that using tires with lower-than-the-original-tire "speed rating" will not necessarily cause any sort of "handling" hazard. There is just too much variability between tires of various models, and between tires of various manufacturers, for me to believe that the "speed rating" has anything to do with how tires will respond regarding "handling" on a particular car.
I do believe that the "speed rating" has some proximate relationship to the safe top speed a car may be driven (even though the "speed rating" is the result of an artificial lab test, not by actual testing on a car).
All over the Internet are warnings against what I just stated. However, the vast majority of these warnings come from the tire manufacturers, and the replacement tire retailers, both groups having obvious monetary reasons for slanting their recommendations.
Please note the last two paragraphs in the following article (originally in The Wall Street Journal) :
I very much enjoyed the article, and tend to agree with you. I would say as a GENERAL rule that tires with higher speed ratings tend to tilt towards better handling (versus comfort and tread life) as they often are the same tires made in sizes with lower aspect ratios and softer rubber. Will a tire with a lower speed rating and harder rubber cause a sports car to have a handling hazard? Perhaps it won't grip the road as well as when it has softer tires, but I doubt that translates to a situation as severe as the term "hnadling hazard" implies.
I have a Honda Accord with 200K miles. Over the past year, I have had two different brands/sets of directional tires (Yokohama Avids & now Michelin Exalto A/S tires). I keep experiencing erratic handling, mostly noticable on the freeway. Road texture, especially grooved pavement seems to trip up the car's handling, causing erratic lateral movement as if the car riding on rails. In the past year, 3 mechanics checked out my steering and suspension system and found nothing wrong. My alignment has been checked many times over the year and is fine. I did have new Monroe Sensatrac strutts installed before these sets of tires. This was my second set of Sensatracs, where the previous set were fine. I have the stock alloy rims. Not sure if old age or corrosion on wheels could cause this problem. Rotating the tires front to rear seems to change the handling behavior somewhat. I did hear from one mechanic that directional tires are more prone to these type of handling problems. I wonder if anyone else has experienced these type of handling issues. Thanks
You mentioned that 3 mechanics looked at the suspension, but you didn't say if they actually realigned the car - I suspect they didn't. Even if a car doesn't pull, the vehicle could be out of alignment.
You also didn't mention the tire size and the pressure you are using. If the tire size is too wide for the rims, the tread will tend to arch and most of the vehicle weight will be concentrated in the center of the tread. Too much pressure can do the same thing.
The original tire size and the proper presssure for that size are listed on the vehicle placard - which is usually located on a doorpost or in the glovebox.
Had a bad experience at a Firstone store in the Cleveland area today. When I picked up my 03 Honda Accord EX v-6 noticed that the work order listed that the tire pressures had been reset from 32 pounda all around, to 29 front and 26 rear. When questioned about why Honda recommended pressures were not used, the service writer informed me that 29/26 was better for Cleveland's weather conditions and a few other nonsensical reasons. He became belligerent when I challenged him, especially when I told him that when the temperature drops about another 30 degrees I'd be riding around with something like 26/23!! This is a scary example of dangerous misinformation by a company that you think would know better. Low tire pressure is already a dangerous problem with many cars--these guys are making it worse!! In addition to the tire pressure issue, I was told that I should flush and replace my car's brake fluid--and that this should be done every 15000 miles. Um... Honda recommends every 3 years, independent of mileage. Sadly this is yet another example of how hard it is to find quality, reputable auto repair. Sometimes the actions taken can be downright dangerous.
Ordered Tire Sams Club December 2006. We ordered it inside the store in the Tires Department and paid for it. Still Not In. Sams Club has no clue why they have not received it. Its only a 13" tire for a Toyota Corolla. WTF? :confuse:
We have been buying tires at Costco and Sams Club for many years. But, I really have to say, they seem to be totally lost. Why is it a nigthmare to get a 13" tire? 185/R7013 is the tire size.
"....Why is it a nightmare to get a 13" tire?...."
13" tires are really, really old technology and nobody is really interested in selling marginally profitable products, so it basically has no priority.
Help!!!! My sister just purchased a very well kept 1997 Mercedes S 320. Can anyone tell me which tire would have the best grip and quietness to suit this car?
What's the worst that can happen if you get snow build up in the wheel wells? I always try to keep up with it and clear out as much as I can when I can, but with the past few days of record snowfall, it has been difficult.
