Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tires

Do new car tires go on the front or the back when you only need two?

Opposite George — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:03:40 -0800

Front-wheel drive car. Back tires worn and will be replaced. Front tires okay for now. Where should the new tires go? My dad just asked me to get the back tires replaced on his 1995 Hyundai Elantra. It's front-wheel drive, no ABS or traction control.

The back tires are worn evenly, but there's not much tread left. The front tires are worn evenly and still have plenty of meat. I don't know if he regularly rotates the tires, and can't ask him as he's away and hard to reach. I want to get this done before he gets back.

So, I'll ask the shop to replace the bad tires -- I have that much figured out. What I don't know is whether to ask them to put the wheels with the new, meatier tires on the front and move the current fronts back, or just to replace the tires on the back and be done with it. He lives in southeastern NY state, which means he gets ice and snow in the winter, if that makes a difference.

What do you all think?

Ok, they're supposed to rotat, but not that way

sandra_s — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:50:52 -0800

If a car is hit in a collision and is sent into two 360 spins (not rollovers), obviously an alignment needs to be done (in addition to all other repair work), but my question is: Are the tires safe to drive on? Long story short:

"car 1" is traveling at 55mph on highway
"car 2" Illegally enters highway and collides with "car 1"
"car 1" is sent into two 360 degree spins and comes to a halt 100 feet down the highway. Laying on the brakes the whole time.

The question is:

Does the action of dragging the tires a way they aren't usually meant to rotate for this period adversely effect the future safety and/or durability of the tires.

Tires are relatively newWrangler SE with 85%-90% tread life remaining.

Thanks in advance!

Re-tireing Too Young

Kid Charlemagne — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:42:24 -0800

I've got some extreme irregular tire wear going on with my trailer and, when in doubt, query the hive mind. So I bought one of those cargo trailers they sell at the big box hardware stores. Use it mostly for recreational purposes. Coming back from our last trip I noticed that the edges of both trailer tires looked brutally chewed, sort of like you'd expect if they were routinely under inflated except much worse.

I can't find evidence of anything rubbing against anything, and while they were a few PSI low, the damage I'm seeing is more significant than I'd expect from that. So before I replace them and chew up another pair of tires, does anyone have any thoughts on how to prevent this?

How does silica lower a tire's rolling resistance?

tronec — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:04:40 -0800

Physics/chemistry/tire tread composition filter. Why does adding silica to the rubber compound in a tire tread reduce rolling resistance? In quest for better fuel economy, I understand that tire manufacturers continue to experiment with the tread compound to make them roll with less resistance while still retaining adequate friction with the road for starting and stopping. I believe recent tires use more silica and less carbon black to reduce rolling resistance.

I'm not a scientist, and I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around how adding silica to rubber would cause it to roll with less resistance. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Where to buy tires in DFW?

flipmiester99 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:40:34 -0800

DFWTirePurchaseFilter: I have to buy to sets of tires for my cars, one mazda 3 and a chevy tahoe. Where are the best deals right now in the DFW area?

Help me diagnose unusual wear on my Yokohama tires [photos inside]

yoyoceramic — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:21:56 -0800

What is causing this strange wear on my tires? [Photos inside] Hi there... I am experiencing strange wear on my tires, and I am wondering what might be causing this wear. It seems that only the outside edges of my tires are being affected. Since I rotate my tires frequently, I do not know if this wear occurs only on the front or the back. All I know is that the inside edge of my tires look normal. Struts going out maybe?

Here is a slideshow illustrating what I am talking about. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Snow Chain Recommendations?

|n$eCur3 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:32:57 -0800

Snow chain recommendations? I'm looking for a good pair of snow chains* for an upcoming trip. Both thick chains or thin cables will work on my car. Please describe why you like them and how long they take to install.

I don't have a price range, and would prefer a quality product. What are some brands that have worked well for you?

* An online purchasing option is preferred but not required.

Smaller than OEM tires

reformedjerk — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:11:24 -0800

Can I use winter tires that are smaller than the OEM tires on my car now? I'm looking for winter tires for my car (245/65R17) but apparently there aren't any left in Ontario due to the recent spike in demand from Quebec, where new regulation is requiring winter tires on all vehicles this winter.

The mechanic is suggesting that I get 235/65R17 tires instead. From cursory searching on the internet, it seems these tires would be narrower than OEM and have a smaller diameter as well (since the aspect ratio is the same). Will that have an adverse effect on the handling of the car? Also, here's a silly question: will the narrower tires even fit on the current rims?

Is low rolling resistance another word for snake oil?

abkadefgee — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:49:52 -0800

Are "low rolling resistance" tires a worthwhile investment? And how should I go about finding them? How much more should I pay for this type of tire? I recently heard about "low rolling resistance" tires as I was looking for new cars for my car, and was intrigued.

A couple of days ago, I actually called a tire store and they took my question to mean "This guy will pay for anything" and tried to steer me towards a much more expensive tire while downplaying the feature I wanted. Other stores have just sort of blown me off or looked at me funny.

And by the way, for me a "worthwhile investment" means that it works, not necessarily that I save a bundle. If I pay more up front, but still save fuel, I might consider doing that for environmental reasons.

Oh, and if you'd like to recommend a specific tire, the size of tire for my car is P205/65R15 92H

Can having 1 truck tire smaller than the others be dangerous or cause damage?

isopropyl — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:15:02 -0800

Nearly a year ago I blew out my right from tire on my 2001 Toyota Tacoma. It is also a PreRunner and TRD. My tires are Dayton Timberline AT (all terrain) size 265/75R16. I could only afford on at the time but knew I would be needing three more soon. I checked my tire size in order to get multiple estimates from all the local companies and I realized they had put on a 265/70R16 on accident. I have driven nearly 20,000 miles on the oddly matched tires and had them rotated 6 months ago. Should I be worried about and damage to my truck? I've called the company and they apologized and offered to give me 4 new tires, one for free and all at the 75 size. They also said they would match the competitors price which was 50 dollars cheaper because I was a loyal customer.He then assured me that no damaged could have been done from their error. They were unable to acquire the 4 new tires I originally had and are now looking for something of equivalently quality. Should I go to a mechanic or trust the tire place who already charged me for one tire and delivered a smaller cheaper one .

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.