Making a bad move going from H rated Comfortred to T rated HydroEdge?

[Blue_Goose]

Ok..you can see that this forum is littered with posts by me over my issues with the new Comfortreds I had put on my Matrix....there was a point about a week or so ago that they were balanced quite well, smooth and quiet...cool beans right? NOPE I discovered that the guys at Town Fair installed 1 215/55 16 on my car and 3 205/55 16's(correct size) So I have them put the right size on...seemed really good for a few days however over the last 2 days the ride feels like it has gotten worse and now the tires make a dull roar over any surface unless it is fresh pavement

I hate to sound anal over this9too late but we are all pretty anal about oil or we wouldn't be here right?

)

I originally wanted to get the Hydroedges but the manager at Town Fair quickly poo poo'd the tires saying they were not that great and I'd hate them and all that stuff...so I went towards Goodyear and he slammed them also....seems the only tire he likes is Toyo (had them on my Maxima...NOT impressed) Little suprise that Toyo is sort of the "House" tire for Town Fair. When I mentioned to him that I may trade these in under their 30 day guarantee he made sure to tell me that if he did that I would be 'stuck" with the Hydroedges and if I didn't like them there was nothing he could do(No extended 30 days). Also said he would rather put the Harmony's on my car if I went Michelin(S rated)...Ehhhh

Ok back on subject.....Hydroedge is T rated...118mph I believe.....Comfy is H rated....130mph....NEVER gonna go that fast in this little rollerskate. Judging by the reviews on Tirerack an awful lot of Bimmer owners have the Hydroedge and I can't believe those cars did come with T rated tires

I do mostly highway miles....100 a day so I do need a tire that will last awhile...both these tires have great treadlife(supposedly)

From what I can gather GY has a history of balancing problems(mine feel like they have gone out of balance after a few hundred miles although they say they are balanced dead on) and people seem to say that Michelins are very good in this category.

My 2 choices are to get the Hydroedges and take a chance with the T rated tires or ask for a MATCHED set of GY Comfortreds(DOT dates are diff on the set I have now)

Going to Michelins a good choice?

Sorry for the long winded post..I get going sometimes and...............


Goose

 

[Quattro Pete]

I doubt you'll see any difference between H and T rated tires in regular leisurely hwy driving.

If you're not happy with the tires you have on right now, definitely do take the advantage of the "30 day exchange" offer to try something else. Otherwise you'll be stuck with these Comfortreds wondering if maybe other tires would have been better, every mile of the way.

It's generally true about Michelin's manufacturing quality resulting in well-balanced tires straight from the factory. Personally, I hated the Michelins (MVX4+) for their poor performance, but I'm a rather spirited driver. For calm hwy cruising (which is what they're for) they're fine.

 

[automated1]

I just put on hydroedges on my wifes civic and they are probably one of the best all around tires i have seen. We have had alot of rain and snow around the area right now and they were the best tires I have seen in both conditions. I went places in the snow i never thought i could when in comparison with the old tires.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Well they said they would swap them out for me...should be in tomorrow...hopefully I'll have a better experience with Michelin than I did with Goodyear...I've only had one other set of GY's in my life which were Eagles I believe and I remember them not lasting at all and being some of the worse tires I ever owned. First Michelin purchase

Goose

 

[sjlee]

The OEM tires for my Integra GS-R were "V" rated. Since I live in a state that gets snow, when it was time to replace them, I went with an "H" rated tire... much better traction with noticeable loss in handling.

After those wore out, I ended up replacing them with "S" rated tires. Much less expensive and good traction. I did notice that the handling was not quite as crisp as it was before (sidewalls not as stiff).

For everyday use, I think they are fine.

 

[LarryL]

If you drive fast enough to tell the difference between an H rated or T rated tire you might just be going to jail. When I bought tires form my wife's Turbo Volvo the guy ad Discount Tire tried to tell me I needed ZR rated tires because of the turbo. The Yok Avid TRZ's I bought were, I think T rated (118 mph) and the tire salesman told me to becareful about "kicking the turbo in" with my under spec tires. Give me a break!

 

[Blue_Goose]

Should have stayed with the Comfortreds...the HydroEdges after 1 months are the noisest tire I have ever ridden on. I brought them back to Town Fair on Saturday..took the tires off and spun them, said they were balanced and it must be something mechanically wrong with car as tires are ok. They did say it is a noisy tire...well yeah road noise I can deal with...cupping noises are a different story....

I think I'm pretty much hosed...think Michelin will help me out here?


Goose

 

[goodvibes]

Nope. I wish I would have seen this thread earlier. The comfortreds are some of the quitest tires around. You were probably in evauation mode when we all notice a lot more than normal. I doubt that they're cupped at this point in their life and are not noted for that problem. If you hate them, sell em on ebay and get something else but not in that order. You should also stay with H rated as the Vibe calls for that tire. If the vibr manual specs an H rated tire and the dealer installed Ts, that may be your way our of the purchase but it wouldn't be far from fair on your part as you kinda created this issue. I bought some traction T/As recently and they're noisier than yours. I'll keep em and deal with the noise since they at least feel like performance thread. At least I won't have them as long as those super long wearing Michelins of yours.

 

[Ken2]

There is no way to compare H rated tires of one make and model to T rated tires of a different tire make and model. Generally, the higher the speed rating the stiffer the tire carcass will be, but the NVH, noise, vibration, and harshness, varies more by tire make and tire model than by the speed rating.


Ken

 

[williar]

The speed ratings are an indication of sidewall stiffness, which is important in low-speed handling. Tires with a stiffer sidewall will corner better in wet & dry at all speeds. The tradeoff is comfort and noise, usually.

I understand from Tirerack that the H-rated Hydroedge has a stiffer sidewall than the T-rated Comfortread.

 

[Blue_Goose]

The HydroEdge is a T rated tire and the Comfy's were the H rated...the Hydro's handle much better than the Comfortreds...ride has gotten a lot better with 6K on the tires but still pretty noisey


I bought some OEM alloy rims and I'll probably just get some new tires..not sure what now though as I'm pretty gun shy over road noise.....I was thinking that maybe if I rotate the HydroEdges that the noise level may drop but I'm almost afraid to rotate them due to how the ride has smoothed out

Have to wait for lug nuts for the new rims so I may just have Town Fair rotate them and see how they respond


Any suggestions for a decent low noise 205/55 16 tire? Seems like the Exalto A/S are tops in some peoples books but then again the Edges were too...different ride and sounds for different cars I guess


Goose