The snow could turn into ice and when the wheel hits it can bend fenders. I've had steering problems as well (on the highway the wheels throw water off the road and it freezes on the fenders, preventing the wheel from turning when you try to enter a corner). Just watch out for it and you'll be fine. It's always a good idea to clean the wheel wells out once in a while. Push the ice you remove off the road - it can damage vehicles that hit it.
Do watch out for snow getting packed into the rad. It can actually cause overheating, as it stops air flow through the rad. Curiously, it doesn't melt when this happens.
OEM size is 235/45/17. The primary feature I want for my tires is wet weather traction....secondary is ride comfort and quiet ride. I expect around 25K miles but 30K would be ideal. I am leaning toward the Bridgestone Potenza RE960 A/S Pole Position but can't help wondering if one of the value tires like maybe Avon Tech or Nitto would be just about as good. I am wide open to suggestions.
I don't push this car to hard in corners and turns but it is a pretty fast car and I do want a good tire.
I would appreciate any feed back on making a slight adjustment to my OEM tire size. I'm considering doing this because Goodyear Fortera SilentArmor does not come in my exact size.
My current tire size is P225/70R 16 And I'd like to put on P235/70R 16
From what I've been able to find so far, the tires diameter will go from 28 1/2" to 29" and the width will go from 8 1/2" to 9".
Not too bad actually in this case although it is true you shouldn't change tire size drastically.
This change as you've posted it will caused your speedo to read 1.9% slow, that is, when it says 60 mph you are actually going 61.2
Your diameter will increase from 28.4 to 29 and your sidewall from 6.2 to 6.5
BUT.....the post from thebigal brings up the excellent point about ABS. From what I've read you shouldn't push past 3% change, and you should never run different sizes of tires on the SAME axle, so by that rule of thumb you are still okay as you aren't doing either. But whether it will affect your ABS or not, I don't know for certain....your tire people would probably know for sure. Would I make this tire change on my car without worrying about it? Yes I would.
I appreciate the feedback BigAl and Shiftright. I asked my local Goodyear dealer about the Tripletred and he does not stock it or has ever sold it. According to him it's a "snow / wet" tire and since I live in Phoenix Az they don't see the need to carry it. I'll do some research into the "Assurance Comforted" since I'm not aware of it. I should have put this in my first post that one of the driving factors in my search is quietness of the tire and the "silent armor" fit the bill (but dang it, don't make it in my size).
I have a few questions: 1) What are you driving? 2) Are you 100% locked in on this tire? 3) Have you considered ordering online & having your local tire dealer installing? re:1)&2), I have a Mazda Tribute & went the opposite direction, width wise, with my tires. Went from Goodyear Tracker 235/70R16 to Hancook Dynapro 225/75R16. Since this is a SUV & I sometimes pull a small trailer, I went with tires that raised the vehicle about .15". I was considering going to your current size in a Kuhmo Solus tire (Are having excellent results on our Pontiac Vibe-- much better/quiter than the OEM Goodyears it came with) for cost ($59!) & noise reasons, but didn't want to risk bottom scraping. Here is a link to this tire & it's ratings by surveys from purchasers. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Solus+KH16&part- num=27TR6KH16&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=5 Both the Solus & Dyanpro were rated very well by CReports not too long ago, fyi. Re:3) This option really worked well for us, as the local dealers here don't stock much variety, i.e. the prices I was quoted were much more than my price + S&H + their installation. I did notice a Goodyear tire, in your original size($98), that got execellent ratings, even better than the Kumho-- the Assurance ComforTred, liked here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Assurance+Co- mforTred&partnum=27TR6ACT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=6 I'm not in the tire business, just did a lot of research before making tire purchases on both vehicles recently... Anyway, hope this helps.
I just found this bookmarked tire size calculator: http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp Plug in your original size, then other sizes you are considering. I tried the 235/65R16 as well. It is closer to your original size(1.3% smaller dia. vs 1.9% larger) & .19" 'shorter.'
I have the Assurance Comfort tread on my 02v6 Accord. Very smooth riding quiet tire. You may lose 1-2 mpg because it's so soft. Go to Tirerack to research tires they have surveys by hundreds of people that bot the various brands. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the response and links. I am just like you in that I research my purchases prior to buying (according to my wife - I research things to death) and I also have the same bookmarks for Tirerack & 1010Tires and that is where I’ve been doing my some of research. Here is a link to Tirerack survey results for my tire size P225/70R16. BTW my vehicle is a 2002 Toyota Highlander Limited 2WD (never touched dirt & always garaged with 34,000 miles). TireRack Survey Results
You can see by the survey results that the GY Fortera TripleTred is made in my size but the GY dealer is not overly helpful (see post #5833 above) so I moved down the list to #2 which is the GY Fortera SilentArmor (but not made in my size) and the SilentArmor has a much better quietness rating.
