CHATROOM: All Season Replacement Tires

[axel10]

I see a few people here have reported installing the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred (225/60R17). A dealer, whom I have done business with in the past and completely respect, has quoted me $644 CAD for a new set (he keeps the stock Conti's with 15,000 km). I have done research and don't feel that I have a good sense of the quality (tread life and noise) of these tires. Here is what I know

1) consumer reports liked them
2) high average rating on tirerack.com
3) customer reviews (from various sites) are highly mixed - it is a love hate relationship - most complaints center on noise and tread wear

Can someone who has these installed on their Rogue please provide a little feedback/eperience?

Also, anyone out there who is learned on these matters, what would account for such extreme experiences on what should be the exact same tire? Would factors like chassis (installed on Rogue vs Impala), quality of installation work by tire shop, or even factory that built the tire, impact on what I am finding in the reviews?

Maybe I should just keep my Conti's

Thanks in advance.

[philipa_240sx]

Last time I rode in a vehicle with Tripletreds, I found the noise unbearable. It didn't help that the vehicle was a Dodge Caliber.

[psfod3]

I am looking for replacment tires on my 08 Rogue. Some tires I see such as the conti 4x4s which came on my car or the Kumho Solus KL21 are listed as crossover/suv tires while others like the Goodyear assurance are listed as passenger car all season/ touring etc. Is there advantage in geting a tire listed as crossover/suv vs a tire listed as all season or touring. I really do not see much difference in tred patterns or design.

[daytrippr]

I noticed the various designations for numerous similar tires too when were shopping for tires recently. I personally think it's just marketing hype.

BTW, we still love our Hankooks

[philipa_240sx]

Some SUV type tires have higher load ranges, etc. It depends on the make.

[tikblang]

Hi fellow Rogue-ians - What do you think of the 'new' "Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia? Just wondering how it performs (longevity) compared with the Stock conti 4x4. I am concern on the durability of the tires.I have a week to replace them because I am always losing air on one of the tire. They had 55335 miles on them. I drive daily on the 710 and 5 freeway (Los Angeles) and I don't go off-road. My average daily freeway commute is 78 miles round trip.

Should I go and try the Kumho Solus KR21 for $82/each or the Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia's for $125/each?
What do you guys think should be my 1st choice. One of the store here in LA can give me a $1500 same as cash credit but I don't want to spend it all. I don't like the idea of getting the top of the line and pay it forever.I am just looking for a dependable set of tires. Consistent performance over the life of the tires.

BTW, This is my fourth Nissan vehicle and IMHO, they are all nice.

Thanks,
Tik

[philipa_240sx]

The Bridgestone Ecopia's are a new tire so there isn't any testing/reviews available on them yet. They are a new breed of low rolling resistance all-season tire.

The Kumho KR21 has been around for a while and is a budget all-season tire.

In terms of wear, both tires have the same treadwear rating and should wear similarly... and longer the stock Conti's. (I am still impressed you managed to get 55k out of them!)

Honestly, you are comparing 2 vastly different tires. It's difficult to recommend either of them without knowing the type of driving you do and where you live. ie City or Highway? Do you get snow and ice in your area? Do you drive on muddy roads? etc.

Here are some general observations:

Kumho KR21:
- Budget/economy tire. Should perform OK in wet, dry and light snow.
- Got an average rating from Tirerack. Check it out the reviews for yourself.
- 6 yr / 85,000mi treadwear warranty

Bridgestone Ecopia:
- Low rolling resistance = better fuel economy. However snow performance sometimes suffers with these newer 'ECO' tires.
- No reviews or test data as the tire is less than 6 mos old. Very little is known about the performance or longevity of these tires in real world conditions.
- 5 yr / 65,000 mi treadwear warranty

[tikblang]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

After so many tickets (almost all speeding around 6 citations), courtesy of my 3.5 Alti, I am driving like an old woman now and achieved that 55k. meaning I have to avoid those cat-eyes when changing lanes and not driving haphazardly thanks to CVT. The NISSAN dealer told me that I was lucky to put that many miles on my car. I bought my car TWO years ago with 8 miles on it (after test drive).

