Best tires for Town Cars

["C"]

What brand of tires do you have on your TC's? What do you all prefer in terms of brand, price, quality, and size? Because I just got bought four new tires yesterday, there nothing fancy but very good so far. They are the common BF Goodrich Revolution Touring. The reason I went for them is because of price for one thing, and I didn't want any thing too expensive or off brand cheapo tires that's only gonna last me 30,000 miles or so. These ones have a decent 60,000 mile warranty which is perfect for me and my buget. I like the Goodyears, but the ones I really wanted cost too much, like over $120 a tire. The ones on my TC now are very nice, I am more than happy with them, even though I paid roughly $56.00 a piece for each one. I believe some brands with a more expensive tire try to over exagerate on how great it is by advertising there patented features making people believe that this tire must be superior than a lower priced one. I try not to buy into that garbage, so middle of the road for me is the way I like it:)

[Bobby1]

I just purchased my second set of Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWPs for my 91 Town Car. I got 55,000 miles on the last set. Proper inflation and rotation are essential. This is a medium priced tire with a good ride, low noise that does not hydroplane.

[Largoyle]

My vote is for the higher priced tires. Lillibell has the 16" Michelins, and when I had the front end alignment done and replaced the front tires, I put the same tire on... ( only because the whitewall width matched.... they have the narrow white stripe, and nobody makes one the same size ) Every vehicle I've owned, from my daily driver, to my 33' motorhome has had Michelin tires on them, and I've never been able to wear one out.... they dry rot from age before they wear . I got a "deal" on a set of new Goodyears for my 85 Fleetwood RWD I had once.... I put 500 noisy, uncomfortable miles on, and had them replaced with Michelins. Just my two cents worth, but I've had the best service from the Michelins, and I do tend to be brand loyal, so please take it for what it's worth !:D

[pkucan]

You can't go wrong with Michelins but I'm using Coopers on my 95TC.

[Kielbasa]

What Cooper?

I've used the Cooper Trendsetter on my 1993 Deville's A great riding tire. I didn't feel all the bumps in the road like I felt with the Lifeliner. The treandsetter has a lower Threadwear number. I swear this number has (a lot) to do with the feel of the ride.

On my Town Car I still have the Michelin XW4's on it. There are ready for the graveyard, but I want to get through this fall with them. My Cooper WeatherMaster snows go on around Thanksgiving. I am very happy with the Cooper snow tire. Plus it really isn't that *** and noisey on the road.

Now as far as what I'm going to replace the Michelin XW4's with, that is the $64,000 question.

There's no question about the white wall! These cars look great with the white wall, but I don't like the wide white wall that most tire company's offer. I have the 15" wheels, so I'm pretty limited. I put a set of the Michelin Symmetrys on for the summer of 2006. I personally thought they road very hard over the bumps. I think that threadwear number is a 600 if I'm not mistaken. So I put the XW4's back on.

So...... I'm at a standstill myself for my 2008 summer tires. If I had the 16" wheel, I think Michelin has their Energy tires with the very thin white wall available.

So if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to give them............

[pkucan]

I'm running the Cooper Touring SLE 215/70R/15 treadwear is 620 and I don't notice any wear after approx 20K. The only thing I noticed is the sidewall is a little thin for me but then it is a softer ride.

[V8guy]

I agree on the BFG Revolution tires. I bought a set at Sears in 2003 and have put 21,000 miles on them and they still look new. They give a quiet and very smooth ride and I recently bought another set for my wife's 91 Cartier. The total cost including balancing and tax was less than 300 bucks.

[ihopmsm45]

I have had the Yokohama Avid Touring (they are made in the U.S.) for about a year and a half, and they are great. excellent water traction, and not bad in snow either (granted rear snow tires help too). They were about $60 each off of discounttiredirect.com, probably same off of tirerack. I don't like whitewalls, and these look about as good as blackwalls can on this car.

[Highlander]

My tires... Marshal... size 225/75/15
But I want to buy Cooper tires :)

[Night Wolf]

Goodyear Assurance Comfortreds.

