Automotive Tires

decal

All I put on my truck is Cooper ATR

Jstas

I've had bunches of tires. The Lightning goes through them like RuSsMaN does a handle of Beam.

Tires are an odd thing. I had Goodyear Eagle F1's on my Thunderbird back in 1999 and they did awesome. On the truck, almost 1,000 pounds heavier, they stuck like glue but I was lucky to get 15,000 miles out of them. At almost $300 a pop, that was an expensive sub-15,000 mile period. I don't like Wranglers either. Most of the Goodyears, except the touring/passenger car lines, tend to wear out quickly. They use softer compounds for ride comfort, noise and grip. But softer rubber wears out quicker.

I had BFGoodrich Comp T/A's on my Thunderbird as well and they were sweet! But, at $140 a pop, on the expensive side as well. Especially when the Futura GLS was modeled after the Comp T/A and cost $60 a pop...well $45 a pop after my employee discount. Futura had a Touring 2000SE as well and that tire, when it was out, Consumer Reports and a couple other places like J.D. Power rated it tops above all others and CS gave it a "Smart Buy" and "Best Buy" rating 'cause they were less than $80 each. That was cheaper than everyone else at the time.

I'm not a big fan of Michelin. I have yet to have one that will perform like others it competes with. Sure, they wear great but that's because they are hard. Like basketballs at times. They go for lower rolling resistance, even the performance oriented Pilots. The Michelins scare me. It's like driving around on greased erasers at times. I guess that's ok for squishy rides like a Mercedes or a Cadillac but when you have them on your Mustang with a Griggs road race suspension and you go to take a turn, the car turns but the tires break loose...it's unnerving.

Continental I hate. I've never had one worth the time or money. The MKX has them on there. They are brand new and I hate them. I want to replace them but the cheap **** in me is saying to wear them down a bit. Gonna hafta have a burnout contest or something. But every car I've owned or rented with Contis on them had at least one tire drastically out of round or unbalanced, they all made noise and are unpredictable in response.

Now, lotsa people hate Pirelli. But you know what? I had Pirelli Scorpion AT's and STR's on a couple trucks. The AT's are, hands down, the best all around truck tire I ever had. My dad had sucktastic Bridgestone Dueler A/T's on his 4x4 F-150 and they were awful and totally useless in Southern Jersey sugar sand and mud. The Scorpion AT's, the complete opposite. I used a set as snow tires on the Lightning which at one point had Michelin snow tires, a set of Blizzaks and some cheapy Power King snow tires and none of them performed anywhere near as well as the Scorpion AT's in the snow.

Currently the truck has Pirelli Scorpion Asymmetricos in a 285/55/18 size (I think, don't remember for sure) and honestly, they are my favorite so far. They are an all-season tread design, non-directional, soft enough to be sticky but hard enough to have a 50K mile tread life. They come in steamroller sizes and my set are rated at 168 MPH+. They are quiet, comfortable and almost 2 years old at this point and not 50% gone. Best all around tire I've ever had. So much so I'm considering mounting a set on the MKX.

I have average experience with lots others but not enough to really go in to detail. I'll break down a list below.

Likes:
Pirelli - Those Itralians can sure build a tire!
BFGoodrich - odd since they are owned by Michelin and I'm not a fan of Michelin
General - Good, moderately priced brand. American owned too
Uniroyal - TirePaws are legendary and a pioneer in technology. Can't go wrong especially for the price. Also owned by Michelin which is French
Futura - GLS is the poor man's drag radial. Buy 3, get one free!
Cooper - Also owns Avon and they make some spectacular racing tires and cheap performance tires like the Cobras. They also own Mastercraft
Coker - one word: whitewalls...BIG whitewalls on big'n'littles
Dunlop - crazy good motorcycle tires and racing slicks
Kumho - Ecsta line is spectacular and cheap
Falken - simple, good, performance tires


Dislike:
Michelin - greased basketballs.
Continental - quality control issues. No two sets are the same
Bridgestone/Firestone - wasn't even worth the bandwidth to list them here
Nitto - over-rated hype IMO but they have ultra gooey drag radials


Indifferent:
Hankook - koo koo krazy Koreans, good bargain buy, lotsa odd sizes for cheap, barely shows up on the radar
Goodyear - Not bad but not good IMO either. Wouldn't rule them out
Yokohama - decent tire but never have anything in the size I need

Racing/Off-road:
Dick Cepek - killer off road tires. Expensive too but worth every penny
Hoosier - good, budget slicks but can also be expensive
Mickey Thompson - Good all around line from drag radials and "cheater" slicks to full on 30x15x15 super comp rubber, all good, all will get you in the winner's circle
M&H Racemaster - cheaper version of Mickey Thompson, not as many compounds and sizes though.

polrbehr

Can't complain about BFG, at all.

