We need a new set of tires for my wife's '95 Voyager. The tire size for this vehicle is P195/75-14. Our last set, which were Goodyear Regatta 2's, never rode well, and have now started thumping at speeds in excess of 30 MPH.
We're probably not going to keep this vehicle for more than a year, so getting a "75,000 mile tire" is not real important. I've been looking at getting either the Kelly-Springfield Explorer or Celebrity (but leaning more toward the Explorer - it's supposed to be quieter and run cooler).
If anyone could recommend a relatively inexpensive all-season tire for this van, I'd appreciate hearing from you,
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For a good reasonable priced tire I use the Uniroyal Tiger Paw AS-6000's. I would also recommend bumping up to 205/75R14 for better ride and handle (fits same wheel).
Consider that if they started thumping that can indicate suspension problems such as bad struts or alignment. Were they rotated properly?
In this case since you are only planning to keep the vehicle for another year I would match the front tires to whatever you have on the rear if possible. Missmatch tires will throw up a red flag for some potential buyers.
I'm also looking at the Yokohama Avid Touring, possibly in 205/70R14. If we increase the size, shouldn't we decrease the aspect ratio to keep the same number of rotations per mile?
Go to Walmart and get a set of "their" tires. I used Walmart tires on a Reliant that I owned. Those tires had great service. I have Kirkland tires (from Costco) on my '84 Voyager that have about 100K on them. The tires are still in great shape.
If you are not going to keep the vehicle for more than a year (25K km??) than use the Walmart tires. Costco no longer handles their own "brand" of tires in Canada - but they may in the USA.
I have a set of Yokohama's on my 95 T&C (probably not the Avid's) and I hate them, they are terribly noisy. I think part of the problem is a minivan is like a giant speaker box and any noise tends to get amplified. Unfortunately the damn things are not anywhere near worn out. I think the prior owner just got the cheapest tires they could find right before they sold the van. I would have rather had the $400+ he spent on tires knocked off the van price and a bald set of tires on it. Oh well!
Yes - adjust the aspect ratio to keep tire OD/circumference/rotations per mile nearly the same so the speedometer and odometer are accurate.
If you are considering the Avid Touring, do yourself a favor and also take a look at the Cooper LifeLiner Touring SLE - almost the identical tire in tread design, in ratings (620/A/B - that's for the T-rated) and price - I highly suspect that either Cooper or Yokohama copied the others tire design and specs. to hit a head-to-head marketing niche.
I have had the Coopers on my Concorde for over a year now (25+k miles) and am very pleased with them. *Very* quiet, good hydroplane resistance, and good handling, and I have no doubt that they will live up to their 70k mile rating based on the wear so far. $75-85 each and readily available from dealers all over the U.S. (I found the Yokes were not in stock at the wholesalers that my tire dealer tried to order from, and by the time you pay shipping and installation fee for carry-in tires if you order from Tire Rack, you will come out cheaper by buying from the local dealer (no shipping and free installation, probably lifetime free balancing and rotation - it all adds up). There's also something to be said for buying tires from the same place that installs, rotates, and balances them - only two entiites (installer and manufacturer) to deal with and much less opportunity for fingerpointing (leaving you with having to fight for satisfaction or eatring the cost of resolution) if problems do occur.
Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")
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