j30 tires

Post by **lunaivan** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

i need to replace the tires on my 1995 j30, which tires do you guys recommend for my car?

Post by **Q45tech** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Depends on which of the dozen or so parameters you want to favor and the amount of problematic downsides you will accept.

Oem is V rated 215/60/15 with a 200 tread wear index.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

According to the placard inside the center arm rest, the speed rating is H with a 93 load index. However, if you were to replace the ECU to remove the speed limiter, V rated tires would be very advisable.

I have nothing but good things to say about my Yokohama YK420s from Discount Tire. For an all season tire, they are far better than the Goodyear Eagle HPs I had before which were useless in the rain, even more useless in snow and wouldn't stay in balance.

Post by **driverdriver** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

I've been running H rated Michellin HydroEdge All seasons on mine. Great in rain, sleet and snow. I don't race or speed a lot so the H rated tires work for me.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

H rated tires are good for the ~130 mph indicated limited top end (5000 rpm in 4th gear) for the J. You can't go wrong with getting V rated tires though as they are generally better built and higher quality. Larger safety margin on that hot day when you run over that muffler doing 85 mph.

Post by **cweberj30t** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

I'm assuming you're replacing with stock size. Go to tirerack.com. I have Bridgestone Turanza LS-H and Blizzak WS 50's for winter. I'm pretty happy with both, not the highest performance, but good tread wear and feel are my highest attributes.

Post by **PNWj30t** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Does anyone else out there with a J30 have to contend with lots of rain and frequent black ice in winter? I'm starting to hunt for new tires - only have a couple of months left on mine. I see reference to rain and snow handling when I look at the Tire Rack site..... but am I dreaming to think that some brands might handle black ice better than others? Would appreciate input.

Roads here are really treacherous, two-lane and winding, and we regularly wrestle with logging trucks and impatient tourists.

My car is a 1994 J30t with 130k miles on it. I love the smooooth ride of this car, and wouldn't want tires that create road noise or harsh ride - but, safety comes first.

Post by **driverdriver** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Since there isn't one perfect tire. Maybe you should think about running two sets of tire, a winter set and a summer set.

Tires that are really good on snow, ice, black ice due to there sticky silica rubber compound are: Blizzaks or Ultra Ice Grips

Good summer or all season tires: basically anything in this thread.

Make sure all your tires are minimum H rated for the J (that's the manufacturers minimum recommendation)

The key to getting a "sticky" tire for ice is whether or not Silica is used in the rubber compound. This is what makes rubber stick to ice. I don't think silica is an ingredient in all season or summer tires.

You are going to get some hum with Blizzaks and Ultra Ice Grips, but it isn't something you couldn't live with.

Also factor in your driving style into the purchase of tires.

Hope this helps.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Good advice from a fellow hoser, but avoid any "summer" tire during the winter months. They will be useless in cool yet alone cold conditions.

Post by **j30freak** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

I just put 4 Yokohoma YK420s on ours and it drives soooo much better now...of course the previous tires were in pretty bad shape.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

You will enjoy those 420s. Very strong sidewall indicating a strong tire which a heavy car like the J needs.

Post by **driverdriver** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

PNWJ30t:

You may want to check out Goodyear Eagle GT +4 All Seasons. My brother's in law enforcement and he worked for some years in British Columbia with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They drive a lot in freezing rain, lots of rain, black ice, snow and wet snow on windy mountain roads which I'm assuming is the type of roads and weather you contend with. The prvinical and local police forces swear by GT +4's on their rear wheel drive Crown Vic police cruisers. Apparently its the only All Season with a bit of silica content which allows them to better adhere to slippery surfaces.

Post by **PNWj30t** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Wow! Thanks so much for all the info......now I can start shopping and sound at least a little informed.

Wish there was a site this wonderful for my "good" car...a 1965 Plymouth Valiant Signet V-8 convertible. (No laughing out there! It's a head-turner...people either think it's really cool, or think I'm nuts for having something so dorky.) I haven't had to deal with tires for that - whitewalls still have plenty of wear left....it's mostly my sunny weather carting-around-my-beagle car. (The J30t sure doesn't have window ledges that hold up to doggy paws.)

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Even if tires appear to be in good shape, they will degrade over time because of exposure to oxygen. Q45tech has posted many execllent threads about tires. You could have a set that look fine but because of their age are ready to catestrophicly fail. Be careful!

Post by **fxjackso** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

My Q had new YK420's when I bought it. They were hard to keep in balance. At about 15-20,000 miles one of them developed a radial force imbalance that increased to 18 lbs, at which point I discarded them for Pilot XGT H4 235/60's. I honestly believe that the 420's might have failed catastrophicallyif I continued.

The J is lighter, but not light by any standard. I can't recommend the YK420's for it.

Do a search for more comments.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

My 420s have performed very well for me and I put a lot of miles on my J. I'm not saying that there might not be something systemically wrong with them though. The Q has a different front suspension set up than the J. Perhaps that is causing problems for Q owners or you just got a bad tire. It happens.

Post by **Q45tech** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

The 90-96 Q is about twice as hard on front tires as any McPearson strut due to the extra camber, camber gain, and caster.

