1998 Toyota Corolla Touring Package Tire Advice

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My sister's corolla just got a full set of KYB strut plus, and a full set of MOOG sway bar end links. The car handles like a dream compared to before.

I will pay Firestone for lifetime wheel balance & tire rotation as I always buy their lifetime wheel alignment.

Tire Size: 185/65-R14
Question: I'm thinking of buying from Discount Tire Direct, how exactly do they honor warranty? Experience of A Discount Tire Direct Customer here on BITOG. I don't intend to buy the certificate of replacement as I already have a good tire as back up plus the it's cost is a deal breaker for me as I can buy Firestone's Primewell brand and be on my mary way.

Is it as simple as "97prizm" makes it seems for warranty claims? I will have all the records for proper tire rotation and wheel alignment, it will be performed 2-3k where as the oil change will be performed every 7.5k to 10k! to mess with people who like "cheap insurance" and need a "peace of mind" by wasting perfectly good oil in MOST cases but not all!

I have had Firestone's Primewell on 2 of my cars and I put on 40k between them in 1.5 years and they handle perfectly in all weather from me and my wife's experience and there is no road noise to be noticed (we have never had Brand name tires to know the difference I guess), the H rated tires in the size for the corolla have a 50k warranty which is not a bad deal for their cost and considering I have ALWAYS gotten more mileage then the warranty has claimed they will last in all MY cars.

I want to try Michelin with 90k or the Hankook tires that have a 100k warranty, which one should I chose? and why? It will be for my sister, she is your typical car driver, clueless about maintenance so I will be reminding her every 3k to rotate/balance/4 wheel alignment. So I guess I'm asking which is more forgiving as far as maintenance and weather handling goes?

Also when is the best time to buy tires (discount wise)? The discounttiredirect ebay coupon didn't work for me as the tire size and the specific tire I was looking for didn't have the availability for the tires.
 
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For what you describe you cannot go wrong with the Hankook Optimo H727---the 100K-mile Hankook you mention---or the General Altimax RT43. The Hankook I recommend from first-hand experience. (Plus my Saturn takes the same size you need.) The Generals are all the rage and get great reviews. Both can be had for a very good price if you shop online and wait for stacked discount/rebate deals.

Since you bought Primewells I assume that made-in-USA is not a priority for you. If it is you might want to look at Dunlop Signature II or Cooper CS3.

You are wise to get good tires now. Down the road quality 14-inchers will be hard to find....
 
3k rotate/balance/4 wheel alignment.
33.gif


To me that sounds FAR too often, if driving (for the most part) on paved roads.

Sounds like an excuse to get the car on the lift, and sell you some "preemptive maintenance"

I'd just buy some decent tires and run them till they need replacing.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Seems like an awful lot of unnecessary rotation for a car that should wear similar front to back.

Firestone told me on two separate occasions that I needed to have tire rotation/wheel alignment every 3-5k in my maintenance records for me to ever claim the warranty on the Primewell/Firestone tires I bought from them, so I stuck with 3k to be on the safe side.

It doesn't cost me a thing, and I actually have no proof on "a car that should wear similar front to back", do you have any data to back up that claim? and is it causing any harm to rotate too often?

I have 9/32" left on a primewell tire which started at 11/32" after 25k miles and it is a 40,000 mile warranty tire...by following that routine, my results/experience shows me I'm not doing any harm or really wasting any resources but rather securing my warranty and getting my money's worth on the "lifetime" package that comes with the tires.
 
Originally Posted By: expat
3k rotate/balance/4 wheel alignment.
33.gif


To me that sounds FAR too often, if driving (for the most part) on paved roads.

Sounds like an excuse to get the car on the lift, and sell you some "preemptive maintenance"

I'd just buy some decent tires and run them till they need replacing.


as If I will ever have them do any service other then installing tire and wheel alignment.

I fully DIY
 
Highest-quality tires are made by Michelin. There is not even a need a to consider other brands unless money is a concern. The cheapest places to get them are tirerack.com and Costco.
 
My brother just installed a set of the General RT43's on his Pontiac Vibe on my recommendation and his own research on Tire Rack. He replaced a set of Hankook Optimo H727's with 65,000 miles on them. The price was right and he raves about how quiet and smooth they are...Tire Rack owner reviews are very positive. They conducted 2 separate tests of the tires (plus the Firestone Precision Touring and Sumitomo LS-T) and although the two tires were almost equal in snow traction (with the Hankook being slightly better), ride and quietness, the General RT43 performed noticeably better than the Hankook in wet traction and overall handling. I had a set of the Optimos as well on my 2008 Impala and can vouch for them in the snow...plus they're quiet and very long lasting. Based on the tests and reviews I'm reading...plus the super pricing (Hankook increased the pricing on the Optimo H727 after it's obvious success), I'm going to put a set of the Generals on the van in the spring.
 
