Car Tires

So, Kelly tires are ok if you're looking for an economy tire? They are. You were dealing with a less than honest shop, it happens just like there are less than honest pilots, A&P's, CFI's and FBO's. All I am saying is, dont trash the tire when it wasnt the tires fault. If I were to go to an airplane broker and tell him I needed an airplane to carry my family of 5 on 1000nm trips and he sells me a PA28-140, its not the airplanes fault...Its mine.
 
Mike Smith said:
General is in the Continental family
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They're also the tire brand I've been most consistently happy with over the years. Excellent quality at a fair price point, in my opinion. I think their Altimax Arctic is one of the best snow tires ever made.

More generally speaking, I have never owned a set of tires that were so bad that I was happy to get rid of them. Even the OE Kumho Solus tires on my Soul Base aren't horrible. They're a bit grippy and haven't worn very well; but I might appreciate that if I didn't have dedicated winter tires. I'll probably replace them with General Altimax RT43s in the spring (or sooner if the current tires don't pass inspection). I've been happy with that model on a number of cars.

Rich
 
Mike Smith said:
So, Kelly tires are ok if you're looking for an economy tire? They are. You were dealing with a less than honest shop, it happens just like there are less than honest pilots, A&P's, CFI's and FBO's. All I am saying is, dont trash the tire when it wasnt the tires fault. If I were to go to an airplane broker and tell him I needed an airplane to carry my family of 5 on 1000nm trips and he sells me a PA28-140, its not the airplanes fault...Its mine.
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Perhaps, but for a AWD car that’s driven hard in all conditions from 90f to -20f, compared to the assurances those tires kinda sucked.
 
RJM62 said:
More generally speaking, I have never owned a set of tires that were so bad that I was happy to get rid of them.
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The initial Goodyears that Ford used to put on new vehicles were that bad. Wear was nearly instant and you couldn’t rotate them fast enough to keep it even. Dead in a year or so.

Of course, Ford has a history of being cheap to the point of killing people with OEM tires, as we all remember from their Firestone SUV fiasco.

Nowadays they’re putting slightly better tires on from the factory after that mess.
 
I prefer to call goodyears by their more recognizable name....WillPops. Not maypops. That indicates that they might last longer than 1 trip.

Around here, trying to sell me a goodyear tire is a fightin' offense. You better be prepared to defend yourself.

I have never had a goodyear tire that could stand up and carry the load it was advertised for. If I was over loading them and under inflating them I could understand. If the road temperature was over 250 degrees I could understand. If I drove on railroad track cross ties with nails sticking out of them I could understand. Seems normal loads with recommended air pressures on a average paved road was too much for them.

Once I won a set of goodyear eagles. During the presentation I told the guy these are the worst tires made. I took them down to another tire store and traded them even for a set of Coopers for my van. (I was hoping to win the cash prize instead of the tires)

Whenever I had to use goodyears on the race cars due to rules, I painted over the good and replaced it with bad.

I would rather go to a junk yard and pull out a mismatched set of tires that has been sitting under a scrap metal pile for 20 years than put on a new set of goodyears.
 
denverpilot said:
The initial Goodyears that Ford used to put on new vehicles were that bad. Wear was nearly instant and you couldn’t rotate them fast enough to keep it even. Dead in a year or so.

Of course, Ford has a history of being cheap to the point of killing people with OEM tires, as we all remember from their Firestone SUV fiasco.

Nowadays they’re putting slightly better tires on from the factory after that mess.
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If you are trying to put the tire design on Ford, you're flat wrong. Ford did not spec that tire. It was also used by General Motors, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru. The reason Ford was so deep in is because the Explorer was not just the best selling SUV, but it was the best selling by a very wide margin. Now, Ford wasn't innocent in that fiasco, but they didn't spec a cheap tire. That was solely and clearly a Firestone problem. I know because I was knee deep in it. I drilled holes in the sidewall of thousands of those tires.
 
I'll bow out now. Sorry I got in a fight at your "need some new tires party" John(said in my best Forrest Gump voice)
 
Zeldman said:
I have never had a goodyear tire that could stand up and carry the load it was advertised for. If I was over loading them and under inflating them I could understand. If the road temperature was over 250 degrees I could understand. If I drove on railroad track cross ties with nails sticking out of them I could understand. Seems normal loads with recommended air pressures on a average paved road was too much for them.