Now regarding my driving environment, Mostly bad concrete on 710 and 5 freeway. California is not spending a lot of money in this part of town so I have to deal with this treacherous concrete and asphalt everyday. No mud, no snow. Southern smoggy california. Sometimes I see a 7 series BMW on the side of the freeway with blown out tire.

The conti took care of my car, never had a single flat tire. Now it is time for a better replacement. If I can get 55000 miles worry free on the ecopia I will be happy. I know the rotations (3x) help me stretch the life but the car is getting older (2 years in 6 days) and needs a better set of tires.

Alignment can be corrected but wont be as accurate when it was brand new so I need to take that into consideration when selecting tires. Conti was OK but the dealer was asking for US$256 a piece installed. I called Firestones Auto care for the quote on the Bridge Ecopia but they did not call me back. So here I am posting and trying to educate myself on other options.

Thanks again,
Tik

[philipa_240sx]

Considering you do not see snow, then many all-season tires will fit the bill.

As for alignment, unless you smack a curb or something the car should not be 'out'. Suspension components can also wear over time causing the alignment to change. Generally it's always a good idea to get it checked every couple of years, especially when installing new tires. If it's out, some simple adjustments can be made to bring it back to spec.

Your tire choice should not be based on the fact your car has higher mileage, etc, that's just nonsense. Properly cared for, your Rogue should be able to maintain the factory alignment for the life of the vehicle with little impact on tire wear. Instead, you should be basing your decision on the type of driving and the price you can afford.

[takeshi]

Also, anyone out there who is learned on these matters, what would account for such extreme experiences on what should be the exact same tire? Would factors like chassis (installed on Rogue vs Impala), quality of installation work by tire shop, or even factory that built the tire, impact on what I am finding in the reviews?

Yup. Don't bother reading reviews from other types of vehicles. Tire Rack allows you to filter reviews based on make & model.

Alignment can be corrected but wont be as accurate when it was brand new so I need to take that into consideration when selecting tires.

Shouldn't matter. As posted above, the shop should be able to align within spec (possibly better in some cases). If not, use another shop that can.

[tikblang]

I went with the Yoko Geo's. (Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051 - Highway All-Season), The miles 55.5K miles so if I get another 55 miles on these yoko's I will be happy. 663.09 less -50 mail-in (oh NO!!) hassle rebate (US$613 with warranty) . Will report back hopefully satisfied based on tirerack review. Is 5,000 miles rotaion very conservative? What is the average? Every 6K.?

Thanks,
Tik

[bill875]

Has anyone switched form the stock Dunlop ST20's to the Yokohama Avid TRZ's? I'm curious to what your observations are in the difference in ride/performance. I have 56,000 miles on my Dunlop's and could easily make it to 65,000, but winter is on it's way and I would rather be safe than sorry. I have the Avid TRZ's on order at Discount Tire, but they said I could change my mind before the install and up to 30 days after install because they have their 30-day Ride Guarantee. If there is a compelling reason to go with the Hankook Optimo H727 or some other tire, I won't waste their time/money by letting them install the Avid TRZ's. DT didn't seem very keen about the Hankook line of tires and tried hard to get me to choose the Yokohama YK520 which they say are an exclusive to DT.

It's a tough decision, but most people here seem happy with the Avid TRZ's, so I figured that would be a good starting point.

[philipa_240sx]

The Yok TRZ's are very nice tires. I have driven on them all summer and I am quite pleased. Not sure how they will handle snow... and I'll probably never know since I have dedicated snow tires for the Rogue.

