Tire recommendations please...

[AstroVic]

My car is a very well maintained 1995 Ford Crown Victoria LX (Geezer Package), and, starting May 30th I'll be putting about 20,000 miles a year on it for the next four years, driving back and forth to law school. Basically, I'll be driving this cream puff on the highway from one side of Houston to the other.

My needs are:

1 - Must be good in wet conditions - Houston is flat and it tends to have heavy rains from time to time, but I'm not *necessarily* looking for a "rain" tire.
2 - Must have great ride comfort, low noise, and long tread life. I want peace & quiet in my car!
3 - I'd like it to be able to handle reasonably well, too. (I *DO* live in Houston after all!)
4 - Price is always a consideration, too.

I've been looking at the following tires:

Michelin Harmony (~$120 a tire)
Michelin HydroEdge (~$135 a tire)
Goodyear Eagle RSA (I get them for $67 a tire)
Yokohama AVID V4S (~$90 a tire)
Yokohama AVID Touring (~$75 a tire)

Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions? Please feel free to toss them my way! I am like a sponge for you BITOGers!

 

[UncleS2]

Mom has a 94 Mercury Grand Marquis, with the regular "blah" jello suspension & single exhaust, tire size 215/70/15. Several years ago a local shop had some Pirelli P400 blems in that size, & I had a set put on- 4 out the door for about $200-$220. That car has never, before or since, driven as well as it did on those tires- and they were absolutely *great* in the rain! Fairly quiet too. The only downside is that they wore out in about 30,000 miles, & you want something longer-lasting for your $$ I'm sure.

I'd go to Tirerack*dot*com, do a search on your tire size(s), pick out whatevr looks interesting, & then start reading customer reviews. Then when something really looked good, buy it from a local tire shop that will throw in free re-balancing & rotation. The lack of rebalance & rotation is what kills those otherwise good tire-rack deals- at least that was my experience on the Neon.

You might also look on the Crown Vic forums, & maybe ask there. I bet you'd get lots of input!

Oh- of the tires you list, I'd look hardest at the Goodyear & the Yokohama Touring- but that's just my opinion.

 

[AstroVic]

Yeah, I've read the reviews on tirerack.com so often that my wife thinks I've lost my mind!

My 1995 Crown Vic LX uses 225/60R16 tires. I put some 16" wheels from a 2000 model on it.

I have to admit that it's hard to pass up the Goodyears simply based on the price factor. Even so, I've always wanted to "splurge" for some Michelins, so the Harmony has my eye. Yokohamas have always served me well, too.

So many tires to choose from...

 

[bdcardinal]

i have a 2000 grand marquis and i put on Pilot Sport A/S 225/60/16 just because i wanted a no compromise rain tire. i have been thinking of replacing them with H rated Goodyear Assurance TripleTread. through my work they have a 80,000 mile warrenty, almost unheard of for a H rated tire.

 

[Bamaro]

I would look at these Kumho's:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...2&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=3

 

[kkreit01]

I'd say the Hydroedge, or GY Tripletread. They are both rated high on TireRack.

 

[AstroVic]

Bamaro,

I actually just removed a set of Kumho Solus KH16s from my 2000 Ford Crown Victoria. They were horrible tires.

I'm not downing Kumho tires, either. I have used four sets of Kumhos in the past and still have a set of them on my 1995 Ford Crown Victoria. I've had great results with the Ecsta KH11s, but the Solus KH16s were a HUGE disappointment. They wore out incredibly fast and are supposed to be a long treadlife tire!

I don't want to go back to the KH11s simply because I want a longer lasting, less aggressive tire.

I'm starting to take a close look at the Goodyear Assurance TripleTreads. They're a little more expensive up front, but possibly worth it in the long run.

 

[williar]

The tripletreads are great, I understand. The Yoko Avid H4S is supposed to be good, too, and a bit less expensive. The H4S trades a bit of comfort for handling, I gather. You probably won't be happy with the comfort and treadlife of the Avid V4S.

 

[Auto-Union]

Vic, Yoko TRZs. I have them on our CRV and they are amazing. They easily replace HP tires and are almost overkill for the Crown Vic. Treadwear about 700, killer peformance. Do a quick search here and on Tire Rack, everybody loves them

 

[bretfraz]

Over the years the Michelin Symmetry has developed a rep for being a very smooth and quiet tire with very good "3 season" performance. It was/is OE on the Town Car and Gr. Marquis. If you want a smooth riding tire, this might be a very good choice. The downside to this tire is its age (the other Michelins are newer models) and its average treadlife, 30-40K seems common.

The closest tire I can think of is the Goodyear Assurance Comfortread. It's biased a lot like the Symmetry but should provide better treadlife.

The Michelin Hydroedge obviously is biased toward wet traction (the Goodyear Tripletread is a direct competitor). The Harmony is a good all-season performer biased toward long tread life, which may mean it's not as smooth and quiet as you'd like, especially as it ages.

The Goodyear RS-A is a performance all season tire that has mixed reviews. The Yokohama Avid H4S is a direct competitor and seems to be a better choice. Both tires are more biased towards performance over luxury.

Based on your choices I think it's a close one between the Harmony and the Comfortread. I don't know if I could make up my mind.....

