Tires-Whats good

[exploder3211]

I hate asking this here, but i am baffled.. My new corolla has just ok tires.. I figured on replacing them any way with something better... But i am lost... Usualy i just replace them with whatever's on sale at the Ford place or Sears.. the last 2 sets of tires i got like this have stunk badly...

What is a good tire for a small car like a corolla with good rolling resistance and good handling.. Looking at the Bridgestone Weatherforce or Contentials maybe.. Maybe Michilens too.. I would like to only buy 2 right now and keep the back two for a while though..

Any thoughts?

 

[scott55405]

I have been happy with the Goodyear Assurance Comfortred in this thread, which I've had for about a year. Even if you don't want those, I think you'll find a lot of interesting and perhaps helpful information on this site.

What year Corolla did you get?

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www.tirerack.com

 

[scott55405]

I have a 99 Mystique, which isn't a great deal different in general type of car than yours.

 

[goatfarmer]

Go to the Tire Rack website, put your tire size in, and see what comes up. People write reviews of tires, see what they say.

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www.tirerack.com

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Go to your local independant Hercules tire dealer. Great no-nonsense tires that wear like iron.

Big name tires don't mean a thing anymore, even some Cooper tires are now made in China.

Ken

 

[foraloysius]

Toyota? Let me guess, Yokohama tires?

 

[hydralique]

The Tire Rack suggestions are spot on . . .

Just make sure you get the right size on their selector. The customer feedback ratings are really helpful, as most tire companies make both mediocre and good tires and it is hard to find out which models are good.

I've mostly had good luck with Continentals for many years, but when I got the currrent tires on my VW none of the Conti ratings were much good. I ended out with Avons, which are sold exclusively in the US through Tire Rack. They were priced right and are very sticky. A friend has them on his BMW M3 and likes them as well. I don't know about the wear factor yet. Since they had to come from Tire Rack I had them shipped to and installed by one of Tire Rack's "associate" local shops. It was easy and painless.

As far as others go, the cheaper Michelins usually wear like iron, but don't stick worth a crap, and the high-end Michelins stick well but wear fast. I've had Michelins off and on since I got my first car in the '70s, but overall I think they are often overpriced.

Yokohamas run hot and cold also. The worst set of tires I ever had, by a huge margin, was some Yokos years ago. They were lethal in the wet, and I refused to look at Yokos for years until they were the only company to offer a quality tire in the correct size for my Fiat X1/9s. Surprise, surprise, I loved their AVS Intermediates on the Fiats, and wore out several sets.

I had some OEM Goodyears on the VW for awhile and found them pretty decent, but I'm not sure what model they were.

Moral of the story: Go read the ratings!

 

[exploder3211]

Thanks.. The tire rack is a good starting point but a little confusing as there are alot of choices and not alot of techinical testing data. It has Bridgestones as the factory tires. I think a good set of Yokohamas would be ok. Have never been a michilen fan either.

I read comsumer reports for ideas and that helped some.
Although i think the corolla is far better than a Focus or Civic (i don't like the new ones at all and the older ones (sorry irishwashguy) are just to tinny for me and cheap feeling.)

BTW-MY Corolla is an 05

 

[chromacolor]

I can tell you what NOT to get. Bridgestone Potenza's SUCK. I got some when I had my ZX2 and they do NOT handle well when wet. On my Jetta I replaced with what came from factory which is Eagle GT's. LOVE em.....

 

[oxydolfan1]

I believe mine are Firestone Affinitys??

Stay away....high price for lousy traction (at least here, in hilly northern New Jersey)....

See if your Costco's, Sam's, etc. has a tire department.

 

[MikeS]

Affinity tires are not good

When I bought my Saturn Ion, Firestone Affinity tires were original equipment. I didn't realize how lousy they were until I replaced two front tires with a pair of Futura touring tires from Pep Boys. Those Futuras made a big difference in ride and handling. When the rear Affinity tires go, they'll be replaced with Futuras as well. Decent tires at a good price.

