help me pick a cheap tire

[sh40674]

wife's 2012 fusion needs 3 tires (has a yokohama avid ascend the dealer put on when we bought it because 1 tire was bad). We just had our 2nd child so as you could imagine money is tight. her last car we put a set of Starfire RS-C 2.0 on and we didn't have issues for the 18 months before we got rid of it (including iowa snow)

so that being said, on a tight budget without buying something i've never heard of before... help me pick some tires that are cheap. i hate using the 2 words in the same sentence but i had luck with the star fire's, so lets see. here's some i looked at:

1. the star fire rsc 2.0 again
2. Mastercraft mc 440
3. Kumho Ecsta PA31
4. primewell
5. we have a discount tire near us that tells me the Ohtsu FP0612 are good tires.
6. Douglas from walmart

now please leave the bashing aside.. can anyone recommend any of these?

 

[KingCake]

Ohtsu are great tires for the money. So are the cheaper Kumhos.

I put a set of "Epic" tires on my camry beater and they've worn really well and ride well. They were the cheapest thing NTB/Tire Kingdom had.

 

[sh40674]

i was kinda leaning on the kumhos since i can get them shipped free to walmart (just have them put them on while i'm there) and i've never heard anything bad about the ohtsu yet

 

[UltrafanUK]

If you can't afford a tyre made by Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear or Michellin, it might be a better idea to look for a good used tyre made by one of those major tyre companies,
If you do that, make sure the good used tyre is not more than 10 years old, has no repair plugs and has been inspected inside and out for damage or premature sidewall crazing.
If you have to use used winter tyres, make sure they have at least 4mm of tread or they won't be much good in snow.

If you have to buy new tyres, I would pick the Wallymart specials and then go real slow in the wet, as the big difference with budget tyres is in their wet road braking distance figures. Also don't tailgate other cars if you have cheap or worn tyres, as the stopping distances figures can be as much as 30% more with El-cheapo crash stop specials.

 

[eljefino]

I've got starfire SF340s on my camry that are quite decent, though bad in winter. (I run winter tires.)

The default answer should be to wait for the discount tire Black Friday sale, if you can. Get some coopers from them for $100-ish for 4 after rebates.

 

[gfh77665]

At least look at Craigslist in your area. I found a set of Bridgestone Ecopias for about 1/3 the cost of new ($200 vs. $600), and they were almost mint condition.

 

[skyactiv]

I'd get the Douglas tires from Wal-Mart. I looked at the Ohtsu tires out of curiosity. They aren't rated good in the snow if that matters.

 

[Olas]

You don't cheap out on tyres or brakes. What happens when all 4 of you are in the car and it crashes because cheapo tyres don't grip well enough?

 

[fdcg27]

+1

If the OP can wait a few weeks, he can pick up a set of Coopers or Generals for cheap and either would be a pretty good tire.
OTOH, if he's been happy with Starfires in the past, then why not?

 

[FlyNavyP3]

I've had absolutely excellent luck over the past Decade with Wal-Mart Goodyear and Douglas tires. I bet that I've personally run over 100,000 combined miles personally on them and my friends who've run them have also logged probably the same or more. I've always been pleased with the quality and value. It's a price point tire so performance is aimed at that aspect. I think the OP is better off with inexpensive tires with adequate tread depth than his original tires that are nearly worn out.

As an aside, shame on the dealership for not at least putting a pair of tires on it. Except in a pinch I prefer not to put one new tire on an axle.

 

[Sayjac]

First, I have zero experience with any of the listed tires. I do however have lots of experience with Discount Tire. The reviews/specs/ratings on the listed Ohtsu FP0612 on the DT site look decent. And in my experience you would get good service (rotations/balance) on them after the sale at DT. Sure would like to see you be able to get four tires and have a completely new set for many reasons.

Not sure if applying for the DT Care One credit card is possible, but if approved currently an extra $30 rebate on a set of four. And you would have 6 months to spread out the payments using that card. Something to consider.

And as noted if you can wait till black Friday, DT should have some added promos to reduce price more.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

If you run anything but the most expensive Michelin, you are risking the life of yourself and everyone else on the road. It should be considered child abuse if you have a child in the car and you are not running Michelin tires.



Now that we have the standard BITOG post out of the way - two of those tires are made by Cooper. Starfire and Mastercraft are Cooper brands and should do well. Douglas is a Walmart in-house Goodyear brand and they also seem to be popular but according to the reviews treadlife seems to be poor.

You have already used the RSC tires and found them good so I say go with them

 

[RooflessVW]

I LOVED the Kuhmo PA31 on my wife's X3. Outstanding tire. Got a little loud towards the end of it's life but had great grip wet and dry. Kuhmo's may be cheaper but I would not put them in the budget category. They're excellent tires.

Check Amazon to see if they have your size in the Nokian eNTYRE. Another stellar low-cost tire from a well-known company. Those replaced the Kuhmo's on the X3 and they were wonderfully smooth and quiet. Had no trouble throwing it around the corners either.

 

[Crusher]

sh40674

I agree with sfh77665, check your local Craigslist. I run nothing but Michelin tires on my vehicles and I sell tires on Craigslist all the time. So instead of focusing on a cheaply manufactured tire that's inexpensive , look for a high quality tires with good tread left at a reasonable price. Good luck!

 

[RooflessVW]

I don't understand the BITOG circle-jerk over Michelin. I've always preferred the higher-end Continental or Bridgestone products.

The only Michelin tire I've ever cared for was the MXM4, and they're so overpriced right now I would never consider them over the Bridgestone Turanza or Continental DWS.

They're selling their name, and I don't believe that their products justify the prices they ask.

 

[4WD]

+1 ... My son ran a set of the WM Douglas tires - got a safe run with 32k ... He's not the best at getting them rotated.
I see a number of the WM employees run that tire too ... (Some the entry level Goodyear)

 

[KingCake]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
+1

If the OP can wait a few weeks, he can pick up a set of Coopers or Generals for cheap and either would be a pretty good tire.
OTOH, if he's been happy with Starfires in the past, then why not?


Ohtsu is a superior tire (in the sumitomo family) to cooper and general. I've put then on many vehicles. No complaints.

 

[Bgallagher]

Why not see if you can get some decent used tires and put money aside each month to purchase something more decent. A 2012 isn't an old vehicle, I would imagine you would want to keep it for some time. If that's the case I would stick with something more reputable

 

[Gebo]

I run Michelin on everything that they make that will fit my cars. If I can't get Michelin I ALWAYS go with Mastercrafts. They have always been great tires. And I have never had a problem with them. They are made by the non-union side of Cooper Tire.

 

[4WD]

Seems OP can't afford Michelin ...