Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I just wanted to comment:
It is obvously wrong from the tire manufacturer to be paying for this since the problem is obviously in the vehicle.
But I can assure you that Discount Tire is the one paying for this, since the tire manufacturer will not accept a warranty claim for a tire with alignment wear.......Unless Discount Tire is charging the VW dealer back.
Does it not seem strange that vehicle manufacturers provide a warranty on every part of the vehicle, except tires? Even parts they don't manufacture. Isn't it past time for them to step up?
I am looking for a recommendation for tires for a Ford Focus. The rear two need to be replaced (Goodyear, original equip). The Front two tires are Michelin X Radial tires.
Is it necessary to have teh same tire on all four wheels, does it make a difference from a ride/safety perspective?
I would like to purchase two additional tires, and have them put on teh front, and move teh front two to the rear.
We live in Michigan, so a good all season tire that will be safe during the winter... any recommendations will be very helpful, thank you.
link title
Of course it's nice to have all 4 the same. You could always sell the 2 good ones on craigs list or someplace.
-mike
Motorsports and Tuning Host
Uuummmmm.....1. if your wheels aren't damaged, but only scratched/etched/pitted, then that's only cosmetic; you don't need new wheels. 2. what are the tires you have now, & are they the original tires? 3. Do you ever put air in your tires, &/or check the air pressure? 4. have you ever had your tire problem diagnosed anywhere?
Don't operate a tire that is flat. Tires need inflation pressure to work properly and operating tires when they are flat destroys them from the inside out. Plus you run the risk of damnaging the rim.
Don't operate a vehicle when the oil pressure light is on. Engines need oil pressure to operate properly and operating them with the oil light on can damage them from the inside out.
Having said that, you need professional intervention. I suggest you find a tire dealer - ASAP!
I have Michelin Harmony Tires P185/60R15 84T M+S Tubeless These are the original tires.
Maybe hubby said I need new wheels because I drove on the flat tire on Saturday but again it was just a very short distance and very low speed right here on our street. When I realized what was going on I turned the car around and came right home.
I personally think it is also only cosmetic that he's saying I need new wheels. He thought the scratched/etched/pitted could result in an air leak. I don't really think it's that bad. I've never hit a curb or anything.
He does put air in my tires and checks the air pressure. Just not in the last while as I don't drive much and they looked fine.
This has never been diagnosed anywhere. Back in 2005 Repair Rim Seal was done on 3 of the 4 tires. This must have been the last (I lost track of which ones were done due to tire rotations)
Thanks again for your help.
Thanks for the don'ts...
Believe me when I say that I will walk around my car EVERY time before I start it from now on.
I also know not to operate when the oil pressure light is on. Only twice I've had problems with lights on - it turned out to be the gas cap. I bought a locking one at Canadian Tire and it was leaking. I've thrown it out and put the original one back on.
I agree I need a professional TIRE intervention. I was just trying to see if I needed wheels and tires or just tires alone and also to get some suggestions on good ones.
Thank You once again!
Rims aren't designed to touch the road surface and if they do, the metal will be abraided.
So if you operate a tire without inflation pressure, it is possible for the rim flange - the part that makes the rim larger in diameter than the hole in the tire - to come into contact with the road surface. Or worse!!!! - the tire could be dislodged from the rim and then the entire weight of the vehicle is now carried by the rim flange.
You see, it is the inflation pressure that holds the tire out against the rim and without that pressure, it doesn't take much force to "debead" a tire.
That's one reason why you should never operate a vehicle with a flat tire. Another is that vehicles don't behave predictably with an odd tire - and a flat would qualify as "odd". A different tire would, too!
-mike
Motorsports and Tuning Host
On I-75 there was a 2-mile strip of 2 lanes with concrete temp barriers on each side-no berm. A backup occured one afternoon and when I got through it there was a man in the right hand lane changing a rear tire on a smaller car which is light in the rear to begin with. Drive it to the end of the work area!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
All of this sounds fairly wierd. Why did 3 of your tires need Repair Rim Seal?
Going to a "good" tire shop is a good idea. Of course "some" of them can be pretty aggressive in selling stuff, esp. with a customer who's not sure what they need.
Costco is really good, & I think you get a free lifetime hazard warranty. But they may not really diagnose any problems. The installers should notice if there's anything wrong with your wheels tho.