["C"]

Do you guys noticed a difference from a P215 70 tire to a P225 75? Just wondering if the comfort level would increase by using a larger tire.

[97TCCartier]

assuming the sidewall thickness was the same, it would be more comfortable. But your speedo is going to be off. If you use a wider tire, the heighth has to come down a bit. The second number is a ratio of height to width. So a 225/75 would be 225cm wide, and 75% of that tall, which is like 168.75 cm. Lots of tire manufacturers will post the ride heighth of tires when mounted and inflated. I know i kinda went out on a tangent here, but that being said, a taller sidewall will give more flex, on the same brand and make of tire => more comfort. you just have to use a smaller width to acheive proper ride height & not to screw up the speedo calibration. But its hard to nail that correctly. Just pick from a brand you trust, or look at tirerack.com and read what people think about the tires that they use. I bought my tires based on user feedback from there, but i went local to purchase them. Good luck.:cool:

I might have messed up somewhere in my math here, correct me please if im wrong

[ABE]

Your dimensions should be in "mm" and not "cm". I think your math is ok, but you will find the manufacturer's specification for revolutions per mile easier to use for calculating speedometer change.

[v8_dave]

If the stopping distance goes down by a measly 1% or 3 feet of a 300ft emergency braking from 70mph, why not spend the money for the highest rated tires tire rack has to offer within your means when that can potentially spell a collision? I opt for Goodyear Trippletreds to replace all my car tires. Its amazing what good tires could do. If I had more money I would get summer and winter tires of the best caliber.

[97TCCartier]

Thanks ABE for the correction. I must have edited my own post, deleting a bunch on the actual math i put down, and i overlooked the units. Cant believe i did that. 225cm tires would stick out quite a bit.:eek:

[longston]

I have had the Yokohama Avid Touring (they are made in the U.S.) for about a year and a half, and they are great. excellent water traction, and not bad in snow either (granted rear snow tires help too). They were about $60 each off of discounttiredirect.com, probably same off of tirerack. I don't like whitewalls, and these look about as good as blackwalls can on this car.

I have these on my Aerostar, and love them. As for the Town Car, I'm still running a mix of the LeMans, and Firehawks that the car came with in an oversize 235/70/15. Strangely enough, the roadside radar units show an accurate(?) speed reading when compared to my speedo even with these oversize tires..

When I buy a complete replacement set, they will probably be Yokohama Avid TRZ's in a 215/70/15, and I will have America's Tire price match Tire Rack...

[skinhead]

I'm glad you guys are having good luck with Yokohama, cuz my moms 03 Subaru Forester came with them, and we already replaced them once, and they're ready to be raplaced again, and the car barely has 40k on it. The outer egdes were completely worn after 25k, we bitched at the dealer and they replaced them for free, the car was aligned, and now at 40k they are completely worn down again, snow traction is horrible, and they squeel at almost every turn, even though the cars alignment is perfect, tire pressure is constantly checked, and tires are rotated when they're supposed to be. After this experience, me and my family are staying away from the Yoko's.

[fshavlak]

I have had the Yokohama Avid Touring (they are made in the U.S.) for about a year and a half, and they are great. excellent water traction, and not bad in snow either (granted rear snow tires help too). They were about $60 each off of discounttiredirect.com, probably same off of tirerack. I don't like whitewalls, and these look about as good as blackwalls can on this car.

I went with the Yokohama Avids also after looking through reviews on tirerack.

No problems so far, the only thing I would change would be to add a white stripe.

[Kielbasa]

Do they ride soft and smooth or do you feel the road with them?

[fanders]

I'm glad you guys are having good luck with Yokohama, cuz my moms 03 Subaru Forester came with them, and we already replaced them once, and they're ready to be raplaced again, and the car barely has 40k on it. The outer egdes were completely worn after 25k, we bitched at the dealer and they replaced them for free, the car was aligned, and now at 40k they are completely worn down again, snow traction is horrible, and they squeel at almost every turn, even though the cars alignment is perfect, tire pressure is constantly checked, and tires are rotated when they're supposed to be. After this experience, me and my family are staying away from the Yoko's.