Once I won a set of goodyear eagles. During the presentation I told the guy these are the worst tires made. I took them down to another tire store and traded them even for a set of Coopers for my van. (I was hoping to win the cash prize instead of the tires)
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I have Goodyear Eagles on a VW Jetta I maintain for my mother in law to use. I would have to look when I put them on, but they are holding up well. But then, she isn't taking that car to the track either.
 
I have put only Goodyear Wrangler tires on my truck, for the last 19 years...and they really are only good for about a year.
Unfortunately, I keep getting suckered with the pro-rating for the next set, as it's a significant amount because they never make it even close to rating.
They become roaring, cupping, belt separating, blowing out, wobblers. Honestly, I feel I could contribute my tinnitus to them alone.
This time, I'm running them into the ground, wearing ear plugs (no kidding), and I'll never use them again.
YMMV (literally)
 
Mike Smith said:
If you are trying to put the tire design on Ford, you're flat wrong. Ford did not spec that tire. It was also used by General Motors, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru. The reason Ford was so deep in is because the Explorer was not just the best selling SUV, but it was the best selling by a very wide margin. Now, Ford wasn't innocent in that fiasco, but they didn't spec a cheap tire. That was solely and clearly a Firestone problem. I know because I was knee deep in it. I drilled holes in the sidewall of thousands of those tires.
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They all set the price point they wanted to pay.

That led to Firestone not wanting to push back and say no, not to contracts that big. Lose the bids, all that garbage. The usual unintended consequences thing.

But hey, we used to enjoy the photo we found and hung on the wall of our office where Firestone proudly displayed their ISO 9001 certification on signage out front of the shuttered plant after the lawsuits forced it closed. :)

Yay! Firestone can accurately reproduce a deadly product to maintain a profit margin and prove it with documentation! :)

Super job. Thumbs up. :) ISO certification, baby!

LOL.
 
Mike Smith said:
If you are trying to put the tire design on Ford, you're flat wrong. Ford did not spec that tire. It was also used by General Motors, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru. The reason Ford was so deep in is because the Explorer was not just the best selling SUV, but it was the best selling by a very wide margin. Now, Ford wasn't innocent in that fiasco, but they didn't spec a cheap tire. That was solely and clearly a Firestone problem. I know because I was knee deep in it. I drilled holes in the sidewall of thousands of those tires.
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I doubt that would fix the problem...

Rich
 
denverpilot said:
They all set the price point they wanted to pay.

That led to Firestone not wanting to push back and say no, not to contracts that big. Lose the bids, all that garbage. The usual unintended consequences thing.

But hey, we used to enjoy the photo we found and hung on the wall of our office where Firestone proudly displayed their ISO 9001 certification on signage out front of the shuttered plant after the lawsuits forced it closed. :)

Yay! Firestone can accurately reproduce a deadly product to maintain a profit margin and prove it with documentation! :)

Super job. Thumbs up. :) ISO certification, baby!

LOL.
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I've used Firestone tires in the past. I think their Winterforce is a very decent snow tire, probably on a par with the Hankook Winter iPike RS W419 I've been using for the past two winters and am basically happy with; but half a notch below the General Altimax Arctic, which is my favorite winter tire (although I must say that the Hankooks wear better). I also had Firestone Destination all-season tires on one of my cars and found them decent enough.

The problem is that the Firestone shop I used to deal with tried to con me on an inspection the last time I went there. They told me the car couldn't be passed because it needed about $1,700.00 worth of front end work. I called their bluff, declined their recommendations, and told them to go ahead and give me a failed sticker. Suddenly they decided that the car wasn't that bad after all and passed it. I haven't been back since.

That was how I hooked up with Discount Tire Direct. Then the only challenge was finding a local mechanic to mount and balance the tires who didn't try to tell me that it was the law that they had to change the TPMS sensors every time they so much as glanced at a tire. I actually managed to find two. Of the two, only one guarantees that he won't break the sensor. He's the one I usually use, despite his being about 50 miles away.

Right now my challenge is stretching the life on my current summer tires so they'll pass inspection in October. I don't want to buy new ones until the spring if I can avoid it. I mean, I could hit a deer over the winter. Why tempt fate? But I have a plan. I'll schedule the inspection for October 6th. If the tires fail, I'll tell him to give me a 10-day failed sticker. Then I'll return on the 16th with the car wearing the winter studded tires, which will definitely pass. Problem solved.