I have the factory set of LongTrail T/A tires on my '04 Frontier 4WD pickup, and they have 82k+ miles on them, and I can probably get another winter out of them if I had to (they passed NYS Inspection in May).

Only bad thing, BFG stopped mfr. of the exact size and style that fits this truck, so I will be looking at another brand as well when the time comes

Oh yeah, they ran about $130 apiece installed when they were available.

madmax

heiney9 wrote: »

I have had great success with Bridgestone Blizzak's. I can go faster than most SUV's and get around quicker too. . Great bite, great wear characteristics and if you get the upper end high performance tires they ride nice and are fairly quiet (for snow tires) on bare pavement. If you go to Tirerack.com they have all sorts of user ratings and official tests on most of their tires. It's a great resource and they are superb to buy from.

H9

I'm a believer in Blizzaks. Pretty much if a car doesn't have have them installed it shouldn't be on the roads in winter. Last winter while icy I saw a lot of trucks and cars blown off the side of the road by the wind. My light little 2000 pound vehicle had no problem. People were having major hard times before I noticed it was slippery.

strider

polrbehr wrote: »

Can't complain about BFG, at all.

I have the factory set of LongTrail T/A tires on my '04 Frontier 4WD pickup, and they have 82k+ miles on them, and I can probably get another winter out of them if I had to (they passed NYS Inspection in May).

Only bad thing, BFG stopped mfr. of the exact size and style that fits this truck, so I will be looking at another brand as well when the time comes

Oh yeah, they ran about $130 apiece installed when they were available.

There are a couple new types of Long Trails that should work, though. Look for the Long Trail Tour T/A, pretty sure they have ones to fit the Frontier. Everyone I've out sold those to have been happy.

bobman1235

I don't know that I could ever say I like one brand over another, because I've had such wildly varying experiences within a brand. My Subaru came with Michelins, and they were fine on dry roads but horrible on anything remotely wet. But I swapped them out for some MIchelin all-seasons which do a great job (as much as all-seasons can do). I've had similar experiences with brands like Goodyear and Bridgestone, where one car had one type on it and it was horrible, but then I later had another car with a different type of the same brand and it was great. It's so dependent on car that I just don't think you can judge that much. Maybe someone like JStas who burns through so many tires and can thus really try out a BUNCH on the same platform can, but going through a set of tires every 2-3 years I certainly can't.

audiobliss

Dad just recently had the rear tires on my Mazda3 replaced with Nexxen N3000 I believe they are. Absolutely the crappiest tire I've ever had the great misfortune of driving on. One of the (few) perks of the Mazda3 is its fairly good handling - these tires KILLED that. Like, full out, kill you 'til you're dead killed it. There is so much roll from I guess sidewall flex it's unbelievable. I can play with the steering wheel at any speed above even 25mph and feel the rear end giving the perception of 'skating around' because of the tires' soft sidewalls. Taking a turn on the highway at about 75mph (in probably a 65mph zone or so) I hit a few bumps and really had to focus on constantly adjusting the steering input for a second or two to keep it in my lane.

I cannot wait for them to wear out so I can get something decent again. Like the Coopers I still have on the front.

Now, for full disclosure, my friend is running a set of their performance tires (Nexxen N5000?) on his '88 TBird and has nothing but praise for them.

Willow

I have more time now to update my input:

So, the OEM Bridgestone Dueler HTs as mentioned are pure garbage. Loud and we went through them very fast (they came on our Nissan Xtrail). They would lose traction on a spit ball! (215/65/16)

We bought Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow, they have been on the Xtrail for 3 years and they still look new and the hug the pavement like grand-ma hugs you after not seeing you for a long time! (like glue) We have never been stuck nor have we ever lost control during the crappy winters up here.

The Duelers needed to be replaced so on went Yoko Avid (can't remember the style). Smooth drive, still a bit on the noisy side (could also be just a down fall of this SUV (the noise that is)) Very good on wet/Dry roads. They were installed in Sept so no idea as to the wear on them.

We recently bought a Mazda3GT as a weekend/2nd car(bought at end of Sept and we only put 500kms on it to date) . It was used and came with the previously mentioned Falken tires 205/55/17. I can't even tell we are rolling they are quiet. So far they stick to the road and we have not had a chance to test them in the rain. Nor have we had a chance to form an opinion on wear. As mentioned we are in the process of looking for winter tires for it and some steelies as well. We don't need anyting as aggressive as our Scorpions ice and snow but don't want Walmart tires either...so the search goes on..
I do remember some of the crappiest tires we ever had were the Firestone on our Civic many, many years ago they lasted about 2 yrs.

Jstas

bobman1235 wrote: »

Maybe someone like JStas who burns through so many tires and can thus really try out a BUNCH on the same platform can

It's not so much burning through tires as it is possesing many vehicles.

