Shopping for new tires dilemma, size change?

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So, I've been running the Cooper CS5 Ultras on my '07 Honda Fit Sport in the stock 195/55R15 size since the summer of 2015.

I'm at nearly 37k miles and at my last rotation; 35k miles in, it had the remaining original 3 tires (1 is a replacement from road hazard) as down to 5/32s. I drive a lot these days. 40k a year is something I project going forward.

So, that being said even though I've enjoyed the CS5 Ultras what other options do I have?

Given the nature of the somewhat limited selection for the size and considering the price point for a more tread wear focused tire vs more aggressive; "Performance" All-Season Touring type instead of Standard/Grand Touring, I am looking into the possibility of changing to 185/60R15. If I understand correctly this would be a slightly taller tire/reading slower on the speedometer/more narrow footprint (10mm less)

2 things:

1) I have had great results during my experience with DT; who matched the 2015 July sales on their DTD site and would like to use them again. Neither site lists the V rated 195/55R15 of the General RT43, which I can get on Amazon or another site in theory, but my idea was to possibly ask if they could special order this tire if I choose to remain in the OE size and compare a run to the Ultras for treadwear.

2) I don't have to change tire size, but would like feedback from any pros/cons since I have no experience going outside of OE spec.

Here are my options in the alternate size of 185/55R15:

Link for comparing

Continental ControlContact Tour AS (currently too costly at $101)
Yokohama AVID Ascend ($77)
Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

^Those are as far as DT/DTD offer.

Amazon has a few off hand I might consider if I wanted to stay OE size conversely but needed to buy the tires outside of DT/DTD:

Falken Ziex ZE950 (195/55R15)
Kumho Ecsta PA31 (195/55R15)

Any input are welcome. The reason again is because at this rate I'll be going through a replacement set of CS5 Ultras in roughly just over a year at my current rate of driving. So, if changing tire size makes it cost-effective to go upwards of 2 years per set of new tires AND I save money out of pocket up front why not? That's why I want to be sure to hash this out in advance!
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e.g. the Grand Touring CS5s would cost $56 less out of pocket ($14 per tire) and I might get nearly double the life expectancy out of them. Is that what y'all see or what am I missing?
 
*Correction: I noted two alternate sizes as a typo in the link name. The link itself is to 185/60R15; as indicated earlier in the post and I'm past time on editing.
 
I agree with your plan. I would consider the Yokohama AVID Ascend, too. Looking at the ratings its a slightly better tire with a slightly longer tread life warranty, and higher rated for ride comfort and noise. If I was going to drive 40K / year I would want all that. All for just $5 more.
 
IMHO you'd save money by getting the #1 tire from Consumer Reports: the Michelin Defender, which according to them consistently lasts 90k miles, and is warrantied for 90k. If it does last that long, you'd save money in the long term with the Defenders, which DR loves. They would last more than twice as long as your last tires (and are only a little more up front). I'd get them if I drove 40k miles/year. I had two sets on our two cars for 8 years and both sets still look good.
 
I think it makes sense to focus on longer wearing tires if you drive that much, as long as you aren't significantly giving up performance needed for basic safety such as wet braking. I think you should find something that works. I also have had great luck with tire wear on some of the Michelin's that I've had, so they are worth considering. The Defender is a good tire, I have not had that model however. Don't limit yourself to what Discount Tire normally offers, the one near me will order anything I want and price match tirerack.com or anywhere else.
 
I'd stay with the OEM size. The plus 1, being wider, may have clearance problems, lower gas mileage and be worse in snow.

If you go with the plus 1, make sure the rim is actually wide enough to support the tire properly - the tire should have a rim width guide where it will work.
 
How about 195-60-15? More selection, for sure.

Went from 185-60-15 to 195-60-15 at DT on a 2011 Fiesta for that reason.

I dislike those odd sizes with few choices.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
I'd stay with the OEM size. The plus 1, being wider, may have clearance problems, lower gas mileage and be worse in snow.

If you go with the plus 1, make sure the rim is actually wide enough to support the tire properly - the tire should have a rim width guide where it will work.


I think he's considering a narrower tire (195->185) for better/more long-wearing tire choices.

Is your current tire the CS5 Ultra Touring? Looking at the site, the 195/55R15 85V is rated at 640AA, 70,000mi warranty. It doesn't really seem like the tires you listed are that large of an upgrade to warrant changing from the original tire size. If you expect to get just over a year with the current tire, wouldn't a ~800 rated tire only get you a few extra months?

Actually, weird, Cooper's site lists the tire UTQG at 640AA while DTD lists it at 580AA. http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Passenger/CS5-Ultra-Touring.aspx If that's the case, your plan does make more sense.

You're right though, the original sized tire is more expensive than the 185/60. As long as you're aware of the slight speedometer difference, and likely slight handling changes, I wouldn't hesitate to go with a 185/60 that is cheaper and has a longer life.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
I'd stay with the OEM size. The plus 1, being wider, may have clearance problems, lower gas mileage and be worse in snow.

If you go with the plus 1, make sure the rim is actually wide enough to support the tire properly - the tire should have a rim width guide where it will work.
One more vote for OEM size. It just works! And the Honda Fit is a marvelous machine stock, everything works together very well. I wouldn't want to upset its feng shui balance.
 
I went +1 on my 2012 Fit Sport. Used a Pirelli P7 All Season + tire. No clearance issue and it vastly improved the car's performance over the OEM Dunlap's. They show little wear after 12,000 miles.
 
Hey, all thanks for the feedback.

So, I believe the size I'm looking at is Plus 0.