[daytrippr]

Has anyone switched form the stock Dunlop ST20's to the Yokohama Avid TRZ's? I'm curious to what your observations are in the difference in ride/performance. I have 56,000 miles on my Dunlop's and could easily make it to 65,000, but winter is on it's way and I would rather be safe than sorry. ...

Hi Bill, we too got 50K+ on our Dunlops and they were quite adequate, but we wanted to make sure we had some new All Season tires since they are predicting a cold wet possibly snowy winter for the Pacific Northwest this year... I have made several posts about our Hankooks and so far we are extremely happy with them. They ride nice, they are much quieter than the Dunlops and rated much higher by Tirerack Good luck with your decision

[bill875]

I don't know why I waited until now to use the comparison tool on Tirerack.com. I just compared the Hankook Optimo H727, the Yoko AVID TRZ's and the Yoko AVID ENVigor. Right now, I think I would choose between the H727's and the ENVigor, but I don't know how willing Discout Tire will be to get me either tire when they already put the effort in to obtaining the TRZ's. They just opened this store and I know they are willing to bend over backwards, so I will call and see.

[daytrippr]

Bill, Good luck with the Hankooks....we got ours from Discount Tire....one day delivery and I was happy with the price.

[bill875]

Thanks daytrippr. I stopped by Discount Tire tonight and the Avid TRZ's had not come in yet, so they are going to call Hankook (or their Dist. Ctr.) and see what availability looks like. I'll wait if necessary. I just see too many Avid TRZ complaints about the sidewalls and I used to work with a guy who had the TRZ's on his Nissan Quest. After about a year, he was having sidewall softness issues and finally had one blow out on him. I paid $110 each for the TRZ's and I expect the Hankooks to be about $10-15 more per tire, but I hope they'll be nice and just sell them to me for the same price . I'll know tomorrow hopefully. Thanks again to everyone for your feedback.

[philipa_240sx]

I just see too many Avid TRZ complaints about the sidewalls and I used to work with a guy who had the TRZ's on his Nissan Quest. After about a year, he was having sidewall softness issues and finally had one blow out on him.

That's unfortunate. I have owned several sets of Yokohama tires including the TRZ and never had any issues. I also know of friends that have have the TRZ on company vehicles... GM minivans mainly and never had issues.

At the end of the day, purchase the tires you feel most comfortable with.

[ThandaPani]

Road noise was one of the first thing I noticed on my first road trip. So far only have 3000. Can't wait for 50000+ and move to Yoko TRZ. Hate this Contis.

[bill875]

Well, I had the Hankook Optimo H727's installed on Saturday and I am extremely happy with them. The ride is excellent and there is no noticeable road noise, especially when compared to my OEM Dunlop Grandtrek ST20's. I really thought I had a bad wheel bearing for the longest time. It turns out it was just the Dunlop tires which at 56,000mi were at 4/32 in the front and 6/32 in the rear. Yes, I had gone too long without a rotation, but still!

It's been dry lately, so I still need to see what the wet weather and snow/ice performance will be like on the Hankook's, but from all of the reviews I've read, they should perform well. I also submitted a $40 Mail-in rebate from Hankook in addition to the $100 online rebate from Discount Tire. So it will bring the total purchase with lifetime tire replacement down to $540 USD.

I am a little discouraged by one tactic I saw in play while having my tires installed. A lady was purchasing 4 tires and the sales guy was trying to sell her on the lifetime replacement certificates. She balked at the price briefly and declined, but then the sales guy offered the Lifetime replacement at 1/2 price. I feel somewhat cheated since I paid full price for the Lifetime Replacement Certificates. Part of me wants to go back and say something in an attempt to get $34 back. Should I, shouldn't I? Your thoughts?

[daytrippr]

We only had a $40 rebate!

[bill875]

We only had a $40 rebate!

Yes, I was wrong, the H727's are only a $40 rebate I have edited my post to indicate that. Oh well, getting rid of that road noise made these tires worth every penny.

