PLEASE HELP I need tires for my Jetta

Hi, Not sure if I am in the right place but please direct me if I'm not.

I bought a 1999 (old body style) jetta wolfsburg certified about 2 years ago and now I need to replace the tires (don't get me started, I am a little pissed about this). I need advice on which tires to get, I need four new ones. Here are my issues:

  1. I am not sure that I will keep this car more then another year
  2. I am not concerned with the fastest or the best, but I don't want the crappiest out there
  3. I am not very good about avoiding potholes (if that matters)
  4. I am going to buy them tomorrow or I am afraid the steel belts that are showing will explode on my next bump :)

I am also planning on having a full alignment done at that time. If you can't recommend a brand, then please tell me what to look for when the sales guy starts pointing and rattling off numbers.

Also, any recommendations on where to go (I live in the DC area) and about how much the whole thing should run moneywise?

MUCH MUCH THANKS!

Reply to
Susan
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I have a 2002 Jetta and the first thing that I had wished for was 60' = series tires. It makes a huge difference on handling. When my tires = need replacing, I will definitely get them.

If you are not sure if you will keep the car then head onto Costco and = check out their prices. They have brand name tires. Les Schwab has = some good prices on tires too. If money is an issue, you can get used = tires. But, compare the cost carefully with new ones.=20

Good luck.

"Susan" wrote in message = news: snipped-for-privacy@news.verizon.net... : Hi,=20 : Not sure if I am in the right place but please direct me if I'm not. :=20 : I bought a 1999 (old body style) jetta wolfsburg certified about 2 = years=20 : ago and now I need to replace the tires (don't get me started, I am a=20 : little pissed about this). I need advice on which tires to get, I = need=20 : four new ones. Here are my issues: : 1. I am not sure that I will keep this car more then another year : 2. I am not concerned with the fastest or the best, but I don't want = the=20 : crappiest out there : 3. I am not very good about avoiding potholes (if that matters) : 4. I am going to buy them tomorrow or I am afraid the steel belts = that=20 : are showing will explode on my next bump :) :=20 : I am also planning on having a full alignment done at that time. : If you can't recommend a brand, then please tell me what to look for=20 : when the sales guy starts pointing and rattling off numbers. :=20 : Also, any recommendations on where to go (I live in the DC area) and=20 : about how much the whole thing should run moneywise? :=20 : MUCH MUCH THANKS!

Reply to
Mark

Keep them properly inflated and you should be OK on that.

Reply to
Matt B.

I'd say low-mid priced Michelins, probably can' t go wrong with that. That new Hydroedge might be something to consider, suppose to be good in the rain.

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Just buy cheap offbrand tires! I like Kelly tires which are good and you don't pay an arm&leg for all the advertisement like Goodyear and others.

Reply to
Woodchuck

I had Kumho "Touring" tires when I bought my Golf used, the company who owned it provided me with brand new tires, the 60K service (timing belt and waterpump!!) a full test of the turbo, A/C system, replaced anything needed etc before they sold it to me... Which was great, except I wish they spent more money on tires (or let me buy the tires, with a reduction in vehicle cost) because the tires were almost deadly. Horrid in the rain, worse in the snow, and not even particularly good in dry weather... Panic stopping gauranteed ABS use - even in dry, even by trying to modulate the brakes (threshold braking)... The tires landed me in expensive trouble when I had to avoid an accident, and ended up in one of my own - colliding with an 8" curb at around 30 kph - ruining everything on the passenger side front suspension.

Reply to
Rob Guenther

You will find that many of the off brand tires are made in the same countries ads the name brand tires. They tend to copy tread designs of name brand tires. Now I cannot guarantee you that every off brand tire will perform as a name brand tire but you get a lot of bitching on this newsgroup about Goodyear and Continental or Michelin tires sucking. Panic stops are going to engage ABS on my car no matter what the tire. Panic stop usually involves mashing the brakes really hard. On my old car that equated to some blacj marks on the pavement unless I had time to do some modulation. On the new car it just means some abs chatter as it does its thing. Of course a bad mix of rubber that is a bit too hard would encourage more abs useage.

If I were a rich man I would offer the challenge of a blind tire test. Give a person a budget for "affordable" name brand tires and Jim's affordable clone tires. Let the driver do his hot laps in a parking lot with accident avoidance situations and such. I would bet that most drivers would not be able to tell a significant if any difference as long as you throw out the 4,000 mile street race tires. If you look at performance numbers of many performance tire tests stopping distances, slalom and skidpad numbers can be different but generally most drivers would not be able tell the difference. Kind of like the arguement for home speaker cabling. Results vary significantly with visual testing but not so much with blind testing. A good oxygen free 50 cent a foot cable will sound just as good to most people as the $5 a foot twisted

6 c>I had Kumho "Touring" tires when I bought my Golf used, the company who

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Check out

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They have tests for each type of tires and a board where people post reviews.

dv

Reply to
Drew Volpe

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