I know nothing, let's start there.

I drive 400 miles in one day 2x a month, plus other regular mom type driving in a rural area, so a few bumpy dirt roads, lots of asphalt, average 55 mph most of the time. A few times a month I drive in Detroit Rock City and so I'm doing stop and go, slam on your brakes, pot holes etc. Winter at home is tons of packing snow, and Detroit is salty slop.

I need to get the most for my $ on tires because I live on a very very tight fixed income (social security) and with that in mind, I am willing to pay more upfront to get longevity and quality.

I went and talked to a few tire guys and the one seemed really much more knowledgeable than the others and he suggested since a 215 is less common I might save a little by getting some 205's on the same rim. Is he blowing smoke up my ass? I have little understanding of what these numbers mean, but I know enough to know that tires impact miles per gallon, steering, stopping, probably other wear and tear, just like the dying then dead control arms killed my current tires earlier than they might have if I could have gotten the money together sooner to fix them.

He suggested these because they have a 90k warranty and they cost $520 whereas I might have otherwise gotten a decent 50K warranty tire for $3xxish, he said with all my highway driving I could get at least 100k miles if I rotate them religiously and save about $100 in the long run and get a much smoother ride on top of it.

Any advice?

 

Discount tire lists like 5 optional, what they call, plus 0 tires in the 17in size. 205/50-17, 205/55-17, 225/50-17. There are two 45 series tires but I would stay away from those as they are low profile tires. I need to do a little more research to see what the rolling diameters are. This affects the speedometer and such. Hope this helps.

 

sorry, I really didn't understand your post. My goal is to invest in quality - maximize my dollar while doing so. and I can't end up with that hockey puck feel I've been dealing with!

 

First question Heatherette, what trim level is your HHR?

You're either running 215/55/16's or 215/50/17's as your stock size.

There are more choices in tire families and mileage warranties available by dropping back to 205's, but tires with "Mega-Super-High" mileage warranties have some trade offs.

They can be noisy due to their extra hard rubber compounds, they can be twitchy in the rain, and they can be bloody awful on snow and ice too.

My own experience with Michelin's old "Wonder Tire" called the Primacy was one of frustration and downright scary handling on wet roads.

Our site is not affiliated with Tire Rack in any way, but you might do yourself a favor by using their site to research tire choices and read real life reviews from consumers.

http://www.tirerack.com/

 

Check out Firestone Affinity 215-60X16, they go on sale regularly @4 for 3, They do fit. 70,000 miles. I have 4 in my garage that cost around $90 each + installation.

Also, Mr Tire had a 90,000 mile Yokohama for around the same price recently.

One thing you usually give up going to the 60 series tire is a speed rating of 118 MPH instead of 140 MPH. That makes no difference to me.

 

I have the 16's. I probably wouldn't do the 60 thing after reading what I have. I don't fully understand it but it doesn't sound like it would benefit me. *$#de, thank you for your help, I will look at tire rack to get some more info!

 

So, you normally drive faster than 118 MPH, but less than 140 MPH? I could have sworn that I read your stated goal was to get the most miles for your dollar.

The highways in my state have a maximum 70 MPH, I must have misunderstood.

 

a perfect example of how little I know about tires and car stuff, hence my questions here. nope, I'm usually not driving that fast! I start reading information and it is either so basic I find it unhelpful or it gets way over my head in technical details and I start glazing over. Ok, I just went back and read your post, so I will definitely check those out! I missed the 60 part, I just assumed there was a 55 in the middle and was going to check them out, I would have ended up confused! thanks!

 

Tire shopping can be confusing, and there is some latitude in size fitment with the HHR.

Probably the best advice any of us can give you is to buy the best tires you can afford, take care of them, and pay attention to the maintenance of your HHR's suspension components.