Finally, calling the tire rack for advice couldn't hurt. They may have cheap steel wheels in stock too, if you wanted that.
BTW, how worn are the tires you have now? And how much air do you put in your tires? Are you sure your tire gauge is accurate? You can get a good gauge for $10 from amazon & learn to check them yourself.
-mike
Motorsports and Tuning Host
On closer inspection of my dad's Ford Focus, I found that the front left tire was installed at the wrong size -it should be P195/60/R15, the size installed is a P195/65/15. I think this happened when my dad took the vehicle into a Ford Dealer for repair work a couple months ago, after a bad weather induced accident.
Is this something to be concerned about? Is the 60/65 a dimension of sidewall thickness? I called teh Ford dealer that did the repair work, but unfortunately they are out of businesses. I have noticed that driving the vehicle, it requires more attention to keep it going straight on certain highways, particularly at higher speeds. Also, I feel a sense of instability riding in the back seat (kind of like fishtailing, but not to that extreme) but am not sure if it is due to the left front tire being large, or the rear tires being ready to be replaced.
Any suggestions will be helpful.
Thank you.
The 60 is the ratio of the width to height. So if you have a 195 60 on one side and 195 65 on the other the side with the 65 will have a larger radius than the other side, not a real good thing for stability, tire wear and other reasons. I'd get another 195 65 or 195 60 to match the other side.
-mike
BTW, the new safety rule is that your WORST tires should be on your drive axle, not your best. This reverses decades of conventional wisdom, but Michelin ran extensive tests and found out that it's much easier to spin out when your best tires are on the drive axle (since you have front wheel drive, the drive axle is the front of the car).
Interesting, do you have any links on this, I'd love to read up on it as I'm one to put the best tires in the front (steering and braking).
-mike
(in other words, around a curve at constant speed).
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
What kyfdx makes sense, but I guess we'll all have to double check now.
Since I always buy full sets of tires, in practice this issue has never come up for me.
-mike
195/60R15 and 195/65R15 are close and if it was an emergency I would use it as replacement (like in the middle of the desert) and put it on rear (as Focus is FWD).
60 or 65 is the sidewall height as the percentage of tire width.
Check this
tire rack knowledge base
How many miles on old tires? Maybe it is time to replace all 4?
Krzys
PS Somehow I am not surprised the dealer is out of business.
If you slide the front of the car you will see what you may hit and can take appropriate action. You will still have some steering control.
If you slide the rear of the car it usually means you will swap ends (spin). You WILL NOT see what you are about to hit. You will be unable to take avoidance action, as the car will be spinning.
Hence, it is preferable to have the best tires on the rear, to keep it from sliding first.
Also expressed as oversteer/understeer and loose/tight.
-mike
Motorsports and Tuning Host
Good ones on the back.. The fact that the rear tires are being unloaded during braking argues for having better tires back there, so they don't break loose...
(not an expert)
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
-mike
Motorsports and Tuning Host
Good ones on the back.. The fact that the rear tires are being unloaded during braking argues for having better tires back there, so they don't break loose...
(not an expert)
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
-mike
I have spent this week demonstrating this 5 times a day. In the demonstration, a car with 4 full tread tires does not spin out, and a car with full treads front and 75% worn tires on the rear does.
I've put over 100 people through this (They drove!) and everyone was able to get Car #2 to spin, and no one could get Car #1 to do it.
Put the new ones on the rear!!!
I'd be more inclined to go with your theory if you said you had put a car with 75% worn tires in the front and full tread in the rear v. the opposite.
Also why on earth would someone have a car setup with 75% worn on one axle and 0% worn on the other axle? That is like saying "my engine blew up because I had 50% of the oil drained out of it".
You are right though the car may spin, however, a car in the rain with bad tires on the steering and powering wheels will just plow right into the oncoming traffic lane. So while your theory of "spinning" may be correct, having a car plow into oncoming traffic isn't exactl safe either.
-mike
"........Also why on earth would someone have a car setup with 75% worn on one axle and 0% worn on the other axle?........"
Because FWD cars wear the front tires much more rapidly than the rears. If they don't rotate, then they will want to change only one set - and since it is a FWD, they'll want them installed on the front.
