Tire recommendations

Carl · #1 07-16-2008, 09:52 AM

I need new tires for a Ford Windstar. I have Goodyear Assurance comfortred right now. They are rated for 80K miles and I only got 51K out of them. The van is is a '99, but I want to get 2 -5 more years out of it. Figure about 12K a year on average we put on the van.

I was happy with the ride and handling of GY's, but part of the reason I had bought them in the first place was the milage rating.

To complicate mattters, the shop I bought them from is now out of business.

What do you recommend? best $ for the quality, wear rating etc.

Driving habits are typical for a minivan. - Mom does most of the around town driving, I do most of the highway - long trip driving. We do make a 2-3 hour trip to see family, grandparents etc about once a month so comfortable highway driving / touring is necessary.

Thanks

Carl

nipper · #2 07-16-2008, 10:31 AM

I have also been shopping around for tires for my 1998 Lexus GS 300. I do not want to put a lot of money into a set of 4, but I do want a decent tire. I have not purchased a set yet, but a set of Toyo Spectrum tires were recommended by a local tire dealer. 60k warranty on them at $84.50 per tire, $366.66 out the door with mounting, balancing, free rotation and balancing for life, road hazard and tax. I thought that sounded pretty reasonable. I have done some research on them, and generally comments have been very favorable. If I end up getting a set I will let you know what I think of them.

tsubaki · #3 07-16-2008, 02:49 PM

With the exception of the work truck and trailer, Goodyears have been on everything else.
Most are soft compound, lower mileage but ride and handle better than anything I've had before.

bradford · #4 07-16-2008, 10:01 PM

I run BF Goodrich on everything and generally go for a treadwear rating of 400 or more. The set on the wifey's car (BF Goodrich Touring T/A's) are rated at 640! I put 70,000 on a set of 440 rated BFG Commercial T/A's from Sam's club.

Uniroyals--they aren't as cool, but there round and hold air and usually have good treadwear and are cheap.

whale · #5 07-17-2008, 02:48 PM

Carl, I don't know if it is the minivan that is hard on tires but our van has about 65k miles and it is on the 2nd set of tires, and they are in need of replacement. I can't recall what they are but I know I put a lot of time reading reviews etc so they were well rated by others....BF Goodrich I think. Think I will dig out the warranty and see if I can get anything out of it.

randlemanboater · #6 07-17-2008, 03:18 PM

I just put a set of Douglas tires on my minivan......$65 each @ Wally World....rated for 45k miles which will put me over 200K. If its still running then, I'll get some more.

Carl · #7 07-17-2008, 04:27 PM

The van has 101K on it now and the funny thing is I got about the same milage out of the OEM tires - about 50k (they were Generals -Americans or something like that). I asked inquired about them today and I was told they are not made anymore - Go figure- they actually performed as advertised. I asked about the warranty today at two different Goodyear stores and they both said the tire failed from dry rot and the it is only warrantied for dry rot for three years. I asked about the tread life and again they both said I need to prove with receipts that I had the tires rotated, balanced, aligned etc on a regular basis. I do most of my car work myself so no such receipts exist. I am getting

mad. What good is a warranty if everything is an exception to the warranty.

I did find a cheap pair of Firestone FR380 for $67 each out the door. Granted they are not a great tire, but I am thinking why pay twice that if I have to do this again in 3.5 years.

Carl

turbinedoctor · #8 07-17-2008, 04:47 PM

Just today I had new Bridgestones put on my Windstar. The Uniroyals that were taken off had 60k + on them. They handled good in all weather and rode well also. I went with a different brand just to try something new. I don't remember which model they were.

nipper · #9 07-21-2008, 07:54 AM

I ended up putting a set of four Continental Conti pro contact tires on my 98 Lexus. So far, I would say DO NOT BUY THESE TIRES. All the specs looked good, 540 treadwear, T speed rating, Temp. A, Traction A, 80k mile warranty for $80 per tire (they were $94 per tire, but when I went to walk out of the shop the guy asked if I would pay $80). They feel and perform ok, but are VERY LOUD. They really slap against bumps, and put off a lot of tire hum on the highway. I may end up taking them back because there is a 30 day trial period.

macojoe · #10 07-21-2008, 06:33 PM

I always loved Michelin's!! They are pricey but were like Iron. Same goes for Bridgestones I once had.

On the truck I have now it came with brand new coopers and have to be the worse I have ever had!!
I replaced them with Toyo as they were on sale and had great things said about them.
Well they are good and are wearing well but they are a bit slippery then I would have thought. and if one gets a little low they don't handle well, same with the balance, they put them on and I was all over the place, went back they rebalanced and are perfect. I got these back in February and they now have 12,000 miles on them.