TIRES

[JasonA]

By the way I've never owned Michelin tires.

I hadn't either until I got the Seville. Even my 171k mile Nissan truck had Michelin LTX tires on it when I got it. I checked the DOT code on the sidewalls and they're all about 5 years old, and still wearing very well...plenty of tread left. When I got the second set of Pilots, I had to take it back to NTB to have them rebalance one (just a slight vibration at highway speed). He wanted to argue with me because he said that Michelin tires balance very easy and he's even sent some out without any wheel weights because they're THAT true, straight from the factory. He even tried to blame my car as the cause of the imbalance. It turned out it was about .05 oz out or something miniscule like that. They fixed it and it's like silk now.

[tjtjwdad]

I'll certainly consider them. I have good luck with Goodyears but they were on a entirely different vehicle. I've had good luck with B.F. Goodrich and Bridgestone as well.

Besides, what is made in America these days?

Jim White

[Bentham]

Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone.. I have FALKEN 512 tires .. bought off eBay for 220 (included shipping) and I've put about 20K on em. I've had no problems and, although I have never had Michelins on my car, I can't see how the ride could be too much better. The tires I took off were Firestone I believe. Anyway, I'm happy with them and can't find anything negative about them. Good luck with your search!

-Eric

[JIMDTS]

Hi

I am running Cooper lifeliner sle tires on a DTS they are a very nice tire no tire noise at high speed and they handle well in all conditions. I had Michlins on it originally and I really don't notice any better performance with the frog tires over american tires. Dollar for dollar I would rate the Cooper tires better than the Michilins I sometimes drive the car hard in some turns and cornering the coopers actually grip better than the michilins did. No complaints from the coopers.

Cheers

Jim

[Crozier]

If you believe that by buying a Cadillac, all your money stays here, you're dead wrong.  If you believe that by buying ANY auto product simply because it's traditionally an American company, and that all your money stays here, you're wrong.  Two words: global economics.  The world is much smaller today, and companies have ownership and investments all over the world.  GM owns Saab, Volvo I believe, some of Subaru, etc.  New Saturn Vues are getting Honda V-6 engines.  Not that it's a bad thing -- it's just a global thing!

By purchasing a Cadillac not all of you money stays here, but most of it does. By purchasing a BMW not all of your money goes to Germany, but most of it does.

While it is difficult to find pure American products to buy, especially in the electronics world, cars are a very different story. They are the crown jewel of a nation's industry. They are very visible, and people notice where they are from and draw many conclusions from this. People don't really care where shirts or dvd players are made. But people are aware of cars. This is why I do my best to drive American. If I find a foreign vehicle better suits my needs, I will buy foreign. But as they are all very similar anway, I try to keep my money flowing to Detroit. (well, about 90% of it gets there.....)

[burekv]

Hey Jim White, just so you do know your Cadillac is american made these days and every other day of its existence. Just wanted to let you know. Enjoy your made in the USA caddy.

[justgreat]

if you're doing lots of driving in the rain and you're concerned about wet weather traction, i would recommend goodyear aqua tread 3's...simply amazing in the wet...wonderful grip in the wet and decent dry road handling.

volvo is owned by ford. jackg 90 seville 93k

[tjtjwdad]

burekv Posted on Feb 10 2004, 10:07 PM

Hey Jim White, just so you do know your Cadillac is american made these days and every other day of its existence. Just wanted to let you know. Enjoy your made in the USA caddy.

Well I was beginning to wonder. I know my 1970 Trans Am is American made (Norwood, OH). Not sure about my 1992 Bronco or 2002 Windstar. Oh, and I like my Caddy ... so much in fact she is getting the trunk leak fixed and a detail job. Meanwhile I'm driving a 2004 DeVille.

Cheers!

Jim White

[JasonA]

Our '92 Ford Crown Victoria was classified by the government as an "import" car because enough of the parts content was produced elsewhere. It was also assembled in Canada I believe. The GM F-body cars have been made in Ste. Therese, Canada for a LONG time I understand.

[rjhat]

Michelin X-Ones are exellent tires for performance driving, I had them installed on another car. They didn't last as long as I expected, but they do grip well on both wet and dry surfaces. I think that the michelin name is somewhat overated, but they do make a great dependable tire. They look good too! I imagine they would last longer in a milder climate, but the hot georgia pavement in the summer does shorten the lifespan of just about any tire.

