Re: Futura Tires

Your wallet might be.. I'm thinking if you're going to buy futura tires, you're not looking for anything special.. If there's a Discount Tire near you, I'd go there instead.. They are currently running a 4 tires for $99. That may not apply to your size however..

On a related note, many people have major beefs with Pep boys. I am one of them. They don't seem to have employees with the skill/education to do a competent job. Their customer service is no better than second rate (their corporate complaint system just goes back to the store manager so if you have a complaint against hte store manager, you have to wait for it to get escalated to the regional manager) and the employees turn over faster than the tires they install. I'd stay away from pep boys as much as you can. Just a word of advice. Take it at face value..

-Bruce

"Steve" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.comcast.giganews.com...

Hi, Steve. Having been in the business of selling quite new and very low mileage cars, when we got cars in that rode less than smoothe, or couldn't balance or get trued; or on higher-mileage trade-ins, we "just were getting by" when putting on a set of Futuras. Having installed several hundred sets of radials, I can say with no uncertainty that their tires lack quality control in 3 areas:coming out true(round, without high/low spots), being able to balance(a result of the first), and the low mileage output. Their 80000-mile tires, for instance, would be about comparable to Goodyear's or General's 35-40000 mile tires. If you are putting on tires to sell your car in the newspaper, just to be able to claim it has new tires, that's one thing. But if you want quality ride, handling, comfort and mileage, you spell radial beginning with the letter"M".............ichelin!!! Remember, it's not the entire $400--it's just the difference between 400 and 300. So, "DITTO" to Mr. MBFlash's expert advice. (I really don't know whether he is an expert or not, but he gave you the same answer an expert would have given----------in my opinion.) BTW, my dad sold tires retail for years and handled several different brands of radials. I've actually seen him take a few dollars from his pocket and put in the cash drawer to make up Michelin's cost difference for special customers: relatives, preachers, and close friends. He and I found out that we could carefully select used Michelin carcases and have them capped using Michelin's Bandag process; we'd drive them a couple of hundred miles to settle in, true and balance them, and ride just as smoothly as new ones--and who knows, close to, if not the same, distance. UNBELIEVEABLE! Get the Mich'ns. & post back in about 30-40000 miles and brag of your smooth ride and tread wear remaining. HTH & good luck. sdlomi

Actually, I always buy my tires from a local discount tire place and usually end up with Dunlops or Bridgestones, or whatever name brand they have in my size. I never really considered buying the Futura tires before, but my son just got a set for his Corolla, and they seem to ride fine, and are listed as 70,000 mile tires.

The difference in price is maybe a few dollars per tire between those Futura and a good name brand tire from my local tire place, because my local guy sells me tires for around $60 installed, balanced, etc.., where the Futura at Pep Boys maybe comes out to $55 or so per tire. The tires sell for around $45, but they charge for stems and balancing.

I've had mixed experience with Michelins. They always cost more and that's fine, I think sometimes they are worth it. I do go to tirerack.com and check out the user ratings and they don't always rate the best, so why pay the most for them?

I'll probably stick with Dunlops or Bridgestones.

Thanks.

Steve

Except when you have to run around trying to find a local shop that will be thrilled to install and balance your mail-order tires.

I think TireRack has a list of installers on their website, most of whom will even accept shipment.

Here's how hard it was for me to get tires from tires.com installed:

1) Buy tires. 2) Look in Yellow Pages under "Tires." 3) Call a random independent tire shop (not a Firestone, Big O, or other chain shop). 4) Ask, "Will you mount tires I bring in?" 5) They say "Yep." 6) Take tires to them. 7) Pay them $40 total to mount & balance. 8) Drive away.

I got absolutely no hint that they were unhappy to get my business.

Tire Rack can often give you a local shop to mount your tires for you.

Discount Tire prices are sometimes similar to Tire Rack, plus you get free rotation and flat repair, at least in the version of DT on the north left coast.

COSTCO!!!

|Pep Boys sell their own line of tires called Futura Tires.

Actually, that's ALL they sell now. They don't carry a name-brand at all.

Speaking of which, Ford is suing them over the Futura name. They say they own it (Falcon Futura, Fairmont Futura)

Reckon the James family could sue someone who named their invention "Jesse"? Asset or liability--which would "Futura" be? Just my 2 cents. sdlomi

? Local one used to carry Yokohama.... but haven't checked lately.

With the Pep Boys tire, the Falcon, and the Fairmont, my guess would be that the loser of the lawsuit has to be the one that is forced to continue using the name.

They have:

The falcon futura....Although being outside the USA it might be an issue. Also, there is a certain amount of time that has to pass too. Ford was building fairmonts into the mid 80s....

And then there is this:

The real issue in the USofA is whether or not a judge can be convinced that a consumer might be confused by a tire with a vehicle... As the name "Futura" itself cannot be totally trademarked by anyone except within the narrow market segment where it is used. Futura also happens to be a text publishing term.

I have them on our 98' Jeep Grand Cherokee. We have the Dakota ones with a

400 treadwear rating. We've had no balance problems in the 2 years (in September) that we've had them on the Jeep and they were very good in the snow (I snowmobile). I picked up a piece of metal in one earlier this year that I had Goodyear fix and other than that I've had no problems.

Good luck, Steve m..

I have these on my 1995 Escort. They are rated at 70,000 miles but I don't expect them to last more than 50,000. Other than that they are OK. Not sure if I would but them again because of this.