best bang for the buck on tires (currently)

J

jrand

Banned
Joined
Jul 27, 2012
Messages
848
Reaction score
7
Location
C
123 go

im looking at sears: goodyear eagle gt with a coupon for $35 off $350 purchase and a $80 rebate with sears card...

possibly another set of riken raptors (michelin off-brand)... they lasted longer than i thought they would. only $89 ea at discount tire.

any better deals?

edit:
ah i just remembered yall prolly wont be any help here.. im talkin stock 16s. blah
ppl w rims: hi-jack at will
 
sounds good

When it comes to tires, ya get what ya pay for!

However, the real cost comes from mounting / balancing / warranty protection

Everyone has gotten in on this game, sell tires cheap then charge like hell for installation and road hazard and taxes.

The tire manufacturers warranty covers wear and maybe road hazards.

The road hazard covers repairs, but hell who can take the tire back to have it repaired when you're out of town????

So I usually go to Walmart or Sams for tires. The have set fees for the package and have nothing more to gain from the transaction.

Look for long mileage tires with a fine tread pattern, you will get a quieter tire with finer tread pattern, forget the special treads, that's just marketing hype. Some off brand tires are actually Goodyear or Michelin, you must check the first two digits of the DOT code, they identify the factory, then look it up. You get you best buy getting off brand tires, same tire, just put in a different mold. But the factory code tells the truth.
 
Discount tire is by far the best deal on tires. With their certificates you can be riding in sidewall back to them and get the tire replaced for little to no cost.
 
I have a hard time buying tools at Sears anymore, I surely wouldn't waste my time and money on tires from them. I would suggest talking to some independent tire shop guys and checking out what they have in stock. Go high treadwear rating or you are just pissing away your money.

A couple years ago I picked up a pair of Fulda 245/50ZR16's for my mustang's rear for @ $70 each on the rim. The had a 320 or so treadwear and hooked like a set of ET streets. I liked them so much I bought a second set and bagged them for when the first pair wore out. For the fronts I always ran 400 treadwear, usually Continentals.

My LS has Uniroyal Tigerpaws on and it handles well with them.

I'm not a big fan of 'performance' tires. I've always been sadly disapointed in how fast they wear out or that they just don't perform well. Goodyears seem to always get hard as rocks and ride like crap, Dunlops wear terribly and don't grip well. Those are two brands I will not buy ever again.

Michelins seem to perform and wear well but are unGodly expensive
 
treadwear ratings

Ratings for treadwear are like this

A base wear rating is always 100

A rating of 200 should wear twice as long as a base rating.

and on and on.

Here's the catch, each manufacturer has its own base rating! There is no uniformity between companies.

I always buy ratings past 600 for long life.

Buy fine patterned treads = quiet tires, more rubber on the road.
 
I have been very happy with my yokohama s-drive tires.

They are very grippy in corners and have decent traction in the rain. They also have a nice tread design and the sidewall comes out and protects the rim from curb rash.

I haven't put very many miles on them yet but they are wearing evenly, i have yet to rotate them. I think off the top of my head they have around 15K miles.

http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Yokohama/S_Drive
 
When i bought the car they had put brand new S.Drives', and about a month ago i "upgraded" to the yk580 from yokohoma. i've been very pleased with both of them.
I was pretty impressed with them when i got the car. Good handling as i played around with the power on the Ls for a while. I had no worries when driving in the rain either, altho it doesnt rain a whole lot here in texas. They did get louder as they wore down however, that was noticable. As far as longevity however they needed replacing around 35k miles.

When i went back to replace them discount offered me the Yk580(Their exclusive tire) for like $10 more a tire. Pretty satisfied with these aswell. Just as reliable and grip well. S.drive's looked a little "Sportier" to me because the sidewall sat flat.
 
Can't go wrong with Michelins or Yokohoma! Temp A, Traction A or B. Treadware 480 or above. Most long haul truckers & loggers swear by both, Yokohoma preferred! JMO.
Wouldn't put Firestone or Bridgestone company tires on a tricycle!
 
Tire rack and other online places tend to be cheaper but not always and there can be issues.
3 weeks ago my sister needed new tires to pass inspection. STS TIRE had some general tires that were $10 cheaper per tire than tirerack. They also included free installation/balancing and tire rotation every 6k. they also checked the alignment for free.

Also note that if you have to replace a tire under manuf warranty you need pay to ship it to tirerack.

as far a specific tire choice on the LS - I'm hitting 45k on my michelin sport a/s plus tires - sides are worn but still handle great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 358 (members: 0, guests: 358)
Back
Top