[JasonA]

I think a great way to figure out what tires are good and bad is to read the reviews on them. I think tirerack.com has an excellent review section. Check it out sometime. You'll be surprised at what you'll find. A few of the "off brand" tires that aren't common (like Hanook, Yumho, etc) sometimes get very good reviews. As you would expect, the premium brand tires seem to always get good reviews.

[rmac-etc]

Tried to buy a pair of snow tires from tirerack 'bout 10+ yrs ago. They would not sell me just 2. Has to be all 4, as the handling will not match and ....... a bunch of b__ sh_t. Pissed me off. Tire Nazi's.

In my youth I managed a pair of bias ply retreaded snows in the back and radials in the front ('68 volvo). NO, I am not recomending such a thing (I mean the tires, the car was ok), but its my decision as to what tires I put on my car (maybe not my decision but what I can afford at the time and can handle the handling!).

I have not even looked at a tirerack add since!

(ok, maybe more like 20+ hrs ago, who's counting?).

[MIke D]

Rmac-etc... There was internet 20 years ago.... I only ask because I was 8 at that time and... OK I'll stop...

I too had the same problem with them (tirerac.com) about 4 years ago... whalentire.com was giving me the same grief at one point to...

[JasonA]

I have always been leery of buying tires over the Internet and I doubt I'd ever make a purchase like that long distance because of the customer service factor (what if one tire doesn't balance right?). I'll probably always buy tires at a national chain (like Sams, Sears, etc), but the reviews on Tirerack's Internet site are invaluable for making decisions on particular brands and models of tires!

[Brad]

I agree. I have used the online sites to do my research, but I always buy locally at one of the big chains. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of ordering tires, waiting for them to ship, then having to take them to the shop to get them installed....blah, blah,yakety, yakety. No thanks.

But doing the research online at places like tirerack and of course this forum are great resources.

[MIke D]

I had an "impact break" on one of my tires (from tirerack) and after buying a replacement and paying for the S&H, I sent back the old one to them... They credited me back the purchase price and shipping cost for the new one. Total money out of pocket $12 for M&B. I'll do business with them again.. MD

[Greg P.]

I had the Z-rated Michelin Pilots on my 95 STS and while they were decent dry weather tires, I never thought they were that good in the rain and they frankly sucked in the snow. Also, the pilots didn't last very long. Within 20,000 miles they were showing major wear.

I know alot of you guys really like the Michelins, but I had much better results with the Goodyear tires on my '99 STS.

I think I'd rather buy the the Goodyears next time around. Not to mention, I'd rather give my money to a real American company than a French company.

[JasonA]

I had the Z-rated Michelin Pilots on my 95 STS and while they were decent dry weather tires, I never thought they were that good in the rain and they frankly sucked in the snow. Also, the pilots didn't last very long. Within 20,000 miles they were showing major wear.

I know alot of you guys really like the Michelins, but I had much better results with the Goodyear tires on my '99 STS.

Greg, did you buy similar Goodyear tires (like Z-rated Gatorbacks)? What was the treadwear rating on the two tires you've had? Any Z-rated tire is going to be more performance-oriented and won't go nearly as well in the snow as a more conservative tire will. I know the H-rated Pilots are pretty darn good in the snow and ice, and they've got a treadwear rating of over 500 I believe. That should last you WAY over 20k miles. You should be able to get 50-60k miles out of a set.

What model Goodyears did you go with? I considered going with the Eagle HP when I bought new tires, but returned to the Pilot XGT H4s that I had before.

[Greg P.]

Greg, did you buy similar Goodyear tires (like Z-rated Gatorbacks)? What was the treadwear rating on the two tires you've had?

What model Goodyears did you go with? I considered going with the Eagle HP when I bought new tires, but returned to the Pilot XGT H4s that I had before.

My 99 STS had the H-rated Goodyear Integrity tires so yeah I know it wasn't an apples to apples comparison to the Z-rated Michelins. The Goodyear lasted almost 60,000 miles to where I traded the car in, so I never got a chance to replace them.

From my point of view, the Goodyears handled every bit as good as the Michelins, despite being only H-rated. I was not expecting that at all and I have to say i was impressed. And they were much better in the rain and snow.

I'm not sure why the Michelins wore out so fast on my 95 STS. I can only tell you that they did and I was pretty dissapointed since I spent so much money on them.

I supposed it worked out okay though since I used that as an excuse to trade the 95 in on a 99.

And yeah I'm still pissed off at the French.

[Flyer]

Personally, I think Caddy's look best with a nice set of 17" wheels and 235 55 R17 Vogues. Check it out...

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