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I've never seen canola mentioned in the webpages for other tire manufacturers, but then I reallly haven't looked for it either. Once you've had Nokian tires, it's kinda hard to go back...
My local Nokian dealer has finally gotten the new Nokian WRG2's in for the season. But they only have it in stock in the T speed-rated version (they can get the H, but it will put me past the end of the month and I'm due for inspection before the 31st). The load rating (at 91) matches what VW spec'ed for my car.
I drive like my kid's grandma - mainly because I usually have my kiddo in the car with me and I'm stretching my fuel economy out as much as I can.
Would you consider the T tire, or just wait out the H version delivery? My dealer doesn't see a problem going with the T, even saying I might get better wear out of them. I never drive anywhere near the speed rating for the T, at 118 mph.
I'm not even sure a 2003 Passat can go 118 mph - most modern cars have speed limiters which seem to be around 100 - 110 mph or so (not the ultra high HP models, though :surprise: ).
You might ask your local state inspector if there are allowances for waiting for the "right" tires, and see if they will allow inspection to be delayed until after you get the H series. They may tell you you cannot drive the car after the due date until it does get new tires, though. Or they might let you drive it for a very limited period and require you submit proof that the tires have been upgraded by end of that period.
Generally speaking, 75 is my limit.
I can chance it and wait, but I could get a ticket for an invalid inspection sticker.
Hey, ruking - what's your thoughts behind the H's over the T's? I'm sorta of there myself. The price differential isn't much at $8 a tire ($117 vs. $125). Why the local dealer has had such a hard time getting these in is unknown to me. I've been calling about the WRG2's for over a month, and the T ones just came in this week. I'm a little worried they might string me along waiting for the H's for a couple of weeks longer than promised.
My wifes car has an OEM tire size of 195/65/r15. My neighbour has been trying to sell me his year old winter tires for a pretty good price. They are 195/60/r15. He keeps telling me they would be fine. He says its fine, but thats kinda like the sales lady saying, 'no, those horizontal stripes dont make you look fat at all.'
Would I be putting my wife in any kind of danger over the winter by buying tires of a different size as mentioned above?
If it matters, car is a 98 Honda Accord LX 4cl, and tires are year old Micheline x-ice..
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
B
You can check Honda Accord specs to see if Honda shipped a '98 Accord with 60 series tires. If they have that means the tire should fit inside the wheel well without rubbing its sides.
Or you can visit places like Tire Rack or others and use their tire size calculator to see if that lower profile size tire will fit.
As to whether you are putting the spouse in danger... if the additional grip increases her confidence level, so she is out cutting donuts, leading to vertigo... well then yes.
See this handy tire size calculator:tire calc
This is not a good idea. This is going down in load carrying capacity and that increases the risk of a load realted tire failure - which sometimes has tragic consequences.
And to answer kurtamaxxxguy's question, this tire is smaller in load carrying capacity than ALL the tires supplied to the 1998 Honda Accord's. But there were a lot of different versions of Accord's and some of them had LARGER tires (load capacity wise). To be sure what the proper load carrying capacity is, you need to look at the placard.
On every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size. The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.
When I changed to Nokians, they advised me to verify that the replacement load capacity equalled or surpassed the originals. Fortunately they did (95H orig, 101V XT replacement).
XT is apparently an "extender" rating, which rates tires higher in load capacity for lower temperatures.
So for example 2950#'s- 2514's is not app 450#s (436 to be exact). I am not using oem tires?. etc.
What I am saying is as it is, and common knowledge.
I'm looking for good wet traction, good ride comfort, good tread life, and at least decent winter snow/slush performance.
I've narrowed it down to the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity or the Michelin Primacy MXV4. I'm leaning toward the Bridgestones and will probably get them soon unless something else comes to my attention.
Any thoughts on these tires or any other suggestions?
The OEM size is 225/55-17V.
The Michelin and the Bridgestone tires that I listed are not really OEM tires and they are far from junk. They are both relatively new designs wit the latest technology. In fact, they are both extremely highly rated tires. Take a look at them at Tire Rack.
