Conti early tire wear

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 9:43 am

I just put on my snow tires. When I removed the stock Continentals I was shocked to see the front tires have significant tire wear, at least 50% more than the rears. My '04 is only 6 weeks old and has less than 5000km. on it. It has been mostly highway driven and not cornered hard. The tire pressure has been closely watched. I want new tires. Is there a problem with them or a recall.

Sputnik · Post by **Sputnik** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 9:49 am

I don't think there's any recall on them. I think others on here have had that problem. I haven't noticed any problem on mine, but I haven't put snow tires on yet. I may try and do that this week so we'll see then. Btw, its nice to see another Ottawa viber on here.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 1:08 pm

Hi Sunny!You are not the only one to complain about the crappy Conti's...I have heard many members at http://www.matrixowners.com complain about them too! Many have already changed their Conti's also....I noticed almost no wear on my GoodYears' and I have 8800Kms on them.To be honest with you, I have been told by many tire dealers here in Montreal that the Conti's are known for their fast tire wear.... Maybe a call to GM Canada Customer Service to complain would be a good start! I have called and complained about the quality of the paint..if more people complain maybe GM will do something about it (wishful thinking!) but you gotta start somewhere I guess

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 10:04 pm

The little GM Vibe FAQ says that the car comes with "high performance tires" and that "You may also notice more road noise with high performance tires and that they tend to wear faster."

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 1:56 am

The Conti's on the Vibe are "no performance" tires and it is crazy to have worn out that much after only 5000kms

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 2:40 am

I didn't mean that all the problems people have had with the Continental tires are either normal or acceptable."no performance tires" That's would be funny if no so true.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 6:38 am

If they were high performance tires they would'nt hydroplane so badly in the rain. Also manufacturers are notorious for putting poor quality tires on as stock unless better ones are ordered as an upgrade.

aggie_vibe · Post by **aggie_vibe** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 6:42 am

I sold mine after 1000 miles and I was surprised to see the measurable wear, and most of that driving was during break-in. My new tires (HTR+) have great grip dry or wet and still have paint stripes showing on the rear. The HTR's even claim to be M+S tires, but I would be amazed if such a good performing 3 season tire can also handle a little snow.I think our continentals are special made for Toyota/Pontiac - they have different ratings than others.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 6:49 am

Who makes HTR+?

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 8:02 am

I'm bringing in my 4 tires to the service manager at a local Pontiac dealer for inspection and probable replacement on Thursday. I guess Goodyears are a good bet. Any other suggestions? The General will be buying.

DavidPIL · Post by **DavidPIL** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 11:56 am

Sumitomo makes the HTR+... If you're looking for an excellent raing in an all season tire, look at the Pirelli PZero Nero M&S. It's top rated through Tire Rack, Second is the ContiExtremeContact (which is not even close to being the same as the OEM's GM puts on).Dave

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 6:27 pm

Thanks Dave,I"ll let you all know the outcome of Thursdays meeting with the Service Manager.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:40 am

Yes please keep us posted and good luck!!Tell them this is unacceptable!To be honest with you I have had no problems with the GoodYears' that came with the car, maybe the dealer can replace the Conti's with them?

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 4:45 am

quote:I'm bringing in my 4 tires to the service manager at a local Pontiac dealer for inspection and probable replacement on Thursday. I guess Goodyears are a good bet. Any other suggestions? The General will be buying.Don't let them replace them with new Conti's that's for sure! The Goodyears would probably be a much better tire. You'll have to see what they offer.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 4:48 am

quote:The little GM Vibe FAQ says that the car comes with "high performance tires" and that "You may also notice more road noise with high performance tires and that they tend to wear faster."I think this only applies to the stock 17 inch tires. They came with a warning that they are not rated for snow. The 16 inch Conti's are supposed to be all season so this performance tire notice doesn't apply to them. It is so true that they are "no performance". They are 100% sucko in my book.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 4:56 am

