New tires

[PA5COR]

After 4 years the tires under the Hyundai atoz neared end of llife, 2 mm remaining, not good for winter.
Went for all season tires, Vredestein Quatrack 5 series which came out as one of the best 4 season tires.
Went fom 155/80 R13 to 175/70 R13 bit wider tire which after driving them for a test drive improved handling and bumps in the road are much less prone to feeling them in the car.

These are certified as full snow and ice tires in the EU, so after a few winters with almost no snow lets see if we get any this year.
My driving is now much less as when i worked 100K KM's a year was then the norm, now just 5000 to 7000 KM's a year.

Anyway, still have the snow chains ready if the proverbial sh*t hits the fan....:mrgreen:

[W2NAP]

i need to replace the tires on my vibe. (well i need to replace lot of stuff) but the cost just keeps me from it. and current tires are about like racing slicks going to be a fun winter. but i only work a mile away from home

[W3WN]

Tony,

I know this won't help Cor much, but keep an eye out for Pep Boys or similar super-rip-off size chain stores. They used to have a "4 tires for $99 sale" every now and then. You can usually find a cheap (and I do mean cheap) set of tires from them on sale at a low price. Just watch out for the "gotchas". Other stores/chains may charge a touch more but include the "gotchas"

(What are the "gotchas"? Balancing, mounting, valve stems, little crap like that. Inflates the bill if you don't know. To say nothing of a premium for "road hazard" coverage)

Cor, I don't know if there's anything like this in your neck of the woods, but it's something to consider. Maybe your dealer isn't charging you a proverbial arm & leg for tires, I know most dealers around here do.

[W2NAP]

Tony,

I know this won't help Cor much, but keep an eye out for Pep Boys or similar super-rip-off size chain stores. They used to have a "4 tires for $99 sale" every now and then. You can usually find a cheap (and I do mean cheap) set of tires from them on sale at a low price. Just watch out for the "gotchas". Other stores/chains may charge a touch more but include the "gotchas"

(What are the "gotchas"? Balancing, mounting, valve stems, little crap like that. Inflates the bill if you don't know. To say nothing of a premium for "road hazard" coverage)

Cor, I don't know if there's anything like this in your neck of the woods, but it's something to consider. Maybe your dealer isn't charging you a proverbial arm & leg for tires, I know most dealers around here do.

met a guy at indy hamfest with a vibe couple years older then mine, he uses the douglas tires $60 each at walmart... they also add on 12 per tire for mounting ect ect, plus the other gotcha they prob have. so id guess 400 total.

my tires are 10 years old now so they do need replaced (plus other stuff needs fixed) hell tires are damn near as much as i paid for the whole damn car... just wish it was a RWD car instead of fwd. and i hope like hell we get no snow at all, that car ain't worth a damn in more then a inch or two of the stuff

[N8YX]

I just spent north of $1k on my Legacy - tires, ball joint R&R, rear brake pads and rotors...alignment and so forth.

Rides like a new car now and this is the first major thing I've had to do to it since purchase.

Coopers got the nod. Made in Tony's neck o' the woods.


If you want expen$ive, try replacing sport bike tires. Two sets at once. Ouch.

[WZ7U]

Great upgrade Cor. The larger tire will feel like a million bucks, er, euros, and you will be glad in the long run. I always have upgraded size from 155/80R13 to 175/70R13 on the rides that had that in the past and never felt bad about it. Plus, it looks more cool :rock::smoker: Enjoy!

There's always 195/60R13......

[PA5COR]

Paid 239 Euro for 4 new tires, new valve stems, balancing and taking my old tires in for recycling.
Tires cost 49 Euro's each which is a normal price, since i'm a platinum member of the Dutch AA road service i got 40 Euro off the bill.
These are A brand tires, one year warranty on the tires and work.
Never bought cheap tires, there is a European quality marking that guarantees the tires, but there are less trustable outlets selling cheap Chinese tires , but they are crap.
Mine were in several European tests by ADAC etc and came up quite well on the top for snow ice and wet behavior, and since i drove 100 KM on them today they are quiet and comfortable, taking up bumps and little holes in the road comfortable without problems.

Last year did the work, new timing belt, new brakes including discs, etc for 700 Euro's.
Yep its 17 years old, has only 55K miles on the meter, no rust ( totally galvanized) and drives as new.
This year i'll change the automatic gearbox oil, and standard M.O.T. test.
Don't drive much anymore, when i worked 100 K KM's a year was the norm, when i drove articulated lorry's you know he score.... saw enough road in Europe...
I don't mind the color of the car, or any luxury etc, it just gets kept in 110% good shape and roadworthy.
I had large cars, now i'm only driving short distances so a small car will do.
in 5 years owning it i spend 1500 Euro's on maintenance and having the engine tuned with 12 BHP more power.
Including MOT tests and costs.
Since i was 18 and got my drivers license i have been tinkering with cars, so i can do lots of things myself.
And parts for Hyundai's are cheap as chips anyway ;)

These are the widest tires that can be fit under the dinky toy i have, on the Hyunday H1 van i had 225/60 R 18.....
Almost the same as under the Renault Laguna i had before that.
The Hyunday atos weighs only 800 Kilo's....half that of an USA car...with a dinky 1000 cc ( 1 liter) engine, 55 BHP standard, now 67 BHP.
Road tax and insurance is 40 Euro's a month, and it sips fuel, but then 1 liter of fuel is 1.45 Euro now... all in all the car costs me 100 Euro's a month all included.
If all fails, i still have the new snowchains....;)

[W2NAP]

I just spent north of $1k on my Legacy - tires, ball joint R&R, rear brake pads and rotors...alignment and so forth.

