I need some opinions on a new tire

[dan_erickson]

Long story short I bought wheels and tires through discount tire last summer and I have been unhappy with these tires. They are 245 45 18 Falken 912 that are suppose to be a sporty all season tire. I failed to do any research on my part before ordering these tires and with 2 alignments, 3 rotations and only 10,000 miles on these tires they are loud and are cupping. All four tires are worn the exact same way. BTW these wheels and tires are on a 2010 Accord Coupe that now only has 25,000 miles on the car.

I called and told them whats up and they offered me Cooper Zeon RS3-A tires as a replacement at a $400 discount so that puts them at $347 for a new set of tires. I think that is pretty darn good on Discount Tires part, but is a new tire that does not really have any long term reviews and I don't want to but another piece of garbage.

Do you think I should go for it?

 

[Smoky14]

Think Michelin

 

[CapriRacer]

And about the alignment.

My experience says that the allowable tolerance for most alignment specs is too wide by half. It needs to be within the inner half of the spec.

Also, any camber more than a degree is problematic.

So look back at your printouts and see what it is.

Oh, and don't take "It can't be adjusted" for an answer. EVERYTHING can be adjusted, but it may take a pate or an eccentric bolt, but no vehicle should ever leave and alignment shop out of spec.

 

[dan_erickson]

I know that Honda Accords generally have negative camber and the front is -.8, that is barley with in spec. The rear is -1.5 and that is also barley with in spec. I even installed adjustable rear camber arms to help with the rear camber because the rear started cupping before the front.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: dan_erickson
I know that Honda Accords generally have negative camber and the front is -.8, that is barley with in spec. The rear is -1.5 and that is also barley with in spec. I even installed adjustable rear camber arms to help with the rear camber because the rear started cupping before the front.


You need to take that car to an alignment shop that will do a good alignment. I don't think you have tire problems, you have alignment problems and it'll chew up your new tires too.
What year Honda is it? Are the suspension components in good shape?

 

[stephen9666]

To the OP-

I recently found out you really have to get in the face of an alignment shop. They'll sometimes only adjust the toe then just say the other settings aren't adjustable. As another member mentioned, that's almost always [censored].

I recently had an alignment done and they did this to me. Later I researched it and found out they were wrong. It would have taken some alignment kits to get the rest in spec, but they didn't even offer that to me. I would have paid extra for the parts and labor had I known.

Long story short:
Figure out what it takes to adjust caster/camber on your vehicle and go into the alignment shop knowing if it will take a parts kit or what. Tell them beforehand that you want all the the settings in spec. You'll have to pay extra if it needs a kit installed, though.

 

[morris]

a guy i know works at a big dealer shop. he says bfg t/a is a very good tire.

 

[dan_erickson]

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Originally Posted By: dan_erickson
I know that Honda Accords generally have negative camber and the front is -.8, that is barley with in spec. The rear is -1.5 and that is also barley with in spec. I even installed adjustable rear camber arms to help with the rear camber because the rear started cupping before the front.


You need to take that car to an alignment shop that will do a good alignment. I don't think you have tire problems, you have alignment problems and it'll chew up your new tires too.
What year Honda is it? Are the suspension components in good shape?


2010 Accord, I now have 25K on the car and the suspension is like new.

 

[dan_erickson]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
To the OP-

I recently found out you really have to get in the face of an alignment shop. They'll sometimes only adjust the toe then just say the other settings aren't adjustable. As another member mentioned, that's almost always [censored].

I recently had an alignment done and they did this to me. Later I researched it and found out they were wrong. It would have taken some alignment kits to get the rest in spec, but they didn't even offer that to me. I would have paid extra for the parts and labor had I known.

Long story short:
Figure out what it takes to adjust caster/camber on your vehicle and go into the alignment shop knowing if it will take a parts kit or what. Tell them beforehand that you want all the the settings in spec. You'll have to pay extra if it needs a kit installed, though.


Yeah I am getting kind of upset with this place as I have told them if you can not make my alignment perfect then tell me what needs to be done to make it perfect and then I'll get some [censored] excuse and leave unhappy with the results.

