Tire Selection Help

[Stuey]

Recently I asked about where you guys get your tires from. Well, I'm pretty set on ordering from Tirerack.

But... I'm not really sure which tires to get.

The tires are for a 2000 Ford Focus. The car sees very light usage -as it is, there's only 17k miles on the car. At most, it sees maybe 200-250 miles a month, mostly on the weekends.

BFGoodrich Traction T/A T and Goodyear Eagle GT are currently on the short list.

Are these good options, and if not, what would you recommend as an alternative?

All I'm looking for are relatively affordable made in USA or CA all-seasons with decent dry and wet performance. Tread wear and road noise is not as much of a concern.

(thanks for any input)

 

[babzog]

Recently I asked about where you guys get your tires from. Well, I'm pretty set on ordering from Tirerack.

But... I'm not really sure which tires to get.

The tires are for a 2000 Ford Focus. The car sees very light usage -as it is, there's only 17k miles on the car. At most, it sees maybe 200-250 miles a month, mostly on the weekends.

BFGoodrich Traction T/A T and Goodyear Eagle GT are currently on the short list.

Are these good options, and if not, what would you recommend as an alternative?

All I'm looking for are relatively affordable made in USA or CA all-seasons with decent dry and wet performance. Tread wear and road noise is not as much of a concern.

(thanks for any input)

I put Yokohama AVID TRZ on my wife's Focus. We both loved 'em - they wear well, they're great at soaking up road bumps, pretty quiet, great feel. We wanted a more comfortable tire for that car since it (being a wagon) spent much of its time hauling kids. Very satisfied. Will probably put them on the Sienna next spring (replacing the factory Dunflops).

I had the Traction T/A on my Civic since I wanted the better performance. Loved them - superb grip in wet/dry (they **** in the snow though). Great feel - very stiff so almost no roll when cornering. They do wear quickly though. I've got Yokohama AVID H4S shoes on the Civic now and I'm very happy with them. Not quite as stiff as the TT/A but super grip in wet/dry and they appear to be wearing well. In the end, I think I'll be more pleased with these than the TT/A due to a comfortable, yet quite sporty, ride and the better wear.

All tires purchased from tirerack.com. Great place, great research tools.

 

[LWW]

Any particular reason why you want a USA or CA made tire over some of the imports? I assume it's for patriotic reasons?

If so, check out this article from last year: "Kumho Tire Co. Inc.'s decision to build a plant in Macon, Ga., brings another "second-tier'' tire maker into tire manufacturing in this country. Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has operated a greenfield facility in White, Ga., since late 2005, and Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. has owned a former Mohawk plant for a number of years.

Can Hankook Tire Co. Ltd., Kumho's arch-rival in South Korea, be far behind?"

These ARE the new "Made in the USA" manufacturers. Given the quality, price and performance, I would take a Kumho, Yokohama or Hankook over either a Goodyear or BFG tire any day.

The only US tire manufacturer worth a damn anymore is Hoosier and you can imagine why...

 

[Hapis]

+1 on the Yokohama AVID TRZ as I just put a set on the wife's toyota sienna about a month or so ago. They ride well and seem to do well in the rain. A little noisey but not too bad. Remember that BFG is owned by Michelin if you are going down the patriotic avenue.

 

[tdkkart]

IMO the "Goods" give you very little extra other than on the bottom line of your bill.

Very few drivers need "performance" tires.

I've had good luck with Cooper and Kelly tires. Nothing fancy, but they ride and last well.

 

[Stuey]

I limited myself to domestic tires to help prevent the selection process from getting out of hand.

I'll take a look at those Yokohama Avids - they seem to be comparable to the Goodrichs' and appear to be quite popular as well.

It's not that I'm looking for performance tires for the focus - it's just that wearability is a lower priority than operation and cost. The tires that are on the car now have a lot of tread left and are being replaced due to their age.

Edit: As of now it'll likely be between the Goodrich Traction T/A or those Yoko Avids TRZs. I'll do a bit more research later and figure things out a bit better.

 

[mwpannell]

Big +2 on the Yokohamas, and they are US made

 

[Stuey]

Still flip-flopping between those two styles - the Avid TRZ and BFG Traction T/A.

 

[sammerdog]

I limited myself to domestic tires to help prevent the selection process from getting out of hand.

....as mentioned before, BFGoodrich isn't American owned any more. They're owned by Michellin - you know, the French guys who got into bed with Hitler. Bastards wouldn't stop producing tires for his war machine until our great Nation's men bombed Michelin's factory in France.

 

[Stuey]

....as mentioned before, BFGoodrich isn't American owned any more. They're owned by Michellin - you know, the French guys who got into bed with Hitler. Bastards wouldn't stop producing tires for his war machine until our great Nation's men bombed Michelin's factory in France.

Well, I meant domestically producted tires.

Now I'm even more stuck with my selection dilemma! (At least I'm distracted from trying to figure out which car to buy to replace my Taurus!)

 

[babzog]

Still flip-flopping between those two styles - the Avid TRZ and BFG Traction T/A.

If it's for the wife, for occasional use and esp if it's a wagon, go for the Yokos. If it's a sedan that you like to rip around in once in a while, go for the BFG. They BFG will give a firmer ride than the Yokos which will be more comfortable.

 

[kutza]

Yoko TRZ's would be I choice.

(I work around tires)

 

[Stuey]

If it's for the wife, for occasional use and esp if it's a wagon, go for the Yokos. If it's a sedan that you like to rip around in once in a while, go for the BFG. They BFG will give a firmer ride than the Yokos which will be more comfortable.

It's a compact sedan. Plus, I don't really enjoy driving it... I'm not comfortable with the engine, vehicle weight, and just everything about it. I made my choice already, anyhow.

Yoko TRZ's would be I choice.

(I work around tires)

Ordered them 5 mins ago. As of now, no regrets. Will get them installed Friday if I can.

 

[Stuey]

Went with the Avid TRZs and like them. =)

Thanks for the advice, and don't worry - I'll have many more questions!