"...........So while your theory of "spinning" may be correct, having a car plow into oncoming traffic isn't exactly safe either......."
Which would you rather have happen? Be going backwards where you have no chance of recovering - or - be going forwards where when the vehicle slows down you regain the steering and can steer around what might be in front of you.
- and that just causes problems.
It is
Hmm so basically you are advocating people not rotating and just replacing the rear tires when 1 pair wears down? I don't get it, if you are rotating your tires properly then they'll all have even wear on them. Why chance it by replacing only 2 at a time, is your property and family's safety that low a priority that you won't drop the $200 extra for 4 tires v. 2?
Which would you rather have happen? Be going backwards where you have no chance of recovering - or - be going forwards where when the vehicle slows down you regain the steering and can steer around what might be in front of you.
I still don't understand this, if my back comes out I countersteer and get out of the skid, maybe I've just been driving AWD cars, RWD and on-track way too much to understand this, I like to steer with good traction, then again in a skid I usually GIVE it gas rather than take it away which is also counter-intuitive of what Joe Blow would do.
-mike
No, I am afraid you misunderstood me. I am a firm believer in rotation so the wear rate is more or less the same and all 4 tires wear out at the same time.
However, many folks don't rotate and wind up with a pair of worn tires and a pair of tires with significant wear life left. These folks generally will want to purchase only 2 tires - and if they do, those new tires should be put on the rear.
"...........if my back comes out I countersteer and get out of the skid, maybe I've just been driving AWD cars, RWD and on-track way too much to understand this..........."
Countersteering works a lot of times for RWD (and probably AWD), but for FWD once the back ends starts to come around, it very unlikely you will recover. Remember we are discussing situations where the rear tires are likely to break loose - which generally means in a cornering situation - and in those situations, losing the rear end, even on a RWD, can result in hitting whatever is on the outside of the curve - like the car in the next lane. Better to lose the front where you are at least you are pointing in the right direction.
If you spin, it is much more likely part of your car will be in the next lane (cars are longer than they are wide).
If the fronts only slip, you will drift to the side. The movement to the side usually occurs much more slowly than if you spin, and you have a much better chance of recovering, because you still have -some- traction. When you spin you have -no- traction.
Even if you don't fully recover before your vehicle and the one beside you (or the guard rail or whatever is there) try to occupy the same space, you would usually just sideswipe. Much less violent than if you hit directly, either with the rear, side, or front of your car.
Oh, and -my- AWD 2001 Pathfinder LE will still spin even when in "auto" mode (AWD). Been there, done that. Have the "T" shirt. (fun on ice in deserted parking lots, learning the limits)
ex. If you see a small child run out in the street, and you have to jam on your brakes, wouldn't stopping distance be shorter with the better grippyer tires in front?
You can directly control the front end of your car with the steering wheel... but, not the rear end.. You can control it, but not directly.
While the front brakes do more of the work than the rear brakes, I'm not sure of the effects of worn tires on either end, especially since most cars have ABS now. It would be an interesting experiment..
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Your same example: you brake hard and swerve to avoid the child. The rear, with worn tires, breaks loose and you spin over the child.
We can come up with all kinds of "what if" scenarios, but the bottom line is you should put the best tread on the rear for best safety in averaged use. That is, it's best that way most of the time. It's the best chance of keeping the car in control, as it will stay pointed in the direction you want most of the time. Once the car goes out of control you are just a passenger.
While this may be the case in a few select cases, I would universally disagree in a general sense.
-mike
It seems to me that people buy new tires because of diminished wet or snow traction due to the worn tread, not dry.
Why do you think race cars use slicks, with NO tread at all? Optimum dry traction.
I would agree. Your observation's are absolutely hidden in plain sight!!! There are HUGE implications, and I think the bottom line: a lot of tires are "prematurely" retired. In fact the consequences is more for added profit than "real safety"
As a racecar driver, I believe you are way way off-base here. First race tires don't have tread, yes, but the compound is setup to take the heat generated from having all that rolling resistance, also as race tires wear down, they get more slippery, even in the dry, despite the fact that there is no tread left.
If you have a bald tire in the dry, you will wind up cooking the casing and the tire will de-laminate.
-mike
Motorsports and Tuning Host