Tire question: buy pricier or more often?

> ...Of the major tire brands, we had many problems with
> Firestones,
> Pirellis, and Goodyear - they just always seemed to have problems with
> them,
> no matter what price tire we had. I inherited a 78 Caddy with Goodyear
> tires, and two tires blew out on me because of radial belts flaws which
> caused the outer rubber to separate from the belts and go out-of-round.
---
In '99, I bought 4 Goodyear tires (Integrity brand) and got over 65,000
miles of use from them before one of them went flat. This despite the fact
that my Camry has great trouble staying in alignment for more than a week or
so.

I feel pretty comfortable with this brand. I doubt that cheap tires are a
good bargain.

Mike

On 17 Jun 2005 04:12:16 -0700, Learning Richard , said the following in
rec.autos.driving...

>
>
> Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> > "Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> > > Price has little to do with quality - no matter what the product.
> >
> > Absolutely not true.
> >
> > What IS true is that paying a lot of money for something doesen't guarentee
> > good quality - you still have to do you research.
> >
> > BUT, it is definitely guarenteed that low price buys you low quality
> > for every honestly gotten product.
> >
> > > always buy cheap. The four tires i have on my car right now combined
> > > cost $150 installed. That even includes the damn charge to GIVE them
> > > my old tires.
> > >
> >
> > Without the size you bought such a statement is meaningless.
> >
>
> Unless he has 12 inch tires, that's damn cheap. Size notwithstanding.

Or bought used as the originating troll has admitted to in the past...

--
"If you speed loons would just slow down we wouldn't have a problem.
drive them until the holes get too big for that tire-in-a-can stuff to
work. Then do what I do and go to pep boys and get a set of used
retreads for $50 and repeat."

-- Laura Bush murdered her boyfriend, 11/22/04
http://tinyurl.com/bg9n9

On 17 Jun 2005 10:52:23 -0700, Laura Bush murdered her boy friend ,
spewed forth the following bull**** in rec.autos.driving...

> I drive slow.

Liar!

--

--
"> Have you ever driven a car faster than the legal speed limit?

Yes, but never deliberately. In fact i got a speeding ticket about 5
years ago for doing 41 in a 25. I just about kicked the cops teeth in
cause i was sure he was lying. No way the SL on this wide open
stretch could be 25, i thought."

Pride of America (c.k.a. "Laura Bush murdered her boyfriend"), 10/3/2002
Message-ID: >
http://tinyurl.com/5u4wg

Connecting POA to LBMHB:
See the following: http://tinyurl.com/ahphj

RPS wrote:

> (1) I can buy a pricier model which will last a long
> time, but then I'd have an old tire most of that time.
>
> (2) I can buy a less expensive model but change it more
> frequently, so I'd have a newer tire most of the time.
>
> Which is the better way?
>
> Would you buy a new Lexus every 10-12 years , or a new
> Corolla/Camry every 4-5 years?

You're under the impression a more expensive car will last longer than
a cheaper one, but it doesn't, and in the case of those I'd choose a
Camry over a Lexus since it's almost as good and some Lexus models are
based on the Camry chassis anyway. The Corolla is a completely
different chassis.

As for tires, look for a high treadwear number, at least 500, and a
temperature rating of A or B, never C. The temperature rating
indicates how hot the tire gets in freeway driving, and the cooler it
stays the less its rubber and adhesives age. The cheapest tires have
low treadwear numbers, but so do some of the higher priced performance
tires because they may be made of softer rubber that gives better
traction. By the way dry traction is also rated, from AA down to C,
and so many car tires are rated A or better that there's no reason to
buy anything worse. Personally I change tires every 5 years because
they're damaged not only by heat but also by sunlight and ozone.

On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 19:05:17 -0400, Nate Nagel wrote:

> Bob Flaminio wrote:
>> RPS wrote:
>>
>>>I suppose this can apply to any product but in this case I am thinking
>>>of tires:
>>>
>>>(1) I can buy a pricier model which will last a long time, but then
>>>I'd have an old tire most of that time.
>>>
>>>(2) I can buy a less expensive model but change it more frequently, so
>>>I'd have a newer tire most of the time.
>>>
>>>Which is the better way?
>>
>>
>> Why not both? The tires on my Big Car are expensive, and only last about
>> 8000 miles rear/12000 miles front.
>>
>
> So you spend a lot of money, often. That works!
>
> Reminds me of the old Yokohama A509s I had on my VW GTI... (I think at
> the time they were the next step down from the A008 which was the big
> badass performance tire back then) I wore those suckers out in about 15K
> miles! But they *did* stick... and did surprisingly well in the snow
> for a supposedly summer-only tire (yes, I had snow tires... but I didn't
> realize it could snow in freakin' October in Cleveland!)
>
> nate

Hmmm...Nate with a GTi, huh...I used to work with Nate with a GTi at a
CarQuest store...Hmmmm...

But you have to realize (do you?) that the A509's are a very soft compound
to provide more grip and hence more performance; ironically the grip that
gives you the performance (and USING that performance) causes the tires to
wear more quickly! The GTi is a Kick-Ass car and will handle like a champ;
if you were even halfway through the envelope on perlormance then you'd be
wearing the tires rapidly.

Hmmmm....come to think of it the Nate I know wore his front tires down to
slicks in about 3 months!!! But. we're not in Cleveland...

I can't remember if he hqad the 509's or a different tire, but they wore
down FAST!!! Good thing we got a huge discount!

--
The Relentless Pursuit Of Conception...

On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 01:26:11 -0400, Paul , said the following in
rec.autos.driving...