Also, when I purchased the CS5 Ultras the DT/DTD notes a discrepancy. They claim the Ultras have a 70k warranty but my speed rating is noted as 60k on their pages for my OE size 195/55. This was also listed at purchase on the print out. Seems sort of hidden by Cooper the warranty differences
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I'm curious to see if DT would price match and order something else such as on TireRack. That could really open up my options. The reason I consider the CS5 Grand or Yokohama AVID is the better mileage from either and fwiw, the AVID claim eco friendly so perhaps I'd get some MPG gains for $20 total over the Grand.

Lastly, IIRC the AVID are listed at 16pounds. That's up to 4lbs lighter than the Ultras per tire. Not the biggest factor for me. However, the Defender models I've seen do tend to be more out of pocket. That's basically why I'm avoiding the Continentals due to a balance of longer service over the Ultras for less out of pocket/less often.

So, if DT agrees to order/price match a site like TireRack does their installation still cover the life of the tire and any road hazards with warranty purchase?

Thanks!
 
Yes warranty will stay the same if they price match. Don't forget to check prices on their sister site, DTD, Sears, Walmart and Amazon. I think Amazon can track how often you check prices on their site. Then they seem to start dropping the price every day. I recently picked up some Nokian eTyres, 205/55r16s for $45 each. The next day the price dropped by a dollar then yesterday they went up to $75 each. 700 utqg Traction A, Temp A. Should arrive Monday.
 
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda
IMHO you'd save money by getting the #1 tire from Consumer Reports: the Michelin Defender, which according to them consistently lasts 90k miles, and is warrantied for 90k. If it does last that long, you'd save money in the long term with the Defenders, which DR loves. They would last more than twice as long as your last tires (and are only a little more up front). I'd get them if I drove 40k miles/year. I had two sets on our two cars for 8 years and both sets still look good.



There it is. The OP isn't even considering those tires and the "M" word pops up.
 
..and the OP could also be looking at Pirelli P4 and P7 tires that fall into the same top rankings group on CR as the rather overpriced Defender and that also deliver similar treadwear per CR's tests yet are available for about 30% less than the Michelins.
If the OP is doing and will be doing lots of miles, I'd suggest Pirellis.
I'll also note that the minor change in size the OP suggests will have zero impact on the car's handling.
His problem might be in finding a shop that'll do this. No chain shop will while any indie would be more than happy to mount the tires.
I'll confess to a dirty little secret. I replaced the OEM 60 profile Dunlops with 65 profile Pirellis in the same section width, thinking that this would improve compliance on sharp bumps (it has) and would also fill the wheel wells out a little more (they do). Other than the fact that the speedo may now read a little low, there is no downside.
 
DTD is great. DT will price match but still charge sales tax. Tell Discount tire you got the tires at DTD and you get the discounted mount and balance rate. Also after 3 sets of Falkens Im done with them. They wear fast and get noisy and rough when they are getting worn out. I have never even came close to the Mileage. maybe 50-60%
 
The Matrix takes 205/55R16s and DT was more than willing to mount some 195/60R16s on the car that they had in stock. WM will do it only if you bring in the tires/wheels separately. So a bit of a pain there.

The Goodyear Assurance ComfroTred Touring is a very nice tire. Not cheap at about $125/tire. Then deduct off all the rebates to bring the price down quite a bit. That was the nice thing about the Nokians on Amazon, no rebates to deal with.
 
Thanks again for the feedback everyone. I'll be reviewing a lot of the suggestions here by the time I need a new set and will update on how things go at that time.
 
So, just a re-fresh on what I've read or found worth considering since:

A DT employee suggested the Road Hugger GT Eco. However, it's not the rating increase I'm looking for and as it stands the RT43 is cheaper/probably more durable.

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/road-hugger-gt-eco/p/17749

vs

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/general-altimax-rt43/p/28837

Also, I was leaning towards the Yokohama Avid Ascend, but one negative complaint that seems to exist is wet traction. I live in the south and this year has been very wet. I'd hate to try them and have to wait on a replacement set if the wet traction were to be that poor. Anyone have experience on Avid Ascend or notice that trend?

Consumer reports had those complaints. On the other hand, some reviewers on Amazon for the 185/55R16 on 09 Honda Fit Sport indicate great performance.

This leads me to wonder in vehicle handling in of itself is more specific? When it comes to the Cooper CS5; Grand or Ultra, they seem to score very well in wet traction, but slightly worse in tire life expectancy. The Avid Ascend's seem to be as good as their warranty claims; or better.

Amazon listings:

https://www.amazon.com/Yokohama-AVID-Asc...vp_only_reviews

(Amazon has no reviews on the 185/60R15)

https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Grand-Tour...vp_only_reviews
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
..and the OP could also be looking at Pirelli P4 and P7 tires that fall into the same top rankings group on CR as the rather overpriced Defender and that also deliver similar treadwear per CR's tests yet are available for about 30% less than the Michelins.
If the OP is doing and will be doing lots of miles, I'd suggest Pirellis.
I'll also note that the minor change in size the OP suggests will have zero impact on the car's handling.
His problem might be in finding a shop that'll do this. No chain shop will while any indie would be more than happy to mount the tires.
I'll confess to a dirty little secret. I replaced the OEM 60 profile Dunlops with 65 profile Pirellis in the same section width, thinking that this would improve compliance on sharp bumps (it has) and would also fill the wheel wells out a little more (they do). Other than the fact that the speedo may now read a little low, there is no downside.


The Pirelli is IMHO a much better tire than the Michelin, I had the Defender and found it to be an overpriced lower life so so ride quality tire certainly nothing to write home about. The P7+ is one of the best tires I have ever put on a car for everyday driving.
Right now I have General RT43 (dirt cheap through walmart) on one car, P4, P7+ on 2, P Zero on 2 and wouldn't change them. The only other tire that impressed me as much as the Pirelli were a set of very early Vredestein I had on a Lotus Cortina many years ago when radials were not very common.
 
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