Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with tires

Geting Rid of My (Car's) Spare Tire

ilyanassa — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:13:05 -0800

Where can I get rid of a old donut-type spare tire? The tire shop won't take it because it has a rim. I recently replaced my ancient, deflated donut spare tire with a full-sized spare. But the tire shop wouldn't take the donut because of the attached rim. I called the city's solid waste department and they weren't at all helpful - said I've have to pay someone to take the tire off the rim and then take the rubber and rim to two separate recycling centers. I just want to get rid of the crappy deflated donut tire that's been in my trunk for months! Help!

Dry rot does not pass inspection

Brandon1600 — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:32:18 -0800

What kind of tires would you recommend for a 2001 Nissan Frontier SE RWD? I'm in the market for some new tires so I figured some you motorhead MeFites could offer some advice. I am being careful about this because a set of tires is a pretty significant investment for someone on my budget. Tirerack.com was pretty helpful and I narrowed it down to these. Any other suggestions?

3-ply vs 4-ply tires

intoxicate — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:52:07 -0800

Do I need to buy 4-ply tires? I am starting a research position that will involve lots of travel on rock/sand/gravel roads in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. A desert rat friend of mine says I need to upgrade my 3-ply tires to 4-ply tires to avoid repeated flats. Is he right? I drive a 1991 Subaru Legacy all-wheel-drive wagon that has never traveled outside of the Pacific Northwest. Now, I need to make it desert-ready. The catch is that I will have a lot of highway driving to get to the dirt roads (from Oregon to Mexico), and fuel economy is a concern for me.

Any suggestions on off-road tires for my Suby or the 3-ply vs 4-ply debate would be appreciated.

Winter tires in Denver: required or just recommended?

FlamingBore — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:12:10 -0800

Do I really need winter tires in Denver? I lived in Chicago for 30 years and never bought winter tires. Granted, I was young and foolish for many of those years, but still. Now I live in Denver. I have nearly 48k miles on the performance tires of my 2004 Honda Civic so I need to get new tires anyway, but I'm concerned about the winter driving here. In Chicago everything was salted within an inch of it's life the minute the snow started falling. That doesn't seem to happen here. I've yet to see a city plow or salt truck or any of the like.

Tell me about winter tires and whether it's just a good idea or a necessity. Is it likely I'd be able to get through the winter with just a new set of tires? And should I get winter tires - what happens in the spring? I store them until I need them again? Does the garage/shop swap 'em out and hand the lot of them to me?

Other information: I work about seven miles from where I live. I have one road trip planned from Denver to Albuquerque at the end of this month. I need to get back and forth to DIA on average of 4 or more times each month. Thanks!

Come On Baby Size My Tire

seawallrunner — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:52:54 -0800

Tire size substitutions? Even after reading the excellent advice in percussive paul's question, I have questions about the allowed sizes of my tires. My current tires are Michelin MXV4s, and their size is 205/60 R 15 91 H (M+S). I had a flat last weekend, and figure that it's high time I replaced all four tires (not just one) given that I am still driving on the tires I had replaced in 1998. I walk to work and only drive on weekends on highways or logging roads.

I am looking at the Costco site, which irritatingly only allows me to select tires according to my car's year and model. Costco is offering two tire sizes for my car's make/model/year, neither of which is the size of my current four tires.

My car's user manual stipulates either 185/65R 15 88 or the size that I have now, which is 205/60R 15 91 H

Costco's choices list either 185/65R 15 or 205/65R 15. I feel that the second size is wrong for my car, although the folks at Costco told me (on the phone) that 'this is the specification, I see it on the computer, therefore it is correct'. Ugh.

My question to the AskMe tire experts: should I only consider the 185/65 tires from Costco or can the 205/65's also be safely used on my car? I should add that both tire size choices include the Michelin model that I currently have (just not the identical size).

What would I be trading by going to a 185 tire instead of a 205? And could I use a 205/65 instead of a 205/60, eg would the /65 aspect ratio 'fit' on a 205 tire size, on my car?

I found this cool tire size applet and I see that different tire sizes will impact the accuracy of my speedometer - but my specific question remains, can I buy the 205/65 even if it is not in spec (does it matter) or should I order the 185/65s instead.

I like Costco's prices - certainly *much* lower than going to my car dealership and getting replacement tires there, and also less expensive than other tire stores in Vancouver BC.

Please explain tire sizes to this tire newbie. Thank you.

