Tires - what do you recommend

[sbcvulcan]

I don't want to be oversold but i don't want a lousy tire. Looking for recommendations for my 03 Avalon to replace all 4. I have heard Toyo, Yokohama...

Opinions please and what do you like and don't like. How many miles did you get? I drive mostly highway.

Thanks!

[ChiTDI]

I got 45k on Bridgestone Potenza 950s. Way more performance than I needed, but safe and very good in rain. Replaced them with Goodyear Triple Treads, much quieter, great in rain, and a passenger tire not performance oriented. Very happy with them - 5k miles on an '02 Avalon. Supposedly better in snow than the Potenzas, we'll see.

[TrailDust]

Michelins are expensive, but damn you can get some great mileage out of them. I've got almost 30,000 miles on a set of Goodyear Assurance tires, and they're wearing very well. I estimate I'll get at least 50,000+ miles out of them, and that's driving 80% city and 20% highway. Ride is very quiet too.

TrailDust

[ChiTDI]

Originally Posted by TrailDust

Michelins are expensive, but damn you can get some great mileage out of them. I've got almost 30,000 miles on a set of Goodyear Assurance tires, and they're wearing very well. I estimate I'll get at least 50,000+ miles out of them, and that's driving 80% city and 20% highway. Ride is very quiet too.

TrailDust

50k is a good goal considering the weight of the Avalon. IMHO
Other sites kind of ripped the TripleTreads, good for a year then balancing problems arose. Was news to me, my only history was buddies with VWs and they got great service from them. Hope it's not a problem, just wanted to put it out there.

[Boston Fireguy]

At 36K miles I replaced the sidewall bulging OE Michelins on my '04 Frankie XLS with KUMHO SOLUS KH16s from Tire Rack. I have put 40K miles on these tires with approximately 10-15K miles left on the tread. They balanced well, ride smooth and are quieter than the Michelins at about half the cost (at the time). I would buy them again.

[silverxls]

i read some reviews and comparrisons from one of the motor magazines that rated the Coopers well, so i bought some cs4's about 6k miles ago. so far real happy with them, much quieter than the michelins, balance perfect, smooth quiet ride. being in texas i can't tell how they would be on snow but are great in the rain. at almost half the price of the michelin, i'm real happy.

[tr7driver]

My tire guy sold me a set of "runway" tires that I put on my 98 Avy. They were pretty cheap and did well in the rain and snow. I'd buy them again. I put a set of traction TA radials on it before that, and I didn't get 13K miles out of them before they were out. I thought there was something wrong with the car because they wore out so fast (they did wear even, they just wore out the tread), so I didn't want to spend a lot on a new set.

I put a set of KUMHO SOLUS KH16s on my 00 avy about 15K miles ago and they are holding up well. They are quiet and give good traction. I had a set of Goodyear Assurance ComfortTred's on it, but after 10K miles they wouldn't stay balanced.

[aznstylez]

I hope that ya'll guys are getting H-rated tires instead of T-rated tires since the Avalons requires H-rated tires.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by ChiTDI

50k is a good goal considering the weight of the Avalon. IMHO
Other sites kind of ripped the TripleTreads, good for a year then balancing problems arose. Was news to me, my only history was buddies with VWs and they got great service from them. Hope it's not a problem, just wanted to put it out there.

I haven't seen any balancing issues, but the only issue with this tire worth noting is poor to average rain performance. I knew this from research I'd done before buying, but since I'm in Southern California it was worth it because of how little rain we get. Overall, I'm very happy.

[Boston Fireguy]

The Kumho KH16 is H rated.
Kumho just came out with another tire to consider; the H rated Ecsta LX Platinum($90.00 @ TireRack.com). Very similar to the KH16 but with supposedly better traction in snow, which the KH-16 leaves something to be desired. I will report back after getting them.

[carreraken]

Recently went from Goodyear Eagle LS to General Altimax HP. The Gen's balanced very well (<0.5oz per wheel) and they seem to ride very smooth and quiet. So far so good.

[Boston Fireguy]

Carreraken, have you noticed any change in gas mileage with the Generals? I was ready to get them until I read some reviews on tirerack.com stating big reductions in gas mileage due to increased rolling resistance. Most reported losses of 3-4 mpg. One driver with a Prius (!) claimed he lost almost 10 mpg.

Just checked the Kumhos with 45K miles on them. They started with 10/32" tread depth; they now have 4/32". Not bad.

[carreraken]

Originally Posted by Boston Fireguy

Carreraken, have you noticed any change in gas mileage with the Generals? I was ready to get them until I read some reviews on tirerack.com stating big reductions in gas mileage due to increased rolling resistance. Most reported losses of 3-4 mpg. One driver with a Prius (!) claimed he lost almost 10 mpg.

Just checked the Kumhos with 45K miles on them. They started with 10/32" tread depth; they now have 4/32". Not bad.

Fireguy, I checked the first couple tanks and noticed no change (around 24-25 mpg - same as on Goodyears). I run 35 lbs since I live in a hilly / curvy area with a short (15 mi) commute to work.

Generals seem to ride smoother, but that might be just because my GY's were worn. Haven't noticed any change in handling - but I never 'push' my avy - have other cars for that.

Ken

[Boston Fireguy]

24-25 mpg sounds about right. Driving from Boston to Myrtle Beach 2 years in a row netted about 29-31 on the highway at 65-75 mph. I attribute that to the Kumhos and synthetic oil.
You've got me thinking about the Generals again.

[TrailDust]

That's interesting. I get somewhat worse mileage than you guys around town (20MPG average) and somewhat better mileage on the highway (32MPG average). I keep my tires inflated at 35 PSI as well. Wondering what makes the difference?

TrailDust