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Selecting Tires

7K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  Pat Currie 
#1 ·
Maybe I am crazy but I will research any purchase I make that is over a $100. Currently I am researching tires for my 2014 Impala LTZ 2LZ.

I am not recommending you purchase your tires from any merchant over any other but I am offering one of the tools I use in my decision making process.

TireRack.com has a performance chart that compares tires of like category from different manufactures. It rates Dry traction, wet traction, light snow traction, comfort, treadwear, etc.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS

Hope this might help some of you in your decision making process.

BTW, I hope this thread is in the right place.
 

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#2 ·
Yep, never hurts to shop around. Had been running 17 inch uniroyal tiger paw touring on our 2012 lt, 2 sets no complaints. Ordered a 3rd set from walmart a couple weeks ago, $90 a tire. Unfortunately after the expected arrival date walmart canceled my order. Said I could re order the same tires to a different location, which made no sense at all. Instead checked sams club and found a set of pirelli four season p4's normally $126 at sams, with an $80 instant savings. Bought the tire package and got another $15 off making the tires $90 a piece. Was a total of $140 off, $471 out the door with roadhazards and life of the tire rotation and balancing. And sam's had the job done in less than 45 minutes, they were done with our car before I made it through the store.
 
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#4 ·
Fwiw, tire rack shows the p4 plus at $143 a tire or $571 a set not counting tax. Confirms the sams price is a great price for the same tire when I can be out the door for 100 bucks less for them mounted with tax and all. Looks like the tires are a perfect fit for this area as well since winter snow is limited in west TN https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surv...ratio=55&diameter=17&tireSearch=true&filter=y. Now if my wife can just avoid the freaking potholes that are everywhere in this part of the world.
 
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#5 ·
Tire Rack's rating charts for the various tire categories always provide a great starting point when shopping for new tires, and I always refer to them myself. The rankings are determined by the overall ratings of buyers of each tire. If most people are pleased with some aspect - mileage, ride quality, etc - a tire will score well in that category.

But each of those tire category charts should be considered only a starting point. Since the rankings are derived entirely from owner opinions, many of which are offered in comparison to whatever factory rubber was delivered on the vehicle, those rankings are not always supported by instrumented testing. Fortunately, Tire Rack maintains its own test track and also publishes in-depth comparison tests by people who do tires for a living. I make my final buying decisions based on those, whenever possible.


 
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#7 ·
The truth is over $100 of a 4-tire package goes into costs such as balancing, installation, valve stem, disposal, tax, and fees that are not paying for the rubber.
For example by the time the tires are on my car if I've spent $500 then roughly only around 360-380 of that $500 pays for the rubber of the tire.
The other $120-$140 of that $500 pays for the "fee" (mounting/balancing/installation/valve stem/disposal/tax)...
And it is that "fee" I wish to incur as little as possible, so to me it is important to select the proper tire.
It is for this reason that cheap tires are not worth it...

If as in the above example I've spent $500 and I get 20,000 (this is just an example) miles out of those tires...
Or I opt instead to get 1/2 price tires that I only get 10,000 miles out of, why am I not getting a deal, because of that $120-$140 cost they charge us to peel the old rubber and put the new rubber on the rims of the car!
For this example I am going to take the average of that 360-380 so make it $370 tires...
And lets say instead of those $370 tires I got 4 tires for $175...
And now we have to add on to that the "cost" of $120 (for mounting/balancing/installation/valve stem/disposal/tax)...
Times TWO (since we're going to cover 20k miles either way)...
$350 + $240 = $590!

I will have spent $590 to have cheap 10k mile tires put on my car twice versus simply having spent $500 once and gotten the same miles out of them...
Not to mention having to spend the two extra hours in that waiting room...

Hope that made sense.

A few more helpful tips is to learn the category, such as Passenger, Light Truck, and performance.
Then there exist variations within each category, generally speaking the more we spend the better the tire but here again, what is "good" for you?
Do you want performance, long lasting, noise, handling?
Which of these factors are most and least important to you?

That having been said I normally won't buy a tire that has any of those review colors yellow, even if (to me) it's in the least important category.
All green only, and preferably dark green.

Don't be afraid to visually inspect your tires about every 5k miles either.
 
#10 ·
If you guys are spending over $100 for mounting, balancing, tire disposal, road hazard etc. then you are going to the wrong places.

For cars Sams Club charges $15 per tire and that includes lifetime balancing, lifetime flat repairs, lifetime rotations, road hazard, new valve stems, TPMS reset, 3 years of 24 hour emergency roadside assistance and tire disposal.

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/tire-...MIvujF6-vL4QIVhkSGCh3WuAfPEAAYASAAEgIQHPD_BwE
 
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#13 ·
Let me beat on this dead horse just a little more!

