tires age

[tom karen]

Was at Sears today looking at tires and the salesman happened to state that our '98 Eldo came from the factory with Michelin Symmetry tires.

Since it now has Michelin Symmetry tires I remarked that I wondered if they could possibly be orrigional at 55,000 miles.

Salesman stated that you can tell because after the DOT stamp there is a number in an oval that is the date the tire was made.

Looked at my tires and there appears to be the numbers 3101 in this oval. If this was the date they were manufactured that means that this car has been through 2 sets of these tires in 55,000 miles.

The tires are wearing evenly, although in the 6 months we have had this car it seems like they are wearing quite fast.

We would appreciate any input on this , and also any advice on what tires would be appropriate. The sticker says R rated tires.

Thanks in advance.

[Garlicdude]

My 98 Eldorado came with Badyears. Mines an ETC if that makes a difference.

Hope I've shed some light on your tire situation.

[The_Raven]

Howyadoin,

The Symmetry is supposed to be a 60K tire, but from what I've read they've more like a 35-40K treadlife. I have 'em on my car, and I'm reasonably happy with them. Good tire for an SLS or Deville, but too squishy for a DTS or STS IMHO.

-Rav

[JIMDTS]

Hi

I always thought the dot tire date was near the bead of the tire 3 digits first 2 digits are supposed to be the week 3rd the year. Maybe they went to 4 digits after the yr 2K I would check tire tires again and see if you see 3 digits near the bead of the tire. Like 301 should be 30th week 2001 As far as tires you can't go wrong with michilens I always used michlins in the past put the last purchse i ent with cooper tires on th dts with the deal from the tire shop drive them for a few hundred miles if you don't like them I'll take them back and give you what you want just pay the diff..Well I like the coopers and never went back I have had symmetry michlens on other cadillacs and they are a nice tire. Just not a high perf. tire but not far from it. They ride well and wear very good.My wifes car has the symmetry tires and they have over 50k on them and still look real good but they were rotated every 4k and always kept in balance and the car alllignment is good i don't recall the exact model coopers I have but I like them and they were a couple hundred dollars less than a set michilens I just had to figure out at what tire pressure the tire performed good for me it's 30 to 32 psi I try to keep them 30 cold that way when I drive it awhile it goes up a few psi and the car handles and rides great. There is a lot of hype in car tires So it is just a matter of what you like

Some guys like michilen some goodyears It really depends on what car and what type of driving you are going to do. Heck if I really wanted to drive the car hard and beat the heck out of a tire I could manage trash a set of tires within a couple thousand miles I used to go to the tire shop and trade in a set of Maypop's(Michelins) or goodyears with less that 3k on them.When I used to have go fast machines or sports cars I was Very lucky to get a couple thousand miles on a set of tires.The tire shop I deal with used to love me..Hard braking ,hard cornering ,hard acceleration sure take their toll on tires along with beating the heck out of the rest of the car.I have tried many brands of tires most were good no real bad ones with the exception of some pirelli's and dunlops that I purchased in europe..

Good Luck on your tire choice your car your call.

Cheers

Jim

[Romey-Rome]

I took the cheap route once and bought a set of those Firestone 4/$100 deals...Never again. Just had a set of symetries installed for $400 and well worth it. Symetries have 65k waranty BTW (so i guess they're supose to be good up to then), althoug Wall-Mart states 75k. (got mine @ sams club) I've heard people complain about the tread wear on thiese, but I don't know, guess I'll wait & see. They ride beutiful on my Concours though....

[JIMDTS]

Hi

I just checked what cooper tire i have it's the lifeliner sle touring pretty agresseive tire for the price Here's a pic from the cooper site.

Cheers

Jim

[Bill K]

I got a set of the Cooper Touring SLE H rated tires in Feb. Took a 3,000 mi. trip, MI-FL-NC-MI, and have been very pleased w/them. They had to be "force balanced" to get rid of a shimmy but have held the balance and not needed any call backs.

I would recomend them.

[KHE]

The factory installed Michelins are the XW4 model.

[Ranger]

I'm not sure if XW4's are still available. I thought Symmetry took their place but not sure. At any rate I have oem XW4's on my car with 84K and they still have miles to go. These tires will be my record for longest lasting. Don't know if I'll make 100k but it'll definately be in the 90's.

[Ranger]

I stand corrected. Just checked the Michelin site and XW4's are still available. What is amazing to me is that the XW4 is the lowest rated. Only got a 4 out of 10 for tread life. Ya think if I get 100K out of them Michelin might give me a new set in exchange for some personal testimony and these tires to display as having gone 100K.

