bad experience with Conti's?

[Zig in East Orleans]

So, 3 days after i p/u my new ride, it snows. 10 cm. Well, had i read previous posts prior to signing the dotted line, i would've asked for something better for rubber. After 1000km I walked into the dealer yesterday (Marcel Belanger, Orleans) to make my first complaint. These are the worst tires i've ever rolled on. "it's the first i hear of it" says the low paid, Saturday working, youngen. "We'll likeley have to get cooperation between the sales and service departments" (I don't care what he has to do. "It may have to come from the District Service Mgr." So be it. If my life is in danger b/c of GM's (general mistake) error, then it's their problem to fix and i don't care how.I'm interested in knowing anyone else's experience and how their matter was resolved. I've also read horror stories that they wear out quicker than my underwear!

[Mavrik]

Well I don't know about your underwear but my conti tires are off the road as of yesterday when I put on my summer tires and rims. In the winter when I take them off, I'll be putting on winter tires on my steel rims and putting them on. Probably will NEVER use the conti tire again. They wear down quick, I only have 3000km on my Vibe and they have left rubber pieces stuck to the underside of my car. The tires are crap. But I am not looking for GM to replace them since I am going with winters anyway later on... but call GM customer service if you have to. Maybe even offer to pay the difference between the conti and mich tires cause you don't want the goodyear eagles. Those tires last a hell of a long time but handle like crap also.

[RoundUp]

I haven't had any problems with my Eagle R-SA's but that may be because I have AWD.

[trocar]

Goddyears are not that great in the bad weather, wet roads are the worst. If you can get them to go with a really good tire and split the difference rather than the goodyears.

[ZedTim]

I put Generals on my car and you know I can honestly say out of all the years I have been driving this past winter has to be the best one yet. the tires on the car just bit right throught the snow, didn't slide,skid or lose it at all My vote is for the generals! as for those damn continental tires well.... my old radio flyer pull wagon had better traction! Oh did I forget to mention that the continental tires wore out in under 25,000? yeah thats right 23,980 is when I had no choice but to replace the tires belts were showing . I went to GM about it and all they told me was well you shouldn't drive the car like that!

[joatmon]

I have about 42K miles on my contis and haven't had any problems with them. However, winters are a lot milder here than where you are. The literature that came with my vibe said that the stock tires aren't any good in the snow. Maybe up there in the frozen north they should offer a choice of highway or snow tires.

[Mavrik]

I've noticed since I replaced mine, my summer wider flatter surfaced tires have like a HUGE bite in the road. pulls me right into every little groove in the road lol I gotta get used to it. On smooth flat roads, rides like a dream. Rough roads like around main intersections in town it just steers rough. Way better traction through.

[Raven]

You might be able to get the Conti's replaced since they have only 1000km on them but you really should have done it before you drove it off the lot. At this point it is not a warranty issue and so GM is not really obliged in any way to replace them. Be very persistant and make a lot of follow up calls if they don't phone you back when they say they will. It worked for me. I got 2 Conti's replaced with 5000km on them because they were worn almost to the bars. What I did was not even mount the new Conti's. I traded the 2 new ones and the 2 used ones in on a set of high performance summer tires at a local tire shop, the GM dealer was not interested in making any deals. I got $250.00 for the Conti's. If you are interested in the name of the tire shop, send me an IM. It is in Ottawa.

[GT_03]

i hated the conti's on my car. If they caught fire, i would not pee on them to put them out. Horrible quality, and look like drag slicks in 12,000 miles.

[SCTM]

I'll forget Conti's next time, which ever they have.I'd rather go with something more durable with great traction (wet-dry).Looking on tirerack.com for Michelin HydroEdge or Harmony (regular all season) or Pilot Sport (high performance all season).Running on real winter tires (GoodYear UltraGrip ice) during winter.Have a look at survey results and compare. Almost same comments on 1010tire.comhttp://www.tirerack.com/tires/...oEdgeNote: GoodYear RS-A poorly rated...http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...+RS-ANote: Continental Touringcontact CH95... slightly better but...http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...+CH95

[Zig in East Orleans]

So, here's the dealers first reply, not impressed:Thank you for taking the time to notify me regarding concerns with your vibe. The tires on your new vibe are Continental 205/55/R16 which are an all season tire. These tires meet General Motors standards and are adapted to your vehicle.Furthermore If you would like to purchase winter tires in the fall I would be glad to give you an estimate on any name brand tire. If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me.Sincerly,Marc SéguinService Manager Marcel Belanger Pontiac Buick GMC Inc.613-824-8555 ext. 247I guess it's time to take it up a notch.

[Mavrik]

Sounds like they took your complaint as an interest in their tires and wish to purchase more of them lol. I'm done with conti tires for good. They are off my Vibe with not even 3000km on them.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Wanna sell them?Yes I do, might as well make some money lol Probably won't sell them for much but they still have those little rubber pieces sticking out of the edge of the tread.

[coratz]

with the goodyears or conti's it really depends on how you drive ......will depend on how fast they will wear out. ive worn out tires in 10 000km(dunlops) the vibe has the goodyear rsa's and 17500km the tires look like new and still have the rubber beads on the side from the factory. why I ask?? my wife drives the vibe. this is why dealers dont give a crap about tires. they know the second they start guarenting a tire with some many open varibles the return line ups will be huge. (make sure you rotate after each burn out for even tire wear)

[Zig in East Orleans]

Thanks for the info.My main concern is their very poor winter performance. I'm leasing my Vibe and if GM feels the Conti "Ecoplus" tires are suitable, well, their "Eco" must stand for "economical" on their part. I've read many posts saying that they haven't lasted more than 5000km in some cases. Ouch. I guess a survey to determine: age, (removed), auto/manual would probably help to break down more accurate stats but i'm really not impressed with them at all.GM-my life, and that of my pregnant wife is in your hands.

[Mavrik]

I have a lot of tread left on mine but removed them at 2780km. But I think the average wear out is about 10,000km approx. Mine is manual, I don't do burn outs at stop lights, and the tires are crap in the snow.

[bus driver]

Lucky You, At least you got a reply from General Motors, I wrote a complaint about these useless tires, Never did get a reply, complained to the dealership about them and got nothing but lip service.I could go on about it for long while but the bottom line is your just another general motors victim

[coratz]

i wonder what the two tread wear ratings on the conti vs rsa's are? anyone looked into this?

[POLO]

I drove my vibe with the eagle rs all the Montreal's winter and i'm still with with no big trouble.

[JohnC]

My conti's are down to the wearbar at 12k miles, worst tires I have ever owned.

[Mavrik]

Mine are off my car now with less then 3000km on them.

[joatmon]

I guess I got the only good set