I've got 46K on my originals and still adding. Are there better tires, sure, but I've got no complaints about the OEMs........... rain or shine.

 

I hydroplaned all over this fine coast, sucked bigtime. My new tires are almost too sticky and are fantastic in the rain, but they are LOUD, like 4 wheel drive loud.

 

I agree with you, Jay..

I've told this story a couple of times on PM and the telephone:

While on vacation, last year, I hit a hellacious rain storm in Albuquerque. A lady with a Ram P-U was about 200 feet in front of me. She hydro planed bad, did a couple of dough nuts and stopped in the middle lane of I40, FACING on coming traffic. Other vehicles swerved and skidded but my Firestone OEM's appeared to hold well and allow me to maneuver around her without altercation.....no hydro-planing.

Just wondering if SOME people are making judgments on the Firestone tires based on the first 20-30 minutes of a rain storm.......when the oil in the pavement migrates to the surface and is not washed away.

 

We have the same issue here in the Sacramento area, first rain of the fall and all of that oil seeps up, can be a real nightmare.....

Fred

 

Hmmmmmm... could be, they still sucked for that 30 minutes though.

 

I added the sway bar to my HHR and she handles like a dream, even in the rain and snow with very low tread on my tires (getting new ones soon) I highly recommmend the TTR sway bar.

 

My 2006 2LT came with Firestone Firehawk 215X50X17 tires. The handling was terrible on wet roads the more mileage the tires accumulated. I switched to BF Goodrich Traction T/As several miles ago and have had excellent results. I had them filled with Nitrogen and they ride as smoothly today after 20K miles as they did when I put them on. The wet weather drivability issue you are having is most likely your tires. Just an opinion.

 

Had this one on my '07 Fall Edition......HUGE difference!!!!!!!!! Well worth the bucks............

 

I got new Chinese (Sumitomo) tires on my '08, now I can barely drive in the rain. The OEM tires were fine up to 55K when I had to replace them because of too many punctures. I will not purchase Sumitomo tires again!

 

I replaced the Firehawks with Kumho Solus KH16's in stock size. I did it for the improved ride and noise (excellent). However, they were recommended to me for their rain capabilities. I like them a lot and will buy another set someday.
That said, CatDaddy drives a TON of miles per day, and gets great service out of the stock tires. He is most likely an expert driver, which doesn't hurt when it comes to helping the tires perform to their max. God Bless, Marc