Starfire solarus quick review

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Mar 15, 2013
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I bought a set of Starfire solarus for the new Hyundai. The tires are quiet smooth and hold the road well. They also do well in the wet weather. I'm honestly very impressed with these tires so far. I can't speak to longevity but they are a decent budget option from every metric I have been able to test them in thus far. And they are made in USA.
from what I understand they are made by cooper which I'd assume would make them a decent tire.
 
I find their winter lateral grip to be unimpressive.

Had a AWD rental car with them in the fresh set of them in the back and the nearly worn stock tires up front. Making a turn, the rear end broke loose on me, and I wasn't even going fast in the packed snow.
 
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
I find their winter lateral grip to be unimpressive.

Had a AWD rental car with them in the fresh set of them in the back and the nearly worn stock tires up front. Making a turn, the rear end broke loose on me, and I wasn't even going fast in the packed snow.



That's pretty typical of cheap tires.
 
I just picked up a set of these for my 2019 Ram 1500 classic in 265/70-17. They were $88.43/ea. UTOG says 500 A, B. 50K mile treadwear. I knew they were a Cooper product, but was surprised to see they are made in the US. Once I get them mounted and balanced, all-in I'll be at ~$465.

I bought them to replace the factory Goodyear Wrangler SRAs that have tons of tread left and look good, but have a vibration a re-balance would not resolve and they're getting noisy like they're beginning to feather. I'll hang on to them in case I need one in a pinch.

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I had looked at them in the past and was a bit concerned knowing they are a Cooper brand and seeing that the sipes did not extend down in the tread block more than about 1/3 (solarus A/S). I'm still considering them so glad to learn more of others experience.
 
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
I find their winter lateral grip to be unimpressive.

Had a AWD rental car with them in the fresh set of them in the back and the nearly worn stock tires up front. Making a turn, the rear end broke loose on me, and I wasn't even going fast in the packed snow.



That's pretty typical of cheap tires.
could also be an AWD issue.. New bigger tires in back vs smaller worn ones in front.. if the different is big enough it can cause issues.

If you could picture changing the gearing in one differential slightly.. having different size tires at the 2 ends of the car is similar.
 
I put a new Starfire Solarus in the trunk of the '52 Chevy as a spare (P205/75R14). It was only $38 through Wal-Mart.

The old spare tire was a brand name that I had *never* heard of, it was so old. The brand was "White's".

I wasn't overly impressed with the tread design of the Solarus, I was just looking for a new, cheap tire. The fact that it didn't come from China was a bonus.
 
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.......I wasn't overly impressed with the tread design of the Solarus, I was just looking for a new, cheap tire. The fact that it didn't come from China was a bonus.

There's 3 or 4 different types of Starfire Solarus tires. AS, AP, HT and I think HR.

The APs I have on my truck are a mud+snow supposedly designed for light trucks and SUVs.

I think my usual shop is on to me. He charged me $100 cash to mount and balance them yesterday. Brings the grand total to $485.
 
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I've only put about 150 miles on the new Starfire Solarus APs on the Ram, but WOW what a difference over those OE wranger SRAs. So smooth and quiet. It's amazing how a new set of tires makes such a huge NVH difference.
 
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