On Friday I bought a set of BF Goodrich G-Force Comp 2 A/S tires and had them mounted. I really do like the aggressive appearance of the tread pattern but the ride quality WOW, compared to the Goodyear Eagle RSA's that were on the car is leaps and bounds better. Now granted, the Goodyears were almost at the end of their life expectancy and the BFG's are new but the ride is not near as harsh while feeling just as responsive and agile. Already put a 247 mile trip in the interstate in the books with the new tires and I cannot tell you how pleased I am.

The deal I got on the tires also made it even sweeter. I will just say that I managed to get them cheaper than any advertised price I can find.

Another plus to these tires over the Goodyears is that the sidewall shape will not allow you to "curb" your rim if you happen to brush against a curb going slow (speeds and angles may yield different results).

I will post pics tomorrow after I get the tires and wheels cleaned up.
 

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#19 ·
I will post pics tomorrow after I get the tires and wheels cleaned up.
As promised......

Check out the tread pattern and how aggressive that looks!
Also, if you can see the sidewall has a little pocket that protrudes out past the edge of the rim about 1/8 of an inch. This is what I was talking about the "curb" protection for the rims.
 

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#17 ·
I'm a little conflicted on the airless tires, but if they keep the ride nice and they can make them look a little better, I think it would be a good thing. I mean tire blowouts are kind of rare, but it *would* be nice not to have to worry about tire pressure at all and/or getting a flat and being stranded (especially since a lot of newer cars no longer come with spare tires at all - such as my 2018 Challenger - just a tire-sealing compressor). ANd if we can elimitate high-speed tire-blowouts, which can easily casue death, I guess why wouldn't we.

Will be interesting to see how this progresses - but I have a feeling it will be a common thing eventually - assumign they can keep the price in check.
 
#18 ·
I'm a little conflicted on the airless tires, but if they keep the ride nice and they can make them look a little better, I think it would be a good thing.
I'll admit up front, I haven't driven any airless tires (at least, not since I ditched that bike back in 1966 :) )

Seriously, my one thought is how well the airless tires will hold their shape. With pneumatic tires, the pressurized air combined with the balloon construction ensure that. But how well will the airless tire respond to a hard hit on the curb? Will it spring back right away? Or will it feel like you flat-spotted it? How well will it hold its round-ness? And how well will it hold its balance?

I'm like the princess in the old fairy tale, I can feel that pea under a stack of mattresses when it comes to a tire being out of round or out of balance.

Doug

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#22 ·
I am pretty positive I am going with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+tires. The stock Firestones look like they are getting close to needing replaced.
Sams has the Michelins for $183.99 each plus $70 off of 4 so it should be around $775 for all 4 tires after taxes and install.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Selecting tires is always an interesting time. I used to own and manage a couple dealer service departments and I've helped people select tires thousands of times over the years. Just like most things in life, people have vastly different opinions on things. I've seen one person love a particular tire and another person hate the same tire and neither one is "wrong."
As mentioned earlier, installation costs might be a factor. Not all places that charge more are a bad deal- it depends what you're getting. A cheap shop using old equipment or untrained labor might be cheaper, but balancing with expensive modern balancers results in a better ride. A trained tech would rotate the tire on the rim if the balancer requested a lot of weight correction. I often see weights installed on the wrong part of the wheel or STACKS of weights, sometimes with weight directly opposite from other weights... which means the machine and the person operating it don't understand how it works or how to do it correctly.
Higher treadwear ratings mean the tires last longer, but at a reduction in traction. An Impala on 230 treadwear rated tires will handle SO much better than you'd think is possible for a big car. On 500 rated tires, it won't... but the tires will last a LONG time. When you decide which tires you might want, look at the treadwear rating as a sliding scale- long wear on one end and handling on the other. It may be worth getting softer tires if you like to drive hard or you may want the longest lasting and don't care about taking corners enthusiastically.
For my Impala, the original Firestones were FAR too noisy. I replaced them with Continentals which were nice but didn't last as long as one would expect based on the treadwear rating. The last tires I got were inexpensive Cooper ST Touring tires and they were quieter than the Continentals and seemed to handle every bit as well. Unfortunately the car was totaled recently.
Cheap off-brand tires are rarely worth it. The sidewalls are typically thin and the treadwear ratings seem overestimated- some of those companies aren't looking to build a long lasting reputation. I even got a set of cheap ones for my Camaro, knowing they'll mostly be smoked so I wanted cheap. They won't even install on the wheels! They won't actually seat the bead at all- and the manufacturer AND the retailer won't stand behind it and let me return them.
Reading customer reviews reveals more than just the star rating. Read the lowest reviews and look for common issues. Most negative reviews are people with problems more than problems with tires, but if you see a trend of noise or vibration it can tell you a lot.
In my experience based on a LOT of feedback from customers and my own cars, there are a few tires that you just can't go wrong with.
Cooper CS5- cheap, reasonably durable, quiet.
Michelin MXV4 Primacy- I had a set last 60K on my Lincoln and I'm not a gentle driver.
BFG Comp TA- there are several versions, watch the treadwear ratings when choosing. Always balance and perform well.
Others to consider based on having talked to lots of customers- Sumitomo- cheap performance appearance with all-season and long lasting. Not "really" a performance tire tho. My non-track set for my Camaro are Sumi's... they work, they're cheap, they last.
Hankook Ventus- inexpensive, different versions, watch the treadwear ratings as some versions are sticky/short-lived vs. others

