Well it's about time to replace the stock Firestone's so I have been doing some shopping around, and it seems the more tires I look at the more I can't decide. I found a good price on B F Goodrich traction T/As online(128.56 each + mounting, balancing, road hazard), however they are a directional tire, and I'm not sure if that's the best tire for me. I know they have superior traction, but I don't think the tread wear would be very long, and I would like these tires to last a while, especially given the amount of miles I travel everyday. I have also priced Big O Euro Tour tires, and they have a good tread wear and warranty(40,000 miles), and are not directional, but are a bit more pricey ($607). I found some Cooper tires for a very cheap price ($525 total) with a 60,000 mile tread warranty, but that one sounds too good to be true, and I don't know anything about the quality of Cooper tires. To simplify the questions, I would like to know what every ones opinion on directional tires, and if anyone has experience with Big O or Cooper tires. Thanks in advance. :smile:

Cooper tires aren't bad as tires go.

Check tirerack.com (http://tirerack.com) they have some good deals.

sumitomo grip excellent in both wet and dry. Good prices on tire rack on h and z rated.

I checked tirerack and their prices were higher on the traction T/A's than Walmart, and with Walmart I don't pay shipping, they are delivered to my local Walmart and installed there. They had others, but I don't think they can beat the prices I have already. I've narrowed it down to three, the Traction T/A's at Walmart, Cooper CS4 at a local shop, and the Big O Euro Tour, also at a local shop. the Traction T/As and Coopers both have 60,000 mile warranty, and the Big O's have 40,000, but that is 40,000 full coverage, not pro rate. Tough decision. The thing I'm not sure about with the traction T/As is they are directional, and I've never owned directional tires, and not sure how they wear, since you can't rotate them on the opposite side of the car. I also don't know much about the quality of Cooper and Big O tires, and have not been able to find many customer reviews of those two tires online. I was hoping someone here may have had personal experience with these tires and can share their experience with them. Thanks again everyone for your input. :smile:

back in the days i always put on coopers on the several volkswagen scirroco's i owned they stuck to the road good and wore evenly and true to warranty for miles but always considered them a high middle performance tire at an affordable price. hopefully their quality hasn't changed in the past several yrs since i used them. they should be a good choice hope that helps

So, Mizzou, how many miles did you get on the original tires??

Also, I would go with Michelins.

Vernon

So, Mizzou, how many miles did you get on the original tires??

Also, I would go with Michelins.

Vernon

I'm at 43,000+ miles now. They still have some tread left, but not enough to get me through winter comfortably.

Also I have decided on the BF Goodrich Traction T/A's. This will be my first experience with directional tires, so we willl see how that goes. They have a AA traction rating (the best) for wet and snow, and have a 60,000 treadlife warranty. Going through Walmart I don't pay shipping, and mounting is also included. Best deal by far that I have found.

Not a bad deal. I have no idea what directional tires are. Hopefully they will work for you. Keep us posted. I am up to 32,000 on mine and have been thinking about getting some new rubber soon.

Directional tires mean that the tread only rolls in 1 direction when Mounted. The tread pattern on all 4 tires rolls the same way. When you rotate them you just move the fronts to the back and vice versa. No Criss crossing tires


Goose

Too late to give you advice on the tires, but I'm glad to hear that you got the BFGs.

I've had Cooper tires on three vehicles with mixed results. The ones on my '67 Dart (Cooper Cobra G/T) were AWFUL! They wore very well, and rode smoothly, but traction? HAHAHAHAHA! I could light up the rear tires on a whim, in the rain, it took all I had to keep the thing straight! The tires on my '99 GMC Sonoma 4x4 (work truck) were also Coopers - forget which kind. Same as the G/Ts when it came to traction. However, the Coopers that I had on my '79 Ford F-100 were pretty damn good in every way.

I find Michelins to be the most overrated tire ever. The LTX A/T that replaced the Coopers on my '99 Sonoma are terrible (no traction, and the chopping - even with rotation - is awful), and the MXV4s that were on my '91 Bonneville were equally pitiful.

The BFGs I've had on my '98 Sidekick and '90 Power Ram were both amazing:thumb: . Loud, but amazing. I don't have any experience with BFG's car tires, but if they are anything like their truck tires...

Let us know how they work out!

Directional tires CAN be rotated from side to side, BUT they have to be dismounted and remounted / rebalanced to do so. That could get costly over time.

I was a long time BFG fan, but realize it now only exists in name only, but still make some great tires. They are now just a "brand" of Continental (Germany).