Tires of death: help me replace them

Unicorn on the cob — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:25:21 -0800

I drive a 1999 Isuzu Vehicross. My tires are pretty bald; the two rear ones were patched recently, so I know it's time to replace them. The problem is, I'm poor. Scary poor. It's Christmas, the weather is crap and I'm sliding all over the road. Unfortunately my funds need to go to such things as Christmas and birthday presents, and an end-of-the-year tax obligation of many thousands of dollars (plus the usual bills). How cheaply can I replace all four tires? Are retreads a bad idea? Are any megastores, like Sears, offering cheap discounts because of the holidays? Bonus if you can point me to a specific location in Dallas to get them for less than $250. (I have no idea if that is reasonable or not; I've replaced one tire ever on this car, and I bought it used, so I don't have any idea what the regular price may be for new/retreads). Thanks in advance!

Incredibly ignorant automobile question, and such bad timing, too

arianell — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:54:54 -0800

The "check tire inflation" warning light just on my dashboard is on. Am I safe to drive to Thanksgiving dinner? As I was driving my 2007 Toyota Prius home from work tonight, I noticed a warning light on my dashboard. My owner's manual advises me to "check tire inflation". I'm pretty sure I know why... my house has an incredibly narrow driveway and I sometimes scrape the rim of my right front wheel against the curb as I pull in.

None of my tires LOOK flat at all, and my car seems to be driving perfectly. Normally I'd just take it to the Toyota dealership first thing in the morning for some reassurance and/or maintenance, but it's Thanksgiving and everything is closed. On top of that, I'm supposed to drive ~100 miles on the interstate to attend Thanksgiving dinner this afternoon. What is the likelihood that my tire will blow out on the freeway and result in my untimely death?

Help me choose tires for my car

PercussivePaul — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:56:41 -0800

I think I should replace my car's tires. I'm bewildered by the vast amount of tires available and want some help narrowing it down. Also, I'm on a budget. I drive a 1992 Toyota Camry that's been very well-maintained. I think the tires are only maybe 3 years old but I have driven the car across the country and back a couple of times since then so they may be worn. I can't really tell how worn they are by looking at them. The main reason I want to replace them is to have better grip when driving in snow. Snow is uncommon here in Vancouver but I drive to Whistler every few weeks in the winter; the highway there is well-maintained but has a lot of hills and turns which can be treacherous if there's snow on the ground. I carry snow chains in case the weather is severe, but with even a little snow or slush on the ground I found last year that I was wishing for more grip.

Now, that said, I don't drive this car very often. I would rather not buy snow tires, because I encounter snow rarely, and also I would have nowhere to store my current tires. I was thinking of looking for a decent set of all-season tires which I could use year-round.

First of all, is that reasonable?

Second, I would love to buy the safest, best tires in existence but I doubt I can afford them. But if I buy tires that are really cheap, maybe they're also poor quality. How can I judge, other than relying on a salesman? What can I expect to pay?

Third, anyone know a good place in Vancouver where I can get this done?

Spinning airplane wheels before landing

Killick — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:33:55 -0800

Why don't commercial jets start the wheels rotating before landing? When an airplane lands, that burst of smoke is rubber burning off the tires as the wheels go from not rotating at all to rolling without slipping in a very short time. This must wear the tires pretty quickly, adding to the operation cost. There are various patents dating as far back as the 1940's for fins on the wheels or the tires to get the wheels spinning before landing. But it doesn't seem that any of these inventions are actually used. Why?

Help building a tire swing...

dobbs — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:52:40 -0800

Logistics of building an indoor tire swing... Okay, so I previously asked a Q on Ask about what to build in the middle of my loft. Tire Swing has won out. Now I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do this. Here's the situation:

There is already a bar between the beams in my ceiling which will more than support the swing and rider.

Now, the problems I have are:

A) what to use for the "rope" (important: strong, attractive, nice to hold on to for rider)
B) how best to attach the "rope" to the bar
C) what kind of tire to get (factors: strong, attractive, good size for a human to sit in it, doesn't warp when rider is in it pulling down on the "rope")
D) how to attach the tire to the "rope" so as not to warp the tire
E) if possible... easily "hidden" for a person who doesn't have a ladder in the loft

Solutions I've thought of that I'd like smarter people like yourself to comment on so that I don't fuck everything up:

A) Rope: chain or, best, I think, firehose

B & D) Attaching rope to bar and tire:
firehose: tie strong knot around bar and around tire
chain: paddlock it to itself

C) I have no clue--what should I look for in a tire? Where do I find a single tire? What do I ask the tire people when they say "what do you want"?

E) No clue... but using a padlock for D makes it easy to remove the tire.

