Firestone FR 380 ; what's your experience ...
- Thread starter odie
- Start date
- Status
Supposed to be one of the worst.
Sometimes, for kicks, I like to read the reviews of the worst tires at TR. Some interesting stuff there.
Sometimes, for kicks, I like to read the reviews of the worst tires at TR. Some interesting stuff there.
If you are in a bind, need a cheap tire, and don't really care what you get, then fine. Otherwise, look elsewhere. It's been many years since I had a car with these - was planning on getting rid of the car and needed some new tires, these were cheap and fit the bill. That's it.
I'd much rather get Sears Guardsmans, and they're probably cheaper too.
I would rather spend an extra $20/tire and get something better. For most cars, you only buy tires every few years, so it is worth spending an extra $20/tire to get something half-decent.
I think the Firestone FR710s are about twice as good as the FR380, and even the 710s scored LAST in Consumer Reports' latest all-season tire testing. Tire Rack users don't think highly of the 710 either.
I had them for about 10,000 miles on my 2008 Impala. I tried to get them to balance 3 times...no luck...vibration at various speeds, poor handling and not great riding (tried adjusting pressure too...nothing improved them). My sister bought a 2001 Buick Century a few months back and the owners made a point to mention the "brand new" tires that had just been put on the car. I looked at them and sure enough...a brand new set of 380's. They don't actually seem too bad on that car...no noticeable vibration anyway. I advised my sister to get rid of them at the first hint of problems (BTW...the Hankook Optimo 727's that I put on the Impala have been phenomenal tires...great riding, super quiet and very impressive in the snow. I bought them based on the recommendation given by Consumer Reports in their last tire test. At 25,000 miles they're holding up well with little noticeable wear. I'll buy them again).
Cheap tires are really false economy. Doesn't your family deserve better?
Out of High School in the mid 90's, I worked at Pepboys. At the time, they had a 4 for $99 special on private label 75 series FR 380's. They would come off of the delivery truck shaped like octagons, and we had a couple blow pulling the car out of the bay right after installation. They had the thinest sidewall I have ever seen, and when they would blow you would see the string that was used to reinforce the sidewall. It was a pathetic tire.
Better Firestone than Prime Well/Epic Tour/Wan Li...
- Status
