Tire tyre advice please

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ex-khobar Andy
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Tire tyre advice please

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

I’m looking for tire (or tyre if you prefer) advice. My wife’s Mini Cooper has a good year if it does 2000 miles. I love driving it - in fact when we bought it used, my first reaction on the test drive was: “Its just like a Mini!” We used to have one in London 40 years ago now. It drives as if it’s on rails and I think that’s partly due to the Michelin ‘Energy’ tyres. I’ve been told we have ‘dry rot’ - I didn’t know that was a thing but if you keep them long enough and don’t do lots of miles they deteriorate with plenty of tread left.

So I went out and got three quotes from local tire places. ( All these are for four 175/65R15, fitted balanced and road hazard warranty.). Yokohama Avid for $826; Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max for $620; or Sumimoto HTR for $590.

I had Sumimotos on my Mazda 30,000 miles ago and found them very noisy. I think from looking at reviews on line that’s a common complaint. I was told that those Michelins (not OEM) are no longer available and the closest now would run me around $990 for a set.

I order I want safety, road feel, quiet and last of all longevity if we keep this as a very low annual mileage vehicle. I might dump the road hazard warranty - for $25 a tyre and 2000 miles a year it’s probably a waste of money.

Any experience of tire rack.com? If I understand correctly they have arrangements with many tire places - you can have them delivered there and just pay the fitting/balancing fee which they are contracted by tire rack to give you. So in theory the local tire place can’t rip you off with excessive fees for fitting them.

Any thoughts?

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Sue U
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Sue U »

I'm certainly no expert, but I did some shopping around and bought new tires for my car last year. Unless you're looking for the cheapest tire made and doing the installation yourself, it seems to me that all in you'll pay pretty much the same price for a particular brand and model of tire no matter where you go if you buy them "on sale" (generally it's buy 3, get one free, with free installation). I ended up getting tires at a Goodyear store, felt the price was reasonable and right in line with what was offered at literally every other tire store in my area (including Costco and BJs).
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BoSoxGal
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by BoSoxGal »

I thought about tire rack the last time I got tires - my mechanic said bring them with you I’ll put them on, and he’s done it for many other customers all who seemed pleased with their online tire purchase experience.

However I ended up getting a comparable deal on a set of tires I was looking at but bought them through the local tire shop and got free rotations for life in the deal so that’s nice.

I will say this last time I really learned the importance of researching the tires - my last set was put on in Montana years ago and at the time I didn’t put any energy into the process, just let the tire shop sell me some tires. They were very durable and lasted a long time, drove well in very poor road conditions so very good all weather - but they were SO LOUD! When I got my newest set the difference was massive, I have a MUCH quieter ride now.

Good luck with your tire shop, I would say just from my mechanic's experience if you can get the deal you want, it’s not a bad route to go.
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Big RR
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Big RR »

I'd say research prices; sometimes using tire rack is best (we got the last tires for my wife's car through them), other times, as Sue and BSG said, you can find a similar deal with a local tire shop, or even a car dealer. If you are researching price, be sure compare the same model of tire, as most companies have many brand names that sound alike.

As for brands, I had Yokohamas a few years ago and liked them a lot, but the price went up as their reputation was enhanced (I now have Hankooks and they are fine).

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Econoline
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Econoline »

Just curious, Andy...if you liked the Michelins you had, why not buy another set of the same?
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Crackpot
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Crackpot »

FYI if you do seldom drive it it becomes one of those rare times that some of those “tire treatment products” actually become a good investment.
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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Joe Guy
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Joe Guy »

I've used tirerack.com for the last three times I've replaced tires. I like it because it includes reviews and ratings and I don't know much about tires other than they are required for my car to move correctly.

I just went to the website and noticed that they're offering 2 years of "Free Road Hazard Protection" and it looks like that's for any tires you buy. I don't recall whether or not I received that when I last bought tires from them. It's been a few years.

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Gob
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Gob »

I run RooBee our campervan for 10 miles, once a week. It saves building up a LOAD of tyre and engine problems.
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Bicycle Bill
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Let's face it, all tires sold in this country have to meet certain standards.  So if a vehicle is going to see so little usage, why spend almost $150 or $200 each on tires just because they say 'Michelin', 'Yokohama', or 'Goodyear' on them?

When I needed to replace tires on the little Camry I was driving a couple of years ago, I went to WallyWorld and mounted a set of Douglas tires.  Ran me about $60 each, plus costs for mounting/balancing/disposal of old tires.  Total cost was still well under $400 for all four, and they ran just fine.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by BoSoxGal »

I spent $100 more total for four tires that were higher end and quieter than I would have for perfectly serviceable in all other regards but causing lots of road noise - which is common in SUV tires.

That $100 was entirely worth it for the improved quality of driving experience - I can hear myself think, hear my podcasts and music instead of hearing the roar of the tires. Given how long tires last and how many hours most folks spend in their cars, it’s my opinion that paying more for a premium tire can be very much worth it for quality of ride over the long term.
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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Econoline wrote:
Wed Apr 20, 2022 7:51 pm
Just curious, Andy...if you liked the Michelins you had, why not buy another set of the same?
In fact that's what I ended up doing. The first three places I went to, at least one of them said that Michelin no longer made that tire so I assumed they knew what they were talking about. Now I think of it, they were a Goodyear shop. On line I found Discount Tire and remembered that they had a local place which I have probably driven by 200x but forgotten. Went there and yes, Michelin still make that tire and I got them all round fitted for $570. So I'm pleased. I didn't bother with the road hazard warranty because at 2000 miles a year it's low probability at $25 each. Thanks for the advice, all.

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datsunaholic
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by datsunaholic »

The last time I didn't get the road hazard warranty... I got a screw through the sidewall in less than a month.
Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

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Econoline
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Econoline »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:58 pm
That $100 was entirely worth it for the improved quality of driving experience - I can hear myself think, hear my podcasts and music instead of hearing the roar of the tires. Given how long tires last and how many hours most folks spend in their cars, it’s my opinion that paying more for a premium tire can be very much worth it for quality of ride over the long term.
True. Spread over 5 years that's $20/year...or less than 6ȼ/day. Spread over 60,000 miles (12,000 mi/yr) it's ȼ/mile. Back when I routinely drove 40-50 thousand miles per year I never skimped on tires.

(Remember: it's not the steering wheel that turns your car, it's the tires; it's not the brake pedal that stops your car, it's the tires; it's not the gas pedal that makes your car go, it's the tires.)

Andy - I have been very, very satisfied with Discount Tire.
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Burning Petard
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Burning Petard »

I think you are asking about the bad effects of time on a tire. That is completely independent of where you bought the tire. It comes from light (mostly UV), and air, (mostly ozone) I have had good luck with bicycle tires that are more than 20 years old and show no sign of cracking or 'dry rot' When the tires were new, I slopped on lots of 'ArmorAll' inside and out. If they were mounted on a wheel, once a year I have wiped the exterior down again, If I take them off a wheel, I put the stuff on the inside again. And I keep the tires away from sunlight (black plastic garbage bags.) Ever notice that owners of expensive RVs have covers over the tires when the vehicle is just sitting? That is the idea, keep them out of the sun as much as possible. For the ozone, some car museums even go to filling the tires with dry nitrogen. Way back in my youth when people had separate snow tires, the good tire shops would wrap the tires in heavy brown paper with a metallic coating on one side when they did the seasonal change-over. Same reason--protect from air and light.

Good luck what ever you get should be better tire life than you got with the original mini 12 inch wheels.

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Long Run
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Re: Tire tyre advice please

Post by Long Run »

Cooper tires? ;)

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