!@#$% Tires!

[MilDoc]

Had my RAV4 3 years. Somehow got a sidewall hole in one rear tire, so I went to get 2 new ones for the rear. Discovered the tires (all 4!) had only between 2/32 to 4/32 tread left --- after only 20,000 miles! (Yeah, I don't drive that much anymore) And I check tire pressure weekly, have them rotated per the manual! Of course, this isn't under warranty since the car is 3 years old. Bridgestone tires. I have never had tires wear out that fast! Toyota wanted to replace them with Bridgestones. Nope. Went to a local tire store and bought 4 new tires.

Rant #2: the next morning when the tires were cold I checked the pressure. Front 2 - 36 psi. Rear 2 - 27 psi. Tire pressure sticker calls for 29 psi all 4. Don't they even check???

[DaveS]

The tires on both of my last two new vehicles wore out sooner than I thought they should. I wonder if it is a trend? Maybe they put softer tires on when new in order to get the handling, and stopping specs?

The real heartburn was when I found out my VW Passat needed new breaks after only 25k... oh, and by the way, VW wear rates the rotors to match the shoes - so, not only was I in for 4 sets of shoes, but also 4 new rotors.

[atgcpaul]

I feel your pain. I own a Mazda Protege 5 that has unusually sized wheels that
also use special rubber for racing grip. I am not a street racer by a long shot.
I just like the car.

Anyway, when I had just 20K miles on it, too, I rubbed the back wheel against
a curb resulting in a tear in the sidewall but no pop. I didn't have time to shop
around and all 4 tires needed to be changed because of wear. $950!!! I'm
nearing 40K miles now so I'm going to start looking for sales.

Paul

[Tom Slick]

mildoc, 20k is really short!! could your rav4 be out of alignment?

paul, I don't know what tires you put on your protege5, but I have the same car and have put new tires on it twice for less then $500. both times were toyo tires. it bugs me that they are an odd sized tire also.
BTW these toyo tires are great, my wife drives 60 miles of mountain roads everyday and I still get 40k out of them and they get good traction too. much better then the OEM dunlops.

[Russianwolf]

Rule 1) NEVER buy tires from an auto dealer, they always overcharge for lame tires.

Rule 2) Most of the OEM tires don't last long nowadays, hope and pray that their are other options available.

My Saturn is 3 years old and has an odd size. Only a couple people make the size and they are all expensive. I bumped up the ratio a notch and had more options at better prices. Just have to remember that I'm really doing 1.05 time what the speedo says.

[Cheeky]

Had my RAV4 3 years. Somehow got a sidewall hole in one rear tire, so I went to get 2 new ones for the rear. Discovered the tires (all 4!) had only between 2/32 to 4/32 tread left --- after only 20,000 miles! (Yeah, I don't drive that much anymore) And I check tire pressure weekly, have them rotated per the manual! Of course, this isn't under warranty since the car is 3 years old. Bridgestone tires. I have never had tires wear out that fast! Toyota wanted to replace them with Bridgestones. Nope. Went to a local tire store and bought 4 new tires.

Rant #2: the next morning when the tires were cold I checked the pressure. Front 2 - 36 psi. Rear 2 - 27 psi. Tire pressure sticker calls for 29 psi all 4. Don't they even check???

what was the mileage warranty on the tires? couldn't you at least get them prorated for credit towards new ones?

[eezlock]

!@#$%tires...

Mildoc, I understand how you feel about those tires and sympathise with you.
The truth of the fact is about tires, the new car mfg.'s put on the cheapest
tires they can get from the tire companies. Years ago probably 30 or more
when they used bias ply tires they only paid $1.00 each for them, then when radials became popular the price increased to probably $3.00 each.

A man I used to know told me, that the car companies buy some many tires
at a time they get the cheapest they can to save money, they only care about getting them to roll out of a dealers lot once they have been sold
to the prospective (buyer/sucker) . They don't warranty or guarantee them in any way....after you sign the paperwork to buy the car....it is all on you
from there on out! eezlock

[MilDoc]

what was the mileage warranty on the tires? couldn't you at least get them prorated for credit towards new ones?