It takes a real tire to stay round, maintain strength, and not gain radial force imbalance on the Q front..........same with wheels which are subjected to extraordinary stress on the front.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Fx,

The YK420s are H rated which is OEM spec for the J30. Doesn't the Q require at least a V rating? There are reasons other than speed that specific ratings are mandatory as per the tire placard in the car.

Website · Post by **diamond** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

im from wa.when i was working i would use yokohama snow tires.they seam to work ok.got 3 seasons out of them and theres still more left.it can be pretty dangerouse out by you.i think an all season of top quality should work.personally i wouldnt drive mine in the snow if i had too.i would get something soft to grip those roads out there.put some weight in the trucnk if it snows.it will help.ive got alot of research to do to find a new tire for me too.be carefull out there if your drivin the j in the snow.

Post by **cweberj30t** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

I'm extremely pleased with the Blizzak WS50's I have. I've heard good things about the Pirelli snow sports as well. In any harsh winter climate, you almost have to have a dedicated snow tire with RWD.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Chicago has a harsh winter climate? Compared to the winters I grew up in, it's pratically tropical here.

The salt on the roads is the harshest thing about Chicago in winter.

Post by **cweberj30t** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Have you looked outside today? I would say that it's pretty harsh seeing as it's March 17th. They do use way too much salt, it really pisses me off. You can get by without dedicated snow tires, but it does make a huge difference.

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

What's a few flakes?

Up north, we would't even consider this good sleddng weather.

I'm just glad I didn't have to go anywhere today.

I watched a car blow the stop sign in front of my house while making a left turn. He smashed hard into the curb next to my place. I suppose if he had observed the stop sign he wouldn't be needing new suspension parts right now. Smacked the right front wheel really hard at about a 45 degree angle. Young pup thought the laws of physics only applied to others. He fought the law and the law won.

Post by **mersidoe** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

I think I'm finally ready to get some more tires for my J - I sure hope that solves my vibration problems, it would be a whole lot easier than a new driveshaft!

My question is this: As many of you know (reading patiently my saga(s,) I only bought two tires last August when I bought my J, because I wasn't sure if I was going to keep the car, so I only replaced the two that were badly worn. I've had some vibration problems since, but I've been dealing with so many other breakdowns and problems (it must be the alignment of the stars!) in my life, I haven't gotten back to the tire issue until now.

I have two new Yokahama Avid H4's on the car, and I'm wondering if I should get two more matching tires, or start all over. I've been trying to find some more information on the tires, (if they were a good choice for the car) but I can't find the info.

Several people have written favorably about the Yokohama YK420's. I think I read that they are the same tire as the H4, but now I can't confirm that. I'm sure it's on the tire rack website somewhere, but I can't seem to get to it. Obviously it would be easier and cheaper to buy two more H4's, but if they don't help the problem. I won't be much better off.

Any suggestions?

Post by **cweberj30t** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

I beleive they discontinued the YK 420 and replaced it with the H4. I could be wrong. I would just replace the other two with the H4's and have balance and alignment done. Are you still getting vibrations?

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Good news. I went to the Tire Rack site and from what I can tell from the picture, the H4 is the same tire as the YK420. The 420 is the "house" Yoko for Discount Tires.

Get 2 new H4s and you should be doing just fine. Very happy with mine. Very good all around tire with a strong sidewall for our heavy J30s.

Post by **mersidoe** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Thank you for your help. I was having no luck navigating the tire rack site.

The car still vibrates, but the MPH where I felt the vibration changed when the tire store moved the tires around (and broke a few other things in the process, I suspect.) At least I can hold out hope that the new tires will fix the vibration. It's amazing how much you can ignore when other things are taking your time (and money.)

Post by **szh** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Living in Monterey Bay, CA, you have totally mild winters, right? You should consider getting the Firestone Firehawk SZ50EP - closeout at Tire Rack (if they are still available) - in a 225/60-15 size. These are awesome tires in wet and dry.

Super quiet on the highway and strong! One time, I took my Q in to fix a flat and get these SZ50EP's re-balanced (after some 3k to 4k miles) and asked the tech to spin them before removing the weights. He was amazed that two of the tires did not need any change in weights and the third only needed a minor weight change!

Z

Post by **VimyJ** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

szhosain wrote:Living in Monterey Bay, CA, you have totally mild winters, right? You should consider getting the Firestone Firehawk SZ50EP - closeout at Tire Rack (if they are still available) - in a 225/60-15 size. These are awesome tires in wet and dry.

Super quiet on the highway and strong! One time, I took my Q in to fix a flat and get these SZ50EP's re-balanced (after some 3k to 4k miles) and asked the tech to spin them before removing the weights. He was amazed that two of the tires did not need any change in weights and the third only needed a minor weight change!

Z

A good suggestion but she already has two new H4s. My 420s (aka H4s) have remained in excellent balance. I got the rotation and balance"service package" from Discount and the 420s have required little balancing and are smooth as glass. The strong sidewall is another major plus for the H4s.

The Js "down low" power could be additionally compromised by going to a larger diameter tire.

I read many of the Tire Rack reviews that pertained to heavier and RWD cars. Almost everyone loved them except BMW owners. They almost all complained of premature tread wear. This has not been my experience at all.

Post by **j30freak** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:57 am

Here's another vote for two more H4s. No need to buy four new tires when you just need two. BTW, at what speed does the vibration occur?

j30 tires

j30 tires

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