Shopping for new tires dilemma, size change?

[ltslimjim]

I believe only the P4 is available in this alternate size I'm looking into. I would consider them if they get in on DT's Labor Day or thanksgiving deals. Otherwise, CS5 Grand or Yokohama Avid Ascend are simply a better deal. I had a set of P4s on a Dodge Stratus I sold with few miles on them but was very impressed with them right away.

I'm thinking that I'll wait on which deal is best at this rate. I read up more on the Avid Ascend and it seems wet traction reports were only on stop 'n go and some slipping at higher speeds in rain; especially when more worn. I don't think they are bad in the rain now but probably not as good as Michelin, Pirelli, Cooper CS5 line, General RT43s.

Ironically, CR claim average expectancy is 90k for the Avids.

 

[Tornado Red]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
..and the OP could also be looking at Pirelli P4 and P7 tires that fall into the same top rankings group on CR as the rather overpriced Defender and that also deliver similar treadwear per CR's tests yet are available for about 30% less than the Michelins.
If the OP is doing and will be doing lots of miles, I'd suggest Pirellis.
I'll also note that the minor change in size the OP suggests will have zero impact on the car's handling.
His problem might be in finding a shop that'll do this. No chain shop will while any indie would be more than happy to mount the tires.
I'll confess to a dirty little secret. I replaced the OEM 60 profile Dunlops with 65 profile Pirellis in the same section width, thinking that this would improve compliance on sharp bumps (it has) and would also fill the wheel wells out a little more (they do). Other than the fact that the speedo may now read a little low, there is no downside.


The Pirelli is IMHO a much better tire than the Michelin, I had the Defender and found it to be an overpriced lower life so so ride quality tire certainly nothing to write home about. The P7+ is one of the best tires I have ever put on a car for everyday driving.
Right now I have General RT43 (dirt cheap through walmart) on one car, P4, P7+ on 2, P Zero on 2 and wouldn't change them. The only other tire that impressed me as much as the Pirelli were a set of very early Vredestein I had on a Lotus Cortina many years ago when radials were not very common.


I went through a set of Pirelli P7 Plus All-Season, rated for 70k miles, and I got 73k trouble-free miles from them. I replaced 215/55R16's with 205/55R16's, to get a more accurate speedometer and odometer reading. (I'm able to take a tax deduction for mileage now, and I want credit for all the miles I drive.)

Two months later the Pirellis were again on sale, so I went with the exact same tires on my other VW.

I used to buy only Michelins, but the Pirellis are about $40 cheaper per tire and I'm very happy with the handling, comfort, and control on wet roads.

 

[ltslimjim]

P4s from Pirelli are an option for 185/60R15 size I'm looking into, but are $93 per tire.

I can get the Yokohama Avid Ascend $71 per tire or CS5 Grand Touring for $69 and have DT match that price. Is the P4 really worth nearly $90 more for a set?

 

[ltslimjim]

Brief update with rebates now up for DT/DTD. It seems Pirelli P4s would be a nice option with rebates and I pay down the store credit for roughly $56/month after $100 + $60 back. However, it's likely Cooper starts a rebate on the 1st and that puts CS5 Grands for $36/m. Otherwise, if the CS5 isn't in Coopers soon to be released rebates the Yokohama are back in the picture.

Would you guys pay the difference to get P4s over the CS5 Grands or save the $20 a month?

 

[GMFan]

At 40k miles a year I'd certainly look at long treadlife.

FWIW, I am about to replace the General Altimax RT (not RT43s which supposedly have higher tread life than previous gen RTs) on my car and I have just over 70k miles on them and if I were really stingy I could drive these another 10k miles but they're 5 years old now and I get nervous doing 70mph on the interstate on old(er) tires. The Generals were and still are great in the rain and they proved to be a great value for the money.

That being said I got a good deal on some Goodyears but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase Generals again - they're probably some of the best value tires on the tire market right now.

 

[SatinSilver]

Which Goodyears did you buy?

 

[GMFan]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Which Goodyears did you buy?


Assurance A/S 205/65R16. Four tires with install for a pinch over $400. If you order online at Goodyear website they ship to local Goodyear store you get free install right now. I think it ends today.

 

[SatinSilver]

Very good, my brother bought some GY Assurance Comfortreds in that size and really likes them. It's nice getting a promotion tied to them. Even better not having to deal with rebates.

 

[dblshock]

Falkin/Ohtsu is a rising star..I just bought a set for the Toyota based on stellar feedback.

 

[SatinSilver]

From my research and not first hand experience they seem to be above average tires. I'd buy them at the right price. The top tier tires seem to be Pirellis.

Fwiw, DT will install different size tires. I was looking for some 205/55r16 and they would install some 195/60r16s that they had in stock. Plus a different size was the employees idea, not mine. So kind of got my attention a little bit.

 

[SilverFusion2010]

I've gone through two sets of the cooper CS5 Ultra in 225 50R17 and they do very well in the wet and have a nice ride. I got 50-60k out of them. Hard to say exactly because my ex kept destroying them hitting stuff on the highway. She has a problem with actually driving when she's behind the wheel

This time around I went with BFGoodrich G-Force Comp 2 all seasons because I've started tuning and upgrading and I wanted sticky rubber.

 

[ltslimjim]

Thanks for the feedback all.

I certainly considered the RT43 before but just got the Yokohama today anyway. After rebates it's just $20 more than the CS5 Grands which had risen and they wouldn't even price match Amazon pricing. I'll give some reviews when I get them installed and have some miles on them.

Pirelli just not in my price range. I'd say at 42k currently still going strong on the CS5 Ultras, but after the current rotation they'd be all close to 2/32 by 50k at the latest.

Looking to do better mileage wise mainly, but it seems the General may be another option if these Yoko's aren't worth repurchasing. Honestly, there just seems to be a nice mix of quality model tires for the price range. Hard to know what to expect in your vehicle vs other styles/conditions and vehicle.

 

[FZ1]

Read the Tire Rack reviews for different tires on your specific car. Hope this helps.

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: FZ1
Read the Tire Rack reviews for different tires on your specific car. Hope this helps.


I actually get a wide range. Not sure if the correct Michelin Defender model but it wasn't rated that good. The Avid Ascends I got seem to be rated good; especially on treadlife. The only less than ideal is a somewhat lesser traction rating wet but on the other hand it gets great reviews from DT and DTD without many complaints in wet traction. Maybe it's a lead foot or speeding issue? We'll see after I can report back.

RT43 has several speed ratings in the sizes I'm interest in and are among the best rated.

I forget what the #1 rated tire was but the P4s caught my eye. Only that they had 500k total reporing miles/24 total reviews so sample size is relatively smaller than other tires. Unfortunately, the Cooper brand wasn't in DT for me to contrast to. I really would've liked to have had a rebate on the Pirelli P4s instead to be able to choose them. Slightly out of my price range.

 

[FZ1]

You can drill down on the Tirerack site by specific car and indiviual driver and see what each driver thought of the tires they are running.

 

[ltslimjim]

Just an update:

So, with the labor day DT/DTD sale I chose the Yokohama AVID Ascend 185/60R15. I had them installed Tuesday and so far so good. It was raining on the first day and they performed without hiccup. They definitely feel like butter when steering and slightly more stiff, yet not too firm of a ride. Overall, initial impressions are that I'm pleased and will like to see how they wear/perform in rain over time. Dry traction has been smooth. Steering seems easier than on the Cooper CS5 Ultras, if that makes sense, but could be placebo in my perception.