Rides like a new car now and this is the first major thing I've had to do to it since purchase.

Coopers got the nod. Made in Tony's neck o' the woods.


If you want expen$ive, try replacing sport bike tires. Two sets at once. Ouch.

i paid 500 for my car total, i have to really debate on putting a ton more then that into it, or just getting another 500 dollar car

[W3WN]

i paid 500 for my car total, i have to really debate on putting a ton more then that into it, or just getting another 500 dollar car
I remember paying $500 for a 1972 AMC Ambassador circa 1978. That car was, in reality, a gas guzzling piece of sh-AVING CREAM, but it was all I could afford at the time.

I could just imagine what $500 gets you today.

[W2NAP]

I remember paying $500 for a 1972 AMC Ambassador circa 1978. That car was, in reality, a gas guzzling piece of sh-AVING CREAM, but it was all I could afford at the time.

I could just imagine what $500 gets you today.

it got me a 2003 vibe with 127k miles. granted that was couple years ago. it almost got 134k now. but needs tires, brakes, susp. ac needs fixed, back side window need replaced, door handle needs replaced. lot of money

[PA5COR]

In 2012 i paid 3000 Euro's for the Hyunddai atos, new price was 12.000 Euro's when it was sols ( high taxes here on cars), with 70.000 KM's on the meter checked the database the government keeps of MOT tests and it was valid.
Got all things done then that needed it to be in perfect condition, for 3 K Euro.
Never let me down, i get in, start and drive as i expect of a car.
Weekly/monthly check the car, tires and condition, oil level and quality, automatic oil level and quality, condition wiring battery, etc.
Once a year MOT new oil and filters whatever miles i have driven, so mostly oil never gets end of life.
Service intervals need to be done at 15.000 KM's but i drive 1/2 of that a year...
Synthetic oil, good quality, since the engine is tuned i need it to be in good shape,
I drive defensive as old articulated truck driver, but i like to drive relative speedy, i have a car, else i would take a bicycle if i don't need speed :)

That doesn't man going around bends with squealing wheels though.
The garage doing the MOT was owned by a ham friend, passed away a few years back and one of the mechanics took over the business, been there customer for the last 30 years or so, i can trust them blindly.
Bought the car from them as well, still i'm there while the MOT is done, they know i know as much of cars as they do.
I can do small jobs when the car is on the bridge, or help out with another car.
Saves money, and they use me with welding jobs i can do for them.

[WØTKX]

My wife and I got new vehicles last year, used of course.
She got a 2005 CRV, and I got a 1999 Saturn SL2.

We both got Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 snow tires.
They are amazing. No studs (legal in CO) needed.

Just put 'em back on last week in time for the first snow.
7-8" at the house, melted in the next two days.
But you never know here. :-D

We have Discount Tire here, i've been a customer for years.
Used Cooper and General snow tires in years gone by.
OK, but the Blizzaks are much better. :)

I don't believe in "all season" tires as a winter tire, hell no.

[KG4CGC]

All season tires, depends on where you live. Here in the Southeast, All Season is the main seller unless you're a tuner.
I wish I could still get Michelin XZX rubber from days gone by. Those things were most awesome for mountain driving.

[K7SGJ]

Shit, here in the desert, all season tires need to survive the bitter lows of 45 degrees, to the blistering highs of 125+ degrees.

[WØTKX]

Yea I get it. Sticky rubber that wears out fast is a blast. Just totally FUN!

Come winter here, don't run snow tires in the foothills and the mountains?
Remove them from their vehicles, and maim them. It's only a scratch.

[PA5COR]

They put silicium in the rubber compound now, as in my Vredestein 4 season tires, that limits wear and gives extra grip.
No hills to climb, just ramps for bridges.
SNow chains for the very seldom 20 inches of snow we get once a 4 year time.

Officially snow chains are illegal to use, though i never had a remark of a police officer when they saw me use them here, legal in Germany though, but here there is no mandatory snow tire use or chains....

Most driving is done in the bad weather periods anyway in summer i use a bicycle for shorter trips in the city, just shopping and visits to the gun club 25 miles away are done by car.

