Tires for Elantra

I put a set of Yokohama AVID touring tires on my '02 Saturn SL2 (compact sedan), and they now have over 65,000 miles and still look good. I think I paid about $65.00 per tire (+ tax, and the usual other BS), but still well worth it. They ride great, are quiet, handle well, and I will buy another set when it's time. I will put them on my '05 Elantra when the time comes for that one too.

I got a set of four Sumitomo HTR H4 tires from Sears. They have a 60,000 mile warranty and were on sale for about 65$ each (before mounting, balancing, etc.) They are much quieter than the original Michelin MX V4 tires which are far more expensive ($141 each). Here is link to the Sears page.

Post above mine recommends Sumiotomo HTR H4s I second the opinion. I had a set put on a Focus we had a couple years ago. Best tires I have had on a car. EVER. Try Kost in Canandaigua. May get them for a better price than Sears

Should we care about this?

Thanks for the tire info. I'll check around as I will probably take a couple of weeks to do this. I'm seeing the wear bars get close to the surface but I'm not panicky yet. :-)

depends on what your interests are ;-)

Emjoyed all the posts on this, even though I also just bought a new set of Elantra tires.

Please remember that the Elantra takes 'H-rated' tires. The Yokohama AVID Touring is only a 'T' a lower-rated tire, which would be acceptable on that Saturn, but not on the Elantra.

An EXCELLENT Yokohama tire that does work, however, is the Yokohama AVID H4s. Good in every sense of the word. Only problem is a very spotty dealer network, though you can get it from Tire Rack.

But I agree with the concensus on the Sumitomo HTR H4 (I didn't think this forum agreed on anything). That is what I also just put on my '02 Elantra. Bought them from Sears during a recent buy 3 get 1 free sale.

One thing I did notice was that, on the door placard, it recommends running the tires on the Elantra (front and rear) at 30 psi. At that pressure, the tires were wonderfully smooth and soft. But the handling and braking were underwhelming.

But since 'H' tires need to be inflated by 5 additional pounds to get the true 'H' benefit, I decided to pump these to 35 p.s.i. and see what happened. Indeed, the ride was a tad firmer. But the handling and braking were transformationally better, and the tire was just as quiet.

So I would highly recommend running these at 35 p.s.i. It is a VERY good tire, and looks to be an excellent value.

One more thing. Despite the fact that someone said they put these tires on two years ago, the HTR H4 has only been on the market about 6 months (check the website).

There has been (and still is) a Sumitomo HTR T4, but that tire, especially in comparison to the H4, is rather underwhelming, and is yet another 'T'-rated tire that probably should not be put on cars where H tires are recommended.

Hope all this helps.

Tom Wenndt

I'd be interested to hear more about the "T" Vs "H" rating. I understand that an "H" rating = 130mph and a "T" rating = 118mph. Assuming that you don't want to drive the Elantra faster than 118mph (and good luck if you do!) why would putting a "T" rated tire on it be unacceptable?

"VicTek" wrote in news:M8xRg.15703$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com:

I'd also be interested in this, as well as the source for the Rev.'s claim that an H-rated tire should have 5 more PSI of air in it to be effective.

Eric

try

- look at thepressure question

I haven't looked up the rating but I have been under the impression that manufacturer's are ore focused on a soft ride so tend t reccomend low pressures.

nothermark wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Done. Same question remains. Nowhere does it say anything about H-rated tires needing 5 PSI more to be effective.

I will apologize in advance for the length of this, and at some point, I would need a representative of the tire or rubber industry to better and fully explain why it is imperative that one only replace tires with an equal or higher speed rating then what is given initially.

But I have just finished scanning 23 different articles from tire manufacturers and wholesalers, automobile manufacturers and more. Every one of them said the same thing. And very often the reminder is made with explanation points and other things. They are dead serious about this.

I am quite certain this really has nothing to do with speed. Most likely, it has to do with heat performance and resistance. But the speed rating is an already accepted formula out there (taken from Europe) that they can use to accomplish the same thing.

