How awful are these cheap tires?
- Thread starter bunnspecial
- Start date
Oh, and if you want to know how bad the tires can be. just read the 1-star reviews on Walmart for the Douglas tires. There a few too many cases of catastrophic failure with these tires. I don't think it can be possible to make something safe for so cheap.
Here are the 1 star reviews for your tires
Product review - Walmart.com
www.walmart.com
I still think the Tiger PAW is the best tire you will get at a lower price point. Anything cheaper is not going to be as reliable and high performing.
I think the Walmart reviews for ANY ITEM are about as inaccurate and not representative of real world than just about any other site on the Internet. And that speaks volumes......
165 is wide enough for my Honda Insights 5.5” rim
And your MG could have come factory with 155sr14 or 165sr14 from the factory
Identical cars sold in Europe had 155SR14 or even 145sr14 but
As time wore on US dealers tended to sell them with 175’s because even in 1980/1981 SR14’s of any size were becoming rare in the US.
Odd how the same car could have come with one of 5 different sizes from the dealer depending on your region and when you bought the car
My 1981 Comutacar came with 125sr13’s and bigger or wider won’t fit, good lord is it hard to get treads for that car
The truth of the matter is the Douglas is going to better than the OEM Tires that came on the car and certainly better than a set of tires that were produced before the turn of the century.
EDIT:
23.8" Tire, haven't looked for a tire that short in years.
EDIT:
23.8" Tire, haven't looked for a tire that short in years.
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Ended up going with the General Altimax RT43.
I figured that it's a popular enough tire for this car that I'm getting something I know will make me happy.
I opted to go 175/70 this time around, and so far I'm enjoying the steering being a bit lighter and the handling a bit more "lively" than I'm use to with 185s(which are all I've ever had on the car). Granted I haven't really driven it much yet since I've had enough other stuff going on. Basically all I've done is the 10 mile trip home from the tire shop and then a test run around the block after I'd spent a bit of time tweaking the carbs(and seemingly curing the run on I'd been dealing with for a few weeks now in the process).
BTW, the tire shop gave me a bit of a tongue lashing saying my lugnuts were "completely wrong" for the wheel and they were afraid to let me drive the car home. I just told the that I'd had them custom made(which is a bit of a stretch but is a special order item) and that they were 100% the correct spec for that particular wheel. I'm not sure what they were basing that on, but they showed me one and someone said "I'm not even sure that's meant to be a lugnut- lugnuts don't have that straight part at the end, they just have a tapered bottom." I guess that person had never seen nuts with shanks.
I figured that it's a popular enough tire for this car that I'm getting something I know will make me happy.
I opted to go 175/70 this time around, and so far I'm enjoying the steering being a bit lighter and the handling a bit more "lively" than I'm use to with 185s(which are all I've ever had on the car). Granted I haven't really driven it much yet since I've had enough other stuff going on. Basically all I've done is the 10 mile trip home from the tire shop and then a test run around the block after I'd spent a bit of time tweaking the carbs(and seemingly curing the run on I'd been dealing with for a few weeks now in the process).
BTW, the tire shop gave me a bit of a tongue lashing saying my lugnuts were "completely wrong" for the wheel and they were afraid to let me drive the car home. I just told the that I'd had them custom made(which is a bit of a stretch but is a special order item) and that they were 100% the correct spec for that particular wheel. I'm not sure what they were basing that on, but they showed me one and someone said "I'm not even sure that's meant to be a lugnut- lugnuts don't have that straight part at the end, they just have a tapered bottom." I guess that person had never seen nuts with shanks.
Thanks for reminding me. I saw it listed, and now just need to get it filled out and submitted.
Total installed cost was a bit under $500, which I figure in 2021 isn't bad for a set of tires especially considering that I was at over $1K on the last tires on my Lincoln(245/45R17 IIRC, and the Michelin that replaced the older MXM4).
Had Douglas but if you want a Wally only tire the General Exclaim HTX seems better for not much more money.
Took about a 50 mile drive on them today and I like them.
I did chirp them a few times, but that may also because I've been dealing with run-on and got a tongue lashing from an old time MG mechanic I talk to occasional who had some choice words when I said I was shifting at 3K-3500. He told me I was wasting the cam I paid good money for if I didn't run it up to 4K-4500 before shifting, and I seem to manage some 1st gear chirps about the time I really hit the power band of that cam(which is right where I'd been shifting before).
