Our 199 Montana goes through tires ( 25K and they are toast) like mad. The tires are roatated every 3,000 miles like clockwork, and we do not haul heavy loads. We had entertained the idea of upgrading to light truck/SUV tires , but were told by our dealer in no uncertain terms that they would mess up the ABS. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions ? If GM actually builds its minivans on light truck / SUV chassis as claimed, why can we use similar tires?
Help ! Our 1999 Montana eats Tires !!!
- Thread starter serious II.5
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are the tires wearing unevenly?
Do the tires wear evenly or is it that they just don't last long? If uneven it could be a problem with alignment or poor geometry of the original setup. If it is uneven wear then speak to suspension specialists. I am assumming here that you have the right tire pressures and would go a little above the car manufacturers recommendation.
I don't see any reason why you can't change the type of tyre. Maybe check with a tire company/ dealer to see what they recommend. Original tires are often not the best tire available at the time of build, but the cheapest.
I don't see any reason why you can't change the type of tyre. Maybe check with a tire company/ dealer to see what they recommend. Original tires are often not the best tire available at the time of build, but the cheapest.
The tire wear is even : the treads simply wear out at a phenomenal rate ( despite our best efforts to rotate them , keep the wheels aligned, etc.) Is the stetement about the effect of upgrading to truck tires on the ABS credible? We would use the same size tire, just in a truck-grade. I know that the new Montanas come standard with 16" tires ( we have 15" touring tires).
Perhaps the problem is the types of trips you take.
The next time you take your typical route, count the number of subtantially 90 degree turns you make, then divide that number by the number of miles you drove for that route. Call that turns per mile. Freeway off ramps that loop around back over itself count as 3 turns
For example, when I drive to work, I back out of the driveway (1), turn onto the main drag (2), turn onto the expressway (3), turn at the end of the expressway ramp (4), make a right (5), a left (6), a right (7), a left into the parking lot (8), and a 180 into a parking spot (9 & 10). I drive 10.5 miles TPM = 0.95
I have found that the farther you go away from 1.0, the better (or worse) the tire mileage. This is because most tire wear occurs during cornering.
Needless to say, if you corner hard or accelerate (or brake) while turning, this hurts the tire wear, too. Frequent trips to the corner store, also hurt tire wear (high TPM)
Let all of us know what you get.
The next time you take your typical route, count the number of subtantially 90 degree turns you make, then divide that number by the number of miles you drove for that route. Call that turns per mile. Freeway off ramps that loop around back over itself count as 3 turns
For example, when I drive to work, I back out of the driveway (1), turn onto the main drag (2), turn onto the expressway (3), turn at the end of the expressway ramp (4), make a right (5), a left (6), a right (7), a left into the parking lot (8), and a 180 into a parking spot (9 & 10). I drive 10.5 miles TPM = 0.95
I have found that the farther you go away from 1.0, the better (or worse) the tire mileage. This is because most tire wear occurs during cornering.
Needless to say, if you corner hard or accelerate (or brake) while turning, this hurts the tire wear, too. Frequent trips to the corner store, also hurt tire wear (high TPM)
Let all of us know what you get.
I still say alignment. If the toe is not correct then it eats tire evenly.
Camber cause inner/outer to wear unevenly.
Camber cause inner/outer to wear unevenly.
SeriousII.5, the only way LT tires will affect the ABS is if they are a different diameter. If you keep the diameter and rolling radius of the LT tire the same as the stock tire, you won't have any problems at all. LT tires have stronger sidewalls and usually more tread plies, so you'll probably get better mileage with them because of less flexing.
TLR
What brand and model tires? Some tires aren't good for much more than 20K miles or so, others seem like they dry rot before the tread wears out.
If you're only getting 25K out of them and you have a 60K mile treadlife warranty shouldn't you be getting a discount on the next set?
When you say "dealer" is that the tire dealer or the car dealer? I would try a tire dealer before I would trust a car dealer for information on tires.
If you're only getting 25K out of them and you have a 60K mile treadlife warranty shouldn't you be getting a discount on the next set?
When you say "dealer" is that the tire dealer or the car dealer? I would try a tire dealer before I would trust a car dealer for information on tires.
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Toe will always cause feather edging. You can't correct for it to get rid of the pattern. It will always be there. The only way to possibly blend it away would be to mount the tires on the same wheel, backwards.
Now a scrub radius too far off of zero will cause more wear on the front .. if you actually fell into a situation where you were actually turning a majority of your service, it would wear them more.
On my Caravan the front tires are good for about 25k-30k ..about the same as brake pads. The rears easily make 50k. I buy midpriced tires. I do not rotate them. Even higher priced tires didn't seem to last longer on the front.