It made be the best course of action is to stay with the OEM sizing and ordering online, or switch to a different tire. I was hoping that adjusting from a 225 to 235 would not be that dramatic but I can see that I have a lot to learn (which is way I love Edmunds and there forum boards)
Thanks again for the help. I’m sure I’ll come up more questions and really appreciate you sharing your research information with me.
I was asking at Walmart a few weeks ago about Michelin Harmony tires that I plan to put on my LeSabre to replace Symmetry tires. They looked in a looseleaf notebook and said they couldn't get them. A couple months before that someone told me they could. Do you know an answer for that?
I do-- they were being lazy. Either that or didn't know, like bigal said, & wouldn't admit it. Discount tire is where I ordered my Hankooks for my Tribute. Their prices include shipping, but if their warehouse is located in your state you have to pay sales tax too. Walmart will install tires from elsewhere. That's where I had both our cars done.
Thanks for the headups on Discount Tire. There is one located about 5 miles from my house and I will be calling them this today. I'll post their responses to the following questions.
1. The availability of GY TripleTred (which comes in 22570R16) but according to the GY dealer is a snow/wet tire and not sold here in the desert.
2. Their thoughts of adjusting the tire size from 22570R16 to 23570R16, which would enable me to purchase the GY SilentArmor.
I’ve spoken with Discount Tire and their recommendation is to stay with EOM size for my Toyota Highlander so my thoughts about a set of Goodyear SilentArmor are dead.
With that said, I asked about the Goodyear TripleTred availability and their response is that it’s a great tire but more designed for snow/ice/wet conditions but not a problem to get. Cost = $152 each.
I then ask for their recommendations for my vehicle type and driving conditions with an emphasis on the “quietness” of the tire. Discount Tire recommended the “Michelin LTX M/S”. Cost = $134 each.
Wal-Mart used to sell a version of this tire...almost exactly the same rating, tread, etc...their version was Select LT - M/S I believe. I put them on my '00 Trooper (245/70-16) about 70,000 miles ago. Still have plenty of tread and run pretty smooth. Back then they were maybe $110 each before tax and installation. I have been really pleased with these. But it looks as if Wal-Mart does not carry them any more.
See if the Goodyear assurance comfort treads are avail in your size. Very quiet,smooth,80k warranty + lifetime free rotation at discount tire. Relatively inexpensive. Check,but I think you get a 30 day free trial at Discount so you can take 'em back if you don't like. Hope this helps.
Comments
1) Using a tire with a lower load carrying capacity increases the risk of a tire failure. Even compensating by adding 2 psi to the placard pressure doesn't get you even with the original risk.
2) Your speedo will read low by 2% - which isn't a big problem, but it's going to be on top of the error already built in to the speedo. You can find a lot of web sites that have these calculators by googling " tire calculator".
BTW you happen to be lucky that the rim width works for the size. In a lot of cases it doesn't.
I should have mentioned that the 215/55RR16's are on rims so that's not a problem.
I Checked the sidewalls:
New Summer Micheln 225/50R17's MaxLoad 750 kg( 1653lbs) Maxpressure 340Kpa (50 PSI)
The old Winter Fulda's: 215/55RR16's MaxLoad 730 kg( 1609lbs) Maxpressure same as Michelns
So, from what you are saying it sounds like I just need to put an extra bit of pressure in the Old Tires (?)
Thanks again!
Good luck.
"I own a 2002 Mazda Protege sedan. I originally thought it was only amusing that the supplied tires were V-rated (149 MPH) ----- since my car is a family car, not a sports car, and I have no intention of ever exceeding 80 MPH.
But now that I need to replace two road-damaged front tires, I am not amused over the $150-160 each price for V-rated replacement tires. I would like to buy two H-rated tires, at a much lower price, but several dealers have told me that they would not sell me H-rated tires. They say there is no Federal or other law prohibiting the use of H-rated tires on a car whose OEM tires were V-rated, but that their company policy is not to do so!
Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone found dealers who would supply tires H-rated tires for family sedans whose OEM tires were V-rated?"
Now the twist. I have found a good price on Dayton Daytona SR, S-rated tires (112 MPH rating). Is there really any reason not to install these on my family sedan?
