I religiously rotate my tires every 5k miles and check pressures. Yet, for the three vehicles I own (Tundra, RX350, Soul) and many in the past (Volvo XC60 R-Design tires were dead by 15K miles), the OEM tires do not make it past 25k or 30K miles before needing to be replaced. They wear evenly, they drive fine, and we drive mostly back country roads (not highway, not city, long winding roads with few stops). Once replaced the second set of tires easily goes +50K miles. Why are OEM tires so bad?
Why are OEM tires so bad?
- Thread starter PWMDMD
- Start date
With the added bonus of they hope you go to the dealership for new tires?
Anybody that does any casual shopping around for tires won't be going to the dealership......
I remember taking my BMW for a recall to the dealer a few years ago. The summer tires that were on it (non- run flat) were nearing the end of their life. As part of the inspection they quoted me $1200 for a new set of crappy run flats. I politely declined.
FWIW I've been happy with the Giti tires on my VW, but I do have winter tires so I don't know how they perform in the snow. My old Sienna came with Yokohama tires which also seemed "fine". I guess I really haven't seen horrible OEM tires yet.
The Giti tires have about 50K on them now (subtracting for the winter tire use) and still have more than acceptable tread. I'll probably need new ones next spring.
The Giti tires have about 50K on them now (subtracting for the winter tire use) and still have more than acceptable tread. I'll probably need new ones next spring.
OEMs want tires that are above all cheap and are quiet. Because a lower price and quiet ride is what sells cars.
The cars need to come with tires and need to get the best fuel economy all for the lowest price ..
Because some owners prioritize mileage over other features which the factory tire provides. It's not always about "lowest cost".
It can happen but it's rare.
Once in my life I had an actual relationship with my lexus dealer - they did stuff like replace a 10 year old cracked dashboard for no money, and I did everything with them outside of oil and filter changed including tires which they made great deals on - including getting a discount from Michelin when my tires were all weather checked after 2 years.
That's not always the worst thing with some prudent shopping, and proper timing.
I had Pirelli's put on my Mustang at a local Chrysler dealer when they were running a Buy 3, get one free sale. Tires were the same price before discount as Discount tire, came out close to $50. tire less after the discount, plus I got another $100. off for opening a charge.
The second set of tires that I put on my Accord came from a Ford dealer. They quoted me an OTD price that when I took it to Discount Tire, the manager of the store told me he couldn't touch the deal from the Ford store.
Doesn't always work out that way, but it is worth a check.
Take your pick.
That must have increased my Tundra's mpg from 13.0mpg to 13.1mpg...lol. It was a hog with the OEM tires and I haven't noticed any difference after replacing the tires with non-OEMs.
The OEM Tiger Paws on our 03 Tracker were like tread wear 600 traction B and temperature C, and the wet grip got even worse as they aged.... The still have ~6/32 though at 80k miles when I dumped them.... They were mileage specials for sure.
The tires that came on the Outback though seem to work quite well though, and this is the last summer for them, they are Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport with the OEM version at 400 A B, T speed rating, and 10/32 with 6.6" width on the road, vs. the aftermarket version with 500 A A H speed rating, 11/32 and 7.7" width on the road.
They are down to ~4/32 with about 45k miles on them and are getting a bit noisier, but wet grip seems to be hanging in there, and they actually seemed pretty decent in snow too when brand new, probably helped by the narrow contact patch and soft sidewalls.
I would get a set of new take offs of the OEM tires again, if the price was right, as they never even felt squirmy or soft in cornering on dry pavement? I guess the door sticker 35psi front, 32 rear pressures helps with that.
The tires that came on the Outback though seem to work quite well though, and this is the last summer for them, they are Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport with the OEM version at 400 A B, T speed rating, and 10/32 with 6.6" width on the road, vs. the aftermarket version with 500 A A H speed rating, 11/32 and 7.7" width on the road.
They are down to ~4/32 with about 45k miles on them and are getting a bit noisier, but wet grip seems to be hanging in there, and they actually seemed pretty decent in snow too when brand new, probably helped by the narrow contact patch and soft sidewalls.
I would get a set of new take offs of the OEM tires again, if the price was right, as they never even felt squirmy or soft in cornering on dry pavement? I guess the door sticker 35psi front, 32 rear pressures helps with that.
That's not true. Dealerships can have very competitive tire specials.
In the last 6-7 years I've purchased tires from Ford and Nissan dealerships because they were better value than even Discount Tire (not saying this is always the case..) In the case of Ford, they offered a large rebate (around $100) AND price matched Walmart.
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