[KHE]

I'm not sure if XW4's are still available. I thought Symmetry took their place but not sure. At any rate I have oem XW4's on my car with 84K and they still have miles to go. These tires will be my record for longest lasting. Don't know if I'll make 100k but it'll definately be in the 90's.

Outstanding!

The XW4's on my Fleetwood Brougham only made it to 42,000 miles before they were worn down to the wear indicators. I checked the air pressure weekly and rotated them every 6000 miles. I had a set of X-ones installed but I don't think they will make it close to the 90,000 mile warranty....Michelin no longer makes the 235-70R15 tire with a whitewall (the Broughams look awful with blackwalls....) so my next set of tires will be Coopers.

The XW4s on my Seville had 61,000 miles on them when I had them replaced. One of the tires had a puncture in the sidewall and the tire shop would not repair it. I had a set of X-ones installed at a different tire shop and they seem to be wearing well.

[JasonA]

I think that although the XW4 tire is still available, you'd do great with an "updated" tire, such as the Symmetry. Having said that, it's hard to argue with 90,000 miles on a set of tires! The original XW4s on our Seville lasted 66k miles before needing replacement. Both sets of replacement Pilots appear to be lasting around 40k miles. I've got about 30k on this current set of Pilots, and it looks like I'll probably need to replace them next spring...or in another 10-15k miles.

I'm considering Symmetrys next, although I really love the Pilots. I just think I'll be able to get an even better ride out of the Symmetrys, and considering I don't at all drive this car like the Pilots want to be driven, I could take advantage of the "Compliance Cushion" in the Symmetrys for an even smoother ride with more road isolation.

The Hydroedge really temps me, with its 760 treadwear rating. But I just KNOW that's going to come at the penalty of a harsher ride, although I don't know anyone with a Cadillac who has the Hydroedges. The brand new Goodyear Assurance line intrigues me, too. Maybe if they drop their prices to be more inline with Michelin by next spring, I might consider them.

[JIMDTS]

Hi

I had a set of the xw4's on a deville they lasted along time I changed them at 60k due to age and they still had plenty of thread on them I went to the symmetry which is a nice tire but not as good as the xw4's ride wise the xw4 is a little softer tire and rides much better at high speeds . I talked to a Michelin rep and he mentioned that the xw4 was there best riding tire ever.I could have went with the xw4 over the symmetry but I would have had to wait a few days so the tire shop could find them and that was 2 years ago.The Michelin rep mention that with the xw4 if you ever need one say you trashed one tire or punctured it good luck finding one. So I went with the symmetry a nice tire for normal driving but not as smooth as the xw4's The symmetry is ok but if I had a choice I would probably go with the xw4 over the symmetry and take my chances if I needed another tire along the way..In the 60k on the xw4's I never had any problems The symmetrys I picked up a couple nail punctures but it could have been that with the xw4's I never found a nail or screw in my path. I had a set of goodyear eagles on a Vette that were real a real magnet or picking up anything on the road nails, screws, stones etc. I was always at the tire shop getting them repaired or replaced I asked one of the guys and he confirmed the those tires wre always in the shop for repair or replacement.They just pick up everything in their path..I like to just get rid of a tire once it's been punctured Even if it's repaired rite it's shakey at best wether it's plugged or patched I would rather just dump the tire ..

Cheers

Jim

[tom karen]

So after all this I am still wondering if you are able to tell the manufacture date of a tire by the DOT stamp or any other means.

Sure would like to know when these Symmetrys were made.

[JIMDTS]

Gee Tom Karen it took me less than 2 minutes to find this on google!!!

Read and you will find your answer

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ON TIRE MARKINGS & SPEED RATINGS

There is a lot of information on the sidewall of a tire. Typically, you'll find UTQG ratings for treadwear, traction and temperature, the size of the tire, the load rating index number with a speed rating index, the construction type (bias or radial), the D.O.T. (Dept. of Transportation) compliance code, construction details, and of course, the make and model of the tire. On some tires used as original equipment, you may also find a marking that indicates its OE status. Porsche uses an N-0 or N-1 designation, BMW uses a star on some O.E. tires and General Motors uses a "TPC" code. Light Truck tires are sometimes marked with an LT for "Light Truck" before the size, passenger tires are often marked with the letter P for "Passenger" before the size. Passenger tires of the same size with or without the P are virtually interchangeable. The tire DATE CODE is a 3 or 4 digit number, usually inside an oval, and is usually found on the inside sidewall. The letters denote the week and year of manufacture. For example, “1202” means the 12th week of 2002.

