Problem tire brands

rdln · Nov 8, 2004

Goodyear eagles are very very soft allowing them to stick to the road and be a "performance" and have never been known as a high mileage tire especially in VW diameters.

My Goodyear Integrity tires on my little car have done well, over 50k now and will probably get me thru winter, but it is a light car.

Hambone · Nov 8, 2004

Tire dealers are like tractor dealers. You have to get a good one with the right people.
50 psi is low for that tire, especially pulling anything. That will build heat. My Goodyear dealer said 65 minimum in that tire that they put on 03 and 04 Dodge trucks. Dodge recommends minimum of 64 psi. He said they will probably adjust, but you would be getting same tire. You would be getting new tires, maybe prorated, but keep inflation up and should be lots better.

reb · Nov 8, 2004

Dargo, my experience with tires has been similar. I have had better luck with some off-brand tires than with the major brands. I put a set from Pep Boys on a '79 pickup that wore forever. I have the second set of Big O tires on my T-100 which have performed better than the Goodyears that came on it. I had a set of Goodriches on my '85 truck that couldn't be balanced and did not wear well. I have also had some cheap off-brand tires that wore out almost overnight. Is there a secret to selecting good tires?

Bird · