Tire replacement

[Elmojo]

Me again,

I'm thinking of getting new tires for my V.Please excuse me if I've overlooked an obvious thread somewhere.I've hunted around a bit, but haven't seen anything on this.I saw the various rims threads, but this is specifically for new tires to go on the stock 15" alloy wheels.The stock Conti's don't really need replacing yet, but I like looking early so I'm not in a rush.Plus, I have a very slow leak from a nail that wasn't patched quite right.

I'm leaning heavily towards the Yokohama Avid H4S.I have a similar (touring) version on my wife's Toyota Avalon, and they are great.Tirerack's customer reviews as well as their own road tests all point to a very good tire.I'm thinking of going with a slightly larger size to increase grip, but I don't want to throw off the speedo too much.The miata tire size calc (http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html) says that a 195/60-15 will be a very close replacement in terms of overall circumference and rotations per mile.

I'd like to get your opinions on what you have on your V or have heard about that might be helpful in my search.

Thanks in advance,

[keanucosmo]

At Tirerack.com, when you select specs on a tire, they show all the sizes for that tire. You can very easily compare specs between sizes to find a size close to diameter & revs per mile of the stock tire.

[Ever Victorious]

Those Yokohamas you mentioned are pretty good all-season replacements. If you've got money to blow and want the best all-season tire you can buy, look for the Michelin Energy MXV+.

Kumho now makes a halfway decent all-season, but I forget what it's called. It's also inexpensive compared to both the Yokohama and the Michelin.

[guigow]

Try 205/60 R15. I changed the stock tire to this after get my car in the dealer.

PS.: I used the same site. miata.

[Elmojo]

Try 205/60 R15. I changed the stock tire to this after get my car in the dealer.

No, thanks. I'd much rather be slightly slow than slightly fast.I have enough trouble holding down my speed as it is!

EV: Are you sure about that model?Check out the reviews here: http://www.1010tires.com/tirer....htmlAnd some customer grading here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...+Plus

They don't look too good to me.Just wondering if we're talking about the same tire?

[bucksnort]

No, thanks. I'd much rather be slightly slow than slightly fast.I have enough trouble holding down my speed as it is!

EV: Are you sure about that model?Check out the reviews here: http://www.1010tires.com/tirer....htmlAnd some customer grading here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...+Plus

They don't look too good to me.Just wondering if we're talking about the same tire?

I'm swapping out my stock 185 /65/15 junk Conti's as soon as I can find some alloy rims. Gonna put the 205/60/15 tire on them. It's not about speed. It's all about stability and road handling w/the 205's. On the Miata site you'll see side by side the difference. Mileage might drop a bit but I rather have a better handling car.

The Michelins were some of the worst tires I ever owned. Never would stay in balance. Replaced w/Falken 512's. The 912's are supposed to be a big improvement but lack winter capabilities. I see you live in Snow Hill so sumptin to think about.

[Ever Victorious]

They don't look too good to me.Just wondering if we're talking about the same tire?

I'm positive about the model. They were the OE tire on my Optima. I have to disagree with bucksnort's experience. My Michelins were flawless, never had any sort of balance, tread, or belt problems.

And from what I see of those reviews, you've got the normal mix of people who have problems with the tires (defective tires) and blame it on the brand instead of the individual tire, and then the ratings are consistent with a GOOD OE tire. OE tires will never rate "excellent" in ANY traction category.

If you look again at the tirerack numbers, those are incredibly balanced for an all-season. Most tires will sacrifice one type of traction to get a boost in another type. The worst numbers are for deep snow traction, which is always a hard number for this type of tire to score well on.

I replaced those Michelins at 36,000 miles. They probably had another 10,000 miles worth of life on them, but I tend to replace tires early rather than wearing them down to the last legal limit.

I replaced them with a set of Falken 512's... the exact tires that bucksnort used to replace his Michelins with. The Falkens were fantastic in the dry, better than the Michelins (which, mind you, were still better in the dry than any other OE tire I had previously)... but they just plain SUCKED in the wet (particularly braking!), and their snow traction was an absolute joke.

That's why I say the Michelin was a great all-season tire. It wasn't the best at any one particular type of traction, but it was good at ALL different kids. Quiet, soft, and long-wearing, too.

Besides, in the grand scheme of things, it might not matter too much. ANYTHING is better than the crap Continentals that Nissan threw on the V from the factory.

