I have a 2009 HHR LT in Victory Red which I drive about 30,000 miles/yr. I have 36,000 on there now and I am considering new tires. My OE Firestones are ok but starting to wear thin. I know buying tires has a lot to do with personal choice, but I thought I'd ask for some opinions. I'm a spirited driver but not really an aggressive driver. Any feedbackl would help. Thanks.

 

You are tight, you will get a different reply from just about everyone.

I've had the original Firestone Affinity's, no real complaints.

Then I had Nexan N5000's, traction was so-so. (they were on the 18's when I bought them).

Then went with the new Goodyear Eagle GT's and after 10k miles, no complaints with them

 

I like my Goodyear Eagle GTs........ enough to have two sets.

 

What ever you do - DO NOT buy the Goodyear TripleTread tires. I up them on my 07 and after only 35,000 miles on them I am regretting my decision. I bought them because they were supposed to have an 80,000 mile tread life and because of the rating on Tire Rack. Granted they were great tires when they were new - excellent grip in rain/snow and superb handling. But after putting around 15,000 - 18,000 miles on them I noticed a great drop off in the tires traction and handling capabilities. Road noise has greatly increased due in part to the tires edges have feathered. Due to the way you have to rotate a directional tire they will all feather. I would suggest Not Buy any type of Directional Tires. Was able to contact Goodyear, they offered me a one time Goodwill refund of $30 per tire for Premature Tread Wear. Only stipulation is I have to buy Goodyear tires again - that’s not going to happen. I plan on switching my OEM tire size (215/55-16) to a 205/60-16 because there is a much greater selection of tire in that size. Switching will not affect my speedometer reading much - only about +0.6 mph. Good luck on your decision.

 

Hard to go wrong with Michelin tires, even though Paddy didn't like the Pilots as well as I would have liked. Tires are discussed at length in many threads here, you can do a quick search and read up on them. Also a good local tire dealer can make all the difference, discuss your driving style and go from there. And welcome to the forum fellow Carolinian!

 

A.) the OEM Affinity's lasted > 50K for me.
B.) next set was Sumitomo that actually got 10K better than the 65K warranty, and still going!
C.) Replaced them anyway, with Definity 215 60X16 (instead if 215 55X16) with 75K warranty from PepBoys for $83 each and rebate of $83.

the 60 series tires seem to make the speedo about 1.4 MPH off, and corresponding difference in miles and MPG, but hey a $300 diff and all I have to do is watch my speed a little better! I do not know why there is such a big diff in the price and warranty between 55 and 60 series tires, but $/Mile counts for me not cornering or looks.

 

I always found it helpful to go to the website of a tire dealer. I usually deal with Discount Tire as they are 2 miles from my house and their service has always been good. Tire Rack may another.

Punch in the info on your car and all available tires for your car will pop up with ratings and customer reviews. Look for ones in your geographic area and price range. It's a good way to spot potential problems as people tend to tell you what they don't like first. If you see the same complaint over and over, you pretty much know it's valid. Finding 200 or 300 reviews on one set of tires is possible.

 

well, after a lot of research and soul searching, I decided on a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS. The reviews were really good and the price was not bad. Most people seemed really happy with them. I went on Discount Tires and actually ordered an optional size (225/55/16). They were delivered(free shipping) in 5 days and they only cost $420.00. I had them mounted/balanced for an additional $15.00/per tire. I've only driven about 50 miles on these so far, but they feel & lookj GREAT!!! I'll give an update in the months to come.

 

I believe those continentals are made in the USA too! Good choice!

 

Those have some very good reviews on a couple different tire sites.

Wish the prices were the same for 225/50/17 's