OEM Tires, Optional OEM tires, and totally off-the-wall tires

My '89 Mazda 626:

The recommended tires were 185/70-14. I replaced them with the same size. Acceleration was OK at best, and poor going up hills. Also, the amount of sidewall flex made for poor cornering.

I replaced the original tires with the cheapest ones I could find, a $29 "loss leader" from a regional tire place. One went flat last week, and I found a crack in the tread at the sidewall. NG...

So, I had some 185/60-14s hanging around and had them mounted. WOW!!! The acceleration is amazing, even going uphill in 4th gear (I had to downshift to 3rd before...). Handling is 100% better, and the odometer is finally right (it was 5% off (-) before...)

Any comments? I haven't been able to 'calibrate' the speedo yet. Even though the odometer was off before, the speedo was correct according to three different radar 'speed reminders' they put by the side of the road, and a couple of 'official' radar readings as well... ;)

Reply to
Hachiroku
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I cringed when I saw these words, Hachi, because a tire is the last type of ANY product where it's a good idea to go on the cheap. Buy cheap motor oil, cheap beer, cheap underwear, and cheap laundry detergent, and though they may not be as good as the name brand, they'll get the job done, and most importantly, they won't kill you. Cheap tires can, have and will kill people. Buy day old bread, margarine instead of butter, and second hand shirts from Goodwill, but overpay for your tires. One blowout or tread separation at highway speed, and you won't have to worry about anything any more....ever.

Reply to
mack

I cringed when I bought them.

And I was REALLY steamed when, one week after putting the cheapest "All Season" tires I could on what was to be a winter car, Sears put real, honest to goodness Winter Goodyears on sale in the same size for $35 each...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Um, somewhat...

The old tires were rated for 44 PSI, I kept them at ~40.

These are rated for 35, and they are at 35.

Reply to
Hachiroku

Why? They likely weren't any better than what you bought.

nate

(not a big fan of Goodyear tires)

Reply to
Nate Nagel

I echo that sentiment, Nate. And $35 is pretty cheap, for any type of "skin". I wouldnt risk my life on that sort of rubber

Reply to
hls

Given the size tire you're talking about, I would tend to believe that you are running them WAY overinflated for the size car they are mounted on. No wonder they don't feel right!

Try running them at the car manufacturer's recommended pressures.

BTW - The figure on the tire sidewall isn't the tire pressure "rating". It is the MAXIMUM pressure to be used when subjecting the tire to its MAXIMUM loads.

Normal, every day tire pressures are usually quite a bit lower.

Reply to
*

It turns out these are Mastercraft tires...made in China

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But I would have still rather had Goodyear. They probably came with a better warranty.

Reply to
Hachiroku

I always run my tires at or near full rated pressure. Have been for years! I have never had any serious tire issues, and I get an extra mile or two per gallon. I don't mind the ride (actually, I like the 'seat of the pants' feel from fully inflated tires...)

I have had a couple sets of the tires I put on the Mazda, Akuret Performance, made by Ohtsu in Japan. Very good tire. I have always run them at max pressure, and have had no problems with them!

Reply to
Hachiroku

That change in size shouldn't make any significant difference in acceleration. Simply not enough diameter change to affect the ratio much. Yes, the odometer will see the change, but not the "seat of the pants" or "assometer."

Based on your other post, I think you were running the previous tires GROSSLY over-inflated. 40 PSI on a light vehicle is ridiculous. Go with whatever the placard on the vehicle says, ignore the "maximum pressure" ratings on the tire.

Reply to
Steve

There is a real, noticable difference. It's like a different car. Last night I even accelerated up a hill in 5th gear. There are a couple hills I was unable to drive up in 4th gear because of the curves, and had to shift to 3rd to gather momentum to get up the hill. I can take it in 4th no problem. Of course, because of the stiffer sidewall, I can get into the corner a bit faster, too.

The difference is amazing. Also, I use this car for a job, and I have to pay for fuel, so I want all the mileage I can get.

Reply to
Hachiroku

Okay, so you bought lousy tires, and you noticed the handling was poor and the didn't last long.

So you noticed that even with the incorrect tires on the car, good quality tires perform a whole lot better than $29 specials.

I think your differences have a lot more to do with the quality of the tires than with the tire size. Tire size makes some difference, sure. But lousy tires are just lousy.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Well lets see, you had tire failures due to the higher air pressure in the new tires, but that didn't teach you to lower it. Maybe the head on crash from the poor contact patch on these tires will do it.

The tire sidewall pressure is the MAXIMUM that tire can withstand NOT the pressure you run them at. You get sidewall splits, increased tread wear in the center, less resistance to tire damage, easier puncture damage (and usually worse damage due to the higher pressure), Less braking ability, poor cornering in the rain (if you can even turn with the reduced tire contact).

Wait till you hit a wet spot and try to brake.. Slip Slidin' Away are not just song lyrics.

Oh and if you believe that the extra air pressure saves you more gas over the cost of replacing the tires, I have this neat tornado gizmo and a couple magnets for you as well...

And another small item, The speedo and the odometer operate from the SAME drive gear. If one is wrong they BOTH are wrong.

Reply to
Steve W.

All four tires are firmly planted on the ground. As a matter of fact, they

*look* like they need *MORE* air!

I like this one!

I'll take it! Until one of the vanes breaks off and lodges in a valve...

Ya know, he's right.

So, let's see. If my speedo was right, and the ODO was underreporting the mileage, then...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Bullsnot. The way a tire "looks" doesn't mean anything. Different tire designs may bulge a little more or less, but that has nothing to do with the actual contact patch, OR with the rolling resistance. You're not necessarily saving fuel by overinflating your tires. Poor cornering performance caused by overinflated tires scrubbing sideways costs fuel too.

Reply to
Steve

That may as well be, but the Goodyear "Integrity" on my company car are about the worst tires I have ever driven on. The Continental all- seasons that came stock on my '02 GTI were pretty bad, but I think these are actually worse. Either that, or the Impala's suspension geometry just sucks.

nate

Reply to
N8N

That's a bad generalization. Every manufacturer has both good and bad tires.

The Goodyear Integrity that came on my Toyota were crap. The collective wisdom of tirerack.com rates them near the bottom.

The Goodyear Fortera TripleTred that I replaced them with are great. tirerack rates them number one among highway all season.

Reply to
ll

Agreed.

I rather like them, but they don't deal as well with wet pavement as the old Aquatreads do. They don't have problem on grooved pavement the way the Aquatreads did, but I tried them after the Aquatreads were discontinued and wasn't all that impressed with overall handling and wet-weather performance. The Aquatreads were wonderful.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Never drove 'em but heard they were lousy on braking performance. Personally, I love love love my Assurance TripleTreds.

Reply to
clifto

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