Tire shopping

[CourierDriver]

225 by 60/16 tires, with road hazard and chrome valve stems and lifetime rotation,
taxes and out the door, at Sears, were only 428 bucks total. Base price was $76.98 per tire before all the add ons ................for my old lead sled 2005 buick... This was their low end tire.

I used to run Sears tires on my one ton dodge, 10 ply, never a problem

*** So, what tire brands do you all prefer......?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Personally, I am not stuck on any particular brand, but I tend to gravitate toward one of the main manufacturers. Currently running Bridgestone on the 530i and Conti on the C300.

 

[tdpark]

I am a fan of Bridgestone- never had a problem with balancing and had overall good experience. I am also a big fan of the Blizzaks for snow.

 

[Danno]

I would have picked the Michelin Defender for that application and size.

 

[tdpark]

Defenders are priced quite a bit higher.

 

[OVERKILL]

I usually buy Michelin. Unless they aren't available in what I'm looking for (like snow tires for the M5).

I've never had a bad set of Michelin tires.

 

[cwing6]

I've used Michelin, Goodrich, General, Uniroyal.... Never had a complaint with any of them though the Michelins seem to have the least noise and best wet traction. For the price, I think Generals are one of the best values but not the "best" tire.

 

[KitaCam]

check tirerack.com for user reviews

 

[rjundi]

Research the specific tire type.

I have had overpriced trash from Michelin(noisy) and exceptional store brand tires(typically Coopers).

Still not sure what is a great tire. Tirerack reviews are good but look for folks with 15-40k of miles as everyone thinks brand new tires are superior because they have mucked up/worn tire before.

 

[racer12306]

I tend to look at Yokohama tires first, then branch out if my size is not available.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

I've bought lots of Goodyears and Bridgestones. I especially like the Bridgestone Blizzak line of tires but I've had a couple of other performance tires of theirs and liked them as well. My current Goodyear tires on my GP (same 225/60R16 size as yours) are the only ones I would never buy again. I have the Assurance Fuel Max tires (S speed rated I believe) and they were pretty sloppy in the handling department for the first 5-10k miles. They have nearly 50k miles on them now and they are fine. Still have good traction, hyro plane resistance and fuel economy. I bought them for the low rolling resistance but the tread squirm was just too much early on. The currently available model in my size is H speed rated, perhaps those would be better. I've owned at least one set of Michelins and Yokohamas as well. Both were fine. If I need need new tires for this car next spring when the winter tires come off I'd possibly buy the Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires. I no longer buy directional tires however, too many times they become noisy, I like to be able to rotate side to side.

 

[GSCJR]

Michelin

 

[KB2008X]

I always go for the best balance of performance/durability/cost/comfort/availibility for the particular vehicle and tire size.
The most important performance factor for me is wet traction as that is the most common adverse condition we have to deal with around here, excepting road condition.
Durability is treadwear, ability to maintain tire balance, no shifting belts, etc.
Tire noise is the big comfort consideration for me followed closely by ride - not too hard and not too soft is just right.
Availability for the next year or two is very important too, because too often something goes wrong with just one tire, that requires replacement, before the other three are worn out. I try to avoid buying a tire that has been on the market for four or five years, because it is certain to be discontinued soon.
Considering all those factors plus cost tends to lead me to a different brand/model each time.
Some of my best buys have been Dunlop D60 A2 on a 88 Cougar, Falken Ziex ZE-512 on a 00 Grand Marquis, Yokohama Avid TRZ on a 99 Town Car, General Grabber HTS on my Ram, Michelin Hydro Edge on our 04 Town Car and Yokohama Avid TRZ on the S-10.
Tire Rack survey results is an excellent resource, as is the customer reviews at Tire Rack and Discount Tire and Consumer Reports tire reviews figure heavily in my decision, as well.

Happy Hunting

Keith

 

[FoxS]

I do extensive research and always seem to end up with Bridgestone although Michelin is usually right up there.

A few things about tirerack.

1) The reviews with more mileage and for your vehicle are more meaningful.

2) Match your criteria against their individual tests. Eg Conti DWS is ranked number 1 in its category but for somewhere like Florida the snow performance is irrelevant and not worth sacrificing cornering feel for.

3) If you have a BMW 3 series then Tireracks in house tests are even better for your decision making.

4) I think cheaper is often a false economy. Divide cost by warranty mileage and multiply by annual mileage to see what the tire will cost every year. Then consider the performance differences. The best tires vs the cheapest tires will cost you on average $30 extra a year. Some may even save you that in fuel economy.

I always tell myself that for $xx extra a year, when I drive my car that is costing me $xxxx a year, its worth it in terms of comfort, performance and safety to buy the best as I'm going to be enjoying the results for several years.

 

[GMFan]

It's best to buy based on testing results and not on blind brand loyalty. When shopping for tires I look for a reputable brand with good test reviews and a good price.

 

[Ken2]

Get cheap tires only if you can't afford better, or if are a very low mileage driver. They probably won't brake or have emergency handling quite as safe as a better tire, but they're better than bald tires if that's the best you can afford. If I plan on running the tires until they wear out, then get more tires for that car, I'll get better tires.

I trust some Michelins, some Bridgestones and Firestones, had poor results with Goodyear (not round & rough riding), maybe trust some of Continentals newest, maybe Cooper's newest lines.

I agree with KB2008X and FoxS.