1) Speed rating not only indicate the maximum speed a tire will withstand, but what comes along for the ride is the handling. A drastic step downwards results in a sloppier handling car.
2) You have to understand the context of the speed rating. The test conisists of a new tire applied with the rated load to a smooth wheel in a 77F temperature room inflated to the rated inflation and operated for 10 minutes at the rated speed.
This means that if you have an not newly manufactured tire, or the temperature is above 77F, or the road is not glass smooth, or the pressure is less than the rated pressure, or you are traveling longer than 10 minutes, the actual speed capability is less - as much as 4 steps lower.
Besides, in order to make a tire with an H rating, you more or less have to use a nylon cap ply. This technical feature greatly reduces the risk of tire failure especially for road damage such as cuts and impacts - much more than just the increase in speed capability would suggest.
I therefore recommend a minimum of an H rated tire.
If you are dead set on buying an inferior tire, order them from Tire Rack, or some other internet site, then take them to an independent tire store and have them mount and balance them for you.
Ken in Dallas
IMO, V rated tires was overkill for something the size of a protege, and was done to push it more toward the sports end of the driving spectrum. I bet lower line modesl (base, LX whatever) came with H or below. So I don't see how you are putting your family at risk not getting V rated tires.
Still, a few caveats: Don't try to shave a few bucks getting ultra cheap tires. You get what you pay for in many cases. And, DO NOT mix 2 V rated performance tires with 2 el cheapo S rated ones. I don't think that will do good for your handling!
Since you seemed surprised about the cost, I assume you are on the original 4-5 year old skins? If so, for the cost of 2 V rated tires, why not get 4 new H rated tires from a good but not super expensive brand (Kuhmo, Yoko?) CR recently did a test of this type of tire, take a look there.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Customer reviews of all V-rated tires for my 2002 Mazda Protege LX sedan are nearly unanimous in berating their performance in the wet and on ice, with the Bridgestone Potenza R92 (the OEM tire on my Protege) being especially singled out for criticism.
I don't drive my Mazda any differently than my Cavalier (and never over 70 MPH), so I see no reason why S-rated tires are not adequate for my Mazda. Living in Central Indiana I am far more interested in good rain and ice performance than I am in high speed handling. Also, I expect to get a more comfortable ride and a treadwear warranty.
I plan to buy four S-rated Dayton Daytona SR tires.
I'm not surprised. The Cavalier also doesn't inspire ANY confidence when taking the twisties, unlike the Protege. The suspension isn't the only thing to blame for that either.
Customer reviews of all V-rated tires for my 2002 Mazda Protege LX sedan are nearly unanimous in berating their performance in the wet and on ice, with the Bridgestone Potenza R92 (the OEM tire on my Protege) being especially singled out for criticism.
Have you tried the BFGoodrich Traction T/A V? For a performance tire, it handles the wet and snow nicely. There are a lot of H-rated tires that will do the same. If you want inexpensive, try out the Kumho ECSTA HP4 716. Kumho has been making some very good tires, at a fraction of the price...
I don't drive my Mazda any differently than my Cavalier (and never over 70 MPH), so I see no reason why S-rated tires are not adequate for my Mazda. Living in Central Indiana I am far more interested in good rain and ice performance than I am in high speed handling. Also, I expect to get a more comfortable ride and a treadwear warranty.
As capriracer stated previously, it isn't just high-speed handling thats affected, it's handling at ALL speeds, including city streets and highway onramps. Trust me, you'll notice the difference. Your once-excellent handling will turn into mush. Even if you never exceed 70 MPH, you still drive on highways at high speeds, where the difference between swerving and missing a deer (or other obstacle) and smacking it head-on can lie completely in the tires. Yes, you'll get a more comfortable ride, but treadwear warranties aren't limited to S-rated tires. The Kumhos even have a 50K warranty.
It's your car, but for your safety of yourself, your passengers, and other drivers, I'd spend the extra $$$ and get a decent set of H-rated tires.
Unless you specify otherwise, TireRack will feed you back ALL the tires that they have based on the Sizing for your car, NOT based on the Load or Speed Rating that the manufacturer "recommends".
Rap
I think all of us were commenting on the Mazda that originally came with V rated tires, and there, S rated tires would make a difference in handling. However, I think that using higher speed rated tires would also improve the handling of your Cavalier, even though it wasn't designed for it.
The stock tires don't seem good in the rain, almost hydroplane like? So I figure in snow they will stink; I have seen some reviews on tirerack but wanted some more thoughts.
