Q: Special tires for '99 Camry LE V6?

Please don't post the same message on two different newsgroups unless some time has passed without an answer. Doing so is poor internet etiquette.

_______________________________________________ I see no reason why not. Of course, you usually get what you pay for, so better tires cost more than cheap ones.

I'm sure its the speed load rating of the OEM tires (for which the car suspension was designed). I went to buy cheap $64 each Michelin tires for my '93 4 cyl and was told it took 90H or 91H rated tires and they were $109 each (CostCo). SAM's said they would put lower rated tires on only if I bought 4 of them (and initialed a statemnt on the sales slip) --- they stated the same safty/handling issue. I ended up with properly rated Bridgestones from CostCo at $69 each (195/70x14). They were great tires (sold car). Tires and brakes are too important to try to save a buck by under spec-ing on! Check

and see what their site says.

Specifically which type of tires is recommended? Higher speed rating? The specification does call for "H" rated tires, but if you keep the speed below 112 mph, the "S" rated should be OK. Check tirerack.com for suggestions.

The relationship between speed ratings and your actual speed is often misunderstood. DO NOT think that if you have S rated tired and stay below

112 miles per hour you will OK.

There are a number of factors involved, including air pressure of the tire. A tire that is even slightly under-inflated (which happens to all of us at least occasionally, and happens frequently to most people) will have its maximum safe speed significantly reduced. Also important are ambient temperature, road surface (a rough surface is worse) and other factors that exist in real world outside of the lab.

Remember Firestone tires on the Explorer? They were S/T rated tires (don't remember which), and not H rated like Ford now uses.

In news:JlEIb.38$ snipped-for-privacy@news.uswest.net, Mark A being of bellicose mind posted:

"Underinflated" by the vehicle manufacturer recommendation OR .... underinflated by the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall? Hmmm?

I certainly don't mean under-inflated by the maximum pressure on the sidewall. No one should have a tire inflated to that pressure.

But the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation for tire pressure may not be "safe" either, as we have found out with the Ford Explorer.

"Mark A" wrote in message news:...

. DO NOT think that if you have S rated tired and stay below

That's probably true for most people. As it happens, I check the tire pressure every Saturday morning and adjust as required -- most often due to ambient temperature changes. To my thinking, having the tire pressure perfect, is one of the most inexpensive and effective performance enhancements available. As it happens, my tires are rotated and inspected regularly, alloy wheels cleaned inside and out, lug nuts torqued in multiple passes, all fluids and filters serviced regularly, and the the car mechanically checked thoroughly at regular intervals. As it happens I've experimented with tire inflation pressure in half pound increments over several years, and settled on final numbers considering the load rating of the tires, manufacturer recommendations, and handling and ride characteristics. So yes I do believe this particular car is safe up to 112 MPH, although I don't believe it's ever been over 95 -- at that speed it is rock solid, quiet and smooth. Plus, I'm running a nearly new set of really excellent tires. Actually, the Owner's Manual specifies an alternate set of inflation pressures for sustained speeds over 100 MPH where such speeds are legal. I drive gently for the first few miles, allowing the engine, transmission, and tires to warm up gradually. Speeds over 85 MPH should be treated with extra caution, but for the original poster, and the average person, the tires will likely never see speeds over 75 MPH, so "S" rated tires would seem to be sufficient -- if you disagree, you're always free to buy the higher speed rating. IIRC the rating is primarily a measure of the tire's ability to dissipate heat

-- so you're right about under inflation lowering effective safe top speeds.

This is the _second_ time Firestone has had serious tire problems. I didn't consider buying Firestone tires after their episode with tread separation on the "7-2-1" tires a while back.

H rated tires (compared to S or T) have many other benefits in terms of handling and braking, in addition to being less like to fail from a blowout. I realize that not everyone can afford H rated tires, but the benefits are not illusionary. Nor are tire dealers trying to rip one off buy suggesting them.

Daniel--I envy your fastidinous on the tires but did you change the summer air for winter air?

My XLE rims are a mess due to my own negligence and I am told it's about 100 $ per wheel to refinish them.

Your maintenance schedule does pay off on the rims alone.

The Artful Codger

When I drove a Mercedes I always used the speed rating required and seem to remember paying around $100 per tire, but then I had occasions of actually driving over 100 mph. With the Camry, over the last two years, I've seen lavish praise for the Yokohama Avid Touring, on the Internet, from 5,000,000 driver miles reported at Tire Rack, and elsewhere. Of all the tires available for my year, they were rated second by driver experiences, -- higher in long wear, quietness and comfortable ride -- several people preferring them overall to Michelin and other premium brands, no reports of blowouts at all, and many reports of repeatedly buying the same tires again. I really like these tires -- even though speed rating is "S". Been a long time since my idea of fun was reaching and then exceeding the handling and braking limits of the tires. By changing the brake fluid regularly, the brakes seem superb now. With my last set of "S" rated tires, had a couple of occasions to make very rapid stops up to the limits of adhesion -- braking performance was very good, and the current tires are better. The handling on these tires is definitely an improvement over the last set, with their proprietary "per-flex" sidewall technology there is a tapered hard rubber section in that permits sidewall compliance near the tread, but greater stiffness near the bead. It is possible the "H" rated tires are better, and I've always been a proponent of following factory specifications, but the current tires are such a pleasure to drive. Perhaps I should try "H" rated tires with the next set, but would be surprised if they are any better for my purposes. I would expect a somewhat stiffer sidewall for example, with slightly reduced ride quality, reduced tread life, and higher DOT temperature rating (of course, but as previously mentioned, regularly and accurately adjusting tire inflation pressure can go a long way toward reducing operating temperature -- I have often placed my hand on the tires and wheels after extended high speed driving on the "S" speed rated tires, and find them surprisingly cool -- even when the weather is warm or hot). I usually do not carry four passengers with luggage, however, so the light loading may be a factor, too.