Well it's about time to replace the stock Firestone's so I have been doing some shopping around, and it seems the more tires I look at the more I can't decide. I found a good price on B F Goodrich traction T/As online(128.56 each + mounting, balancing, road hazard), however they are a directional tire, and I'm not sure if that's the best tire for me. I know they have superior traction, but I don't think the tread wear would be very long, and I would like these tires to last a while, especially given the amount of miles I travel everyday. I have also priced Big O Euro Tour tires, and they have a good tread wear and warranty(40,000 miles), and are not directional, but are a bit more pricey ($607). I found some Cooper tires for a very cheap price ($525 total) with a 60,000 mile tread warranty, but that one sounds too good to be true, and I don't know anything about the quality of Cooper tires. To simplify the questions, I would like to know what every ones opinion on directional tires, and if anyone has experience with Big O or Cooper tires. Thanks in advance. :smile:

I have Dunlop. They can be pricey, but a great handling tire. :thumb:

I turned 36,000 today so I replaced the factory crap Firehawks that were almost shot with V-rated Dunlop Signatures (http://www.dunloptire.com/catalog/signature.html) this morning. Seeing as how the HHR isn't quite the high performance vehicle I figured a touring tire with a stiffer sidewall would do me fine. The ride is definitely smother, quieter, grips better, corners better, and is more comfortable. I have yet to try them in rain or snow though. Not that bad at a little over $650 for the set after tax.

We just replaced our original equipment Firehawk's at 56,000 miles with Goodyear Assurance Triple-Tread tires.

As near as I can determine with a UTQG rating of 740 they are likely some of the top rated all season tires in a 215/50R17 size.

No balance or road noise issues thus far. Great in the rain.

My driving consists of mostly long distance highway driving, in summer and winter conditions at a rate of just under 1,000 miles per week, so I was looking for tires that have long tread life as well as performing well in rain and snow.

The only issue negative is the major hack job Belle Tire done to my wheels during installation. They destroyed the surface on one (1) wheel and tore up the bead on the other three (3).

Belle Tire agreed to replace the wheel with the damaged surface, however they will not acknowledge the damage to the bead on the other three (3) wheels, indicating that was the way they were when I brought the vehicle in, which is BS.

From my lessons learned, find a good experienced installer that has the proper equipment, knows how to use it and takes the care required to do the job without destroying your wheels.

Regards,

HHRANDY

You try also Discount Tires

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/home.do

sometimes they have additional discounts and free shipping..

We just replaced our original equipment Firehawk's at 56,000 miles with Goodyear Assurance Triple-Tread tires.

As near as I can determine with a UTQG rating of 740 they are likely some of the top rated all season tires in a 215/50R17 size.

No balance or road noise issues thus far. Great in the rain.

My driving consists of mostly long distance highway driving, in summer and winter conditions at a rate of just under 1,000 miles per week, so I was looking for tires that have long tread life as well as performing well in rain and snow.

The only issue negative is the major hack job Belle Tire done to my wheels during installation. They destroyed the surface on one (1) wheel and tore up the bead on the other three (3).

Belle Tire agreed to replace the wheel we the damaged surface, however they will not acknowledge the damage to the bead on the other three (3) wheels, indicating that was the way they were when I brought the vehicle in, which is BS.

From my lessons learned, find a good experienced installer that has the proper equipment, knows how to use it and takes the care required to do the job without destroying your wheels.

Regards,

HHRANDY


Have you noticed any difference in your mpg with these tires? Some people have reported a drop in mpg with these tires. I drive a little over 500 miles per week at a minimum so my mpg is pretty steady so I would notice a drop in mpg..have you?


Thanks

Goose

No, I haven't noticed any drop in my Fuel mileage.

I maintain 34.5 MPG in the summer months on my long distance highway commute back and forth to work.

Regards,

HHRANDY

My new tires are finally on! I decided to go with BF Goodrich Traction T/As from Walmart, so last Friday, I ordered them online to be shipped to my local Walmart for installation. Well the day came when they were supposed to be here, so I go online to check my order status, and it says the order was canceled.:wtf: Since I obviously didn't cancel it, I printed the sheet off and off to my local Walmart I went. There is some 18 year old kid behind the desk, so I explain what has happened, and he doesn't have an answer, which I expected. He calls the manager, and he won't come out of his office and talk to me. :roll: He basically says there is no customer service number he can call, and there is nothing they can do. The kid behind the desk was cool, I have no complaints about him, he was trying his best to help. So, frustrated at the managers lack of help, I go back home and send an e-mail to Walmart customer service. I get an automated FAQ response that does not address my problem, and that's it. So I say the heck with it, I'm going somewhere else. Long story short, I ended up with Yokohama AS430s, which were very comparable (if not better) than the Traction T/As in every category, and customer reviews were very positive. They were about $100 more than Walmart would have been, but it doesn't do much good to have low prices if you cancel your customers order with no explanation, and no way to contact a representative to solve the problem. Needless to say I will not be ordering ANYTHING from Walmart online again.