I have the yoko avids on my 93. I drive about 100 miles a day. The tires are great ie traction, ride, quiet.
Your Suby is front wheel drive; as such it will eat tires. I would suspect that the alignment is still out or the car itself is "off" somehow from the factory.

Regards,

Frank

[skinhead]

The tires are called Yokohama Geolanders. The Subaru is AWD, and after reading more than a few comments by other Forester owners, it seems like everyone is having the exact same problems.

[gadget73]

My Yokahamas developed large tumours in them after about 6 months. Total they probably had 15k miles on them. I did get them used but they were in excellent shape at the time. They were mushy and had lousy traction. Overall, not impressed. Much more fond of the Fuzions I have now, but those are more of a performance tire and ride like it. They're basically marketed as a performance tire on a budget. Traction is great, but they're kind of hard, and a smidge on the noisy side. Get what you pay for, but they are holding up rather well so far.

[Night Wolf]

If the stopping distance goes down by a measly 1% or 3 feet of a 300ft emergency braking from 70mph, why not spend the money for the highest rated tires tire rack has to offer within your means when that can potentially spell a collision? I opt for Goodyear Trippletreds to replace all my car tires. Its amazing what good tires could do. If I had more money I would get summer and winter tires of the best caliber.

The tripletreads are nice, but no white wall :( The Comfortreads have the pencil line white wall, so thats whats on the Town Car.

[skydrol69]

i have some Dunlops sp60 filled with nitro instead of air. what can i say the ride quality changed from the day i change the tire, the car runs smoother

[white lincoln]

You can't go wrong with Michelins but I'm using Coopers on my 95TC.

I second that on both the Michie's and the Coopers. Pooper is a quality tire for the money and nothing to sneeze at! :eek:

[Kielbasa]

I found that the Coopers will start to crack after 1 year, 2 years tops.

[pkucan]

What type cooper tire? I recently heard that there is an expiration date on tires, sell by date !!!! Haven't looked yet but I will. Any one else hear this?

[Kielbasa]

I believe it was the Trendsetter. It road softer then the Lifeliner. This was about 2002-2003ish.

[white lincoln]

I found that the Coopers will start to crack after 1 year, 2 years tops.

Get outa here!:spit:

That's cause you left your Town Car outside all summer....:D

[Kielbasa]

They were on my 1992 Deville.

[white lincoln]

They were on my 1992 Deville.

KB, did you get a chance to read the post by Night Wolf ( http://www.lincolnsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53556 )
about the front suspension? I thought there where some good points on front end squeking, noises and fixes that would interest you.

I'll get a message off to you soon.

B

[97TCCartier]

I have the yoko avids on my 93. I drive about 100 miles a day. The tires are great ie traction, ride, quiet.
Your Suby is front wheel drive; as such it will eat tires. I would suspect that the alignment is still out or the car itself is "off" somehow from the factory.

Regards,

Frank

Skinhead's Subie is AWD, not FWD. The issue with that is that each tire gets driven at different loads, to maintain its traction that AWD is famous more. A Subie dealer told me thats the issue with them dealing with tires. That they will wear unevenly all the way around. In my opinion, when doing wheel rotations on cars that are AWD, have the shop take all 4 off, and measure tread heighth, pairing the tires together that are the closest, left to right respectively.

[93cartiertc]

So would you suggest 225/70/15s'? I have 215/70/15s' on my 93 cartier tc (252,500 original miles), however what advantages could I benefit from by slightly increasing the width? Also would a 225/75/15 tire cause some degree of rubbing within the front-end. I would like the fact that the would car sat up a little higher. And I would opt for a good all season tire. These cars handle fairly well in the snow, for rear wheel powered vehicles! What say you?:confused:

regardsassuming the sidewall thickness was the same, it would be more comfortable. But your speedo is going to be off. If you use a wider tire, the heighth has to come down a bit. The second number is a ratio of height to width. So a 225/75 would be 225cm wide, and 75% of that tall, which is like 168.75 cm. Lots of tire manufacturers will post the ride heighth of tires when mounted and inflated. I know i kinda went out on a tangent here, but that being said, a taller sidewall will give more flex, on the same brand and make of tire => more comfort. you just have to use a smaller width to acheive proper ride height & not to screw up the speedo calibration. But its hard to nail that correctly. Just pick from a brand you trust, or look at tirerack.com and read what people think about the tires that they use. I bought my tires based on user feedback from there, but i went local to purchase them. Good luck.:cool:

I might have messed up somewhere in my math here, correct me please if im wrong

[v8_dave]

Thats alot of sidewall! My new truck has 225/70/15 tires, I cant imagine something like that on the TC. I would try to find something of the same circumference so the speedo isn't thrown off, of course the wider the better (except in snow lol).

[Kielbasa]

One thing I was hoping you would have posted was.... what the ride feel is like with these. Hard, soft, comfortable? Highway opinions are not very true because most highways are smoother and level the majority of the time, so really any tire will give you a pretty good ride reguardless.

I have had the Yokohama Avid Touring (they are made in the U.S.) for about a year and a half, and they are great. excellent water traction, and not bad in snow either (granted rear snow tires help too). They were about $60 each off of discounttiredirect.com, probably same off of tirerack. I don't like whitewalls, and these look about as good as blackwalls can on this car.

[Jerry in Pitt PA]

I put on four Michelin HydroEdge 1 1/2 year ago. 80,000 mile tire for around $110. Rides smooth, great traction in rain. I don't drive my 93 TC in the snow. Thickest side wall of any tire I've bought. A+++

[Kielbasa]

But smooth and soft are two different points about the tires. I really care about the softness. As I stated, almost all good tires will ride smooth on a level and flat road

I put on four Michelin HydroEdge 1 1/2 year ago. 80,000 mile tire for around $110. Rides smooth, great traction in rain. I don't drive my 93 TC in the snow. Thickest side wall of any tire I've bought. A+++

[white lincoln]

But smooth and soft are two different points about the tires. I really care about the softness. As I stated, almost all good tires will ride smooth on a level and flat road

Just about anyone I have talked to say you can not go wrong with Michies - any Micheline tire. For your area Keil, I'd say the Hydroedge would be a good tire due to the amount of rain you get.

[Kielbasa]

I was actually thinking about buying a camel. Gas here in Connecticut hit $4.05 Thursday 16, May 2008.

Un....F'nbelieveable



Just about anyone I have talked to say you can not go wrong with Michies - any Micheline tire. For your area Keil, I'd say the Hydroedge would be a good tire due to the amount of rain you get.

[Kielbasa]

I forgot to mention.... Whitewall only.


Just about anyone I have talked to say you can not go wrong with Michies - any Micheline tire. For your area Keil, I'd say the Hydroedge would be a good tire due to the amount of rain you get.

[mcdermott6555]

When we bought our 1995 Sig. it needed tires in a bad way. I went with Mastercraft 225 70 15s. They are great in snow and rain and give a quiet comfortable ride. They are also very reasonably priced. $230.00 for all 4 mounted and balanced. They also have a 60000 mile tread wear warrantee. I have put about 3000 miles on them and could not be happier. Most name brand tires are WAY overpriced. I have Mastercrafts on 2 of our 3 cars. When my LTD needs new rubber she will have them too.

[coolman911c]

I put Fisk Classic, one of Michelin's commodity brands, on mine and there great, traction and comfort wise and at 40 bucks a corner i couldnt beat it and 50000 mi warranty

[pkucan]

Remember that warranties are one thing but checking the tread wear when you want to replace them under warranty is another. i.e. I purchased Bridgestone Firestone once and after approx. 3,000 miles (nail near the sidewall), on a 70,000 mile warranty the tread measure deal said that I used 33% (approx. 20,000miles) of the warranty. I called Bridgestone and they said "most of the wear is in the beginning of use"? I'll only buy Michelins or Coopers.

[BillyBob TC]

Remember that warranties are one thing but checking the tread wear when you want to replace them under warranty is another. i.e. I purchased Bridgestone Firestone once and after approx. 3,000 miles (nail near the sidewall), on a 70,000 mile warranty the tread measure deal said that I used 33% (approx. 20,000miles) of the warranty. I called Bridgestone and they said "most of the wear is in the beginning of use"? I'll only buy Michelins or Coopers.
Thats outrageous! It sound just like loans or mortgages, most of the interest is in the front end. Sounds like us consumers get the back end!!!

[pkucan]

Any chance that Senator Specter will drop "Spygate" and take on "Tiregate" or "Dealergate"? Any PA guys out there to email him?

[mcdermott6555]

The Mastercrafts on my 1985 Marquis have approx. 22,000 miles on them and are 5 years old. They have worn evenly and are only about 1/3 worn. They do not have any weather checking or dry rot. I have been really impressed with their quality. Especially for the bargain price !!

[80sRule]

My TC has BFGoodrich Advantage Plus tires(70,000 mile tourers) and they've been great for the last 4 years & 26k miles. Good in MI snow, decent tread life(looks like I've used about 30 - 40%) and they're a whitewall. I paid $53 a piece installed.

[bojo68]

Thanks ABE for the correction. I must have edited my own post, deleting a bunch on the actual math i put down, and i overlooked the units. Cant believe i did that. 225cm tires would stick out quite a bit.:eek:

That they would, a little over 6.5', each....:) Look more like an asphalt rolller...:)

[TownCarTechi]

I've run Firestone on my 88 and 91 TC's in the past. 1st, the FT70C with the Uni-T package (all season radial good for wet/snow traction) then FR380 when the FT70C was no longer available. Size 215/70R15. Medium price ($57-$75) with decent warranty (55 - 65,000 miles). Smooth, comfortable and quiet riding tires.

However, for the mint 92 Signature I bought last year, I opted this year to upgrade to the Bridgestone Insignia SE200 for $82 each. Still 215/70R15 tire size with 65,000 mile warranty. Better quality tire for a little more money. Same comfortable, quiet ride but different tread design for even more wet traction performance.

[Kielbasa]

Well I put a set of Yokohama Avid Touring tires on a week ago. I will admit that they are quite, but with the noise we 1995-1997 Town Car owners get from the sideview mirrors, having this tire really doesn't benefit us for noise. I am a bit disappointed with the feel over the bumps in the road though. I do pretty much feel every bump I go over. Yes smooth on level even roads, but not that soft. I do have a 30 day trial period to see how I will like them.

[dickwells]

I researched TireRack and put a set of Firestone Indy 500s on the wifes 94 Sig. With 210 lbs of sand in the trunk she had no problems in one of the roughest winters we have had in Northern Illinois in the last 20 years. I have no problem with how the ride either.

[Chuck C.]

I use Discount Tire Direct (discounttiredirect.com) for my 97 TC - they sold me BF Goodrich Traction T/A P225/60-16R 97T - Cost 70.00/tire + 10.00 for road hazard warranty (3-year no questions asked) Free shipping for orders & road hazard replacement. Nice trouble-free tires. I hit a bad pot-hole - bent the rim & caused a bubble in the tire -the replacement new tire arrived 2 days after I called it in - & the original tire was 2 years old. (I did NOT have to return the damaged tire.) :D
Chuckie

[LincolnCruiser95]

I have Michelin Rainforce on my 95 Sig with the 16 inch Rims

Rides nice, soft, and quiet on the straight, corners better than a TC would be expected to, and they are outstanding in the rain- I was driving recently in a very heavy downpour (nearly 1" of standing water on the e-way) and there was no threat of hydroplaning at 60mph

[fshavlak]

I went on tirerack and looked at reviews and prices. The Yokohama Avid TRZs or something along those lines were middle of the road price wise, and either top or top 3 in all the rated categories. No white strip, but I couldn't justify the michelins when they were much more expensive and somewhat poorly rated.

I'm happy with the Yokohamas.

[Kielbasa]

Just a little update with the tires. I took the Avid Touring tire off about 2 weeks ago and put the Aegis LS4 on. I noticed a softer feel, but when I got up to about 38 MPH, the car started to give me a bit of a wobble/bouncey/hoppy feel in the seat. I brought the car back in to have the balance checked. When I saw the tire spinning on the machine, you could see the tire was hopping. Both rear tires are bad. So..... obviously the Aegis are coming off. Now I have to replce them. I'm almost thinking of just throwing the Symmetrys on and spend the extra money now. What a pain in the dupa this whole tire ordeal is.

Does anyone have the Symmetrys on their Town Car?

[Hensley]

Just a little update with the tires. I took the Avid Touring tire off about 2 weeks ago and put the Aegis LS4 on. I noticed a softer feel, but when I got up to about 38 MPH, the car started to give me a bit of a wobble/bouncey/hoppy feel in the seat. I brought the car back in to have the balance checked. When I saw the tire spinning on the machine, you could see the tire was hopping. Both rear tires are bad. So..... obviously the Aegis are coming off. Now I have to replce them. I'm almost thinking of just throwing the Symmetrys on and spend the extra money now. What a pain in the dupa this whole tire ordeal is.

Does anyone have the Symmetrys on their Town Car?

Yes, and I love them. I can't picture my TC without the thin white stripe:o, so I'm going with the same when I replace.

There are other good tires out there, I've had good luck with Goodyear, and Kumho's on Town Cars, but every time I"m comparing the ride to the Michelins, so that's what I'm going with as replacements.

[Kielbasa]

I only ask because I thought I read that somebody posted a big negative about the Michelins Symmetry side walls not being what they used to be and one of his shreaded to pieces.

[Kielbasa]

I called Town Fair Tire and they said they get $125 for the Michelin Symmetry in the 215/70/R15. He told me he'd give me them at whole sale for $118 because of the Aegis LS4's on the rear of my car are hopping and giving me a horrible ride. I actually saw the tires on the balancer when they rebalanced them. (2) out of the (4) LS4's are bad. That worries me right there. When he told me $118 per Symmetry, I almost said......."that comes with the %$#@ job right"? $118 for a tire is crazy! The Yokohama Avid touring tires cost me $85 a piece with the mounting and balancing before I switched to the LS4's. I really didn't notice a difference between the Symmetrys and the Avid touring tire. Both are very quite. He claims the Avid Touring is better in the rain. They both ride harder. I can't see handing over another $172 for the Symmetrys.

[pkucan]

That is like Mrs. T and homemade pirohi !!!!

[Kielbasa]

Pierogi.......... :drink:

[pkucan]

It's a Slovak thing from PA.

[karl49]

i work at a independent Michelin tire shop and have a 1990 TC with 215/70R15 and apparently i dont have ABS. so i was looking to get some wider tires to help stop the boat but there are little to no options in this tire range in Michelin brand.

From what ive seen the symmetrys wear faster than the hydrohedge but the hydroedge last too long for their own good... they crack around 6 years old and still have lots of tread left, we have warranteed many cases like this. both are great tires

for my car im leaning toward the hydroedges because they offer better traction (which is what i need) even tho ill loose the whitewalls :(

just my 2 cents

[Kielbasa]

But Michelin braggs about the Symmetry. I was told that the tire in my size, the 215/70/R15 is a 65,000 mile tire. So how does this tire not wear well?

I looked at the results on the tire rack and the noise and wear of the symmetry is not that great at all. I drive the Lincoln like a baby and try to stay a safe distance between cars, so the rain portion is not my main concern. It is a concern, but it's #3 on the list. They will not see snow either.

The Yokohama Avid Touring tire gets a better rating. The results says it's better in the rain and has less noise to it. If the Symmetry is so quite, why are people not happy with the noise level and why are they knocking the tread life?

[karl49]

i dont know, to me it appears that the hydroegde would be better for me because its a tougher tire for towing and offers better traction. even tho id like to keep the whitewalls.

im still debating with myself over what to get... both hydroedge and symmetrys are great choices tho.

[TownCarTechi]

I put Bridgestone Insignia SE200s on my 92 Signature in February and I'm completely satisfied. They have the Uni-T package for improved traction on wet/snow covered roadways.

[Kielbasa]

Another update:

Well I had to go back to have the second set of Avid touring tires checked because of the same annoying vibrating feeling. Come to find out, 2 out of the 4 were out of round. I have to sat that I think YOKOHAMA TIRES are a HORRIBLE product! After having 3 sets of them on my car within the last 3 1/2 months, 6 out of 12 tires were defective.

So we ended up putting on the Symmetry's on. No problems and what a ride. Harder then what I wanted, but after all the hassle and BS I've been going through for the last 3 1/2 it is so enjoyable to have a car that rides with no shaking, bouncing or vibrations. Most of all. they have the thinner white wall. What really blew my mind, was that the store manager said he didn't feel the vibration. So when I drove the car into the bay, I had the tech check the balancing and so forth. I could see how the tires were out of round and at least it made me feel better that I wasn't out of my mind.

As I am not happy about all the aggrevation and time that it took to get al of this settled, I must say that Town Fair Tire worked with me through the whole ordeal.

I will NEVER EVER buy another Yokohama tire again!!!!!!!

[PROSTOCK]

Interesting....I like my Avids and after doing a brake job last weekend could see how round they were. While I can't directly compare them to Symmetry's, they sure are a hell of a lot cheaper!

[Kielbasa]

Six out of twelve tires were out of round. That is 50%. 9 out of 10 people would probably have better or good luck, but I didn't.

[Philip]

Another update:

Well I had to go back to have the second set of Avid touring tires checked because of the same annoying vibrating feeling. Come to find out, 2 out of the 4 were out of round. I have to sat that I think YOKOHAMA TIRES are a HORRIBLE product! After having 3 sets of them on my car within the last 3 1/2 months, 6 out of 12 tires were defective.

So we ended up putting on the Symmetry's on. No problems and what a ride. Harder then what I wanted, but after all the hassle and BS I've been going through for the last 3 1/2 it is so enjoyable to have a car that rides with no shaking, bouncing or vibrations. Most of all. they have the thinner white wall. What really blew my mind, was that the store manager said he didn't feel the vibration. So when I drove the car into the bay, I had the tech check the balancing and so forth. I could see how the tires were out of round and at least it made me feel better that I wasn't out of my mind.

As I am not happy about all the aggrevation and time that it took to get al of this settled, I must say that Town Fair Tire worked with me through the whole ordeal.

I will NEVER EVER buy another Yokohama tire again!!!!!!!

I don't know what the deal is, but the Michelins are WAY higher quality built. Yes, they're about $100 apiece, but isn't that worth not having the inconvenience of running back to the tire store all the time? On my M8, I've run Symmetry ever since I got it. Many years of satisfaction and I'll be replacing them with the same when the time comes.

[Hensley]

I've tried some cheap tire brands with good results (especially Kumho's), but will definitely be replacing my Symmetrys with Symmetrys.

[mark95man]

RE: "On my Town Car I still have the Michelin XW4's on it. There are ready for the graveyard, but I want to get through this fall with them." Penny wise and pound foolish statment or practice. During a heavy rain storm, your tires could hydroplane. A delay in purchasing new tires could be lead to an accident and then there's the liability. Put your tires in the graveyard as you know they are finished. Ever wonder how many others cars are riding on the same condition of graveyard tires? Owners just trying to milk every last mile of usage on car parts should rethink their decision. Gee, it was raining and I lost control of my car--then you look at their tires and the reason is apparent.

[Kielbasa]

We're going up to the Big E. today. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of ride I'm going to get. :drink:

[Chevyguy]

Another update:

Well I had to go back to have the second set of Avid touring tires checked because of the same annoying vibrating feeling. Come to find out, 2 out of the 4 were out of round. I have to sat that I think YOKOHAMA TIRES are a HORRIBLE product! After having 3 sets of them on my car within the last 3 1/2 months, 6 out of 12 tires were defective.