> On 17 Jun 2005 04:12:16 -0700, Learning Richard , said the following in
> rec.autos.driving...
>
> >
> >
> > Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> > > "Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" > wrote in message
> > > oups.com...
> > > > Price has little to do with quality - no matter what the product.
> > >
> > > Absolutely not true.
> > >
> > > What IS true is that paying a lot of money for something doesen't guarentee
> > > good quality - you still have to do you research.
> > >
> > > BUT, it is definitely guarenteed that low price buys you low quality
> > > for every honestly gotten product.
> > >
> > > > always buy cheap. The four tires i have on my car right now combined
> > > > cost $150 installed. That even includes the damn charge to GIVE them
> > > > my old tires.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Without the size you bought such a statement is meaningless.
> > >
> >
> > Unless he has 12 inch tires, that's damn cheap. Size notwithstanding.
>
> Or bought used as the originating troll has admitted to in the past...

Ooops, need some clairfication. The originating troll is *not* the person
who started this thread by asking about tires. The originating troll is
the idiot who says you can get a (decent) set of tires for $150.00. My
mistake...

--
"> Have you ever driven a car faster than the legal speed limit?

Yes, but never deliberately. In fact i got a speeding ticket about 5
years ago for doing 41 in a 25. I just about kicked the cops teeth in
cause i was sure he was lying. No way the SL on this wide open
stretch could be 25, i thought."

Pride of America (c.k.a. "laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMOCIDE), 10/3/2002
Message-ID: >
http://tinyurl.com/5u4wg

Connecting POA to LBMHB:
See the following: http://tinyurl.com/ahphj

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
>
> RPS wrote:
>
>> (1) I can buy a pricier model which will last a long
>> time, but then I'd have an old tire most of that time.
>>
>> (2) I can buy a less expensive model but change it more
>> frequently, so I'd have a newer tire most of the time.
>>
>> Which is the better way?
>>
>> Would you buy a new Lexus every 10-12 years , or a new
>> Corolla/Camry every 4-5 years?
>
> You're under the impression a more expensive car will last longer than
> a cheaper one, but it doesn't, and in the case of those I'd choose a
> Camry over a Lexus since it's almost as good and some Lexus models are
> based on the Camry chassis anyway. The Corolla is a completely
> different chassis.
>
> As for tires, look for a high treadwear number, at least 500, and a
> temperature rating of A or B, never C. The temperature rating
> indicates how hot the tire gets in freeway driving, and the cooler it
> stays the less its rubber and adhesives age.

The temperature rating is not an indicatio of how hot the tire gets in
freeway driving. It is an indication of how well it resists the heat
generated from high speed driving. An "A" temp rating is best, "B" is next,
and "C" is last.

There are also speed ratings which reflect how well the tire can tolerate
high speeds. Google U.S. uniform tire ratings for a more thorough
explanation.

--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:06:21 -0400, "Daniel J. Stern"
> wrote:

>On Fri, 17 Jun 2005, RPS wrote:
>
>> (1) I can buy a pricier model which will last a long time, but then I'd
>> have an old tire most of that time.
>>
>> (2) I can buy a less expensive model but change it more frequently, so
>> I'd have a newer tire most of the time.
>
>It's more complex than that. Tires that are extremely durable tend to have
>poorer road grip. Tires with better road grip tend to have shorter
>lifespans.
Bingo...
>
>What do you drive, where, how, and in what conditions?

and Bingo...



My 1999 Taurus had OE General Ameri's on it; I assumed they were OK,
but felt the rain traction could be better. General advertises these
as a long-lasting tire; they do have deeper tread than most.

At ~45K I decided the remaining tread was insufficient for another
Ohio Winter (tho still above the wear bars) and replaced them with
Kumho Ecstas, same size. WOW...I have traction now...they are softer
than the originals, and work much better in rain/snow. OK, so I will
have to replace them more often...but I feel safer in the car in the
slop now, too.

Best of all...4 of them for $200 delivered to my door, tirerack.com
I had them mounted and balanced locally for a few bucks..and I'm still
grinnin'.

AT 66K , thinking I will get one or two more winters out of 'em before
I'll need to replace. The safety factor is a big plus, too.

--Don


Don Byrer
Electronics Technician/Friendly but Sarcastic Pilot
FAA Airways Facilites/Tech Ops, RADAR/Data/Comm @ CLE
Amateur Radio KJ5KB
Instrument Pilot Commercial Student
PP-ASEL 30 Jan 2005 "-IA" 25 Mar 2005

Fred > wrote:

> Inexpensive tires doesn't mean its cheap. My Korean tires out
> perform the tires I have that costs 2-4 times more.

By cheap I had meant inexpensive, not poor quality. What is the name of
the Korean brand?

Ernie Sty > wrote:

> My advice: forget about price and longevity, buy on performance.
> If a tire handles better and stops quicker, it may save you from
> having an accident (not to mention handle better and make the
> car more fun to drive.)

Appreciate all the advice. My driving situation is as follows:

(0) I care about safety first, then quiet ride, then smooth ride, and
tread-life the last.

(1) I don't drive to work and can avoid at least some of the worst
weather.

(2) I live near a big city with lots of pot holes.

(3) Not much rain here, but Midwestern snow (3 months/yr?).

(4) Summers can have a few 95 degree days, and during such a spell we
may need to drive 500 miles to visit family.

(5) I don't deliberately speed beyond 70 mph but flow of traffic plus
downhill inclines do cause the speed to touch 80. However, this is on
good highway, not potholed ones near my home.

> Look for performance test ratings (found in a number of
> different magazines such as Consumer Reports) for your climate
> type (for example in a very rainy climate I'd look for the best
> wet-traction tire.)

I found this to be useful, was recommended in the ng:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp