Had new tires put on today

[srellim234]

20k miles on the Continentals and they were still in very good shape, but we opted to go ahead and put some Michelins on the car while the money was still in the budget and they were on sale at the place we wanted to buy them from. We picked up the Michelin HydroEdge from America's Tire/Discount Tire.

http://www.discounttire.com/dt...false

We didn't change rims or tire width or anything, but now we have a lot more security. Very important when your kids are in the back seat. We'll see if the harder rubber or the tread pattern affect the gas mileage.

Considering how often we've been driving cross country, we see the expensive tires as a worthwhile investment.

[fjwagner]

ok, you gave up an H rated tire for a T rated tire which means you probably gave up some handling and performance for likely better tire wear. That logic may not equate to the safety factor you cited as a reason to buy new tires early. Not sure how much tread you had left, but I am guessing about 5-7 k of good tread. I never take a tire down to the wear bars and never buy anything less than H rated.

Fred

[srellim234]

My feeling was that we're ok with the T rating mainly because we stick pretty much to the speed limits. Highest speed limit around here is 70; only time we'll see anything faster is 75 outside of the state and 80 in Texas. Our son in the Air Force is getting transferred so we won't be driving the 10 any more. Only the 40 going to NC and southern CO.

Even with a 5000 mile trip FL on it the Versa has still been driven 52% city. As a "conservative-driver" car, performance shouldn't enter into it too much and the tread design will hopefully offset any handling needs that might arise.

These should be much less susceptible to the problems a lot of people are having with the Continentals, too.

Thanks for pointing it out, though. You guys have been teaching me a lot on this forum; the points you make are no exception.

[fjwagner]

that makes good sense. Problem is, I tend to push a car on the handling side sometimes but not the speed side. What does your son do in the Air Force? My hat off to him.

[Mubbly]

Even with a 5000 mile trip FL on it the Versa has still been driven 52% city. As a "conservative-driver" car, performance shouldn't enter into it too much and the tread design will hopefully offset any handling needs that might arise.

A little off the subject - how is the car for road trips? We're thinking of driving 1700 miles to Saskatchewan Canada to visit the in-laws. I think that's a 26 hour drive. Would you stay at hotels or switch off with another driver every so many hours? Thank you, wise road trip man.

[srellim234]

fjwagner- he's a fighter plane crew chief (mechanic). He's trying to make a military career out of it, having just reenlisted for another 4 years. He loves it.

He's supposed to be going to Aviano AFB in Italy at the end of this month but apparently there's some hang up. If his overseas papers aren't ready by the end of the month they'll send him somewhere else. He's been at Tyndall AFB in FL for the last three years.

Mubbly- the SL with CVT is a very good long distance car. The upgraded seats are very comfortable and the cruise control on the CVT is one of the best I've ever driven. No variation of speed going up and down hills and no lurching into passing gear going uphill because of the CVT. For quick rests, pull the passenger seat all the way forward, take the head rest off and recline the seat all the way down. It matches up perfectly to the back seat, giving you a flat 6' bed to nap on. I made the last trip to FL alone, napping in the car. About 45 hours from Panama City Beach to here.

Only drawback was the high profile in the crosswinds of West Texas and the headwinds in New Mexico.

[fjwagner]

if you drive through Houston, I will buy you a beer or two or three!!! We used to live in West Texas (Midland), so I know about those winds. I loved getting hit by tumbleweeds on the highway!

[srellim234]

Wish we'd talked about it earlier! I've driven the 10 through Houston 5 times in the last 13 months. Now that our son's getting transferred the only reason I would have to go that way is if we wind up visiting family in Winston-Salem, NC and the weather makes the southern route more desirable. It's a long detour but I try to keep my distance driving as stress-free as possible.

[They Call Me Whatshisname]

Wind kills me.

[VersaMG08]

Agreed, every time it's windy I weave in and outside the lane. Such annoyance!

[frankoV]

Mubbly- the SL with CVT is a very good long distance car. The upgraded seats are very comfortable and the cruise control on the CVT is one of the best I've ever driven. No variation of speed going up and down hills and no lurching into passing gear going uphill because of the CVT. For quick rests, pull the passenger seat all the way forward, take the head rest off and recline the seat all the way down. It matches up perfectly to the back seat, giving you a flat 6' bed to nap on. I made the last trip to FL alone, napping in the car. About 45 hours from Panama City Beach to here.

Only drawback was the high profile in the crosswinds of West Texas and the headwinds in New Mexico.

Excellent analysis. Drove Ottawa to Newfoundland and back last summer . . . a comfortable drive in the SL. Not sure about the seats in an S, though.

I echo everyone's wind comments.

[srellim234]

I realize that the tires are brand new and designed with tread to improve handling in the rain but the difference was incredible while driving in the rain today. The Michelins felt so much better on the wet roads. Turning and changing lanes was much more secure.

One particular right turn that the Contis always slid on? Solid grip with the Michelins. Not even a hint of a slide.

We'll see if they still perform this well over the next 20k miles so I can honestly compare them to the Contis.

[sooner4x4]

A little off the subject - how is the car for road trips? We're thinking of driving 1700 miles to Saskatchewan Canada to visit the in-laws. I think that's a 26 hour drive. Would you stay at hotels or switch off with another driver every so many hours? Thank you, wise road trip man.

I have an S (without cruise) and have taken a few road trips but none over 500 miles at a time. My experience with the 4 speed auto on the highway is that it has a nice sweet spot around 3000 rpm (70 - 80 mph). At those speeds the car is very responsive and wants to accelerate, so you have to watch your speed or you will be in the 80 + mph speed without thinking about it. At steady cruising speeds in the 70 -85 mph range, my Versa averages 31 mpg.

The car is comfortable enough for a small car. If you don't have the arm rest, bring something to place between the seats like a blanket, so you can have something to lean on. This makes a difference a few hours into the trip.

[J. Reid]

I did Calgary to Brandon, MB last summer with my S (stock conti's at that time, no cruise), and it was a pretty good drive of around 1200km each way (there and then back a week later). I agree with what sooner4x4 said, you need to watch the speed as its very easy to creep up without realizing as my dad quickly learned when on his first leg of the trip (doing 110 along the Transcanada and next thing he realized he was up to around 125). Mileage for that trip worked out to around 7 L/100KM averaging around 115km/h for the trip. Crosswinds were not too bad, though with the HB they were definitely noticeable going across Saskatchewan in places.

[sooner4x4]

ok, you gave up an H rated tire for a T rated tire which means you probably gave up some handling and performance for likely better tire wear. That logic may not equate to the safety factor you cited as a reason to buy new tires early. Not sure how much tread you had left, but I am guessing about 5-7 k of good tread. I never take a tire down to the wear bars and never buy anything less than H rated.

Fred

The speed rating of the tire, H, T, S, whatever, is just that, the speed rating. It is not a rating of a tires handling or performance, however you choose to define tire performance. While the Versa does come with H rated tires from the factory, that is somewhat of a joke. Who is driving their Versas at 130 mph consistantly? An H rating means the tire is good to 130 mph. My Honda Accord was way more capable than a Versa at higher speeds and didn't come with H rated tires. My Toyota Sienna is way way more capable than a Versa at higher speeds and does not come with H rated tires.

In the US, assuming you are driving normal highway speeds, which I define as under 85 mph, there is no need whatsoever for an H rated tire on a Versa or most any other car for that matter.

With some basic research it is easy to find replacement tires that would be better than the Continentals, and would provide better traction, handling, tread life, without an H rating.

[SuperTurbo]

Hydroedge is good tires!

I am using that on my 02 MPV. It handle very well at wet, and reasonable in snow. Dry cold road is OK, not the best or worst.

This tire, when it's brand new brand new, it really sticks, but once you use it for like 20000km, you will start to see a bit more slipperage after sitting around for like 6hr... But after you warm it up a bit, it's all good [I usually tries to floor the gas on purpose to try to make a few spins, and they are all good after like 3-4 sec of spinnin]

This tires, I recommend you to pump it up to more PSI. (My Hydroedge said it need 35psi minimum, but I pump it up to 38psi)

Why?

1 funny thing about this tire is the outter thread seems to worn out way faster than the center area. [I have a funny feeling is either the center use harder material so it gives you longer life, but the side use softer material, so it gives better handleing]

Hope that helps

[srellim234]

Thank, Super Turbo. The tire shop mounted them with 36 psi in each tire, so I'll probably leave it there for now. Nice to know about tire warmth, too, because sometimes the car sits in the driveway for a couple of days at a time without being driven. Here in southern California, though, the tire warmth shouldn't be an issue most of the year.

Main reasons we bought thse tires:1. We love Michelin tires.2. The Hydroedge was only $1 more per tire than the Destiny with 10,000 more miles of warranty on it. (90k miles to 80k miles).3. Over the next few years we know we'll be driving to Colorado, North Carolina, possibly Tennessee, Indiana and who knows where else. We wanted tires that will be pretty good in the varied weather of long drives.4. We weren't going to buy the tires from anyone but America's Tire/Discount Tire and they were on sale there at the time we bought them.

[SuperTurbo]

Jsut curious, do your area have snow??

Destiny... only thing I like is the thread pattern, you can switch around to make all 4 even back.

Those tires with directional pattern can't really do that....

[srellim234]

About once or twice a year I wind up in a little snow going to my sister-in-law-s house about 45 minutes from here. A little mud around her place is more common as the last 3 miles to her place is unpaved. I've encountered a lot of snow and icy conditions on trips to Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina and Colorado over the years so I want to be prepared for them; we already see a few long trips in the near future. Heavy rain is more prevalent on the trips; if you ignore the last two weeks we don't even get much rain here where I live.

As long as I keep the wheels aligned properly, I hope uneven tread wear won't be too much of an issue. America's Tire/Discount Tire includes free pressure checks, balancing and rotations as often as you want for the life of the tire. With a 90,000 mile tire they're going to see a lot of me in the coming years.

[SuperTurbo]

Nice! I wish Canada have that free tire rotating service too!

btw, don't assume the Hydroedge is a super good mud tire! LOLLIke Construction area, they are not bad, but really muddy area, I would recommend you don't even bother to try.... or you should get a set of this

[srellim234]

If the weather is really ugly (by our standards, of course, which is pretty mellow compared to what you have to deal with) we take the Buick Rendezvous instead. I have a set of Michelins with a little more aggressive tread on that vehicle plus it has larger wheel diameter and a V-6 with a lot more power.