When dealing with 'enthusiasts' who are in-tune with their car as far as noise, handling etc. I've had significant negative feedback on most of the usual off-brands like Achilles and all the other stuff nobody has heard of. Nexen has been terrible but seems to be improving.
 
#24 ·
Well we are going on a trip to Florida next month and I think it's about time to replace the Impalas tires with close to 35,000 miles on the stock Firestone Firehawk tires.
Sams has Goodyear and Pirelli tires on sale for $80 off a set of 4. I was looking at going between these two
Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S Plus - 235/50R18 97V Tire for $180.76 each
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady - 235/50R18 97V Tire for $173.85 each

The price for the Pirellis is the same on tire rack but for the Goodyears, tire rack and discount tire both want about $25 more per tire. Also on tire rack the Goodyear Assurance Weather Ready tires are listed at the top of the grand touring all season tires.


Sams is also having free install on Aug 3rd only so I think I'll go ahead and get the Goodyears on Aug 3rd. Should come out to about $657 after tires, tax, install (includes tire package).
 
#25 · (Edited)
Well I went to Sams today and got the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady tires. Out the door price was $656.94 which is an incredible price. No rebates to mail in also.
I compared prices from Pep Boys, Tire Rack and Discount Tire who all were having sales or rebates as well...


Pep Boys
$100 off instant rebate
Total $992.02
Includes road hazard but rebalancing any tire costs.

Tire Rack
$100 off with Goodyear rebate
Another $100 off if using Goodyear cc
Total $666.92 plus install cost
includes only 2 years road hazard

Discount Tire
$100 off with Goodyear rebate
$50 off if using discount tire cc
Total $789.78
includes only 3 years road hazard


Sams
$80 off 4 and free install
Total $656.94
Includes lifetime road hazard, lifetime balance, lifetime rotation, lifetime flat repair and 3 years of 24 hour roadside assistance.

I forgot I also get about $17 back in reward dollars after buying them at Sams as well.

As you can see, it is hard as hell to best Sam's Club prices. The tire installers at my Sams Club are great too.
 
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#26 ·
Snow tires on 17 inch rims 2014 Impala LT V6

Hello everyone I'm new to this forum. Not sure if I'm doing this right but ... My girlfriend is getting ready to pick up her used 2014 Impala LT w/2LT I believe with the 3.6L V6.
Up here in Ontario we are getting ready for winter. I always puts snows on my cars.
So her current tires are P235/50R18 mounted on 18 inch rims.
Questions:
1) I am looking at putting 17 inch rims on it using P235/55R17 tires. One dealer told me I need to go with P225/55R17 for that rim size. Anyone had any experience with going down to a 17 inch rim ? Apparently for 2014 the bolt pattern has changed so I can't use the rims off the previous 2010 we have.
2) As far as tires I'm a big fan of Bridgestone Blizzaks. I have had my DM-V2s for 7 years now and they have never failed me. We are looking at either the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80 or Michelin X-Ice Xi3. Anyone had experience with either of these models ?

Thanks for your time ... Mario
 
#28 ·
Thanks HandyAndy for your feedback ... I'm leaning towards the WS80. Other than Treadwear most ratings favour the WS80 over the X-ice Xi3. I have found a 17inch OEM Compatible Wheel that should fit and from speaking with one tire shop and looking at a few tire websites that the most compatible tire size to fit the 17 inch wheel and provide overall dimensions to best match to the original P235/50R18 tire should be P235/55R17.
 
#30 ·
Went back to the tire merchant that I bought my tires from last Friday. Had them do a rotation, balance and check the air pressure (just because that is what they do) even though I keep an eye on the pressures.

The guy used his tread gauge and measured the tread depth on all four tires and could not believe I had driven 13,000 miles on these tires. The starting tread depth new is 9/32 and all my tires are showing 8/32 tread remaining. At that rate I might get well over the 45,000 miles that these tires are warrented for (BF Goodrich G-Force Comp2 A/S).

Needless to say I am very happy with my tire choice.
 
#31 ·
Forgot to mention I had the run flats on my 2018 Camaro with 20 inch wheels. They looked great with exaggerated wheels. No inflator kit or spare and there was a lip on each tire to protect the rim. I'm sure they added to a harsher ride. I'm loving my reg 18 inch reg tires with my new Impala.
 
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