Rich
 
Before you bow out @Mike Smith , check this out. I'm sitting in my front porch when my buddy pulls down the driveway with his jet ski behind him. Hops out and says, "I think I have a flat or something on the trailer...Started shaking real bad...but i was close to your house, so I just came on."

Walked to passenger side of the trailer to find this... Pictures don't capture it as well as real life, but she's got something going on.

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That is broken sidewall/tread plys. Hard to say why, the tire looks old and pretty worn. Boat trailer tires don’t typically get over loaded, so I would rule that out. If it were a newer tire I would look for signs of trauma, like running over something big enough to strike the tire hard enough to rupture the ply. But as old as that tire is, I just don’t know. Could be road hazard, could be a crappy old tire.
 
Mike Smith said:
My wife and daughters-in-law have instructions that wheels and fenders cost less than replacing THEM, so never park on the side of the interstate or in risky areas or most anywhere if it is late at night. Ride the rim till you get to someplace safe, I'll fix the damn car.
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This is the advice I give everyone I know and follow myself. I will not put my life at risk changing a tire 4' away from traffic zooming by at 70+ mph, while half of the drivers are messing with their phones. It just isn't worth it.
 
SaltH2OHokie said:
Before you bow out @Mike Smith , check this out. I'm sitting in my front porch when my buddy pulls down the driveway with his jet ski behind him. Hops out and says, "I think I have a flat or something on the trailer...Started shaking real bad...but i was close to your house, so I just came on."

Walked to passenger side of the trailer to find this... Pictures don't capture it as well as real life, but she's got something going on.

View attachment 65065

View attachment 65064

View attachment 65066
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Cheap Chinese Trailer Tire at the end of its life.
 
Mike Smith said:
If you are trying to put the tire design on Ford, you're flat wrong. Ford did not spec that tire. It was also used by General Motors, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru. The reason Ford was so deep in is because the Explorer was not just the best selling SUV, but it was the best selling by a very wide margin. Now, Ford wasn't innocent in that fiasco, but they didn't spec a cheap tire. That was solely and clearly a Firestone problem. I know because I was knee deep in it. I drilled holes in the sidewall of thousands of those tires.
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I am a definitely a Ford guy - hell I gave them 40k last year....But, ford definitely wasn’t without fault...they recommended a stupidly low pressure to counter rough ride and roll stability issues. The other manufacturers recommended the proper pressure as dictated by Firestone and didn’t have these issues.

Keep in mind that the average consumer would run on pressure less than specified by the manufacturer since most cars never see an air pressure gauge outside of oil changes. Made things even worse.

At the end of the day. The tire design sort of sucked and was borderline weak compared to similar tires made by competitors at the time. Ford using too low of a pressure was the needle that broke the camels back.

The Ford Exploder is why tire pressure monitors and roll stability come standard now...Industry failed to do the right thing and the regulation came. The monitors worked out. These days there are a lot less tires exploding..

My f150 pressure is recommended to be 35 psi or something like that. I run 50 psi as that is the best pressure for the loads I put on the tires. Little rougher ride; but I like it that way...it’s a truck.
 
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RJM62 said:
The problem is that the Firestone shop I used to deal with tried to con me on an inspection the last time I went there.
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It’s so weird that you still have real inspections there. We haven’t had those in decades. The politicians swapped real safety inspections for emissions tests in the metro, but not the rest of the State, including my county.

One of those rare times when rural areas didn’t get completely screwed by Denver politics.

Unless something looks like its about to fall off the vehicle or the thing is on fire while rolling or the usual windshield cracks or lights out problems that all cops pull people over for everywhere, nobody cares if your brakes work, or anything else on the car here, at all. The safety inspections were gone long before I was old enough to drive.
 
Finally got a new set of tires on my 2008 Sky this year. I had a bit over 76k on the factory original tires (Goodyear??) and probably could have gone a few thousand more since I still had a good bit of tread left. Definitely not below Lincoln's head. Unfortunately, I noticed the back end breaking a bit when I was taking curves aggressively (with Florida tags even!!). I shopped around a bit and everyone I talked to couldn't believe I got that much use out of them. Apparently the original tires didn't have a good rep.

So, Mike, considering my Sky has pretty much always been hangared (yes, hangared) and I don't really drive aggressively very often, do you think my driving habits made those tires last so long, or was it pure luck that I just happened to get a decent set?