[Elmojo]

I see you live in Snow Hill so sumptin to think about.

Nah, the name is misleading. We have NO snow and almost NO hills! LOLI hear you about the advantages of the 205 over the 195, but speedo accuracy is way more important to me than it should be. The V is the first car I've ever owned with a spot-on speedo. The gauge and my GPS match within .3-.5 mph from 10 to 95, and I'm just not happy about giving that up. However, I might still go with the 205's as you suggest. I'll have to think on it some more. Did you have any trouble with the tire fitting the rim width? Also, with the extra width, does the tire always look like it's a bit low on air? I oversized the tires on my Avalon and have that issue. It's no biggie, just a little annoying visually.

Quote »Besides, in the grand scheme of things, it might not matter too much. ANYTHING is better than the crap Continentals that Nissan threw on the V from the factory.[/quote]EV: Thanks for the clarifications.Have you looked at the tirerack numbers for the Yoko's I mentioned?They seem to match or outrank all the Michelin numbers, and it's cheaper.Just thought you might like to know for the next time you need rubber.

Thanks again everyone,

[nsrZ32]

We've sold quite a few sets of the Yokohamas to Versa owners here at the dealership as I don't recommend the Conti's as they dont' wear well.

The people who bought the Yokohama's absolutely love them. Great in the rain, snow, and dry. That's what will go on our Versa when it needs tires.

[guigow]

I'm thinking of going with a slightly larger size to increase grip, but I don't want to throw off the speedo too much.

Try 205/60 R15. I changed the stock tire to this after get my car in the dealer.

No, thanks. I'd much rather be slightly slow than slightly fast.I have enough trouble holding down my speed as it is!

I really don't understand you... The variation of my suggested tires are less than your suggestion for 195/60. 0,9% is absolutely nothing. And if you consider that original speedometer has 0,4% of error marge than this (62mph is 59mph on the speedometer), i dont see any problem.

If you want grip, go at least to 205.

[bucksnort]

Try 205/60 R15. I changed the stock tire to this after get my car in the dealer.

PS.: I used the same site. miata.

Picked up these babys yesterday from craigslist. Were off a 2002 Infiniti G20 Touring model. I think the chrome is pretty rare. Tires are Pirelli P400 205/60/15 with 80%+ tread left. Alls I have to do is pickup some chrome lugs and the wifeys Versa has some new bling

[guigow]

Very good bucksnort.. i bought the bridgestone potenza G3.

[XterraVersa]

I got Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires about a month ago. 195/60 R15 (They claim 80k miles)

So far they have seen 5 inches of powder snow, ice, slush, standing water, highway sand... everything you would expect to see in Colorado in a week of driving in early springs. These tires grip very good. I have tried pushing them within reason & they didn't disappoint. I don't know why some reviewers say they are load, they are quieter than stock.

Don't know if it was the tires or fuel blending, but my mpg is up about 2 mpg this month to ~35 mpg.

[bucksnort]

I got Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires about a month ago. 195/60 R15 (They claim 80k miles)

Don't know if it was the tires or fuel blending, but my mpg is up about 2 mpg this month to ~35 mpg.

Some tires give better MPG than others. I got a set of 4 Blizzaks 205/60/15's for $100 on CL that'll go on the stock steelies for winter driving. Can't wait to feel the difference with the more stable and wider tyres. The stock Conti's are a joke. They'll go to CL or on the kids car when they need some rubber for 10K miles. The tires were the only weak link on the V when I bought it. I knew this and off they go.

[Elmojo]

I really don't understand you... The variation of my suggested tires are less than your suggestion for 195/60. 0,9% is absolutely nothing. And if you consider that original speedometer has 0,4% of error marge than this (62mph is 59mph on the speedometer), i dont see any problem. If you want grip, go at least to 205.

Let me see if I can clarify:I understand that the % variation between the stock tire size and the 205s you suggest is less than with the 195s I specified.The issue is not so much the amount of variation as the direction.As I stated in an earlier post, I'd much rather the speedo show that I'm traveling faster than actual rather than slower than actual.For example, say I'm really traveling 60mpg per GPS.With the 195s, the speedo will report ~59.5With the 205s, the speedo will report ~60.5I know that's only 1 mph difference, but I read the speedo down to ~0.5 mph, and in my area, 1 mph can be the difference between getting a ticket and not.Overall, I'd rather err on the side of caution, which is slower.

