DavidE Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 Time for some tires on my 2001 Ford Escape. It's a small SUV built on a car chassis. Think tall station wagon rather than off-road vehicle. Tires are 235 70 R16.It has the original Continental tires with about 76,000 miles on them. The treads in the center are still legal, but the edges have worn due to some periods of misalignment over the last almost 4 1/2 years.I think I have it down to a few choices.Walmart seems to have the best deal on installation at $9.76 per tire which includes lifetime balancing and rotation.They have two tires that interest me:Continentals that look like the originals on my car. 80,000 mi tread life at $92.34 each. Total price will be $435.97 with tax. Not bad.They also have a Goodyear Integrity which is really a passenger car tire. 50,000 mi treadlife warranty. $71.94 ea. $348.86 out the door. Great price, but is it a mistake to put passenger car tires on this sorta truck?The last three times I needed tires (Ford Mustang, Taurus, Hyundai Sonata), I ended up at Firestone and was happy with the price and tire performance. Their price does not include lifetime balancing though.They have a cheap tire made by Dayton Tire with a 60,000 mi treadlife that would cost me $300 out the door installed with tax. Seems too cheap to be good.The other choice is the Firestone Destination LE. Total price out the door is $476. Also 60,000 mi treadlife. Uni-t construction. Forget Goodyear.Forget SearsForget NTB.Forget Discount Tire.Checked 'em all. No good options.Any thoughts on the above options???
Craig Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 I've always found better tires = better handling vehicle. Go with the good ones, passenger tires can work but will give you nothing when it snows or gets muddy.If no one else replies, we can always ask Salem what Bowie would choose.
Hackubus Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 ^LOL As with most things, you get what you pay for. I'd spring for the better tires.
custom53 Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 My only advice would be...Forget FirestoneSo I can't help...
madhatter Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 I would check out what Consumer Reports says for something like that.
mike_levitt Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 tons of info at...www.tirerack.comI would buy the best tires you can afford. It's a cliche, but when it comes to safety and confort, everything is riding on your tires. The 80,000 mile tires are hard, and generally have pretty lousy traction. In my opinion, that's way too long to keep a set of tires. If you never go off-road, I would think that an all-season touring type tire would provide a good level of traction and comfort, plus handle well, and be quiet.I generally change the tires on my cars way before the treadwear indicators start to show. You may not need that last bit of performance, but when you do, it can save your life, or at least save you from an accident (which is generally more expensive than a set of tires).I like Bridgestone and Firestone, but all of the major companies make good tires, GoodYear, Michelin, etc. I would stay away from bargain brands you've never heard of..This is one area where it does not pay to be cheap...Mike
alpep Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 I ran cheap tires for years bought a set of good ones one time and found them to last twice as long. you save $$$ in the long haul. no pun intended
Guest big steve Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 do you have a costco,or sams club near?the membership is not much for the saveings,the best tire you can buy is the michelins.every spring costco seems to have a sale on them,i got a set for my durango, on sale,last spring, and saved $240.00 bucks!! ( and 10 bucks a tire for install)
DavidE Posted March 1, 2005 Author Posted March 1, 2005 Thanks so far guys. I'm not going with cheapo tires, so the Dayton brand was out from the getgo. It's really between the Goodyear passenger tires, the Continentals (which have lasted a LONG freaking time but may not grip as well as others might) or the Firestones. When I went from Goodyear Eagles to a Firestone Uni-t tire on my Mustang many years ago (probably 7 years ago), the difference in handling, noise and traction was immense.
Dry Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 If you got 70,000 miles on those Continentals your in a minority. Usually we are replacing those around 30,000 because they are crap. Don't get fooled by the lifetime balance and rotations. It's only a ploy to get you back in there shop. (we do it) Don't get fooled into thinking the same tires you are buying at Walmart or Sears are always the same tires the tire stores have. (not all cases) Generally the large department store chains will carry "Brand Names" however sometime the tire models and tread patterns are slightly different. The problem with that is when you blow one tire out and need only one you are forced to go back to them for the exact replacement. The Dunlop Radial Rover AT is a fine tire and one of the only few sport utility tires that gives a 60,000 mile warranty. Most Goodyear dealers carry these. Yokohama Geolander HT is another one that comes with a 60,000 mile warranty and are not too bad. Kumho is imported by Firestone from Korea but are not a bad tire. I wouldn't put a Dayton tire on my lawn mower. Check tirerack.com for tires and reviews on tires.
