Tires for 2006 Sentra (195/55H16)

[MoneyJohn]

Hello folks,

I have 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition. One of the tire got a tear and needs replacement. I am not too sure of the other tires yet so will need conformation on that from the mechanic. I did the 'penny test' but wasn't too sure. I will post pictures if someone could help me out.

This vehicle was bought second hand and came with Falken Ziex ZE-912. I have no idea how much the other guy used on these tires but current reading is ~82K and I have used it for less than 20K in 2 years.

I live in NY so would like to have tires with better traction. Cost is also important. I crunched some numbers on tirerack.com and came up with following list.

General G-Max AS-03
General Altimax HP
Kumho Ecsta 4X
Yokohama AVID ENVigor
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422

I would love to have your opinions, if I should NOT buy any of these or should consider other tires not listed here.

Also, when buying new tires which points should I also consider like, tredlife warranty or similar.

Thanks in advance.

 

[stephen9666]

Check Discount Tire Direct. They have a smaller selection, but generally lower prices.

 

[Doog]

Go back on tire rack and look at the reviews and surveys for each tire. Just be absolutely sure you have the correct size tire before you buy them. Check the size on the sidewall of the tires on the car against the sticker on the drivers door jamb and make sure you get the correct size, load rating and speed rating that Nissan recommends. This should also be printed in your owners manual.

It might be a good idea to talk to one of the Tire Rack sales people as they are very knowledgeable about what should work best for your vehicle and type of driving.

 

[leeharvey418]

Out of the five you listed, I'd probably pick the Altimax HPs. The others are pretty new on the market, so most of the TireRack reviews are from people who are all giddy to have gotten them first. The ENVigors started off very highly rated, but they're dropping like a stone.

Like stephen said - also check out DTD. They carry some other good brands that TireRack doesn't.

As for what factors are important - that's not really for anyone but you to decide. If you're buying them for year-round use, I'd probably pay very close attention to winter ratings, but like I inferred above - TireRack ratings aren't the end all be all of tire goodness.

 

[Finklejag]

You are lucky. I had a 05 Sentra. I had about 3 tires to choose from back then. I bought 205/55/16 tires instead. It looks like you at least have some decent tires to choose from now.

I have the Kumho 4X on my GTI. They been great this winter.

 

[quint]

I have the General Altimax on my 240sx and I think they are excellent. Wet traction is outstanding, handling is excellent.....We had a major snow storm here about 2-3 years ago where SUV's, front wheel drive cars, pickups, you name it, were getting stuck on backroads where the snow was 12-15 inches deep. Here I am in a rear wheel drive sports car, and I had very few problems (relatively speaking) and was driving around and right past people who were stuck spinning their tires. The tires were only about a month old at the time so they had a ton of tread on them and I am sure that helped.

My only complaint about them is since they are directional, no side to side rotations, just front to back. As they have worn, they have developed a strong pull to the right side. The tire shop attributed this to the factory recommended camber setting for this car, and said this would probably happen no matter what tire I put on it. A different tire shop told me the exact same thing.

Mine are about 90% worn and I plan on replacing them in the next month or two, I plan on getting these again.

 

[MoneyJohn]

First of all, thanks to everyone for their comments.

@ stephen9666,
I checked them. Their free shipping offer is very good but they have only General G-Max AS-03 and Kumho Ecsta 4X. I am sort of settling down on General Altimax HP, which they don't have.
Just found out that the shop down the road 3 miles has these ones cheaper that DiscountTireDirect.com I am going to make a trip there this weekend.

@ Doog,
This is a really good advice. Many website recommend 195/60H16 for Nissan Sentra and I was looking for those tires. Then I checked on the car and it was 195/55H16. Only the Load Index-Speed rating is 86H and the tires that I currently have are 87V. That should be OK, right? Sort of more the better, although I never drive more than 65mph.
I WILL talk to the tirerack saleperson before placing an order, if I go that route.

@ leeharvey418,
Agree that DTD carries some brands that are not on tirerack but the problem here is, this is my first ever tire purchase so I am going more with the reviews and the numbers I crunched from tirerack. Such numbers are not available on DTD so I am hesitant to go with the brands that I don't have any 'data' for. Just going on UTQG isn't enough, right?

Thanks for your Altimax HPs suggestion. They do stand out. As said earlier, I am going to make stops at few places during the weekend and then finalize which one to go for. At the moment, its Altimax HP.

@ Finklejag,
I wonder what was the odd size of 2005 Sentra that you had only 3 choices.
Thanks for heads up with Kumho 4X.

@ quint,
Thanks for heads up with Altimax (I guess, HP right?)

After reading the reviews, how poor my last 2 choices were! so I dropped them. Costco is going to have mfr. rebate on Bridgestone next month so I was considering Ecopia but the reviews aren't great at all. At least not as good as Generals listed here or the Kumho.

Some additional questions,
1. I am curious if tirerack gives any discount codes if you sign up and wait for a week or so?
2. How old tires should I accept?
3. If someone tries to sell me Road Hazard Warranty, what thing that should make me say Yes? (I am inclined towards not buying one.)

 

[Sayjac]

Of those listed, I'd go with General Altimax HP's. Went 55k on a Civic in 3+ years. Reasonably priced, excellent hydroplaning resistance, solid treadwear and a good ride. I likely could have gotten the rated 60k, but didn't want to stretch too close to wear bars. Based on the Civic experience, should be a nice fit for the Sentra.

I have no experience with the others, but I've considered the Yoko ENVigors and might give them a closer look in future.

Might want to check out the Gen HP thread below, shows pics of my HP's at ~50K. Bought them at Disc. Tire.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1293487&page=7

 

[Finklejag]

My 05 Sentra had the 195/55/16 tires also. Back then you could only buy the OEM Firestones, an overpriced Michelin, and another that I can't remember. The only other car that used 195/55/16 tires at that time was the Mini Cooper. It used run flats, so most of the 195/55/16 tires were run flats.

Nissan likes to use odd ball sizes. They did the same thing on the Frontier.