New tires finally!

[Mr Magoo]

Well, I finally got around to replacing my RSA Donuts of Death. I got a screw in one of them decided they weren't even worth patching since I was close to the wear bars. I wound up going with the Altimax HP's. Got them at my local Tire Barn Warehouse for $85.00 a piece installed. I have about 500 miles on them so far and I'm very happy with them so far. They've got a pretty good workout in those miles. Since we have had so much rain lately I have really got to test them out in everything from downpours to ponding roads. I'm extremely pleased with the traction in wet conditions. In dry conditions they handle very nicely and the road noise is not bad either. I am a very conservative driver so they won't see any hard cornering. Too many deer in my path everyday to push the speed limits (I've already hit 3 in the last 3 years). I am very (removed) about vehicle maintenance, so they will get rotated religously. I almost went with the Goodyear Triple Treads until I read enough bad reviews and talked myself out of them.

[06pvibe]

Good for you!! I have had many issues w/Bad*Year, including the RS-A's that came OE on my Mazda3. I have basically vowed to never again let them steal any of my hard earned money w/their lame promises and hype. For me to buy a set of Bad*Year's again, they are going to have to prove to me that they have changed their ways and are worth it.The Generals are a much better buy imo and likely to be safer in the long run. They usually have a good ride, as you've stated too. Since you say you drive conservatively, they should work out well for you. Keep us up-to-date on their progress.

[vibolista]

That's a lot of venison you've collected. I've been pretty lucky so far... especially living where high deer populations are present. Have had plenty of close encounters, but so far not of the 3rd kind. You made a good choice with Altimax HPs. TripleTreds are Ok on the traction front, but they end up pretty noisy pretty quickly.

[lovemyraffe]

I just put on the Altimax HP too. About 1000 miles on them so far and I love them. Good choice.

[Mr Magoo]

I wanted to update this thread since it's been a little over a year since putting these tire on. Well, the results are bad. I'm seriously frustrated and fed up with these tires. What's the problem? NOISE!!! (removed) they are loud. I have never had tires that did this. I have rotated them faithfully, had the car aligned twice, and closely monitored the air pressure. The store employees where I bought them have given me various reasons for why they may be so loud. One reason suggested is that they are unidirectional tires. Another reason suggested is that they are made of a hard compound. All I know is that they are driving me nuts. There is no way I could do a long road trip with them. Opinions?

[keithvibe]

most tires get louder with age as the rubber compound hardens.Other than that I have no advice to give you. sorry

[06pvibe]

In general, I agree w/Keith and have had similar experiences recently w/several sets of tires I put on my Mazda.Tires seem to be a very important aspect of how that car handles in all conditions. The factory tires were.... RS-A's, and at first I wasn't all that disappointed in them, but that was very short-lived. I have expressed my opinion of BadYear's elsewhere in this thread so I won't repeat myself here.My second and third set on that car were Falken 512's and Kumho ASX's, both got favorable, if not stellar reviews. At first they were both great and I thought to myself I have found a good tire for this car. After a short time, Most recently, I installed Continental DWS series tires, first on our Vibe, then a few months later on the Mazda, and I can tell you that after 9000 miles on the Vibe, >5k on the Mazda, I'm/We're still happy with them. Both did receive additional air pressure as the sidewall is kinda' soft. Mazda specs 32/32 for the OE's, but I am running 38F/35R in the Mazda.They are the quietest tire I have had so far... and they still are on the Vibe too. We get great traction in wet, even VERY wet weather, and the one snow we had around here... well, it's the first time since I've lived in Texas that I made it to work on a snowy day. Very little trouble.I had heard/read that the Generals do get pretty noisy as they age a bit, so I'm not too surprised by your post. Many modern tires do this, as Keith eluded to. I know when I was still in the business that Kelly Tire and Rubber (KTR) used to make all the carcasses for General as well as many others.Do me a favor and see if KTR is impressed on the sidewall (usually near the bead) of the tire anywhere. They used to do this, but I don't know if they do it anymore.Also keep in mind that the Vibe is basically a Corolla on steroids and a Corolla is an economy car. They are not known for having the best road isolating insulation. Plus different people react differently to such things. e.g. While road noise might annoy me a bit, it is also not major criteria for when I am tire shopping. I look for traction in all conditions and wear mostly when I'm researching a tire. Third is cost and fourth noise.

[j42.snyder]

Have you tried another set of tires on there to verify that the noise IS the tires? A bad wheel bearing can sound surprisingly similar to a bad tire - and can also get annoyingly loud. They often change in noise as load varies though (a slight turn to the right or left at speed will make the sound change/decrease), where tires usually stay the same.Just an idea to check before assuming the tires are the culprit.John

[jake75]

There are some advantages to the hearing loss in old age. The tires say "can you hear me now? And I answer, "what?"

[Mr Magoo]

Definitely the tires. They have around 27000 miles on them. I'm in the process of trying to buy a 2nd Vibe, so I definitely want to get this figured out.