Recommended Tire Brand...

[ragingfish]

So I'm hoping and praying when my Vibe goes in for service tomorrow, they tell me "Oh, you're cruddy tires are shot, we need to put new ones on, what do you want?"So my question is, think fast. If you were asked this question, what brand would you go with?Rather, what brand do people feel has the best balance of reliability, affordability, and quality? (Please do not add Bridgestone/Firestone as an option, I will never buy Firestone tires, under any circumstances ).

[ragingfish]

quote:Remember, there is a 1 year/12,000 mile warranty on the tires. Pro-Rated I think....Might want to ask them.I'm well beyond 14,000 miles. No warranty here.

[ragingfish]

Define pro-rating for me on tires. Never quite understood how that works...

[ragingfish]

Yeah, I never read those things...too much legal babble, hard to understand.

[ragingfish]

True.

[ragingfish]

You people aren't helping me! Everyone has voted for different tires!

[yank dini]

I dont drive in the summer without Nitto's on. They are even better with the springs I got installed on Sat. No Nitto's No Deal!!!

[Triton]

I have always bought Nitto performance tires and I will buy them again when I get bigger rims.

[ragingfish]

Interesting. Never heard of anyone who had them...

[yank dini]

click on thishttp://www.nittotire.comyou can get them at Discount Tire

[joatmon]

I've had good luck with Cooper in the past, but when I wear out the ones that came with the Vibe, I've also had some good Bridgestones, but like you aI don;t want anything to do with them. I'll have to see what's out there and what I can afford.The Continentals that came with seem to be holding up ok for now. I know this is not the case for others. May go with a more agressive thread in the fall. It's been raining so much here the last couple of months that I'm starting to look into flotation mods for the car. Had a real bad drought last summer/fall, and I said it would be a long time before I ever complained about the rain again. It's been a long time ....Sorry for the ramble. What did the dealer say about your tires when you took the Vibe in yesterday?

[Wrx-2-Vibe]

nothing sticks like a pirelli! unfortunlty nothing wears like one either (my REX ruined a set in 7000 miles) but it handeled like it was stuck to the roadAnd for winter the Ice Asimetrico's (sorry my italian sux) were unreal. My subie could get around when my friends SUVs were getting stuck LOL

[yank dini]

7000? WOW. Granted I have had mine for at least 20,000 miles but then again I drive a 4 banga. But 7000 is way too soon. That's only one rotation

[Wrx-2-Vibe]

well they were used for auto-x ing and a few track days. But still I thought they should have lasted longer.After that I began getting cheaper tread (nitto, khumo, and 1 set of yoko's)I luv 4 wheel drifts! hehehehe

[Wrx-2-Vibe]

well they were used for auto-x ing and a few track days. But still I thought they should have lasted longer.I luv 4 wheels drifts! hehehehe

[ragingfish]

quote:Sorry for the ramble. What did the dealer say about your tires when you took the Vibe in yesterday? Well, there are two issues. One tire, front right, had a huge chunk missing from the sidewall. While there were no visible problems or signs of trouble, the dealer said it was too dangerous to allow me to do a 300 mile highway-speed trip on a tire with that much sidewall missing. So he replaced the one tire with another Goodyear Eagle RS-A. He says if I'm considering another brand, I really should replace all four tires, or at the absolutely minimum, 2. But since I can't afford to spring for two tires, let alone four, I let him put back on the same one.He said they are "premium tires" and handle excellently. I said for premium tires, the sure as hell SUCK.I then found out my alignment is totally screwed up, and I'm going to have to have it adjusted as soon as I get back. Takes a half-day to do. He said it should be nothing, unless a part is bent, in which case it could be 2-3 days. GRRR...

[joatmon]

It's good that you got the one tire replaced. Sidewall damage can be dangerous, and a front blowout is bad news. You must be hitting a lot of potholes or something to take chunks out of the rubber and screw up the alignment. The alignment's probably not warranty service, too easy for them to blame it on other things, especially if those Jersey roads are biting off pieces of your tires

[ragingfish]

quote:He under or over estimated a curb.. So basically it was the loose nut behind the wheel. You couldn't have put it better! 'twas me trying to drive home after a 13 hour shift and misjudging a turn in a parking lot...i never bothered to check, it didn't feel like a hard hit, so i wrote it off in my head as nothing...as to the alignment, it is REALLY off...they said it was take a half day because i'm guessing it'll be an hour or two to do, but they said only one guy does it, so i have to work around his schedule...