I can't figure out the ABS warning from the dealer. It merely senses that the wheel is moving or not. Now a heavier rotating mass will require more braking ..but it shouldn't alter the interpretation of whether the wheel is moving or not ..and in your case, you're talking a few pounds. It's not like you're going from 205/75r15 to 33x9.5r15 where the weight is substantially higher.
Now a scrub radius too far off of zero will cause more wear on the front .. if you actually fell into a situation where you were actually turning a majority of your service, it would wear them more.
On my Caravan the front tires are good for about 25k-30k ..about the same as brake pads. The rears easily make 50k. I buy midpriced tires. I do not rotate them. Even higher priced tires didn't seem to last longer on the front.
I can't figure out the ABS warning from the dealer. It merely senses that the wheel is moving or not. Now a heavier rotating mass will require more braking ..but it shouldn't alter the interpretation of whether the wheel is moving or not ..and in your case, you're talking a few pounds. It's not like you're going from 205/75r15 to 33x9.5r15 where the weight is substantially higher.
What is the manufacture's treadlife warranty. See what others with that vehicle and tire combination are getting on the tirerack.com comments.
BTW, minivans are built on a unibody platform. They're not light trucks.
Hi Serious II.5,
I would say that you could use an "LT" rated tire, if you could find one in such a low profile for your Montana. It might be the nasty Boston traffic we put up with that kills the tires...
Anyway, I would try switching brands. I know that BFG makes All-terrains in some weird sizes(and they would look cool too). Go to **'s off of 495 and see if they can special order. Other than that, you may try more frequent rotations.
BTW, the Montana may actually be classified as a "light truck". A unibody has nothing to do with it. The PT Cruiser is a LT, and it's more or less a Neon. Also, the Jeep XJ Cherokee is also a unibody and is a light truck.
I would say that you could use an "LT" rated tire, if you could find one in such a low profile for your Montana. It might be the nasty Boston traffic we put up with that kills the tires...
Anyway, I would try switching brands. I know that BFG makes All-terrains in some weird sizes(and they would look cool too). Go to **'s off of 495 and see if they can special order. Other than that, you may try more frequent rotations.
BTW, the Montana may actually be classified as a "light truck". A unibody has nothing to do with it. The PT Cruiser is a LT, and it's more or less a Neon. Also, the Jeep XJ Cherokee is also a unibody and is a light truck.
Did you buy the car brand new from the dealer, or did you buy it used from someone ?????
I bought a used car that was in an accident, and the owner had it fixed so there was no title defect., anyway long story , short.
I was going through tires like crazy, and the alignment was fine, but
THE CHASIS WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT ALMOST 1 DEGREE..., AND THAT WILL CAUSE YOUR CAR TO EAT TIRES., that or maybe you drive you van like a porche ?????
anyway , get the chasis inspected...
nik
I bought a used car that was in an accident, and the owner had it fixed so there was no title defect., anyway long story , short.
I was going through tires like crazy, and the alignment was fine, but
THE CHASIS WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT ALMOST 1 DEGREE..., AND THAT WILL CAUSE YOUR CAR TO EAT TIRES., that or maybe you drive you van like a porche ?????
anyway , get the chasis inspected...
nik
Matt,
Many "trucks" are unit-body. Nissan Pathfinder is a good example.
Many "trucks" are unit-body. Nissan Pathfinder is a good example.
A lot of modern vehicles use aggressive front alignment settings to get a quick-steering, sporty feel. Negative camber and a certain amount of toe.
If you haven't already, get the alignment checked at a good shop and make sure it is within spec. If it is, then this is a problem you may have to live with, although it might be possible to adjust the alignment to more tire-friendly settings. That would affect the handling, but might be worth the benefit to you.
I don't know if you said what kind of tires you've been using. The best thing in your case is probably to use high-mileage-rated tires, and take advantage of the tire warranty if wear remains high. I personally think Costco is probably the best tire seller from a customer service/warranty honoring perspective, because they are very liberal about giving you credit when your tires wear out prematurely. Whomever you use, though, get 70k- or 80k-rated tires, keep them rotated and inflated, and regardless of how quickly they wear out, you should only be PAYING for one set per warranty period. That should eliminate the problem from a cost perspective.
- Glenn
If you haven't already, get the alignment checked at a good shop and make sure it is within spec. If it is, then this is a problem you may have to live with, although it might be possible to adjust the alignment to more tire-friendly settings. That would affect the handling, but might be worth the benefit to you.
I don't know if you said what kind of tires you've been using. The best thing in your case is probably to use high-mileage-rated tires, and take advantage of the tire warranty if wear remains high. I personally think Costco is probably the best tire seller from a customer service/warranty honoring perspective, because they are very liberal about giving you credit when your tires wear out prematurely. Whomever you use, though, get 70k- or 80k-rated tires, keep them rotated and inflated, and regardless of how quickly they wear out, you should only be PAYING for one set per warranty period. That should eliminate the problem from a cost perspective.
- Glenn
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