When I went to rotate my tires at 5,000 miles, I noticed that the front tires were already worn to the wear bars so I didn't bother. When I began to hydroplane everywhere and the tread got to be worn completely off so that the under layers of ribbing started to show by 8,000 miles, I swapped the front and rear tires so at least I would get some traction. This made the back end sway around in wet weather and slide out of line when cornering hard in dry weather. At about 10,000 miles I had a local tire shop put 4 snow tires on and scrap the 2 totally junk Conti's. The guy at the shop was amazed that they had worn so bad with so few miles on them. He convinced me to keep the other 2 Conti's, which he measured and found that there was still about 1/2 of their usable tread left. Needless to say, they will not be going back on my car. I guess I'll try to sell them cheap or give them to a relative with the same size tires if they need them. I just want to get rid of them.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:08 pm

This seems to be a problem with GM and their crappy tires....I got rid of my GoodYear Conquests on my Cavalier for the same reason, crap traction in rain and fast wear to boot....they were gone after only 8000Kms!!I am though truly surprised at the GoodYears' that my Vibe came with, they seem to be doing well so far...stay tuned!

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 6:49 pm

Well, I met with the Service Manager and the shop foreman. The manager seemed to think they could help me out. On the other hand the foreman was a Goof. I don't think he likes longhairs. He measured the treadwear and the fronts were down to 7mm from 11-12mm when new. The rears were at 9mm. He said yes they were quite worn but with rotation the 4 should last 40,000km. I guess he failed math or something. The fronts lost 4-5mm. in just 5000km. They said I had to call GM customer service anyways. The woman there spoke to them and then told me to see what happens next summer. I told her that was totally unacceptable! She said a Manager would call me in 24-48 hours. 5 minutes later she calls back and says she thought about it and something should be done, that much wear is not right. Monday afternoon she will call me back with a status report and I am quite positive I will get results. I'll keep ya posted.

SCTM · Post by **SCTM** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 4:38 am

You're not alone Sunny. Got my Vibe on Jan'03 and put right away winter GoodYear Ultragrip ice for the season then back with Conti on summer. Last week I put back my Ultragrip and as you said, mine were quite worn (and only 14,000Km on meter - most of it during winter GoodYear's) !!! According with Continenal site, it's rated on "performance" tireswith treadwear 360 (ContiTouringContact CV/CH/CT95) ours are also tread 360 temp A traction A, compared with "touring" tires with tread 520 and over.For the others with original GoodYear RS-A, it's about the same.Rated on "performance" on GY site, the tread is 260 only.Some members previously complained about thathttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6200http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=2559http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=3335Don't know yet what I'm gonna buy next time... and it's coming soon!

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:37 am

SUCCESS!!! Well it's been a while since my tire issue began, Nov.9th to be exact and I finally got a decision. My 2 front tires will be replaced for free and as a precaution a front end alignment will also be done. The tire wear was even and did not show an alignment problem but that's what the DSM wants to do. It only took a month and a half and about 20 phone calls to get it done. GM was quite cooperative but I'm sure they spent the equivalent of at least 5 sets of tires to come to this decision. There were calls to 2 dealerships, calls to Continental Tire, plus many hours of work by a very nice woman at GM Customer Service. At least you can say that GM was very thorough if not efficient. I had hoped to get a full set of Goodyears out of the deal but I am pleased with the outcome nonetheless. When I put my summer tires back on in the spring, if the same thing happens again, I will be calling GM once again. FYI When I asked the Service Manager about the TSB on batteries, it was the first he had heard of it. He said "Why, what's wrong with the batteries." I told him it was the size of a lawn tractor and he laughed.

MadBill · Post by **MadBill** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:48 am

Congrats Sunny!Great to know that polite persistence can pay off. So, do you think you can get through another season of autocrossing before you wear out the new ones?

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:12 pm

Hey Sunny glad to hear that all went well!

goodvibe · Post by **goodvibe** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:43 pm

I'm glad this worked for you. I suspect the tires were fine but thats not an excuse for GM putting crappy tires on a new car. I rotate every 5-7k mi and will easily get 25k mi out of the Conti's and I'll dump them before they hit the wear markers. I don't baby my GT with progress bar and TRD springs. Should make it to spring when the Borbet rims with Bridgestone re750's go on. I found the Conti's OK when new but they definitely get slicker (even in the dry)when they're half gone. Given a second chance, I would have driven the car directly to a tire store from the dealership. I've done this in the past and gotten very good trade values.