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

Once you get the alignment issue done, you might consider the new Yokohama YK580, made for Discount. It is an all-season high performance tire. I recently put them on my 06 Mustang GT. My Kumhos had only lasted a little over 20k so Discount gave me an adjustment. I almost went for the high performance all season rated Michelin until I read the reviews. It was surprising how many people reported a significant reduction in gas mileage with the Michelins. I know a high performance tire may have more rolling resistance but many were reporting a 2 to 3 mpg drop.

 

[pakstl]

I have a 1999 Accord with 225xxx miles and it had the same problem. Although my suspension is worn, i wouldn't be surprised if you have the same issue. I went to two different alignment shops and ate a set of tires before finding my way into a competent shop where my toe for each wheel was adjusted dead onto zero degrees and not just "in the range.") After that the problem disappeared. Tire wise, I've been pleased with my Yokohama Avid Envigors. However, they were a bit "mushy" in corners at the door placard 32psi. They are much better at about 45psi(51 max)

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: dan_erickson


2010 Accord, I now have 25K on the car and the suspension is like new.


25k is a significant amount of miles for something to have happened. I have almost 28k on the Prius and I am already having to use camber bolts and aftermarket shims to get the alignment dialed in perfectly.

 

[bourne]

just a thought , cupping usually occurs from lack of rotation or shocks being bad , since u only have 25k on the vehicle , whats the rotation history ? maybe you need to do an accelerated rotation program to keep the tires from getting chewed up too fast ?

 

[NateDN10]

Originally Posted By: bourne
just a thought , cupping usually occurs from lack of rotation or shocks being bad , since u only have 25k on the vehicle , whats the rotation history ? maybe you need to do an accelerated rotation program to keep the tires from getting chewed up too fast ?

OP stated 3 rotations in 10,000 miles.

 

[bourne]

Originally Posted By: NateDN10
Originally Posted By: bourne
just a thought , cupping usually occurs from lack of rotation or shocks being bad , since u only have 25k on the vehicle , whats the rotation history ? maybe you need to do an accelerated rotation program to keep the tires from getting chewed up too fast ?

OP stated 3 rotations in 10,000 miles.


sry missed that , must be the 3 hrs of sleep acting up , my bad.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: dan_erickson


2010 Accord, I now have 25K on the car and the suspension is like new.

A two year old car with 25k on the clock should not be in need of an alignment.

As suggested, you need look into a different brand/model of tire.

Also, Hondas are known for tire noise, so concentrate the search on a quiet tire with a higher tread wear rating, the 912 only has 360 rating.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone
Originally Posted By: dan_erickson


2010 Accord, I now have 25K on the car and the suspension is like new.

A two year old car with 25k on the clock should not be in need of an alignment.

As suggested, you need look into a different brand/model of tire.


It is not uncommon at all for cars to come out of alignment from the factory. But then again, I have also had a lot of shoddy aftermarket alignment jobs as well, so proceed at your own risk.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
It is not uncommon at all for cars to come out of alignment from the factory. But then again, I have also had a lot of shoddy aftermarket alignment jobs as well, so proceed at your own risk.

Yeah, the alignment could be even worse off now that the aftermarket shop monkeyed with it, but doesn't explain the noise issue, which is definetly tire related.

 

[weebl]

The noise issue is both - out of spec alignment caused the tires to wear improperly. Now that they are improperly worn, the tires are loud. Not a problem with the tire coming out of the factory, but a problem caused by the wear.

I have found a place locally I will be going to soon. Found it by googling the good and bad shops in town. A link to a car specific forum post on a bad place had information on good places. And one stood out repeatedly as a good place, not just for that specific car, but other vehicles owned by those members. You could likely do the same for where you live but it may take a bit of searching.

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone
Originally Posted By: dan_erickson


2010 Accord, I now have 25K on the car and the suspension is like new.

A two year old car with 25k on the clock should not be in need of an alignment.........


Nowadays, many cars come with high levels of camber. This makes the car handle well, but isn't good for tire wear. My experience is that anything over 1 degree is prone to developing irregular wear (and that means noise!)

So you need to find an alignment shop that will take out as much camber as they can. The car dealer probably won't do that.