In any case, though, they both ride and stick better seemingly than the 5 year old Yokohama Avids I still have on another set of wheels. I suspect part of that is because the Yokos are getting some years on them, but they should still have another year or two at least left.
Assuming I can still get them the next time I go tire shopping, I see another set of Generals in my future.
I did chirp them a few times, but that may also because I've been dealing with run-on and got a tongue lashing from an old time MG mechanic I talk to occasional who had some choice words when I said I was shifting at 3K-3500. He told me I was wasting the cam I paid good money for if I didn't run it up to 4K-4500 before shifting, and I seem to manage some 1st gear chirps about the time I really hit the power band of that cam(which is right where I'd been shifting before).
In any case, though, they both ride and stick better seemingly than the 5 year old Yokohama Avids I still have on another set of wheels. I suspect part of that is because the Yokos are getting some years on them, but they should still have another year or two at least left.
Assuming I can still get them the next time I go tire shopping, I see another set of Generals in my future.
Yep, that sounds like a decent tire high profile tire for a car like that, as sticking like glue isn't really what that car is about. I don't know if you drive it in the rain but those tires should be fun as well with a gradual break away.
Mom and I drove around on this tire for 2 years before I crush the Corolla. It rolls, it moves, it doesn't wobble, it was on a low performance car (Corolla). It is not Michelin or BridgeStone or any exotic tire brand.
It will definitely be better than your 25 year old tires.
It will definitely be better than your 25 year old tires.
I bought a set of 4 Douglas All Season 195/60/15 for my Volvo S70 and they've have performed very well. Purchased them July 4th weekend 2020; the set of 4 installed was about $250. Tire has a 45,000 mile tread life. I rotated them once at Walmart because apparently I purchased lifetime balance and rotation. Tires have 22,000 miles on them currently and the tread looks amazingly good so far...normal wear and tear. I do check tire pressures weekly in order to keep them roadworthy.
Douglas tires are actually some of the better cheap tires, and mostly US-made, too
They are made by Goodyear, and Walmart is the only store that Goodyear makes private label tires for.
I agree. I have a set for my Isuzu. Made in USA. Very comfortable ride. My advise, do not go over the maximum tire pressure printed on the wall of the tire
Is there any "universal caveat" regarding Walmart tires installed on a heavy car?
In other words, my Volvo V70 is always over 2 tons when loaded. Should I go with "better" tires? (whatever that means)
A plumber's truck and a taxi cab need good tires...just not the same tire, no?
In other words, my Volvo V70 is always over 2 tons when loaded. Should I go with "better" tires? (whatever that means)
A plumber's truck and a taxi cab need good tires...just not the same tire, no?
Kira,
I have used Douglas tires on two of my cars..10 years ago I bought a set of 4 for my 1998 Chevy Cavalier and currently I have a set on my 1998 Volvo S70. As I recall, the tires on the Cavalier were the Xtra-Trac series made in Argentina. It was rated a 40,000 mile tire and that's exactly how much mileage you got out of them..the current set of Douglas are the All Season which are H speed rated i.e up to 130 mph..the Douglas all season seem to be a much better tire than the Xtra-Trac series were..based on my current experience, I'd buy the Douglas all season again for the Volvo..
I have used Douglas tires on two of my cars..10 years ago I bought a set of 4 for my 1998 Chevy Cavalier and currently I have a set on my 1998 Volvo S70. As I recall, the tires on the Cavalier were the Xtra-Trac series made in Argentina. It was rated a 40,000 mile tire and that's exactly how much mileage you got out of them..the current set of Douglas are the All Season which are H speed rated i.e up to 130 mph..the Douglas all season seem to be a much better tire than the Xtra-Trac series were..based on my current experience, I'd buy the Douglas all season again for the Volvo..
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
I would be extremely careful with Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires. I have had (4) blow outs on high speed interstate driving. Once in 1981. Again in 1986 and the last was actually (2) in 2009. So you can see I was a big fan and used to put Tiger Paws on all of my Chevy sports cars until that last blow out tore up the front end of a Chevelle Super Sport show car and almost put me in a swamp. You could not give me a set these days. Now these were all the larger old style - not same as trucks, or do they even make them for current smaller sedan model cars? Nobody blow a gasket. Its just a fact and a scary one at that. A blow out going 60 to 75 mph is no fun and pretty dangerous.