Originally Posted By: oilmaven
My brother just installed a set of the General RT43's on his Pontiac Vibe on my recommendation and his own research on Tire Rack. He replaced a set of Hankook Optimo H727's with 65,000 miles on them. The price was right and he raves about how quiet and smooth they are...Tire Rack owner reviews are very positive. They conducted 2 separate tests of the tires (plus the Firestone Precision Touring and Sumitomo LS-T) and although the two tires were almost equal in snow traction (with the Hankook being slightly better), ride and quietness, the General RT43 performed noticeably better than the Hankook in wet traction and overall handling. I had a set of the Optimos as well on my 2008 Impala and can vouch for them in the snow...plus they're quiet and very long lasting. Based on the tests and reviews I'm reading...plus the super pricing (Hankook increased the pricing on the Optimo H727 after it's obvious success), I'm going to put a set of the Generals on the van in the spring.


This is very close to my view as well. The H727's were good in the snow/ice on my daughters car. And good riding/handling as well on dry pavement. But, their wet handling/emergency situations, the H727's could be a bit concerning/alarming though their hydroplaning resistance was very good! Otherwise, a very good tire the H727's but, became very noisy due to alignment issue! I replaced with Pirelli P7 Cin A/S+ on her car which have been very good thus far(6K mile).

As-far-as the RT43's, I did put these on my wifes car replacing G/Y Assurance Comfort Treads(G/Y ACT's). The jury is still out on the RT43's but, I do notice already, some better attributes with them compared to the ACT's(a tire I also liked
smile.gif
). And I am still finding,(slowly), more & more to like about the RT43's. Winter will be another good test.
 
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Is that a 100k Pro rata warranty ?

I'm just thinking of the time you will spend, during the life of the tire, waiting at the Tire shop getting the tires rotated.
100 divide by 3k @ 45 minutes per visit, to gain (possibly) what?

Once a year rotation should be plenty.

Buy by reputation, not warranty.
(unless you have WAY too much time on your hands)

I have had great experiance with our Hankook 727's on our Matrix.

Just my opinion.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Originally Posted By: oilmaven
My brother just installed a set of the General RT43's on his Pontiac Vibe on my recommendation and his own research on Tire Rack. He replaced a set of Hankook Optimo H727's with 65,000 miles on them. The price was right and he raves about how quiet and smooth they are...Tire Rack owner reviews are very positive. They conducted 2 separate tests of the tires (plus the Firestone Precision Touring and Sumitomo LS-T) and although the two tires were almost equal in snow traction (with the Hankook being slightly better), ride and quietness, the General RT43 performed noticeably better than the Hankook in wet traction and overall handling. I had a set of the Optimos as well on my 2008 Impala and can vouch for them in the snow...plus they're quiet and very long lasting. Based on the tests and reviews I'm reading...plus the super pricing (Hankook increased the pricing on the Optimo H727 after it's obvious success), I'm going to put a set of the Generals on the van in the spring.


This is very close to my view as well. The H727's were good in the snow/ice on my daughters car. And good riding/handling as well on dry pavement. But, their wet handling/emergency situations, the H727's could be a bit concerning/alarming though their hydroplaning resistance was very good! Otherwise, a very good tire the H727's but, became very noisy due to alignment issue! I replaced with Pirelli P7 Cin A/S+ on her car which have been very good thus far(6K mile).

As-far-as the RT43's, I did put these on my wifes car replacing G/Y Assurance Comfort Treads(G/Y ACT's). The jury is still out on the RT43's but, I do notice already, some better attributes with them compared to the ACT's(a tire I also liked
smile.gif
). And I am still finding,(slowly), more & more to like about the RT43's. Winter will be another good test.


My experience with Hankook H727 on the xB mirrors these. Good on dry pavement & in snow; less than stellar on wet pavement. It's not bad enough that I feel the need to swap them out, but it's enough that I'll install different tires next time they're due (if I still have the car).
 
Originally Posted By: expat
Is that a 100k Pro rata warranty ?

I'm just thinking of the time you will spend, during the life of the tire, waiting at the Tire shop getting the tires rotated.
100 divide by 3k @ 45 minutes per visit, to gain (possibly) what?

ever heard of dropping of the car? I live 2 minutes away from a firestone, I drop off and pick up whenever I want...I have 5 cars at home being shared by 4 different people, so maybe you don't have that option, I do.

who still waits in lets say a waiting room or to get their hair cut or even to have service done now a days?

hospitals have online wait lists if you want to use, so do other places...
 
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thanks guys for your experiences, I think I have my eyes set on the Hankook Optimo because of their cost and good reviews, I just have to find a good sale to get them.

I will update this forum when I get some experiences with the tires on the car.
 
If money isn't an object, go Michelin.

If it is, there's nothing wrong with the RT43.

Another good option is the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. It is currently on rebate, $40 back on a set of four.

If you absolutely HAVE to use a cheap tire that's not a name brand, then consider the Kelly Charger GT. At least it's US-made (by Goodyear).
 
Originally Posted By: tommygunn
If money isn't an object, go Michelin.

If it is, there's nothing wrong with the RT43.

Another good option is the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. It is currently on rebate, $40 back on a set of four.

If you absolutely HAVE to use a cheap tire that's not a name brand, then consider the Kelly Charger GT. At least it's US-made (by Goodyear).


hmmm why not the Hankook Optimo H727? I would be buying Michelin for my cars next to at least experience it, but for my sister, money is a concern, it's her first car and she has 4 kids...and she is a full-time hair stylist who just graduated college, just to put it all in perspective.
 
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