The only bad thing is the tire place put a couple of scratches around the lug nuts holes, and one scrape on the edge of the rim that took off the clear coat down to metal and roughed it up a bit. Hardly noticeable, but I'm not real happy about it.

Here is a link to my tires.
http://www.yokohamatire.com/pdf/007333.YOK_AS430%20Bulletin.pdf

Where did you get the A430? That is a a hard tire to find.

I hate that about tire shops...they don't care, they just jam the guns in and rims be damned if they get nicked at the lug holes...I hate even bringing it in to have the tires rotated



I'm thinking new rubber but not sure if I'm going to jump to 17" rims. The Affinitys are already spinning on wet pavement with only 15K on them...looking at the Michelin Exalto which is a great tire(had them on my Matrix) but real pricey in the 215/50 17 size...154 apiece at The Rack!


Goose

Where did you get the A430? That is a a hard tire to find.

I hate that about tire shops...they don't care, they just jam the guns in and rims be damned if they get nicked at the lug holes...I hate even bringing it in to have the tires rotated



I'm thinking new rubber but not sure if I'm going to jump to 17" rims. The Affinitys are already spinning on wet pavement with only 15K on them...looking at the Michelin Exalto which is a great tire(had them on my Matrix) but real pricey in the 215/50 17 size...154 apiece at The Rack!


Goose


I got them at Big O Tire. According to the Yokohama website, the AS430 is made specifically for Big O, so that's the only place you can buy them. The AS430 and the Avid H4S are essentially the same tire. The stats are the same, but the tread is slightly different. I paid $131 a piece for the AS430s. I had 49,000 miles on the original Firestone's, so it was time to replace them. I knew when I bought the car the 17" wheels would be expensive to replace, but I bought it anyway. :lol: I liked the look of the 17s over the 16s, plus I was sold on the 2LT. Good luck with your tire search. :thumb:

Pics of new tires.

I believe that "directional tread" is such that it is asymetrical in design and can only be mounted with the dominent side outwards. It is made to direct the majority of water towards the outside of the car rather than under the car. You cannot mount the tire but one way on the wheel so one side will turn in one direction while the opposite will turn the other way. They can be rotated the same as most tires but mounted only be mounted to the rim one way.

Although I don't have an HHR yet, I do have some humble advise regarding tires.

The first thing to consider is what type of driving you do. For example, I live in Maryland, and do a lot of two lane, back-road driving about 65% of the time. The other 35% is on the highway. We get a decent amount of rain here in the spring and summer. I discovered on domestic cars that the Michelin Hydra is an amazing tire, both on Dry and wet pavement (EXCELLENT ON WET PAVEMENT, BTW).

I have owned 18 cars over the past 30 years and have driven on many different tires. I find Michelin to be the strongest and wear the longest. I have found Continentals to be the absolute worse, bar none. Believe it or not (please don't laugh too hard) another excellent tire is Uniroyal. They have excellent negative road risistance for a smooth ride. Some of their tread designs are fantastic and I've actually increased gas mileage with Uniroyal tires. (Did this on a Blazer a few years ago.)

Back to driving habits: If you do a lot of highway high speed driving, look for tires that have the best negative resistance to the road; a good tire person will know what this means and can recommend the right tire. ALSO very important, the HHR has some roll to it in turns (I just spent two full days test driving a 2LT HHR), so you should have a tire with solid side wall strength.

Remember, your tires and your brakes are your road connection "life-liines." Don't go cheap on tires. Buy the right ones for your type of driving and driving conditions. I have never been disappointed with Michilens, never. Nor with Uniroyal. I have been very disappointed with Continentals and Firestone. Some of the Goodyear tires are good, but some have too soft of a side wall and "funky" outer (on the outside edge) cross tread design that wears quickly.

Sorry this was so long. I hope it is helpful.

Sincerely,

MWG2
"Just about to buy a 2008 Imperial Blue 2LT"