Essentially what I'm picturing is a "rope" in the shape of a figure 8 with the bar in the top circle and a tire in the bottom. One or two padlocks secure the "rope" at the intersection of the two circles.

This is where you come in... thoughts? Suggestions? Advice? Will this work? Am I an idiot (regarding this idea)?

Tire shop questions

zek — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:34:18 -0800

I've got to replace my front tires, so I have some dumb tire shop questions. I've got to replace the tires on my car in the morning due to uneven front tire wear. I'll be dealing with a typical suburban Firestone shop.

1. (Most important) If I want to get the front wheel alignment fixed, how much extra time is normal? Five minutes? Twenty minutes? Fifty minutes? I have no idea how long this takes on top of new tires.

2. Is it ever a good idea to have new tires balanced? Or is this something that is only done to used tires?

3. Are there any tire upsells that I need to avoid?

4. What do you say about the "used" tires some shops sell? Are they ok buys? Or should I get new?

Thanks!

Snow in Mountains for Aug. Road Trip?

morallybass — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:28:38 -0800

I'm going to drive from Boston to San Francisco in August. Will I encounter snow or other weather hazards in the Mountains? I've got an AWD sports car, but I've put on my UHP summer tires - only good for rain, not rated for snow. Someone told me the mountain passes have extreme weather. I shouldn't encountered snow or other hazards in the middle of August, will I? Are there any other obstacles like this I should be aware of?

Should I go easy on potholes or speed right over them?

AnyGuelmann — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:36:58 -0800

[Dynamics Filter] Is it less damaging to the wheels to hit a pothole at higher or lower speeds? Recently, driving my car on a Brazilian road that looked like swiss cheese, I couldn't avoid a couple potholes. It was night, I had never been on that road before and if I swivelled to miss one pothole I might just hit the next. So the next morning I found two slight dents on the front passenger wheel and a flat tire. I suppose it emptied during the night through the gaps caused by the dents.

That got me wondering. If I had been going slower but still hit the same potholes, would there be less damage? More?

I realize there are many details to consider. Tire pressure. Size and depth of pothole. Maybe even road/air/tire temperature.

But provided (a) the potholes are sometimes unavoidable, or not safely avoidable, (b) they are not wheel-swallowing craters, and (c) tire pressure is optimally set, should I go faster, or slow down in order to reduce tire/wheel damage?
I was going about 100-110 km/h (65-70 mph), the car was full and my tires were filled to the pressure indicated on the manual for heavy weight plus road driving.

Some say you can speed right over potholes, some say you should brake before you hit them, some say don't break:

If you approach a chuckhole at speed, don't brake heavily as you near it. Heavy braking compresses the front suspension of the car and will have a tendency to force the tire and wheel down fully into the pothole, potentially causing greater damage than your car might experience if it "skimmed" over it. (here)

Driving the roads at a higher speed (say 50-70 mph) results in a MUCH smoother ride as the tires/wheels literally don't have time to enter the holes - the springs cannot un-compress fast enough (its "hell" on shocks and tires though).

A number of our drivers insist that the higher speed helps them "float" or "fly"over the holes and that slowing down will just make the cars fall into them easier causing more damage to the vehicles. (here)

The impact of potholes on tires increases dramatically with speed and can cause hidden, internal damage that could lead to tire failure weeks, or even months, later. It’s best to avoid potholes entirely, but if that’s not possible, don’t brake during the pothole impact. Instead, apply brakes before hitting a pothole and release them just prior to impact. Braking during the impact sets up the tire and wheel assembly for a “solid hit” against the edge of the hole. Less severe damage occurs when a tire is rolling than when it is skidding over a hole during braking. (here)

So?

Mechanic dispute.. Did they screw up my lug nuts?

0217174 — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:54:39 -0800

Mechanic dispute.. Did they screw up my lug nuts? I took my car in for new tires. When I came to pick it up, the guy says the lug nut and bold was damaged and told me I needed to get replacement parts at the dealer, bring it back and they'd replace it.

I'd have to buy the parts myself (wouldn't be too expensive) but still, I looked at the nut and I think they were the ones who screwed it up.

So I made my arguement, and eventually he gave in and said okay, they'll order it, pay, and call me and replace it. But I want to know if I was really right. My argument was that the damage to the threading on the nut was near the front. So that means the damage had to occur when the nut was being put ON. It looks like when someone is trying to put a nut on and aligned it wrong, then used the hydraulic wrench and realized it wasn't on straight.

He said it was already damaged as they were trying to take it off. But if that was the case, wouldn't the threading be damaged all the way through the nut, not just at the front?

