Tire Quality on 2004 Camry ?

I test drove a 2004 Camry SE 4 cyl with auto. and handling was excellent, notably quicker than the LE.

However, I'm concerned about the tires. On both cars, they seem like soft performance tires that I'll need to replace in 20K miles.

I believe the tires are Bridgestone RE92 (15" for LE and 16" for SE). I'd like to replace them with Kumbo 716 which is less expensive and much more highly rated.

Does anyone know how I can trade without throwing away ~ $200 - $500 ?

NO, I haven't bought the car, yet. And I don't know if the dealer will trade - probably not. But I can always go to Discount Tire.

All Opinions welcome.

Thanx, Hank

Reply to
Hank Simon
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The solution is simple--if the dealer won't go for it, then simply wait until the original tires wear out, THEN replace them with the tires you want. Be patient, eh.

Reply to
Charks

I agree with Charks on this one. Enjoy your nice, soft tires and then go to the Kumhos... I have a set of Kumhos on my Celica daily-driven. They suck in the snow, but all other conditions are predictable (read: I know when they are going to lose traction). The set I bought (185/70R14) was rated at 30,000 miles... to date, I have 40,000 miles on them... and by no means are they baloney-skins or Maypops....still, I am going to relegate them to garage duty and get a new set in the very near future. They were good for 2.5 years. The only complaint I have is that the sidewalls are starting to dry-rot already, so take that into consideration if you don't drive 20,000+ miles a year as I do... you might not make the 30,000 mile rating! Although, they *are* cheap, and seem to be very resistant to road hazards (e.g. -- pieces of re-tread). I wouldn't have hit that re-tread if I could have avoided it!

Reply to
Celica Dude

My Camry SE came with Michelins -- far better tire than the Bridgestones -- at least for wear. See if another one on the lot has Michelins and ask dealer to swap.

Reply to
Wolfgang

Yeah, Michellins, Pirelli and Yokohama rock! The Good year integrity on 2003/2004 Corolla are awful. For a car so well built and refined, I would expect much better tires. They provide poor traction and the ABS keeps kicking in because of the poor tire grip while braking on less-than-perfect pavement( a little lose gravel on the road can trigger the ABS quickly). I plan to replace the P195s on my 04 Corolla S with Michellins P205/50s this summer.

Reply to
FaisalCorollaTypeS

Thanks for the good info. I'm going by the dealer on Saturday to look at the SE with ABS, Side Air Bags for $20K and whatever rebate (I believe $750), which is a good price in Fort Worth, TX. I'll negotiate a little and ask about the Michelin trade.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Hank

Reply to
Hank Simon

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