The Lightning does eat tires and in 10 years of ownership, it's had 11 sets of tires on it. I attribute the wear problems to weight more than anything.

But I've had 2 Rangers, 2 Taurses, 2 F-150s, 1 Hyundai Excel, 1 Hyundai Accent, 1 Thunderbird, 3 Chevettes, 1 Chevy Nova, 1 Chevy Malibu, 1 Honduh Civic, 3 Mustangs, 1 Probe, 1 Five-Hundred, 1 Chevy Trailblazer, 1 Grand-Am, 1 Dodge Ram 2500, 1 Wrangler and 2 CJ's and 1 unfortunate experience with a Jeep Compass all in my possession at one point or another. They were either owned or a rental I spent a good deal of time with (1-4 month periods while on business travel). That and the fact that I worked either parts counters or a service bay for 12 of the past 15 years of my life. You get experience with things like that when you are around it so much.

NotaSuv

dorokusai wrote: »

I've been a tirerack.com fan for a couple decades. I'm shopping rims/tires for the warthog now. Wranglers are awful.

I have run Goodyear Wranglers MT/R's for years now on my Jeep and they are great off road and run good on highways, at 90 mph they maintain a smooth ride though a bit noisy, must be siped or the handling in wet conditions is fair - scary at best, especially when braking hard.. Using 35 inch MT/R's with kevlar now and they rock.....strongest sidewalls( Dura Wall) of any tire I have wheeled. In 12-24 inches of snow they rock too.....now there are some Goodyear models that I would not use if given for free, I have used many other brands (Iroks,BFG, Mickey Toms, but would tear up the sidewalls in heavy off road use. Havent owned anything but Jeeps for the past 12 years so quite unfamiliar with car tires.

exalted512

I like my Michelin LTXs. They're not the grippiest tire in the world...but it doesnt snow here and it doesnt rain all that much. They seem to last forever.

Its been my limited experience that when I bought cheaper tires, they weren't as quiet, ride wasnt as smooth, and they didnt last as long as my michelins. I'll pay the extra money for the quieter, more comfortable ride...and they last longer so I'm not having to buy tires as much anyway.
-Cody

schutz2106

Michelin..

ohskigod

I'm currently on the hunt for summer performance tires for the Mustang. I got GT500 rims as I wanted to put wider rubber on, but the choices are dizzying, especially as neurotic as I am demanding the most for my money.

cristo

ohskigod wrote: »

I'm currently on the hunt for summer performance tires for the Mustang. I got GT500 rims as I wanted to put wider rubber on, but the choices are dizzying, especially as neurotic as I am demanding the most for my money.

What size tires and how important are dry grip, wet grip, and treadwear?

AudioGenics

I like the American Tire Companies like Cooper Tires

mole'

i have always been a big Falken fan.

have them on all of my cars but the BMW. think it has Dunlops all weather tires on it

mdaudioguy

strider wrote: »

There are a couple new types of Long Trails that should work, though. Look for the Long Trail Tour T/A, pretty sure they have ones to fit the Frontier. Everyone I've out sold those to have been happy.

My 99 Suburban has only ever had Long Trails on it. I've been very happy with them. For my cars (most recently on my now departed 06 Galant and my wife's 05 S40) I've recently had good luck with the Bridgestone Potenza G019. I think they're sold only through Sears. They've been a good balance of performance, wear, and price. I've also been partial to Yokohama tires. I don't know why - just had good experiences with them a few times. Just my 2 cents.

shack

On my Mustang where I want a better performing tire...Continental Extreme Contact DWS.

On almost every other car the Kumho Ecsta ASX.

Tried some Fuzions...hated them...went back to Kumhos.

mrbigbluelight

Michelin XLT's (not LTX's) on an F150.

Put them on at about 35K, have about 130K on the truck now. The truck was DIW for 2 years, sitting in a garage; never went flat, belts never separated, never lost dry-rotted.
Quiet on the highway, good traction in the snow, so-so on ice (but what isn't ?).
A lot of tread still left.

Not sure if the LTX is the new XLT, but if they are, I imagine they're a great tire.

cnh

Sounds like an episode of the Tappet Brothers? Tires....It looks like you guys really wear out a LOT of them. I can count the number times of I've bought tires on one, maybe two hands. It would take me another half-century to sample all the options listed above. I just buy something 'safe' if I can.

But it is interesting to glean all this expertise in this area.

cnh

Gadabout

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Bottom line though is that you can't really say brand x is bad based on your experience with even a few tires, everything is tire specific.

Perhaps....

There are brands I won't run, but this is based on their quality system and manufacturing process. Sometimes it might even be based on how they have treated their employees. (I spend a lot of time, in different tire companies plants, for work.)