 

[sudsmaster]

I've have very good experiences with BF Goodrich tires. They tend to be more reasonably priced than Michelins and Dunlops, but they seem to have good traction/handling and wear well also. You don't see too many ads for BFG's, which is actually a good sign: they put their money into their product, not into ads pushing it. It shows.

 

[bimmer740]

Tires

I had set of Continental Conti-Sport Extreme on the BMW I used to have and they were ok. However, they were soo noisy, rode rough and wore quickly. Anyway, I bent three of the rims on my car, BMW rims are very easily bent due to the low profile tires with the sports package, but when my Dad replaced the rims on my car, I got a nice set of chrome rims and Pirelli P-Zero Nero tires from TireRack. They were several hundred less than having new OEM BMW Sport Rims put back on with new tires and the chrome looked hot on the black car with tints! Anyway, the P-Zeros stuck well, not as well as the Contis, but the nicer ride and less road noise definitely outweighed the minor grip performance loss. The Pzeros were decent in the snow and wore well. I have Dunlop Sport tires on my Mercedes ML500 SUV now and I like them but they wore fast!! They car has 25,000 miles on it and two of the tires need to be replaced (they are very costly too!). My parents each have Infiniti sedans and they have Bridgestones on one car and High Performance Goodyears on the other. They all seem to be decent tires but the Goodyears ride rough. TireRack is definitely the way to go! The reviews are very helpful, good prices and selection, along with quick and easy shipping!
Good luck with your purchase!
-Steven

 

[exploder3211]

Thanks.. I am eyeing a Yokohama but will go check out sams

 

[exploder3211]

I got two BF Goodrich Traction T/A tires from sams for $150.. not bad tires so far.. A tad noisy though.. Hope they will get as good a mileage as the bridgestones, if not i will rotate them around... Thanks

 

[oxydolfan1]

Cool!

Think about it....why pay more?

 

[exploder3211]

I forgot that sams sold tires even.. When i bought the exploder i did buy tires from them and they have been really good (they're bf goodrics as well) i paid $399 for the set. I have bought many batterys from them though.. $50 installed and they have a decent warranty

 

[sudsmaster]

I just refitted my pickup with four 235-75-15 BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A tires. They have (or had) a special deal with $60 off for a set of four. So the total came to something like $375, including mounting/balancing/disposal, and moving one of the old tires to the spare rim and balancing that. These tires are also slightly more noisy than the street-quality old tires, but they stick much better and seem to handle better, as well. They're all weather, so they will probably do betting in mud/dirt/snow, not that I go looking for old washers in those conditions . But I feel much better about driving the truck longer distances to pick up things, since a blow-out is probably much less likely now. Additionally, two of the old tires had slow leaks, so if the truck sat for more than a week I'd have to air up all the tires before driving off. Now, it's not so much of a concern (maybe check the air pressure twice a year).

I have a set of Touring T/A's on my Neon. They stick great and are not any noisier than the Goodyear Eagles they replaced. I did go through a set of them in about 35,000 miles but then I don't drive sedately either.

 

[rp2813]

Tire Rack

I have done a lot of research on TireRack.com and it has been helpful. For my '97 VW Passat, there aren't a lot of options out there in the right size though. I had Dunlops on it and they ended up wearing way too fast but it sure felt like a new car after I put those on.

For my current set the TireRack didn't have anything I felt like I wanted or liked or was priced right. I called the local place where I've been buying my tires for years and the guy recommended Continental Extreme Contact tires and they were priced right and are performing well for me. The aspect ratio is a little higher, they are 55's instead of 50's, but I haven't noticed any difference. Their sidewalls are a little too busy, but not a deal-breaker. By considering tires that might be slightly different in size from original equipment you increase your choices by quite a bit.

I'm happy with my Continentals, won't ever buy Dunlop again, but have read many good things about Pirelli P-Zero Nero and will be looking at those next time.