[ragingfish]

Nah...My parents won't let me...they insist i get service done with this dealer...they give us discounts (allegedly) and are friends of the family...Besides, I know they won't try and scam me for those reasons alone...

[MadBill]

The Tire Rack http://www.tirerack.com has great comparison ratings for wet and dry handling, noise, wear, ride, etc. and also user surveys by car model and year for a wide selection of tires. (you may not be pleased though to hear the Bridgestone Pole Position 03 looked really good in my judgement) There are several others, e.g. Discount Tire, that will have different brands and likely similar rating sites. It takes some time to wade through all the levels, but it's a real education!

[ragingfish]

The car is in their name, the loan is in their name, and they pay insurance and gas, so yeah, I won't argue if they tell me where to get the car fixed...

[yank dini]

quote:Your parents tell you where to take your car? Wow.. I'll shall remain silent

[ragingfish]

They're not doing it happily...It's because I can't afford to do it myself right now...don't worry...I"ll be paying them back in the long run...tis merely an interest-free loan.

[GT_03]

i've owned both sides of the spectrum of Nitto's from NT555 on my truck to the Touring on my old work car, and i have never had a single bad word to say about either. I plan on using either the NT555 or NT450 on my 18's when i get them. Or maybe those new Neo ones.

[EddieandtheVIBE]

I've the conti's on my AWD vibe as well. So far (~12K) they have been holding up. I am, however keeping an eye on them. As for the the winter, i'll be getting winter tires this year.

[JustinVGT]

quote:Wow.. Wish my parents did that for me. I'm glad my parents did not do that for me. I like being able to say I spent my own hard earned money on my Vibe GT. I went out to several dealers when I was 19 and ordered/bought my Vibe all by myself. I have my own loan, pay for all my insurance, gas, taxes, registrations, everything.

[ZedTim]

quote:Wow.. Wish my parents did that for me. I'm glad my parents did not do that for me. I like being able to say I spent my own hard earned money on my Vibe GT. I went out to several dealers when I was 19 and ordered/bought my Vibe all by myself. I have my own loan, pay for all my insurance, gas, taxes, registrations, everything. I did the same thing when I was your age... went out and bought a brand new S10 traded it in for an S10 Extreme then a honda CRV a minivan and now my Vibe.... wouldn't change my choice there.

[pwarren4]

Has anybody here actually worn out a set of Contis yet?If so, how many miles did you get?If not, how any miles have gotten so far?Is it wrong for me to actually like my Contis? They stick good, ride quiet, and are showing no signs of wear at 6500 miles.But, if a tire was showing any wear at 6500 miles I would be disappointed.Maybe I'm just partial to the Conti brand - they used to make the best motorcycle tire on the market, before everyone went to the Jap sport bike sizes

[ragingfish]

quote:I like being able to say I spent my own hard earned money on my Vibe GT. I went out to several dealers when I was 19 and ordered/bought my Vibe all by myself. I have my own loan, pay for all my insurance, gas, taxes, registrations, everything. I really don't have much of a choice! I don't make enough money doing what I do, and I need reliable transportation to get me back and forth to school. I make just enough to pay the monthly payments and have some spending money on the side. Good for you that you don't have to do it like this...but not all of us are that lucky.

[goodvibe]

Falken Ziex ZE-512 if you need an all season in NJ. They just ranked #1 in consumers reports against about 20 other tires regardless of price and were still the cheapest. Buyer testimonials are great. http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?tireb ... x+ZE%2D512 The only complaint you'll find is that they ride too nice for a performance tire. Best price at discount tire direct.

[shibaman]

I ended up with 2 sets of tires and rims. The stock 16" with the contis for rain and the 17" Bridgestones for summer. Some day i will have to decide what to buy when these ware out. The 16" with 225-50-16 or 215-50-17 on the 17" rims. The 17" combo is great for handling but they are 6lbs. / wheel heavier than the 16"s.