So what do you think? Any mechanic experts here? Thanks.

car trouble deja vu

vytae — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:25:24 -0800

My car has developed pulsing brakes and a low-speed wobble, for the second time in under 2 years. Help me get it fixed right this time, please? My car wobbles from side to side slightly at low speeds. The wobble frequency varies with the speed of the car, becoming a mostly non-noticeable vibration above ~20 mph. Also, the brakes apply in a jerky/pulsing manner that again varies with the speed of the car and isn't noticeable until I'm going quite slowly. It feels to riders as though I'm pumping the brake pedal, even though I'm applying constant pressure. It feels to me like the brakes don't catch as well during some parts of the wheel's rotation.

My question partially involves these symptoms, but mostly involves the fact that this has happened before. These same two problems occurred together about a year and a half ago. It all began a few months after I had 4 new tires put on the car. (Bear with me - I know very little about cars, so I'm about to pull terms from memory that I didn't fully understand when I heard them.)

I was told at the repair shop that my brake rotors were bent and needed to be re-machined (to fix the jerky brakes), and also that one of my tires was probably out of round (to explain the wobble). The mechanic fixed the brake issue, but said the tire guys would have to deal with the tire issue. However, he did rotate the tires so that the wobble would be in the back of the car instead of the front until I could make it to the tire store - this made driving the car somewhat easier/less nauseating. He also said to tell the tire guys to be sure to use a torque wrench next time they did the tires. He seemed to be implying that the lack of a torque wrench might have caused the bent brake rotors.

A few days later I went to the tire store and told them about the wobbly tire and that the mechanic thought it seemed to be "out of round". The tire guys took a look, did some stuff, and told me that one of the tires just needed balancing. I didn't mention anything about the torque wrench, because I'm kind of shy and didn't feel qualified to be telling the tire guys how to do their jobs.

So, approximately a year and a half later the problem is back. This time I want to know what I'm talking about when I go to get it fixed, so maybe it will STAY fixed. I'm done being shy. Here are my questions:

1) Does the original diagnosis sound correct - bent brake rotors and a bad tire? I mostly assume the mechanic was right, because the problems went away (for 18 months, anyway) after he fixed the brakes and the other guys messed with the tires.

2) Should the tire people replace my tire(s), or is re-balancing it/them ok? As I understand it, re-balancing just shaves rubber off of part of the tire, which won't solve the problem if the tire is truly "out of round". How do I know whether the tire really has an irreparable flaw? Should I demand a replacement? This is at a national discount chain, and at this point I don't really trust them to thoroughly handle the matter unless I ask the right questions and really push.

3) Could the tire guys' installation techniques, or the bad tire, have caused my brake problems? If so, should the tire store have to pay for fixing my brakes, especially if they should have replaced the tire the first time this happened instead of just rebalancing it? Should I mention the torque wrench thing this time?

4) Could there be something else wrong with my car that is causing both of these problems to come up again? I've been blaming the tire and possibly the tire people for not fixing it right the first time, but if something else could be making this happen then it'd be good to know.

Other details that may or may not matter:
The car is a '96 Civic with only 60,000 miles on it, automatic transmission. I bought it from my grandparents just over 3 years ago. It was in a major accident that required significant rebuilding at some point well before I purchased it, but my grandparents didn't experience any problems with it after the rebuilding.

donuts are for eating, not for driving.

kerning — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 12:24:53 -0800

one of my tires on my car goes flat every 4-6 months or so. it's a different tire each time. what could possibly be causing this? i drive a 1998 saturn sl2. i've only owned the car for a little over 2 years, but there has been lots of work done on it in that time.

aside from the numerous mechanical issues, i've noticed something weird. every few months, one of my tires will go flat. at first, i thought it was due to the age of the tires. so each time a tire went flat, if it couldn't be patched, i had it replaced. unfortunately, none of the tires were able to be patched. and now i'm starting to replace tires that i replaced a year ago.

currently, my rear driver's side tire is flat. before that, it was the front driver's side tire. before that, it was the front passenger side. you get the idea.

i'm not driving over broken glass and nails on my way to work every day. my commute is really short -- less than 5 miles, on city streets (1 block of my commute is on a brick road). i park in a parking lot that is free of debris. when i'm at home, i park on the street in front of my apartment building, along with everyone else. i rarely park in the same spot every day as other people beat me to it. my boyfriend parks on the street too and his tires never go flat (lucky punk). as far as i know, i don't have any enemies that would want to destroy my tires.

is there anything else that would be causing my tires to go flat? or am i just unlucky?