However, I'm prepared to live with the speedo error if you think the handling/grip difference between the 195 and 205 is noticeable.Thoughts?

[XterraVersa]

For the same tire:

In snow & wet conditions narrower tires will handle better. The smaller foot print leads to less hydro planing/ snow planing. A smaller tire can cut through slush easier to grippier surfaces, were as a wider tire will float more.

For the dry, wider tires handle better, but can lower your mpg because of more rolling resistance friction(why they perform better). Ever see a real sports car on narrow tires?

On ice, it depends more on the tread pattern than tire width.

[bucksnort]

Let me see if I can clarify:I understand that the % variation between the stock tire size and the 205s you suggest is less than with the 195s I specified.The issue is not so much the amount of variation as the direction.As I stated in an earlier post, I'd much rather the speedo show that I'm traveling faster than actual rather than slower than actual.For example, say I'm really traveling 60mpg per GPS.With the 195s, the speedo will report ~59.5With the 205s, the speedo will report ~60.5I know that's only 1 mph difference, but I read the speedo down to ~0.5 mph, and in my area, 1 mph can be the difference between getting a ticket and not.Overall, I'd rather err on the side of caution, which is slower.

However, I'm prepared to live with the speedo error if you think the handling/grip difference between the 195 and 205 is noticeable.Thoughts?

You must have some real prick Gestapos down there. Otherwise it's pretty anal to worry about being off .5-1 mph on your speedo. I better watch it when I come thru NC this summer on the way to the Banks.

[grommitroo]

had Discount tire put 195/60/15 Yokohama YK-520s on the day after my first Houston freeway panic stop in the rain scared me silly.These have a lot more grip and have a nice, quiet ride.The stock tires are horrible by comparison

[Elmojo]

You must have some real prick Gestapos down there. Otherwise it's pretty anal to worry about being off .5-1 mph on your speedo. I better watch it when I come thru NC this summer on the way to the Banks.

You said it, not me!Of course, they're not all overzealous teabaggers, but we have enough of them in my neighborhood to make life above 60mph a real hassle.It doesn't help that I tend to drive a lot of back roads....nevermind.

Thanks for the feedback on the tires! I'll be going for the Yoko's, most likely in the larger size for increased dry grip. We get less than 1" of snow per year around here, and I slow down considerably in the wet. Okay, that last part was a lie, but the concept is sound!

[srellim234]

I was at Discount Tire/America's Tire the other day geting the tires rotated on our other car and I happened to ask the guy about replacement tires for the Versa. He recommended the Pirelli P3000.

When I got home I went ahead and looked them up on the Discount Tire website.

http://www.discounttire.com/dt...ar=65

The Pirelli is $7 cheaper per tire and has 25,000 more miles in warranty (85k to 60k). The Yoko is slightly higher speed rated (118 mph for the Pirelli; 130 mph for the Yoko) but it's not like our family Versa is ever going to go over 80 mph anyway.

Any thoughts or experience with the Pirellis?

[Elmojo]

...but it's not like our family Versa is ever going to go over 80 mph anyway.

Any thoughts or experience with the Pirellis?

Ummm, speak for yourself! LOL

Anyway, I don't have much experience with Pirelli car tires, but I'm not a fan of their motorcycle tires. The sidewall design is ugly and tends to roll in hard cornering. Not that any of that applies to 4-wheel tires.

I think I'm gonna stick with the Yoko's. The comments here and the reviews at various web sites, including tirerack, all point to it being a high quality tire with good performance and ride.

Thanks!

[Ever Victorious]

This is not speaking from personal experience on the Pirellis, but what my Subaru friends have said about them.

Lower end "touring" or all-season Pirellis are ok. They handle decently, but not particularly stunning. They're somewhat noisy, but they wear slowly, lasting a long time. I heard some Impreza drivers say that Pirelli's low-end tires are only about as good as the Bridgestone Potenza RE92 that originally came on their cars... still better than the Contis we have, but they indicated there are better replacements available.

On the other hand, high-end Pirellis (sport and 3-season) tires tend to be pretty good according to them, other than the opposite deal with wear... their sport tires tend to wear FASTER than normal, giving them a shorter life.

This is just what I've heard from a bunch of Impreza/WRX owners. YMMV.