I only have one car but replace tires about every 2 to 2.5 years, so I some of my opinion is based on ride and wet performance as I have experienced them. The one thing I hate in tires is excessive road noise, but that is because I spend most of my time on the highways. I guess if I spent more time off road, I would allow a little more road noise as a compromise for off road traction and clearing mud from the tread.

I'm running Michelin Latitude's now. On the previous vehicle (Jeep) I was running Michelin LTX's

Scott

Willow

mole' wrote: »

i have always been a big Falken fan.

have them on all of my cars but the BMW. think it has Dunlops all weather tires on it

Which ones are you riding on? Like I said I really like the ones on our mazda3

HB27

Ricardo wrote: »

Nice thread for 5:54 AM.

I usually buy Michelin. I wonder why it is not in your lists.

I was 19, my mom's car needed new tires and I got the task of buying them. I got a nice pair of Dunlops for what she thought was too much.
Next day I was going probably 70 MPH and one of them just blew. I missed a semi for maybe an inch. Of course my mom though that I had done something wrong.
Needless to say, I will never buy Dunlop again

I bought a new set of Dunlops for my Supra and had one blow out the first week and another on the same side broke a belt. Never again for me.

The best tire I've ever bought was a set of Uniroyal XLS for my Park Avenue. Same tires the Indiana State Police used. Best handling and traction tire in any weather I've ever used. I sold the car with approx 60k on the tires and they still rode and looked good.

The last two sets I've recently bought are the Tire Barn "house brand" generic Bridgestones. My Nissan pick up has a set with 57K on them and they're still in great shape. Never the first problem with them.
I just bought a set for my mom's 2005 Buick Century about 3 weeks ago. They've done well especially for the money. I like the fact they don't seem to lose air. I check them regularly and have only had to add air in the coldest of weather.

Let me add in here...My mom's last set of tires came from WalMart and they were Uniroyals. Less than 35K on them and they were shot. Very soft compound tires and wore very quick. One blew out on the interstate and two had belts coming apart in them. Horrible tires. I was told by the service manager at WalMart they were made for WalMart by Uniroyal. Even under warranty they wanted more than I bought the Tire Barn Generics

gwh

(I spend a lot of time, in different tire companies plants, for work.)

Been to the GY plant in Lawton?

That's where I've been employed the past 22 years.

ohskigod

cristo wrote: »

What size tires and how important are dry grip, wet grip, and treadwear?

I find the size I want varies by availability of the tire, I narrowed it down to 2 options.

255 45/18 front and 285 40/18 rear (normal size for the gt500)
or

275 40/18 all around (if I were to get the Nitto NT05 like I was considering)

Dry grip is key, this car rarely if ever sees rain and stays garaged in the winter, so snow = **** no. it's a pleasure car that sees 4000 miles a year tops so treadwear is not terribly important.

jflail2

Continental ContiproContacts came stock on my Audi, and I've been sticking with those ever since. I've not had any issues with them being excessively loud or wearing out quickly, and the car seems to handle well with them, so I'm pleased. That and they don't break the bank either.

indyhawg

Over the past few years, I have become sold on Michelin. My 4Runner came with them and am satisfied. We ran Michelins also on our Accord until a couple of years ago when we switched to Firestones which were about 40 dollars cheaper per tire. I could not justify spending that much more since the Accord is now our secondary vehicle. I am satisfied with the Firestones. I also had Firestones on a Ranger I had until I switched to some Goodyears I purchased from Wal-Mart. They were terrible. I will not buy tires from Wally World ever again. I have bought too many tires over the years and a few of the generic knockoffs I have purchased have performed just as well as any of the big names. I also like using Tire Barn for tires. Their prices are little lower and the service there is great. Here are the brands I like and dislike:

Like:
Michelin
Uniroyal
Firestone

Dislike:
Dunlop
Goodyear
BF Goodrich

Gadabout

gwh wrote: »

Been to the GY plant in Lawton?

That's where I've been employed the past 22 years.

Just finished a 3 day stint there this week.

Scott

dorokusai

I've been liking these Dunlop SP Sport Signatures so far on the Audi. The turn-in is nice, ride is tight, tracking is perfect and the road noise reduction over the Pirelli P6 is immediately noticeable. Granted, they were down to the bars but I've never had a pair of Pirelli's that impressed nor did anything special.

I'm due for rubber on the Avalanche as well and have been pretty sold on the Yokohama Parada series in a 305/45-22. I may ditch that whole idea and run back to some stock GM chrome rims for the winter....and I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep this pig. Always on the lookout for a good deal on a Z71 edition, so who knows.

gelinas

I upgraded to BF Goodrich all terrains on my tacoma. I think they are the best looking truck/suv tire out there (not including mud-terrains).

I've had them over a year and love them. They are showing almost no wear and do great in wet weather. I have never hydroplaned. When we had the blizzard this year, they got me through anything I wanted to go thru.

If you have a truck or suv they really are the way to go.