Yeah, 20%. But the dealer offered Bridgestones. Nope.

[p8ntblr]

Rant #2: the next morning when the tires were cold I checked the pressure. Front 2 - 36 psi. Rear 2 - 27 psi. Tire pressure sticker calls for 29 psi all 4. Don't they even check???

This doesn't really apply here as much as both the front and back were diff pressure but I've read that tire pressure should be based on the car manufacturer's specifications rather than the tire manufacturer.

[Ed62]

20,000 miles, and they're worn out already? I can't blame you for getting different tires.

Rant #2: the next morning when the tires were cold I checked the pressure. Front 2 - 36 psi. Rear 2 - 27 psi. Tire pressure sticker calls for 29 psi all 4. Don't they even check???

Nope! I do't think anyone reads the stickers anymore. Even if you tell them what pressure you want, you're lucky if you get it.

Ed

[MilDoc]

I guess you're right Ed. But a tire store should know better!!!!

[Daryl]

Rant #2: the next morning when the tires were cold I checked the pressure. Front 2 - 36 psi. Rear 2 - 27 psi. Tire pressure sticker calls for 29 psi all 4. Don't they even check???

While your car is in the driveway might be a good time to check and see if king kong at the shop laid on the wrench when he put your tires back on.

[MilDoc]

While your car is in the driveway might be a good time to check and see if king kong at the shop laid on the wrench when he put your tires back on.

Yeah, I checked that. They did OK.

[movnup]

Take a look at www.tirerack.com ... you can type in year, make, model, & the type of driving you do. The cool thing is that you get reviews from many real life users and they are ranked on a lot of different driving attributes.

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee AWD and never did like the way it handeled (the OEM Goodyears wore out at 40K). I drive fast / hard through the turns plus pull a big boat so I was looking for something performance rated. I found the tire that was rated the best, took the online price to Discount Tire which they matched, and gained 7mph in the turns and a much better all around driveability / fun factor.

Highly recomended !!!

[mpc]

I haven't bought a new car in almost 20 years now so I don't have first-hand experience of what they're installing these days... but that car did go through tires quickly. It was a sports car with soft performance tires so that was expected - soft tires wear out quickly but provide better grip. They were Yokohamas. After wearing out another set, I tried Toyos. In a word, they are GREAT. Much less expensive than the Yokos, last longer, and grip even better both in dry and in the wet. My sports car with performance tires, in the wet, grips at least as well as my Corolla that has all-season tires. Amazing. The Corolla will get Toyos next time around too.

Front-wheel drive cars have more demands on the wheel alignment than older solid-axle RWD cars too. When driving, engine thrust tends to make FWD cars "toe in" (pigeon toe) on the front wheels - i.e. the front part of the wheels turns inwards towards the centerline of the car: the left front tire wants to turn the car to the right, the right front wheel wants to aim left. When coasting or braking, drag forces flex the wheels outwards so the tires are now splayed: left wheel is toed outward, trying to turn the car left, the right wheel is toed trying to make the car turn right. Generally the alignment specs on a FWD car set the toe angle to "toe out" (splayed) so that engine thrust pulls the wheels generally straight ahead. Of course, this assumes a particular cruising speed... the "flex" or compliance in the suspension changes; getting larger as you go faster. If most of your driving is around-town, you might want to reduce the "toe out" at alignment since manufacturer specs generally assume highway speeds.

Folks that tow their car behind RVs often see horrible tire wear on FWD cars... the tires are aligned toed-out of course, then while being towed the drag further increases the toe-out. The tires are really splayed, wearing rapidly.

The cure? Much more rigid bushings in the suspension to reduce the compliance. Then an alignment with little toe angle - ignoring the manufacturer specs. Of course, this leads to more ride harshness and buzz because the factory soft rubber bushings lead to a nice ride.

mpc