Time to replace original tires on my 04 corolla 62k. Tires from factory were the Bridgestone Insigna SE. They were a little pronounced on road noise, so I am open to suggestions on a replacement tire. I live in the South, it gets Hot, Humid and we have Rain. Is there something that could be better? Thanks
Research tires - based on what you want (price, grip, wear, noise, etc) at Discount, Tire Rack, or the search feature here. I'm sure that it will help narrow things down for you. Of course I too like to hear feedback from others... Here is a fairly recent post with many good suggestions:
Wow, that's excellent tread life from those Bridgestones. They were the OE tire on my '07 LE also, and when I bought the car at 16,000 miles, two tires were worn down to 4/32" and the other two were at 6/32". Even if the original owner rotated often, I don't think I could have squeezed another 10,000 miles out of that set. I wouldn't have wanted to anyway. They were fine tires, but there are better choices, especially for the money paid.
I have the Yokohama Avid TRZ on mine. They've been very good tires. I've had them for about 10,000 miles or so now, and they've worn little. They also grip the road very well, in wet or dry. I can push them hard on wet pavement, but the limit is very progressive: you can feel them begin to slide without any abrupt "let-gos". I also didn't lose any fuel economy with these tires, which is not common. I've run them at the recommended 30 PSI for the longest time, but I just this week bumped them up to 37 PSI front and 34 PSI rear to see if I can get some more fuel economy. I've done this test before, and couldn't seem to get any more out of it. But I'm going to try again. The car most definitely rolls easier now, so it's got to help some. I'll see if I can measure any differences.
Noise is also a dichotomy with these tires. They seem to be quieter than the Bridgestones on new asphalt, but louder on more abrasive pavements, like real old concrete or asphalt. I don't think it's just the car because it seems like the Bridgestones were quieter on old pavement. Also, the ride on the Avids is rather firm. Handling is good, but the ride is firm.
Another tire that I REALLY like, but haven't run on the Corolla yet, is the Michelin X Radial. You can get them at Sam's Club or Costco. The Michelin Destiny is sold at Discount Tire. The Michelin WeatherWise II is sold at Sears. The Michelin Harmony is sold at independent dealers, and places like Tire Rack. These are all essentially the same tire, but with slight differences in tread pattern for each of the different models sold at different stores. I've had two different sets of the X Radial, on two different vehicles. They're very quiet tires, and super smooth. It almost feels like you've got a little layer of butter between you and the road. Handling is still pretty tight, but you feel a bit more isolated from the road (which is what I personally like). Like the Avid TRZs, I've found the winter traction on the X Radials to be pretty good, and I've never measured a fuel economy penalty when I've installed these before. Compared to the Avids, I think their handling is SLIGHTLY worse, ride is SLIGHTLY better, and noise seems better also. If you buy the Harmony from Tire Rack or Destiny from Discount Tire, there's a $70 rebate also. Plus, Michelin tires generally have pretty good rolling resistance, which may actually pay for any difference in up-front tire cost.
Consumer Reports recently tested tires and published results earlier this month. For S- and T-rated tires, the Michelin HydroEdge ranked #1. The only questionable performance it had was in winter weather, which doesn't apply to you anyway. If you wanted to step up to an H-rated tire, the Michelin Primacy MXV4 took top honors. From everything I've read, this is a seriously good tire, one I'm considering for my next tire purchase (which is likely YEARS down the road).
Wow, that's excellent tread life from those Bridgestones. They were the OE tire on my '07 LE also, and when I bought the car at 16,000 miles, two tires were worn down to 4/32" and the other two were at 6/32". Even if the original owner rotated often, I don't think I could have squeezed another 10,000 miles out of that set. I wouldn't have wanted to anyway. They were fine tires, but there are better choices, especially for the money paid.
I have the Yokohama Avid TRZ on mine. They've been very good tires. I've had them for about 10,000 miles or so now, and they've worn little. They also grip the road very well, in wet or dry. I can push them hard on wet pavement, but the limit is very progressive: you can feel them begin to slide without any abrupt "let-gos". I also didn't lose any fuel economy with these tires, which is not common. I've run them at the recommended 30 PSI for the longest time, but I just this week bumped them up to 37 PSI front and 34 PSI rear to see if I can get some more fuel economy. I've done this test before, and couldn't seem to get any more out of it. But I'm going to try again. The car most definitely rolls easier now, so it's got to help some. I'll see if I can measure any differences.
Noise is also a dichotomy with these tires. They seem to be quieter than the Bridgestones on new asphalt, but louder on more abrasive pavements, like real old concrete or asphalt. I don't think it's just the car because it seems like the Bridgestones were quieter on old pavement. Also, the ride on the Avids is rather firm. Handling is good, but the ride is firm.
Another tire that I REALLY like, but haven't run on the Corolla yet, is the Michelin X Radial. You can get them at Sam's Club or Costco. The Michelin Destiny is sold at Discount Tire. The Michelin WeatherWise II is sold at Sears. The Michelin Harmony is sold at independent dealers, and places like Tire Rack. These are all essentially the same tire, but with slight differences in tread pattern for each of the different models sold at different stores. I've had two different sets of the X Radial, on two different vehicles. They're very quiet tires, and super smooth. It almost feels like you've got a little layer of butter between you and the road. Handling is still pretty tight, but you feel a bit more isolated from the road (which is what I personally like). Like the Avid TRZs, I've found the winter traction on the X Radials to be pretty good, and I've never measured a fuel economy penalty when I've installed these before. Compared to the Avids, I think their handling is SLIGHTLY worse, ride is SLIGHTLY better, and noise seems better also. If you buy the Harmony from Tire Rack or Destiny from Discount Tire, there's a $70 rebate also. Plus, Michelin tires generally have pretty good rolling resistance, which may actually pay for any difference in up-front tire cost.
Consumer Reports recently tested tires and published results earlier this month. For S- and T-rated tires, the Michelin HydroEdge ranked #1. The only questionable performance it had was in winter weather, which doesn't apply to you anyway. If you wanted to step up to an H-rated tire, the Michelin Primacy MXV4 took top honors. From everything I've read, this is a seriously good tire, one I'm considering for my next tire purchase (which is likely YEARS down the road).
(I really like the Yokohama Avid TRZ) I run these on my 03 corolla. They are nice tires with plenty of traction. The car feels like a sports car cornering now with the new tires and struts. I always leave the 02 tundra at home when going into traffic stiuations.
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Need Tire Suggestions
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