Actually it is not uncommon for vehicle manufacturers to recommend inflating tires to the same pressure as the maximum pressure listed on the side wall.

In the case of the Explorer, it wasn't the pressure recommendation that was unsafe, it was imporperly made tires. Same vehicle, same pressure recommendation, but with Goodyear tires did not have a problem.

Ed

FIND me an example. JUST ONE, Ed. I contend the norm is typical for manufacturers to recommend inflation pressures substantially lower than the side wall maximum.

The inflation pressure chosen by Ford for the Explorer was the PRIMARY contributor to tire demise. Saying that the same pressure in another brand of tire (constructed differently) did not result in failures is comparing dissimilar fruit.

Take your Ford Damage Control out of this Toyota forum ... please.

Philips,

There are many vehicles that specify a 35 psi inflation pressure for tires with a 35 psi maximum pressure listed on the sidewall.

I'll pick one Toyota -

1999 Tacoma 4x2 Regular Cab OE Tires - P195/75R14 - Regular Load P series tires, max load at 35 psi max inflation pressure - 1400 lb Recommended pressures 29 / 35

Here is a quick list I gleaned from the tire guide of vehicles that have recommended inflation pressures the same as the max inflation pressure listed on the side wall (many more examples are available, I got tired of copying examples before I finished with the domestic passenger car section):

1996 Buick Roadmaster Wagon 1996 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon 1999 Dodge Intrepid 1999 Eagle Vision TSi 2000 Ford Mustang S 1995 Sable LS 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 1993 Plymouth Acclaim 1991 Pontiac Grand AM SE

Ed

Odd.... my book calls for 32 psi front and rear for that vehicle, which is less than the sidewall maximum for the OEM tire (35 psi /

1400 lbs). While not substantially lower, 32 is lower than 35. ;-)

I can only go by what the Tire Guide says (which is usually reliable). However, I think if you check the BF Goodrich Tire site, they mirror the

29/35 recommendation. The fact remains, there are plenty of vehicles where the recommended pressure is the same as the maximum pressure listed on the side wall. Another Toyota you could check would be a 1992 Previa All-Trac. Standard tires are standard load P205/75R14. The recommended inflation pressure, according to the Tire Guide, is 35 / 35. I don't have the time to list all the vehicles that have tires inflated to maximum side wall pressure (or even all the Toyotas). You only asked for one, and I have listed 11. Even if I am only 10% accurate, I have met your challenge.

Ed

I hardly call sending one small message to two groups "poor internet etiquette" (i.e., "netiquette").

Sometimes, one gets different answers from different newsgroups.

I've been surfing the net for years and know what I'm doing, but thank you for your guardianship of the internet (now, if only you could do something about e-mail spam!). ; )

-----

Bond . . . James Bond

(this is NOT a flame, but an INCREDIBLE simulation!)

I thank everyone for their input about the Camry tires; only one person gave a direct answer about it, and it was, as I thought it would be: essentially, size is all that matters, ; } and speed ratings doen't really matter for the casual driver (unless you drive on the Autobahn!).

Also, I discovered that on tire dealer websites that display a choice of entering either your vehicle's year/make/model or a specific tire size, I got ***TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT RESULTS***!!!

The only rationale I could think of is that the yr/mk/mod result was supplied by the mfr, while the other is simply the given dealer's stock list.

I wonder if that's why the salesman was so adamant about not installing my desired tires (i.e., I used my car's current tire size, while he probably entered the vehicle info, and his thinking was, "If that's what the mfr demands, then that's the only thing I'm gonna put on that car!").

Regardless, they're pretty silly to turn away a customer who says, "No, I want the tire I asked for!". Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"? (in this case, THEY were definitely WRONG! The tire business must be doing VERY well for TWO tire dealers to let me go; regardless of their profit margins, a happy customer means follow-up and word-of-mouth business; who can afford to do without either these days?)

--------

BTW, I think we got off-topic about the inflation (of the tires . . . not of the economy!). ; )

In that regard, I was told LONG ago by the owner of a tires-only garage, that for GENERAL PURPOSES, inflating tires within 10% BELOW the stated mfr limit, and NEVER ABOVE that limit, is acceptable. Higher pressures for higher altitudes and/or heavier loads.

So, a 35 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) maximum inflation means that it's okay to inflate the tire anywhere from 31 to 35 lbs (including rounding-off); a 40 psi max means inflate from 36-40, etc.

That, alone, is a very good reason for having all tires of the same mfr and model on your car: you have only ONE psi number to worry about!

----- Bond . . . James Bond

Do not reply via e-mail. The address is phony to prevent spam, etc. Thank you for understanding.

The main thing about speed rating on tires is not how fast you go, but how the vehicle's suspension and driving characteristics work with a given tire. There is a reason Toyota specifies certain tire speed ratings since it plays a crucial part of the vehicles safety and dynamics.