Speed Ratings

In Europe, where selected highways do not have speed limits and high speed driving is permitted, speed ratings were established to match the speed capability of tires with the top speed capability of the vehicles to which they are applied. Speed ratings are established in kilometers per hour and subsequently converted to miles per hour (which explains why speed ratings appear established at “unusual” mile per hour increments). Despite the tire manufacturer’s ability to manufacturer tires capable of high speeds, none of them recommend the use of their products in excess of legal speed limits.

Speed ratings are based on laboratory tests where the tire is pressed against a large diameter metal drum to reflect its appropriate load, and run at ever increasing speeds (in 6.2 mph steps in 10 minute increments) until the tire’s required speed has been met.

It is important to note that speed ratings only apply to tires that have not been damaged, altered, under-inflated or overloaded. Additionally, most tire manufacturers maintain that a tire that has been cut or punctured no longer retains the tire manufacturer’s original speed rating, even after being repaired because the tire manufacturer can’t control the quality of the repair.

Over the years, tire speed rating symbols have been marked on tires in any of three ways shown in the following examples:

225/50SR16 225/50SR16 89S or 225/50R16 89S

Each of these was an acceptable method of identifying speed ratings.

Early tires had their speed rating symbol shown “within” the tire size, such as 225/50SR16. Tires using this type of branding were not to have been produced after 1991.

225/50SR16 112 mph, 180 km/h

225/50HR16 130, 210 km/h

225/50VR16 in excess of 130 mph, 210 km/h

Beginning in 1991, the speed symbol denoting a fixed maximum speed capability of new tires must be shown only in the speed rating portion of the tire’s service description, such as 225/50R16 89S. The most common tire speed rating symbols, maximum speeds and typical applications are shown below:

N 87 mph 140 km/h Temporary Spare Tires

P 93 mph 150 km/h

Q 99 mph 160 km/h Studless & Studdable Winter Tires

R 106 mph 170 km/h H.D. Light Truck Tires

S 112 mph 180 km/h Family Sedans & Vans

T 118 mph 190 km/h Family Sedans & Vans

U 124 mph 200 km/h

H 130 mph 210 km/h Sport Sedans & Coupes

V 149 mph 240 km/h Sport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars

When Z-speed rated tires were first introduced, they were thought to reflect the highest tire speed rating that would ever be required, in excess of 240 km/h or 149 mph. While Z-speed rated tires are capable of speeds in excess of 149 mph, how far above 149 mph was not identified. That ultimately caused the automotive industry to add W- and Y-speed ratings to identify the tires that meet the needs of new vehicles that have extremely high top-speed capabilities.

W 168 mph 270 km/h Exotic Sports Cars

Y 186 mph 300 km/h Exotic Sports Cars

While a Z-speed rating still often appears in the tire size designation of these tires, such as 225/50ZR16 91W, the Z in the size signifies a maximum speed capability in excess of 149 mph, 240 km/h; the W in the service description indicates the tire’s 168 mph, 270 km/h maximum speed.

225/50ZR16 in excess of 149 mph, 240 km/h

205/45ZR17 88W 168 mph, 270 km/h

285/35ZR19 99Y 186 mph, 300 km/h

Most recently, when the Y-speed rating indicated in a service description is enclosed in parenthesis, such as 285/35ZR19 (99Y), the top speed of the tire has been tested in excess of 186 mph, 300 km/h indicated by the service description as shown below:

285/35ZR19 99Y 186 mph, 300 km/h

285/35ZR19 (99Y) in excess of 186 mph, 300 km/h

As vehicles have increased their top speeds into Autobahn-only ranges, the tire speed ratings have evolved to better identify the tires capability, allowing drivers to match the speed of their tires with the top speed of their vehicle.

[sandman56]

Had fun reading these posts, but have one more question: Can anyone recommend the quietest tire for my 98 Seville SLS? Have 30M on my Goodyear Eagle LS, and hate them so much for their noise and "Squishieness" that I plan to immediately replace them. Michelin Symmetry has been recommended, but one of these posts mentions they too are "squish" on his STS. Hard to believe they would not also be that way on the SLS. I HATE the squishes so much that I want to be sure I'm not buying another such tire. Any other recommendations? Really appreciate it.