Chevy Cobalts and tires....

[JTK]

Basically just a rant.. but why o why do the manufacturers INSIST on this bigger is better thing with respect to wheels/tires on low end cars?!? Case in point; The stock Continentals are well worn on my 2007 Cobalt at a measly 25Kmi. They are pretty bad in the snow at this point. Stock size is 195/60R15. I call my guy at the local Cooper tire shop I've been going to for years. The least expensive Cooper he's got in this size is the CS4 Touring H/V at $102/ea. Almost $450 out the door for new skins on a bottom of the barrel Cobalt for crying out loud... and mid-range tires at that! (I didn't get'em yet)

Joel

 

[addyguy]

I agree 100% with what you are saying! Manufacturers are giving even the 'lowliest' cars low profile 60-series tires, when they could use 70 or 75 series, and save owners tons of money!

Thats why I like my 2002 Cavalier - P195-70-R14's...cheap!

 

[JTK]

No doubt. Obviously I didn't give this a thought upon purchase. Just assumed they were 14" or 70 series. I gotta find a cheaper route for this car..

Joel

 

[Nyquist]

I'm not sure why they do that either, but I know my fiance loves the way the car feels with those as opposed to her old ride that had 14" tires.

Anyway, if you can find a good shop with Goodyears they have some rebates out for those now. If I had to buy tires tomorrow, I would buy these: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...re1=yes&place=7

They seem reasonable with the rebate and how much mileage you can get out of them. I'll easily hit 60 or 70,000 miles on mine when they are worn out. I may swap them off during winter next year in favor of the Blizzak WS-60s though.

 

[addyguy]

Wal-Mart may have a cheap house brand tire that will ge the job done...in Canada, at least, their house brand tires are pretty decent quality...

 

[HTSS_TR]

I had Yokohama AVID Touring on '94 Lexus LS400 a while ago, it has very good ride and very quiet. The new AVID Touring-S seems to improve a little and Tirerack has your size at only $57/ea, which is not too bad for 60-series tire. For few dollars more you can get General Altimax HP at $60/ea and it is speed rated H.

 

[oilboy123]

Costco or Discount?

 

[The Critic]

Costco should stock the Michelin X-Radial in your size. With the $70 off special right now, you can be out-the-door (including tax and install) for under $400. It's a great tire as well, rated #2 by CR.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JTK
I call my guy at the local Cooper tire shop I've been going to for years. The least expensive Cooper he's got in this size is the CS4 Touring H/V at $102/ea.

Find another shop or shop on-line. You can get decent tires in that size for around $60/piece. Even less if you're willing to go with a less known brand.

Also 195/60/15 isn't really considered big nowadays. Most economy cars use something similar.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JTK
I call my guy at the local Cooper tire shop I've been going to for years. The least expensive Cooper he's got in this size is the CS4 Touring H/V at $102/ea.

Find another shop or shop on-line. You can get decent tires in that size for around $60/piece. Even less if you're willing to go with a less known brand.

Also 195/60/15 isn't really considered big nowadays. Most economy cars use something similar.

Pep Boys quoted me $327 out-the-door for 4 Definity EX600 tires (75k warranty), installed, including tax, lifetime balancing and road hazard.

I agree that 195/60-15 isn't a large size these days. My '96 Saturn came with 185/65-15 tires from the factory, and that was 13 years ago!

 

[sciphi]

Shop online. Great deals to be had, even with installation.

 

[drivewaytech]

Discount Tire hooked me up with Yokohama 16's for $65 a tire. Darn nice riding and handling tires. I went online and looked at their cheapest 30k mile house brand tire and called them to set up an appointment. Sure as the sun will come up tomorrow, the salesman pitched an unadvertised upsale to me which turned out to be the 70k mile Yokohama's for 8 dollars more a tire. I was all over that deal.

 

[rpn453]

Are you basing this complaint on pricing tires at only one tire shop? 195/60R15 is not a large tire, nor can it be considered a performance tire by any stretch of the imagination. It's an economy tire size. Tirerack has sixteen different 195/60R15 tires available for under $60, and the cheapest one is $46. They only have ten options under $60 in 195/70R14, and the cheapest one is $49. For tires that are available in both sizes, most are within a dollar or two of each other, and the 195/70R14 is often more expensive. There are 63 options in the 15" size, and only 24 in the 14" size. You should be complaining about tire availability at the one shop you went to, not your tire size.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
... Tirerack has sixteen different 195/60R15 tires available for under $60..

...You should be complaining about tire availability at the one shop you went to, not your tire size.


Umm? Yeah....

I never said these tires were ricer boy huge, I just feel they are totally unnecessary for a $12K econo car. Add shipping to that "under $60" figure, mounting and balancing and you're at $100/tire anyway.

Joel

 

[Quattro Pete]

But it looks like at the shop you checked, that $100 didn't even include install.

Shipping from TR is usually about $10/tire. Add another $16/tire for mount&balance. That's about $344 total, so about $100 less than what you were quoted. And that's for pretty decent tires.

As for the 15" sizes... well, cars are bigger and heavier nowadays; therefore, they require larger brakes in order to effectively stop that larger mass. That Cobalt weighs 3200 lbs. By comparison, a 1990 Cavalier (with 13" rims) weighed 2500 lbs.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
But it looks like at the shop you checked, that $100 didn't even include install.


That $102/tire included everything but tax.

Joel

 

[rpn453]

Well, tell us what tire size you would specify for this car if it were your decision. 155/80R13s are a little bit cheaper, but only by about $10 a tire, and they'd have to shrink your brakes to accommodate those.

195/60R15 is a pretty good compromise of handling, ride, cost, and fuel economy, IMO.

 

[rpn453]

I'll add that $400+tax doesn't sound that bad to me for a good brand-name H-rated tire.

Do they sell Cooper Cobras? They're probably a little cheaper and I have nothing but good things to say about the set that I had. They were quite good in the snow for an all-season tire. Only a T-rated tire though.

 

[mrsilv04]

Stop whining....

My niece's 2000 Grand Am 4 door 4 cylinder came factory with 50 series tires.

 

[Ken2]

Originally Posted By: JTK
I call my guy at the local Cooper tire shop I've been going to for years. The least expensive Cooper he's got in this size is the CS4 Touring H/V at $102/ea.
Is this the cheapest tire he can get, or just what he had in stock?

Always ask, "what is the lowest price you can sell me that tire," when tire shopping. Many shops will dicker on price. They always want to include their extra cost warranty...I nod my head, then decline that extra warranty when we've got a price for the tire determined. Discount Tire/America's Tire has been good to me for prices after I ask for their lowest price and service.