Caretaker · Post by **Caretaker** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:56 pm

As I posted on the tire thread, I highly recommend the Firestone H rated Dayton Daytonas. I had them on my 626, and feel they are the best tires I have ever owned. My Continentals gave out after 29,000 miles. I think they were excellent tires with the exception that they were 'nail magnets' and wore out too fast. I too rotated my tires every 7,000 miles, but it didn't help much. Congrats on getting some relief from GM. When I had my initial check engine light problem, GM was WONDERFUL to work with. I even felt that they were prepared to give me a new Vibe if and when I took the car in for the 5th time with the same problem (vapor recovery hose).

Caretaker · Post by **Caretaker** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 11:50 pm

A happy snowy birthday to my Ontario friend('s Vibe)

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 12:10 am

When I put my snow tire last month, I notice a big wear on my front tire. They are almost at the wrear bar, but the rear one are in good shape. They will be ok for the next summer but after that, I'll have to buy another set. And be sure they will not be Continental brand.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:18 am

Ben do you have any ideas which tires you will go with?

Caretaker · Post by **Caretaker** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 5:47 am

silver meister: seeing that I am not too late, I would steer you in another direction. My BF Good-for-nothing TA tires were easily the worst tires I have ever owned. A lot of road noise, and uneven wear made me take them off of my car way before it was time. Take a look at the Falkens, Pirelli and Firestone Dayton H rated tires. I have heard and experienced great things with them (the latter in particular).

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 10:53 am

Quote, originally posted by ArcsVibe Â»Ben do you have any ideas which tires you will go with?I don't know. I may cahnge my rims as well for 17"... But I will not get "performance" tires. I need quiet tire, good in water and with a decent leight of life. My father has Bridgestone Potenza and they are great. I'll also check for other brand like Toyo, BFGoodritch, Pirelli...

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 12:05 pm

Don't overlook Kumho's they have a decent all-season tire as well.

shibaman · Post by **shibaman** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:58 am

I just put a set of Falkin 451 ZR 205-55-16 on my car. Very sticky tires in dry or wet pavement. Side walls are stiffer and they have a rim protector. I would say that the car handles as well with these 16" as my 17" 215-50-17 Bridgestones. We had a nasty storm go through here with flooding and 56mph winds and these performance tires did far better the Contis ever did. Great wet tire! $89 installed at America's Tire.

DavidPIL · Post by **DavidPIL** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:49 am

Hi Sunny,Sorry about the tire wear. I don't think I can help much but, even though many people here complain about the ContiTouring tires that are OEM on the Vibe, I don't think it's isolated to just that line or brand and might not totally be the tire's fault.I might have been stupid for doing so but I upgraded my Dunlop SP9000 to ContiExtremeContact tires. We'll see how they wear. My Dunlops, though not too worn (12,000 miles) were wearing more on the inside portion than on the outside. I didn't replace the tires because of the wear because I dind't know they were wearing till after the fact. The place that changed the tires told me the problem. Anywho... When I replaced the tires, I got an alignment. Apparently the front "toe" alignment was 1/4" or more off. They said this could have caused the wear but I'm not 100% convinced. I think the front end camber is a bit much. It's noticable and probably not necessarily a bad thing if you're into taking hard turns. (Keeps the wheel flat to the pavement on hard turns). I only know this from reading here and from other articles I've read since I've become more aware of my Vibe.I was alo told by a friend who is a long time Honda enthusiast that Import cars are notorious for having alignment issues. I think this is probably a cause as well. But it seems that getting the alignment fixed doesn't always solve the problem I just find it hard to believe that if you don't race, or squeal, or go into hard turns or do anything that would cause faster wear that it would be the fault of the tire itself.ok, don't go off on me on that last paragraph, I was also stating my disbelief in situations I've been in to with tires...I think Tires wear differently, even if they are in the same model line. A family member has a vehicle with Goodyear RS-A tires as OEM then she stuck with them after they were worn. The first set, on minimal rotations, lasted a little over 30,000 miles. The new set, again with minimal rotations and exactly the same driving patterns, are nearing 55,000 and aren't nearly as worn as the previous set.Lastly, I have heard some very good things about Continental Tires. Ok, maybe not all the Continental lines but I think the tires I purchased are -top of the line- for All-Season. I'm hoping they don't wear like my previous Dunlops did or like the TouringContacts have for other Vibe owners. In researching, the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S was a very close second for a well rounded All Season tire... Maybe if my Continentals wear like yours, I'll go with those Pirelli's... They maybe be worth looking into for you as well. But be sure to have the alignment checked in any case...DaveP.S. Sheesh, I'm sorry this post was so long. Have a lot on my mind lately...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 12:08 pm