Now the Bridgestone RE92's that came on my Subaru are another story all together. They are indeed crappy tires which I would never recommend to anyone.
The Kumhos seem good as well but they are apparently a little lacking in wet traction, which is something that is important to me.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=112
I have the stock Bridgestone 92a tires and since I live in Connecticut i'd rather have a better all season tire on my car. For every day use not to mention when it does snow I have a steep driveway. So something better then the 92a's is my goal. I really dont want to use a real snow tire as I don't have the money to buy a complete set of rims and TPMS sensors; or the $90 it costs to swap each change over.
So here are what I came up with:
Option 1 - this is what I am leaning towards:
Goodyear F1 All Seasons // these seem like a low profile version of the Goodyear Triple Treads everyone likes so much. But maybe its the name or the low profile BUT they look like they would be worse in snow/ice then the stock 92A tires? Has anyone here used these in a northern state with some decent snow/ice? I wish the TT's came in this size as I have had them on an other car.
Option 2 - these tire have a much reduced cost over the F1's
Bridgestone G019 Grids // these have a "meaty" look to them but at the same time also seem to be more sporty as the snipes or blocks are closer to each other. which might not be as good in winter or rain?
Option 3 - might be the best option but no one sells them near me and online they are not cheap
Nokian WRg2's - they seem like a true snow tire but can be used year round?
Now don't get me wrong I know it doesn't snow that much anymore in CT but when it does we get a fair amount; not to mention its not a flat state. I need to be able to get to work and back home with out overly stressing out. That and I drive about 500 miles a week so they are used more then just around town. PLUS one of the routes on my daily commute really complements a "sporty" ride if you know what I mean :-)
And I am open to take additional suggestions or any data you folks have
Thank you all in advance,
john
Another tire to consider is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S although they aren't going to be nearly as good as the Nokian in the snow. Probably better than the tires that came with your car though.
It seems that most of the tires that come in your size are summer performance tires. Not that many good A/S choices in your size.
My GY TripleTreads did __not__ work well on ice (lots of skids and my Maxx got stuck on a moderate hill). Nokians are claimed to do fine on Ice but I won't know for another month or more for sure.
The Bridgestone G019 Grid isn't a bad choice, they've also tested well. A word of caution: I've heard of previous owners of the G009 (the preceding tire) complain of the tires getting louder with age, and a lower treadlife than expected, even with non-aggressive driving.
The Nokian WRg2s will definitely give you an edge in the winter months, but based on past Nokian experience, they're hardly the partner you want on a twisty backroad when the weather is dry compared to the others. The price is a bit of a downer as well.
I'd also check into two other inexpensive tires, the BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S and Dunlop SP Sport Signature. Both test well and are rated highly on Tirerack.com, and I've heard owners of the BFGs say that they are excellent performers in dry and wet weather, and are more than adequate in winter months.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
420 A A rating. Passed state inspection with no problem. The "reasons-to-fail" for PA are silent on speed-rating, although it does mention that "not for highway use" tires wil cause a fail. The tech doing the inspection was very interested in my tires - so much so that he was going to buy himself a set before winter. So I know he carefully examined them.
Good to know the WRG2's run quieter than the WR's - my dealer accidently put WR's on the Forester first and I noticed the same thing.
They're still breaking in so I'm being easy on them.
If you visit Nokian's Finnish website, you can download a pdf that details their testing procedures and tracks. The winter track is very impressive, with a unqiue slushfilled roadway (something the WRG2's are supposed to be good at handling).
As for the T/H speed ratings - in many cases I find this to be a complete joke (courtesy of the auto manufacturers)...My last car was a 2001 Honda Accord LX sedan with the 4 cylinder, & guess what the folks @ Honda reccommend - H rated tires :confuse: ...Instead of wasting my hard earned $$$ on another set of Michelin MXV4 Plus (which were rather so-so in snowy conditions) - I opted to purchase the Harmony, & had my brother install them...I noticed a little loss of cornering ability, but the wet/snow traction was alot better - which is what I was looking for...I understand that Honda probably had the intentions of installing H rated tires for their more powerful V-6 Accord, but to expect those of us with the 4-banger to pay more was just plain silly.
