For safety and comfort reasons I trade OEM tires for better performing after market models within two weeks of obtaining a new vehicle. Some friends and family think I am wasting money and hurting the environment by "throwing away" perfectly good factory tires. I do not see that way at all.
I tend to lease cars for three years. My experience with OEM tires has been very negative: loud, harsh riding, poor dry and wet performance. It seems that many factory tires are designed to simply roll the car off the assembly line, and onto the cargo truck.
I do not want poor performing tires to ruin my three year driving experience, or to fail me in an emergency braking or steering situation. Also, I want to enjoy the driving dynamics the vehicle was engineered to provide. I want three years of quiet, safe and comfy driving. I may end up loosing a couple of mpg's because my car sticks to the road better, but I am willing to give up a little economy for years of peace of mind and enjoyment.
The oem tires I trade-in are not thrown away, they are not taken to a landfill; but rather offered to another consumer at a huge discount. Their getting tires with only a couple hundred miles on them, for a fraction of the cost of a brand new tire. I get tires I want, and they get what they are in the market for. Seems win-win to me.
So, when I am told that i am wasting money, and hurting the environment, I don't agree. I feel like I would be wasting money driving on ill-performing tires that don't let me fully enjoy a car that cost tens of thousands of dollars. What do you think about this.
I tend to lease cars for three years. My experience with OEM tires has been very negative: loud, harsh riding, poor dry and wet performance. It seems that many factory tires are designed to simply roll the car off the assembly line, and onto the cargo truck.
I do not want poor performing tires to ruin my three year driving experience, or to fail me in an emergency braking or steering situation. Also, I want to enjoy the driving dynamics the vehicle was engineered to provide. I want three years of quiet, safe and comfy driving. I may end up loosing a couple of mpg's because my car sticks to the road better, but I am willing to give up a little economy for years of peace of mind and enjoyment.
The oem tires I trade-in are not thrown away, they are not taken to a landfill; but rather offered to another consumer at a huge discount. Their getting tires with only a couple hundred miles on them, for a fraction of the cost of a brand new tire. I get tires I want, and they get what they are in the market for. Seems win-win to me.
So, when I am told that i am wasting money, and hurting the environment, I don't agree. I feel like I would be wasting money driving on ill-performing tires that don't let me fully enjoy a car that cost tens of thousands of dollars. What do you think about this.