[mag318]

I just went over 50,000 miles in my 2008 Rogue and have started to think about replacement tires. Everyone seems to think the original Contis are junk but I have to admit I've never had a problem with them, and at 50K miles there is still plenty of tread life left. I just read in Consumer Reports about a new Conti tire they highly recommend, looks like the original equipment tire with ECO plus. Anyone have any experience with these?

[psfod3]

I have a 08 with 62,000 miles on it. I still have a good amount of tred left on my conti's. I never had any problems with them but I still think I am going to go with the Goodyear assurance comfort tred touring when I replace them. I feel more comfortable staying with a h rated tire and there are very few to pick from.

[tikblang]

I already chosen the Yoko Geolandar HT/S and was installed on my 2009 Rogue for 663 with lifetime warranty(Discount Tire). The quote from Firestone for a set(4) of Bridgestone Dueler H/T 687 -215/70R16 (72616) was 5 dollar more (US$668).

679.96 minus 101.99 (15%_off)
59.96 Computer Wheel Balance
0.00 __Installation
12.00 Valve Stem
7.00 Tire fee
12.00 Tire disposal

Subtotal $668.93.

Since Firestone did not return my call for an appointment I went with Americas Tire (Discount Tire) for the Yoko geolandar.

My question is are they the same tires (thread life and durability)? Or is the bridgestone way better?

Thanks,
Tik

[daytrippr]

As for the Bridgestone Duelers, we just purchased a 2011 Subarau Forester (great car, btw) and they come with Duelers....the tire seems fine, quiet, etc, but when you compare it on Tirerack.com most people did not like them and they were rated 'fair' in the snow. Check it out. Check out the Hankooks, they are higher rated and cheaper.

[kerrton]

they tried to sell me siping, even though these tires are siped already....glad I did my homework.

OMG, that's nuts!

Please send these people over who purchased siping for their tires.... I have all kinds of stuff I could sell them!

I find the topic of "siping" coming up more regularly and it's pretty interesting, some people are really sold on this. A big local tire shop in my town really promotes it...for those who don't know, siping is when they do a series of cuts into the tire tread perpendicular to the direction of travel (i.e. from sidewall to sidewall direction). The claim is that these cuts allow the tread to flex increasing surface area when contacting the road and therefore you get better winter traction AND you supposedly increase the life of the tires because in warm or hot temperatures the cuts allow the tire to run cooler. Apparently this was quite common back in the 50's, but tire technology has changed so much since then I can't see how it would still be relevant. Also a tire guy I talked to said that a lot of trucking company's are experimenting with it to increase the life of tires.

Has anyone had experience with siping, or done any research on it? I'm not about to consider having it done, if for no other reason than the fact that it voids the manufacturer warranty. I just thought it might lead into an interesting discussion, and if the consensus is that there is no value or possibly even dangers associated with siping, then it would be good to share that info with as many members as possible.

[ntwrkd]

Just replaced my OEM Conti's at 32,500 miles with Hankook Optimo H727 225/60R/17. The Conti's were terrible. I was looking at the Yoko Avids everyone likes but on Tirerack and ConsumerReports, the Hankook's got rave reviews. Very hard to find a negative review on these tires. The Yoko's did not fare well in the snow and ice categories on CR ratings. We get our fair share of snow here in the Hudson Valley of NY and thats what sealed my decision. They are great tires and I highly recommend them especially if you have to drive in snow. Compare the Avid TRZ and Hankooks on Tirerack. I'll attach a comparison from CR as I am a subscriber..
http://db.tt/6B7vxfi

[AznJohn22]

I have 24,000 miles on the OEM Conti. Yesterday, the rear left rim was damaged along with the tire. I am reading the Hankook would be good for the weather in NYC. My question is whether or not to replace all four or just two tires.

[philipa_240sx]

AznJohn22,

Read my reply in your other thread:

alloy-wheel-t521635.html#p5956672