 

[Bamaro]

AstroVic, thats good to know. I currently run the Ecsta HP16's which have been replaced by the Solus and after 10k miles,I have been pleased, especially considering the price. Maybe they didn't do as good of job with the Solus as with the HP16's.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Be careful reading to much into the reviews at the Tire Rack...you are taking someones opinion on how the tires are performing on THEIR vehicles...just because someone says that the HydroEdge is smooth and quiet on their Toyota Sienna does not mean that smooth and quiet ride will translate over to a Toyota Matrix....I think you can read into where I am going with this...

Very loud tire.....just putzing around town is annoying with a whoop whoop whoop noise...BUT on the highway there is some roar and a bit of singing but not so horrible as with slower speeds.

I have a 7k on the tires and have not rotated them yet...they have finally gotten to the point where they give a very smooth ride but are still loud and noisey...I'm afraid to rotate them and still have the noise and now a crappy ride lol


BUT all a moot point as I bought some OEM alloys and am going to have some new rubber put on before they are mounted...been looking at the Kumho ECSTA ASX....fairly inexpensive and may be a fun tire for the next 8-10 months before I wear them out


Goose

 

[moribundman]

My Audi came with the Goodyear RSA. On a sports sedan that tire was frustrating, because it did everything so-so, but nothing really well. The best I could say about it was that it was wearing very well. I would expect this tire to be a decent A/S tire on a large car with a cushy ride like the Crown Vic. I can't comment on the other tires.

 

[doubleclutch]

I vote for Michelins! I put Harmonys on my son's T-Bird and I really like them. Also, I put Michelin Xs from Costco on the Taurus and daughter's Mustang V6. Both are good riding, all weather tires. I also had a set of BF Goodrich Premier Touring T/As from Costcos put on my ol' '85 Crown Vic beater. They are good tires also, with a 70,000 milage rating. I've always had "blinders" on when it came to tires and only purchased Michlins. I'm finding that there are tires out there that may be just as good, and have a more reasonable price tag too.

 

[AstroVic]

Thanks to everyone for the input and recommendations! I've narrowed my choices down to the following tires:

Goodyear Eagle RSA ($67 a tire)
Goodyear Assurance ComfortTred ($92 a tire)
Goodyear Assurance TripleTred ($107 a tire)

I'm leaning toward the ComforTreds due to their reported ability to deliver an exceptionally comfortable ride (think: highway cruiser) and their good marks on how they perform in the rain. Plus, they're supposed to wear very well and last up to 80,000 miles. I doubt I'll get that much out of them, but I'd be happy if I could get 50 or 60 thousand miles from them.

The RSAs still have my eye due to the lower price and generally predictable performance. (I've probably driven 500,000 miles on Goodyear Eagle RSAs on police cars over the past 13 years so I'm familiar with them.)

I don't need any winter performance whatsoever - it never snows in Houston - so I'm not sure I want to pay the premium for the TripleTreds, especially since some people have reported a noisier and harsher ride with them.

Any comments?

I decided to go with Goodyear tires and abandon the others for a few reasons.

1 - I get a discount on them due to a contract price I'm able to get.

2 - They have a rebate going on right now which will save me $20 to $40 on the tires. Not much, but better than nothing.

3 - By charging it to my Goodyear credit card I will get no interest for 90 days (minor benefit, but convenient nonetheless).

4 - I like the fact that they offer a 30-day "test drive" on their tires. I don't really have any belief that I'll exercise this option, but it's nice to know it's there.

5 - Through the course of my employment (helping stranded motorists) I've developed a working relationship with the guys at most of the local tire shops. And while I think Goodyear's Gemini car care rips people off for everyday services (oil changes, etc.), I feel comfortable with their ability to properly mount and balance the tires, etc. (I'm not feeling the same for Walmart or Sam's Club, know what I mean?)

I used to dislike most Goodyear tires, but lately I've come to think more highly of them. The Goodyears on my wife's Yukon XL have performed flawlessly (they were just put on it by the previous owner before we bought it). The Goodyear Eagle RSAs on my 2000 Crown Vic Police Interceptor have worked very well for me, so I can't really complain. My buddy just got 42,000 miles on a set of Goodyear Eagle RSAs on his 2003 Impala Police Package, and I don't think he rotated them more than once!

 

[Auto-Union]

I stand by the Yokos. Goodyear=Sumitomo, you can get a better price on other tires in their line. To meet your needs, I would just say don't over-pay. Keep it simple.

 

[Auto-Union]

Ahh. One needs to look at the prices of all the tires in question to really make any meaningfull comparisons.

 

[bretfraz]

Goodyear and Sumitomo are in a joint venture but are not the same tires or the same company.

Goodyear owns a minority interest in Sumitomo which gives it control of Sumitomo sales in N. America and Europe. However, Goodyear decreased its ownership in Sumitomo from 10% to 1.5% in 2003, selling most of the shares back to Sumitomo.

Sumitomo owns Dunlop. The joint venture involves all three brands but affects the operations of Dunlop and Sumitomo in the US.

 

[John Hilmer]

Vic, late to the party but I would like to comment that the Yoko Touring is to me flat dangerous in wet conditions.

Perhaps in my case with them on a 2000 Tacoma it is not comparable to your ride, but on the light truck they were about like steel on steel when I needed traction in wet weather. John

 

[AstroVic]

Well, I went with the Goodyear Assurance ComfortTreds and I am very happy I did!

I haven't been able to put a lot of miles on them yet, but so far they are unbelievably smooth, quiet, and in "control" of the road.

Plus one for Goodyear!