Almost every tire made, as long as it is not damaged or otherwise, is manufactured to withstand speeds up to 100 mph, fully loaded, and properly inflated.

While the speed ratings do add additional miles per hour (if you do what they recommend), what this really means is an additional buffer against heat over the speed you are actually driving.

If you will study the top sidewall numbers (for treadwear, traction and temperature), almost every tire rated 'H' and above achieves an 'A' temperature rating. An 'S' or a 'T' is almost always rated 'B,' with even a few 'C's out there. That is not a minor matter.

While underinflation was a key factor in the Firestone tires that failed on the Ford Explorers several years ago, the fact also was that these Wilderness tires had a 'C' temperature rating (since upgraded to 'B'). That plus the low inflation recommendation (only 26 pounds), and the fact that since many people neglected to check air pressure, the tires were running on far less air then that, you had a serious problem.

While this could partially be fixed with higher inflation recommendations, car and tire manufacturers know that many Americans love their soft, cushy rides (think of the big, boatish Buicks). And with the much greater focus on overall safety, including features such as traction and stability control, cars certainly needed to also handle better without feeling like your tires are made of concrete.

The only solution was to put tires on cars with higher speed ratings. An 'H' and maybe even a 'V' tire, inflated to maybe 30 pounds can still be a fairly soft riding tire. But it will handle and brake much better, and handle whatever the car can throw at it better then more standard tires can.

As for the question about the extra inflation, see this link from "Tire Rack." You can also get this information from the PR packet on ANY tire you buy that has any kind of speed rating (or check the company's website for the info for that particular tire).

Their point seems to be that if you want that extra "margin" afforded by an 'H' tire, you have to inflate extra pounds, one pound per every six mph, up to five pounds. I did it with mine because my car definitely handles better at 35 pounds rather than the recommended 30 pounds.

The fact that the tires are now safe to 130 mph means nothing. The fact that there is probably now also a greater margin against heat stress means a lot.

My point is this: I trust that the car and tire manufacturers know what they are doing.

Hope this helps, folks!

Rev. Thomas Wenndt

Where did you hear that?

Try running them at 36 front/32 rear and the handling will improve even more. FWD cars should be run with more pressure in the front than the rear, since the fronts support most of the weight. If you have done so already, installing the 19.2 mm rear sway bar from an '03+ Tiburon GT dramatically improves the Elantra's handling, reducing the overwhelming understeer of the stock suspension.

Soft ride and understeer, as it's considered "safer" in front-drive cars.

"Rev. Tom Wenndt" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@enews3.newsguy.com:

Tom, I read the link you posted here. I don't think you are reading it right. The extra margin of safety comes when you are at speeds in excess of 100 MPH. I don't see a thing there that says handling or safety improve at speeds lower than that. And if you are regularly exceeding 100 MPH on US roads, I think you have bigger problems than your tire inflation.

I concede that I like to run my tires at 32-35 PSI irregardless of what the OEM recommendation is because I like the sharper turn-in response, but I think driving at or near posted speed limits in the US, the higher pressure does abolutely nothing for "limit" handling and has only negligible effects on heat build-up and wear.

The only effect I have even seen on the road is better rain traction from lowering the pressure (I've gone as low as 28 PSI), and better snow traction at a higher pressure (I go up to sidewall maximum in deep snow).

The track is an entirely different story, and so is the Autobahn.

Eric

The higher-speed-rated tires typically have stiffer treads and sidewalls to resist deformation due to centrifugal force at higher speeds, so you'll notice sharper turn-in performance and a somewhat harsher ride. Whether this translates into increased safety at anything other than max speed depends on the way you drive. ;-)

Regarding installing the rear sway bar, what does that entail in terms of labor and cost? Is it a DIY or must it be done in a garage? Does it make a difference when driving sedately, or only during more demanding maneuvers? WOW, three questions in a row .

I think folks are missing the obvious. Inflating a tire to a higher presure decreases overall flex as the sidewalls are stiffer and the footprint smaller. That should decrease the heat generated at any speed.

;-)