..."which would concern me since it's a challenge to predict how these tires will perform when they hit 30,000 plus miles..."..
I could not help but notice the above quote. On an 04 Honda Civic the (23/24 on tire rack ratings ) oem provided Dunlop FE20?, S rated tire gave 74,300 miles, and I felt it was fast wearing (UTOQ 320) !? H rated tires on a 2950 # vehicle are still good to go @ 110,000 miles. (Again not rated well @ all on Tirerack) It was ( third) aligned before the new tires were R/R mounted and balanced.
I did some research and T rated Toyo 800 Ultra tires (UTOQ 700) came to the fore for that size. (They have since been discontinued and now Versado LX occupies its "premium" designation, with the Spectrum at the workhorse position. We were looking for: 1. low rolling resistance 2. longer life 3. adaptability for the 54 mile R/T commute done daily with 2 folks and a mpg range of 38-42 mpg.
We are still under tire break in mileage (300-500 miles), but so far things are looking good, sans the braking distances seem a tad longer. I fully expect a min of 1 mpg loss by virtue of switching to new tires. I will report if folks are interested.
""New tires will crash mpg anywhere from 1-6 mpg. I have new tires and alignment and swag I will lose 1-2 mpg (or from 38-42 mpg) , so the range will now be between 36-41 mpg for a while. "
First tank full after the above quote, 38.5 mpg (354 miles/9.2 gal) . So I (still) swag (all things being equal) a new tire set loss of app 1.5 mpg ( getting app 40 mpg before tire set swap and alignment) . The first tank came almost dead in the middle of my original projection. We shall see what another 3 tank fulls will mike out to be.
So far, we're pleased.
The Sandman
I am also glad you posted your size tire (205/55/16) . Anymore with out knowing that or actually having the exact same size tire, it is increasingly difficult to really put tires in apples to apples comparison mode. So for example, Mazda 3 sized tires are definitely "performance" oriented; as such, it may be anathema to expect "economy." Indeed in the Yokohama closest to the tire you have (like mine the touring is being phased out in favor of the S touring) the price is 75 per vs 60 per or 25% more.
So in the interest of really overloading one with information, tire size on my posts is 185/70/14. It is a coincidence the Yokohama's you mentioned are available in the "Civic" size (185/70/14) On the other hand, "performance" for me are:
1. more commute ride "cushion", aspect ratio of 70 vs 55
2. if I got 74,300 miles from the (crappy) oem 23/24 rated tires, I want to get as a min, MORE than that from these Toyo 800 Ultra (UTOQ 700) T rated up from S rated.
3. if I get between 38-42 mpg on the oem 23/24 rated tires. I would like to match or have slightly better rolling resistance (lower)
If I get winter rims that are 16 x 6,5, Can I put P225 60 R16's on them and what effect would the larger size have.
A friend is willing to GIVE me some one year old winter tires, but I was wondering what the larger size might do?
Even without knowing what car you are putting them on.... That tire is 7% bigger in diameter.. over 1.5" taller...
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I've seen Lincoln Towncars with 22s and rubber bands. :P
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Thanks, I was afraid of that.
My wife would kill me if anything happened to her new Vibe. Winter rims and new X-Ice II's will have to do for plan B.
Ive got an 06 330i, lookin for some all seasons that handle the absolute best in dry weather (hopefully better than the TERRIBLE stock bridgestones that are on it now) and are decent in the winter. Dont really care about ride quality THAT much, but i dont want something really harsh. Care most about feel, want crisp steering response and sticky handling. Looking at:
Yokohama ADVAN S.4.
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
Any help would be awesome i really need tires asap! Thanks!
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Nope dont want runflats, terrible ride.
I have the sport pkg, so mine are 225/40/18 and 255/35/18.
The 4 i can choose from are the yokos, michelins, pirellis, and goodyears.
I narrowed it down to the yokos and michelins based on the test reports.
I just want to know which will feel the best, in terms of sporty handling/steering/ride.
I know u might think its overkill but i feel like i should spend a long time picking out really good tires if i have a car that is meant to handle and drive well