So we ended up putting on the Symmetry's on. No problems and what a ride. Harder then what I wanted, but after all the hassle and BS I've been going through for the last 3 1/2 it is so enjoyable to have a car that rides with no shaking, bouncing or vibrations. Most of all. they have the thinner white wall. What really blew my mind, was that the store manager said he didn't feel the vibration. So when I drove the car into the bay, I had the tech check the balancing and so forth. I could see how the tires were out of round and at least it made me feel better that I wasn't out of my mind.

As I am not happy about all the aggrevation and time that it took to get al of this settled, I must say that Town Fair Tire worked with me through the whole ordeal.

I will NEVER EVER buy another Yokohama tire again!!!!!!!

That is a horrible experience for sure.

I love my Yokohamas, but I did buy them back in 2005. That is alot of bad tires all at once, serious problems in quality control for sure.

[rj]

I don't quite understand why so many people don't know how to spell quiet when referring to a low sound level. Must have something to do with school these days.

Michelin invented the radial tire, Firestone/Bridgestone made them unsafe at any speed (Firestone 500's). Michelin's ride smooth, are quite quiet, are very safe and hold their balance very well.

[dickwells]

Of that group of Michelins, only harmony seems to have good ratings on tire rack. Others are in the 'Would you buy again?' category in the 70s while Harmony is 94%.

[Jhands]

Michelin Symmetrys...best tire I have ever had on a car.

[Kielbasa]

Only the Sysmmetry and the Energy come with the whitewall and maybe the Sears model also. The weatherwise?

Of that group of Michelins, only harmony seems to have good ratings on tire rack. Others are in the 'Would you buy again?' category in the 70s while Harmony is 94%.

[SuperDesi]

I've got the Energy LX4 and there are sidewall cracks throughout the entire circumference of each tire. Never had this issue on any tire before.

[Sixlitre]

I'm looking at a pair of some kind of snow and ice tires

for mine before December. The fronts are getting close to their wear bars, though the rears are wearing very well (they'll be rotating to the front when the snows got to the back).

Currently the rears are Hercules, which I am told is a lower line of Coopers. I'm just happy I have the 15" rims as they're a lot cheaper than taller rims up here. I run 225/70/15s all round instead of the 215/70/15s that are spec'd as stock.

I've always added 10mms to any stock tire on every car I've owned.

Sixlitre

[ABE]

I had 4 Michelin X-Ice on the '91 MGM. They were good tires.

I have 4 Toyo Observe G02 plus for my new car, and I think they are better, particularly noticeable on ridged ice.

Tire manufacturers and most auto writers recommended that you get 4 winter tires to preserve the balance of the car in turns and braking, etc. Your old rears on the front will be hard and not have good traction, especially compared to new winter tires.

[clarivee1977]

I bought a set of Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP 2's with nitro fill for $360.00 mounted and balanced and that also included lifetime balance and rotation.I am very happy with these tires and have a smooth service from them at all speeds.

[Newave Dave]

Michelin Symmetrys...best tire I have ever had on a car.

My car has 80K. Just had what looked to be original Michelin XW4's replaced. They still had decent tread!. Put on Symetry's @ $590
What a difference! Much better handing! Old tires must have shifted belts. I am happy!

[Kielbasa]

I personally liked the Michelin XW4's. I thought they gave a great ride and they felt softer. When I bought my car 4 years ago this coming 30, June, it had 60,500 miles on it and I guess the tires on the car were the originals. They had plenty of tread on them. The passenger side sidewalls were a little abused, so I replaced them with (2) used XW4's. I road them until I decided it was time to buy new. The age factor was really starting to bother me, so I figured it was time to buy new. That's when all the headaches started.

I am a bit concerned with the Michelins with reading about the sidewalls cracking. These Symmetry's will only be on the car from mid April to around Thanksgiving and then they are put in the cellar for the winter. [I (do not) put any (tire shine products) on the tires, because they make it hard to keep the whitewall white and clean. All of the tire shine products that I have used coat the white wall and actually turn it a bit yellowish over time, so I do not use any of them.]

After all the aggrevation with the Yokohama's, last Spetember I was charged another $21 to put the (4) Symmetry's on for a total of $402.80. While the Michelin rebate was going on at the time, my total came to $342.80. Hopefully they will serve me well for spring, summer and fall driving.