I'm thinking about replacing them with Goodyear Tripple Tread Assuarnce tires or maybe Bridgestone G009 tires which seem to "sporty" but are rated as good in snow?
Let me know what you would do :-)
The next time I was going to try the Nokians on what ever vehicle I have but that last post put me off, not good on ice, I think we are going to see more of that (ice) here in New England.
The Nokian tire dealers you tried probably didn't have them in stock, so didn't want you to buy them, they wanted you to buy something they had in stock.
You may have noticed I like these tires.
I hear they now come with tread depth indicators built in, as well as temp. indicators.
I was considering a set of new tires for my Maxima. I came across the Michelin HydroEdge tires at Costco.
However this is T rated tires (which is 2 levels below the recommended tires). Recommended tires for the 01 Maxima with Performance package is H rated.
I have read reviews about this tires that it has good traction. I don't really care about the performance aspect as my wife is the primary driver on
this car and she is a very conservative driver.
Other than taking a perforance hit, is there any other issues if I put the T rated tires on the Maxima?
Thanks
I do believe that the "speed rating" has some proximate relationship to the safe top speed a car may be driven (even though the "speed rating" is the result of an artificial lab test, not by actual testing on a car).
All over the Internet are warnings against what I just stated. However, the vast majority of these warnings come from the tire manufacturers, and the replacement tire retailers, both groups having obvious monetary reasons for slanting their recommendations.
Please note the last two paragraphs in the following article (originally in The Wall Street Journal) :
http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0504/24/1auto-159060.htm
although i street drive my 06 TUNDRA DCAB 4X2 SR5, can anyone NOT agree w/ my decision to go w/ the BFGoodrich All Terrain as a great replacement?
help! im on a spare @ 15k miles & counting!
Over the past year, I have had two different brands/sets of directional tires (Yokohama Avids & now Michelin Exalto A/S tires). I keep experiencing erratic handling, mostly noticable on the freeway. Road texture, especially grooved pavement seems to trip up the car's handling, causing erratic lateral movement as if the car riding on rails. In the past year, 3 mechanics checked out my steering and suspension system and found nothing wrong. My alignment has been checked many times over the year and is fine. I did have new Monroe Sensatrac strutts installed before these sets of tires. This was my second set of Sensatracs, where the previous set were fine. I have the stock alloy rims. Not sure if old age or corrosion on wheels could cause this problem.
Rotating the tires front to rear seems to change the handling behavior somewhat. I did hear from one mechanic that directional tires are more prone to these type of handling problems. I wonder if anyone else has experienced these type of handling issues. Thanks
I strongly suspect an alignment problem.
You mentioned that 3 mechanics looked at the suspension, but you didn't say if they actually realigned the car - I suspect they didn't. Even if a car doesn't pull, the vehicle could be out of alignment.
You also didn't mention the tire size and the pressure you are using. If the tire size is too wide for the rims, the tread will tend to arch and most of the vehicle weight will be concentrated in the center of the tread. Too much pressure can do the same thing.
The original tire size and the proper presssure for that size are listed on the vehicle placard - which is usually located on a doorpost or in the glovebox.
We have been buying tires at Costco and Sams Club for many years. But, I really have to say, they seem to be totally lost. Why is it a nigthmare to get a 13" tire?
185/R7013 is the tire size.
Store is in Vista, California.
:mad:
13" tires are really, really old technology and nobody is really interested in selling marginally profitable products, so it basically has no priority.
My sister just purchased a very well kept 1997 Mercedes S 320.
Can anyone tell me which tire would have the best grip and quietness to suit this car?
:confuse:
More info please.
Krzys
Do watch out for snow getting packed into the rad. It can actually cause overheating, as it stops air flow through the rad. Curiously, it doesn't melt when this happens.
I don't push this car to hard in corners and turns but it is a pretty fast car and I do want a good tire.
I would appreciate any feed back on making a slight adjustment to my OEM tire size. I'm considering doing this because Goodyear Fortera SilentArmor does not come in my exact size.
My current tire size is P225/70R 16
And I'd like to put on P235/70R 16
From what I've been able to find so far, the tires diameter will go from 28 1/2" to 29" and the width will go from 8 1/2" to 9".
Thanks for any thoughts.
Philip
This change as you've posted it will caused your speedo to read 1.9% slow, that is, when it says 60 mph you are actually going 61.2
Your diameter will increase from 28.4 to 29 and your sidewall from 6.2 to 6.5
BUT.....the post from thebigal brings up the excellent point about ABS.