BTW... I now have Michelin Pilot Sports on my Sky. They seem to like the cornering. I have a nice twisty hill on the way to Anymouse Manor.
 
For a peformance sedan, I’m a fan of Michelin Pilots, curently running Pilot Sport AS3+ in Seattle on a 2014 S4. In a warmer climate like Florida I would pick the Pilot Sport 4S.
 
slacktide said:
For a peformance sedan, I’m a fan of Michelin Pilots, curently running Pilot Sport AS3+ in Seattle on a 2014 S4. In a warmer climate like Florida I would pick the Pilot Sport 4S.
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I'm actually in Arkansas now (for the most part), but AS3+ is what I have.
 
Anymouse said:
I'm actually in Arkansas now (for the most part), but AS3+ is what I have.
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They are really excellent, for an all-season. I actually have a spare set of wheels I was planning to mount some summer tires on, but they really are so good that I have not bothered. Only real reason to would be to save the deep tread on the AS+ for winter use.
 
Zeldman said:
I prefer to call goodyears by their more recognizable name....WillPops. Not maypops. That indicates that they might last longer than 1 trip.
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I swear Goodyear must put magnetic steel belts in their tires, the things are the biggest nail magnets I've ever driven on. Three cars I've owned came with Goodyears as OEM, and on each one every tire had to be plugged. Those things get flats like **** attracts flies. OTOH, I've run LOTS of Michelins, and have only had to plug one, very puncture resistant. Also, of all the brands I've tried, Michelin tires seem to be the roundest, and stay round to the wear bars. I hate Hate HATE shimmies and vibration.
 
TireRack.com great source for tires, great way to check brands and performance numbers.
I use them exclusively.
 
My A4 Quattro has BF Goodrich G-Force Pro-Comp-2 All Seasons tires for almost a year now. If you out corner those, you have probably greatly exceeded what should be done on the street. They do break loose if pushed too far with no whine or other noise in a very predictable/smooth fashion. Even with all wheel drive, I have managed to wear the back two down 2-3/32 do to cornering while the fronts are still reading 9/32 (what they start at). I haven't noticed any problems in rain, even inches of standing water and they weren't too bad in the snow, but not sure I would use them on a 2 wheel drive car in snow. Not sure how they would do on ice, probably as horrible as everything else. I went with these because I had put some summer versions on a track car and the thing sticks and they do great in the rain. Not sure how fast they wear out yet. I don't know the exact mileage on these without looking it up, I drive a minimum of 24,000 miles a year and have put just over 10,000 since February.
 
Bill Jennings said:
I've run LOTS of Michelins, and have only had to plug one, very puncture resistant. Also, of all the brands I've tried, Michelin tires seem to be the roundest, and stay round to the wear bars
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A week ago I gave the Michelins on my truck a quick glance. The right front had a nail sticking out of it. Just my luck as I am about to make a 300 mile round trip. I go to the shop were I buy tires, independently owned and the owner also changes the tires. He put his best flunky on it. A few minutes later they came back in and said the nail did not puncture the tire. It was just stuck in the tread.

I do get lucky every now and then.

Whenever I feel a tire get a little vibration, first thing I do is look for mud somewhere on the rim. That usually takes care of the vibration. The Michelin has been the best tire I ever had on a pickup, except for the mud. And I use my truck as a truck, it is not a family sedan.
 
slacktide said:
Why in the world would you buy a snowflake rated snow tire for Florida?
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Running over snowflakes? LOL. :)

ktup-flyer said:
Get BFG Comp 2 A/S's. You'll thank me later
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I’ve always liked the BFG A/T KO2s on trucks.

Discount talked me into Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac’s this time around on the Yukon, and I don’t think they’ll outlast the KO2s that got a true 70,000 miles out of them and still had legal tread depth just barely. They’re loud as hell, too. But they’re going to be close on the wear thing. They’re very hard and aggressive. Which works for my partial country dirt road commute.

BFG does have the occasional problem with Quality Control on balance. Sometimes you get four new ones and one needs an incredible amount of balance weight to make them right. I usually give my Discount guy the hairy eyeball and tell him to go pull another one if I see an enormous weight being reached for by one of his guys. That’s just stupid.

I think the highly touted Michelins on my one-ton truck suck hard, they’ve worn fast and have an awful ride, but it’s a pain to find high mileage warranty tires rated for the high load ratings.
 
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