How do I treat play tires so that they dont shed rubber?

whatisish — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:40:46 -0800

How do I treat sun weathered tractor tires so my kids dont get so dirty? Just bought a house with a big play area in the backyard. My kids get filthy when they play on the big tractor tires that have been weathered by the sun. Has anyone ever had success with treating play tires so that they dont shed rubber?

Which bike tires do I need?

cubby — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 12:54:21 -0800

My current Fuji road bike has 700x23 tires that have worn out. When replacing tires, do I need exactly the same size or could I go for a 700x25 or a 700x20? What might the difference be? Are there particular tire brands/models that are ideal for durability and general city biking?

Recommended tire pressure for a 95 honda civic ex coupe?

icespide — Mon, 08 May 2006 11:24:21 -0800

What is the recommended tire pressure for a 95 honda civic ex coupe? Also I know nothing about checking the pressure or giving a tire air. I noticed today after lunch that one of my tire's seem low. I'm a computer nerd that knows nothing about cars. I dont know what tire pressure the tire should be at and I dont know how to check it or how to put air in it. I drive a 95 honda civic ex coupe. Can somebody help me before my tire blows up?

Can a can fix a flat

Samuel Farrow — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 18:21:18 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with alternatives to spare tires such as fix-a-flat or slime? I have just bought a second hand sports car that has no space fo luggage and am going away for Easter. There is a spare tire in the front that is taking up a lot of usable space and I am wondering whether modern roadside puncture repairs would actually do the job - should the worst happen.

Two or 4? Need snow tire advice!

skyguy14 — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 11:10:18 -0800

My fiancee's car is a 2003 Altima that I would like to put some snow tires on. I have used 4 tires on my vehicle for work (paid for by the company) and am wondering how much difference there is between using 2 or 4. I am not cheaping out on her of course, but we both have concerns over the cost/benefit ratio as we are just starting out. I am very familiar with using 2 new tires on front wheel drive cars with less tread on the back with all seasons and summer tires, and experienced no difficulty in seasonal months. If you have used 2 tires snow tires only, what was your experience? More inside... We will only be using the car for my fiancee's 1 mile commute to work, but of course, safety is worth any price. We are getting rid of the car in Dec 06, when the lease is up, otherwise 4 tires here in Pittsburgh would be a no brainer to use for the next few winters. I am not a true believer that auto shops are just looking out for my vehicle and me recommending four tires all the time - I am in sales and admittedly skeptical. However, as an enthusiast, I go through tires on my 2 vehicles, and I recognize the varying degrees of traction from mismatched to matched tires. If it was my vehicle, I would go with 2, no problem. I am just throwing it out there for the public; no speculation please - even if you are an installer. I would like first hand opinions (there was some "installer" on here recommending putting the best tires on the BACK of a front wheel drive vehicle!...You get my "drift"! Thanks!)

Snow tires for a 2001 BMW 325 Sport

NotMyselfRightNow — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 09:00:08 -0800

A couple of questions on snow tires for BMWs... Like many others who lived in Boston last winter, I started thinking about getting snow tires in mid-August. I have a 2001 BMW 325 Sport. Two questions:

1. Any specific tire recommendations for this make/model?

2. My boss used to have a 5-series, still has the snow tires, and told me I could have them if they would fit. I'm not certain about the model number of the car or tires, but I could find both out if necessary. Is it even possible that these tires could work on my car?

And yes, I've seen this thread, but I didn't feel it came close enough to answering the question, thanks.

Wobbly wheels

punkfloyd — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 08:56:35 -0800

Can the machines that tire shops use to remove/install tires bend alloy wheels if not used properly? I need to know before I go complain.

Is the tire pressure different for a different brand of tire, but same size?

huy_le — Sun, 29 May 2005 15:45:56 -0800

I have a 2001 Honda Accord and I am in the process of purchasing new tires. The inside tag inside my driver's door tells me that tires shoud be inflated to 32 PSI or so. Does this rating only apply the OEM tire or any brand of tire? Also, I've noticed that my dealership has been overinflating my tires to 37 PSI. Is there a reason for that? Does overinflating a tire or underinflating a tire offer any performance difference?

Folksonomied Better Business Bureau

mecran01 — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 15:40:00 -0800

The better business bureau seems to be kinda worthless. Is there a generic website where I can go to rate local businesses that isn't awash with tons of ads or filler? I'm thinking something craigs-list-ish, but searchable, with Amazonian filtering (the website, not the large women, although that would be cool too). I think I just got ripped off by a tire store, and I'm tired of going through life a victim. Lazyweb, take me away! If such a site does not exist, would someone please monetize this idea right now and give me stock?