From what I've read you shouldn't push past 3% change, and you should never run different sizes of tires on the SAME axle, so by that rule of thumb you are still okay as you aren't doing either. But whether it will affect your ABS or not, I don't know for certain....your tire people would probably know for sure. Would I make this tire change on my car without worrying about it? Yes I would.
Once again, I really appreciate the feed back.
Philip
1) What are you driving?
2) Are you 100% locked in on this tire?
3) Have you considered ordering online & having your local tire dealer installing?
re:1)&2), I have a Mazda Tribute & went the opposite direction, width wise, with my tires. Went from Goodyear Tracker 235/70R16 to Hancook Dynapro 225/75R16. Since this is a SUV & I sometimes pull a small trailer, I went with tires that raised the vehicle about .15". I was considering going to your current size in a Kuhmo Solus tire (Are having excellent results on our Pontiac Vibe-- much better/quiter than the OEM Goodyears it came with) for cost ($59!) & noise reasons, but didn't want to risk bottom scraping. Here is a link to this tire & it's ratings by surveys from purchasers. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Solus+KH16&part- num=27TR6KH16&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=5
Both the Solus & Dyanpro were rated very well by CReports not too long ago, fyi.
Re:3) This option really worked well for us, as the local dealers here don't stock much variety, i.e. the prices I was quoted were much more than my price + S&H + their installation.
I did notice a Goodyear tire, in your original size($98), that got execellent ratings, even better than the Kumho-- the Assurance ComforTred, liked here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Assurance+Co- mforTred&partnum=27TR6ACT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=6
I'm not in the tire business, just did a lot of research before making tire purchases on both vehicles recently...
Anyway, hope this helps.
Plug in your original size, then other sizes you are considering. I tried the 235/65R16 as well. It is closer to your original size(1.3% smaller dia. vs 1.9% larger) & .19" 'shorter.'
Thank you for the response and links. I am just like you in that I research my purchases prior to buying (according to my wife - I research things to death) and I also have the same bookmarks for Tirerack & 1010Tires and that is where I’ve been doing my some of research. Here is a link to Tirerack survey results for my tire size P225/70R16. BTW my vehicle is a 2002 Toyota Highlander Limited 2WD (never touched dirt & always garaged with 34,000 miles). TireRack Survey Results
You can see by the survey results that the GY Fortera TripleTred is made in my size but the GY dealer is not overly helpful (see post #5833 above) so I moved down the list to #2 which is the GY Fortera SilentArmor (but not made in my size) and the SilentArmor has a much better quietness rating.
It made be the best course of action is to stay with the OEM sizing and ordering online, or switch to a different tire. I was hoping that adjusting from a 225 to 235 would not be that dramatic but I can see that I have a lot to learn (which is way I love Edmunds and there forum boards)
Thanks again for the help. I’m sure I’ll come up more questions and really appreciate you sharing your research information with me.
Philip
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Discount tire is where I ordered my Hankooks for my Tribute. Their prices include shipping, but if their warehouse is located in your state you have to pay sales tax too.
Walmart will install tires from elsewhere. That's where I had both our cars done.
Thanks for the headups on Discount Tire. There is one located about 5 miles from my house and I will be calling them this today. I'll post their responses to the following questions.
1. The availability of GY TripleTred (which comes in 22570R16) but according to the GY dealer is a snow/wet tire and not sold here in the desert.
2. Their thoughts of adjusting the tire size from 22570R16 to 23570R16, which would enable me to purchase the GY SilentArmor.
3. Their recommendations and / or suggestions.
Thanks again everyone,
Philip
I’ve spoken with Discount Tire and their recommendation is to stay with EOM size for my Toyota Highlander so my thoughts about a set of Goodyear SilentArmor are dead.
With that said, I asked about the Goodyear TripleTred availability and their response is that it’s a great tire but more designed for snow/ice/wet conditions but not a problem to get. Cost = $152 each.
I then ask for their recommendations for my vehicle type and driving conditions with an emphasis on the “quietness” of the tire. Discount Tire recommended the “Michelin LTX M/S”. Cost = $134 each.
Here are the survey results at TireRack:
TireRack Survey Results Link
So, are there any thoughts about this tire? As always, I really appreciate all the feedback and help.
Philip
GY TripleTreads are passanger car tires.
I prefer car tires but I do have cars (not crossovers, just cars).
Krzys
But I also know that I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box either... so all this feedback is great.
Philip