Quote, originally posted by maxx4me Â»silver meister: seeing that I am not too late, I would steer you in another direction. My BF Good-for-nothing TA tires were easily the worst tires I have ever owned. A lot of road noise, and uneven wear made me take them off of my car way before it was time. Take a look at the Falkens, Pirelli and Firestone Dayton H rated tires. I have heard and experienced great things with them (the latter in particular).that's too bad. i loved my bfg all terrain t/a's and rugged trail t/a's i had on my tundra. great traction, looked good, and held up nicely.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 12:09 pm

Hey Dave,Along with the 2 new tires, GM will also cover an alignment just to be safe. It is true that not all tires of the same make and model wear the same. I hope my new set prove to be longer lived than the first. Since I now have a set of Dunlop Graspic's on rims for the winter, my next tire investment will be a set of high performance summer tires. No more 4 season fair for all conditions tires for me. I've looked at so many lately I can't remember them all but I think it was the Dunlop SP Sport FM 901 that looked good.

mkosem · Post by **mkosem** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 4:42 am

well, my matrix has 12k miles on it and I'm afraid to say they'll probably be done for by 20k or sooner. They're ContiTouring Contact tires. Guess this means I can get some nice sticky yokohamas to replace them with! These continentals are the worst tires I've ever driven on. They are terrible on water, worse on snow, and have terrible cornering performance. Heck, they even break loose in first gear acceleration at WOT!--Matt

mkosem · Post by **mkosem** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 7:45 am

On second glance the back ones that I moved from the front are pretty much done, not quite wear bar time but they're gonna be done not to long from now.--Matt

DavidPIL · Post by **DavidPIL** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 8:19 am

hiya mkosem...I have a question for ya... I purchased some ContiExtremeContacts and they seem to be doing great but... well... let me fill you in then I'll ask the question.When I got em installed from the local General Tire place, I checked the pressure on a whim... They were set at 44 psi. I went in a day or 2 later to get an alignment and asked about it. He said those tires should be no less than 40 psi. Yet everyone, including online tire places say, go by the car's psi info, not the max tire pressure on the tire.Now, I decided to lower the pressure a bit to 36, the car rides very nice, don't get the drifting and the sluggish response as I did when they were 40 psi+. The problem is now, I check the tires cold, they're 36, check em after driving 10-20 miles and it's up to 40. UGH! (btw, ok, I know the tires heat up while driving causing the air to expand BUT there was less of a change when they were set at 40+ than when @36)Anywho... my question(s) is, is it possible that these tires are so pressure sensitive that it could have caused the faster wear? I know that under-inflation causes faster wear, and apparently more heat build-up. But (a question to the peanut gallery)which would be better to have... tires set properly to 32 psi possibly wearing faster or set a little higher in hopes of a bit more tread-life? I have noticed that the Continentals are affected more by temperature change than the Dunlops I had before, maybe it's just the way all Continentals are? Kinda just wonderin...Dave

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 8:41 am

No recall on those tires that I am aware of but your local dealership was nice enough to warranty you another pair for premature wear. My new Vibe has the same tires so I guess I'll be watching them myself now. 5000km is not a great deal of distance and your not even close to the 10,000km rotation recommendation.Having never heard anything much about this brand of tire I plan on removing them off the rims when I get the chance to... or should I say, the $$$ to and upgrade to some mich or goodyear.I had P205/55R16 Good year tires on my Sunfire, same ones as the Vibes with Good Years are running and after 20,000 km on them I still had those little rubber stem things on the outer edges. However with my decision for a set of chrome rims, I may just put a good set of winter tires to replace the conti and just use them in the winter.

mkosem · Post by **mkosem** » Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:14 pm

I just checked my voicemail. It appears as though toyota is willing to replace one pair of the tires, for $120+mount and ballance. So ugh. I found someone selling some 16" alloys with yokohama A550(V4) tires on them for $250 shipped. Hopefully those will work better.--Matt

Conti early tire wear

Conti early tire wear

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