DavidE Posted March 1, 2005 Author Posted March 1, 2005 do you have a costco,or sams club near?the membership is not much for the saveings,the best tire you can buy is the michelins.every spring costco seems to have a sale on them,i got a set for my durango, on sale,last spring, and saved $240.00 bucks!! ( and 10 bucks a tire for install) I did check Sam's Club. No real deals. And Michelins are priced SO much higher that I can't believe they're that much better.
blackfbiv Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 Michelin - Hydroedge, if they'll work. Your tire guy can tell you.If they aren't right for you then go with 'Michelin anything'. I'm a convert.Trust me , you'll be amazed at the difference.Dion
Smakutus Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 The last three times I needed tires (Ford Mustang, Taurus, Hyundai Sonata), I ended up at Firestone and was happy with the price and tire performance. Their price does not include lifetime balancing though. If you were happy with Firestone why change? Buy any national brand name tire and drive normally, (which it seems you do..) you won't probably see much of a difference between any of them in the same price range. out..Jeff.
DavidE Posted March 1, 2005 Author Posted March 1, 2005 Does anyone know of any reason to avoid the Firestone Destination LE tires?
Phloored Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I recently picked up a barely used set of Michelin arctics and they have converted me from the highest milage rating tire buyer to a get the best wet traction you can afford tire buyer. I am way more confident with these and will be looking into a good sumer set up as well. Great tires are a big +
Cary Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 How did Salem get DavidE's password?!? ROTFLMAOThat was funny.
RacerX Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 Hi David, Also check Tirerack.com They have about 50 tires in that size and have pretty good comparison write ups. Also, PLEASE buy the best tires you can afford. Tires and brake pads are the LAST place I would save money on a car. I have a 96 Bravada with 90k miles on it. Last fall I put on a set of Michelin LTX M/S tires. They were not cheap, and will probably out live our ownership of this car, but it's my wife's daily driver and she halls my 2-1/2 year old sometimes. The first panic stop or swerve in the wet and the extra 100 bucks seems like nothing. I bought these at Sears when they had a sale, but I've had good luck with tirerack on other tires in the past. Good luck!Mark.
DavidE Posted March 2, 2005 Author Posted March 2, 2005 Don't get me wrong, I don't want to buy cheap tires. I didn't even look at the cheapest crap. Going with brand name quality stuff. When I needed brakes recently, I had the work done with genuine Ford top notch parts rather than cheap rebuilt or aftermarket parts. The Escape has fantastic braking and they lasted a good long long time too so I wanted to pay the extra to get the right parts.I'll check those sites with the comparisons, but I'm thinking of going with those Firestones based on past experience.
DavidE Posted March 2, 2005 Author Posted March 2, 2005 Looks like my instincts were right. According to the reviews on tirerack.com, these tires will kick ass on my vehicle. They scored right at the top (#3, just .1 below the #1) and the numerous reviews (several of which on my suv) convinced me to get the Firestone Destination LE's.Thanks for the reference guys!
Guest Mike Lee Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 After the Ford/Firestone debacle, I won't go near Firestone tires. They handled the tread separation problems on the Explorer very poorly. This was also not the first time Firestone caused major safety issues with defective tires.Michelins are nice, but pricey. Overpriced in many cases. I've had decent luck with Goodyears, but it all depends on the particular tire model. Ford uses crappy OEM tires, so I would not recommend simply buying another set of what came with the car. Do the research at the Tire Rack and see what you find.All three of our cars have their original Bridgestones, which have performed nicely. I'm over 40,000 miles on my car and need to replace the tires soon. Still not sure what to get though. Definitely something in the all-season performance area. The other two cars have less than 30,000 miles so they haven't been replaced yet.
wyldbil Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I have to concur with all who suggested Tire Rack. The only downside is no service if there is a problem.For the record, Dayton IS Firestone in the Chevy/Pontiac kind of way. Y'know how a lot of Chevies/Pontiacs are the same car with different grilles and taillights? There ya go. I worked for that company and know a little too much about their setup. Bridgestone owns them now.I wouldn't have Firestones/Daytons if you gave them to me.My best tire experiences have been with:MichelinYokohamaDunlopPirelliin that order.Oh yeah- had some awesome Toyos once as well.All the above is based on personal experience, FWIW.
DavidE Posted March 2, 2005 Author Posted March 2, 2005 After the Ford/Firestone debacle, I won't go near Firestone tires. All three of our cars have their original Bridgestones, which have performed nicely.Um.... Mike....Check out Firestone.com. Guess what comes up? Bridgestone! So, you're not only "near" Firestone tires, you're driving on them!
bobbymack Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 +1 for Michelins at Sam's Club. You'll notice the difference.
DavidE Posted March 2, 2005 Author Posted March 2, 2005 +1 for Michelins at Sam's Club. You'll notice the difference. When my wife's Michelins wore out, we replaced them with nice Firestones. The car rode better and had better grip.
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