Anyhow, with my luck, being prepared for winter, we will get no winters that need all weather tires...;) we had a row of 5 winters that hardly brought freezing temps or loads of snow....
Read up the tests of the tires, they become quite good now, even 4 season tires for winter periods.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2017-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

[ka4dpo]

Pirelli used to be good but their quality seems to have gone down hill lately. I am a die hard Michelin guy, I have had really good service out them on all of my vehicles.

[N8YX]

...I am a die hard Michelin guy, I have had really good service out them on all of my vehicles.

That's the brand I'm running on both of the sport touring bikes I mentioned earlier in thread. They grip pretty well, though I did get the rear tire loose at (redacted)MPH a week or so ago when in a fast left-hand sweeper.

[PA5COR]

Last time i had Michelins it was under the Renault Laguna, long lasting summer tire.
Quite expensive as well...
Tires before these were the Continental eco track 5 worked well as summer tire, but wear was quick, side walls dried out in 4 years use, even while i maintain them well...
Not again.

[WA4GSD]

Tony,

I know this won't help Cor much, but keep an eye out for Pep Boys or similar super-rip-off size chain stores. They used to have a "4 tires for $99 sale" every now and then. You can usually find a cheap (and I do mean cheap) set of tires from them on sale at a low price. Just watch out for the "gotchas". Other stores/chains may charge a touch more but include the "gotchas"

(What are the "gotchas"? Balancing, mounting, valve stems, little crap like that. Inflates the bill if you don't know. To say nothing of a premium for "road hazard" coverage)

Cor, I don't know if there's anything like this in your neck of the woods, but it's something to consider. Maybe your dealer isn't charging you a proverbial arm & leg for tires, I know most dealers around here do.

Don't forget the TPMS "gotcha"... if you have TPMS they want to replace all 4.

[W3WN]

I forgot about that one... TPMS = Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Have one of those go bad, and the valve stem replacement gets expensive.

[N8YX]

I forgot about that one... TPMS = Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Have one of those go bad, and the valve stem replacement gets expensive.

How much per sensor on the average car?

Try $180/wheel on my bikes. :wtf:

[W3WN]

How much per sensor on the average car?

Try $180/wheel on my bikes. :wtf:
We had to replace one on the Boss's 2009 Mazda a couple of years ago. It was in the neighborhood of $80-85.

I remember the mechanic telling us that some people had gotten irritated with the things, removed them from their tires, found a way to set the things to always report the "right" pressure, and tossed them into their trunks. Sounds like a few people we know...

[WA4GSD]

We had to replace one on the Boss's 2009 Mazda a couple of years ago. It was in the neighborhood of $80-85.

I remember the mechanic telling us that some people had gotten irritated with the things, removed them from their tires, found a way to set the things to always report the "right" pressure, and tossed them into their trunks. Sounds like a few people we know...

Yes. I have read about people taking pvc tubing, cap and seal the ends with a valve stem in 1 end, drop them all in there, pressurize it to 32psi, and throw it in the trunk.

[KG4CGC]

What tire(s) would you recommend for a 350 pound sport bike with a 200 pound rider? Currently the bike comes from the factory with bias ply tires but they tend to pull you into the groves in the road.

[ka4dpo]

What tire(s) would you recommend for a 350 pound sport bike with a 200 pound rider? Currently the bike comes from the factory with bias ply tires but they tend to pull you into the groves in the road.

Dunlop or Yokohama both make really good motorcycle tires, Michelin does too but they are more expensive. Dunlop are soft compound and very grippy but wear quickly, they also track much better than the harder compound tires. It's a tradeoff between grip, handling , and expense to replace them more often.

[KG4CGC]

Yeah, that's pretty much the dilemma. I was wondering if you'd go with a nylon tire if it came factory with bias ply.

[koØm]

PSA: Don't forget to check the air in your spare tire!

Flat happened Late Monday Afternoon.

I received an indication that I had low tire pressure but, before I could remedy it, I had a complete tire failure. Called Road Service and had them come out to change it (couldn't get the P.O.S. factory supplied jack under the frame of the car). Road Service guy said, "You better check the pressure in your spare", it was down to 10 psi; what can you expect when, the spare tire has been in the trunk for seven years untouched?

Went to "Tire Discounters" on Tuesday Morning, they didn't have a 175/70R14 sized tire in stock so, they had to order it from the "Warehouse". I ask, "How long will that take?" Answer: "We can have it in by 12:00 tomorrow (Wednesday)." I could not get there until after 5:00 p.m. Wednesday; waited an hour and a half for them to get me out the door. Drove on Donut spare for 2 days!

Only $55.00 for a 40,000 mile tire for the Hyundai Accent and, another 25 bucks for for balancing, mounting disposal of old tire.

.

[WØTKX]

Back when I had the FZ-750, with a hard to find 14" front tire.

http://moto.zombdrive.com/images/yamaha-fz-750-1985-8.jpg

I had good luck with these:

https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/tire-tyre-guide/Cheng-Shin-BarracudaVC6000

[PA5COR]

MOT done yesterday, 24 Euro's done, no repairs, just the check and notifying the bureau for result, done till 15 dec 2018.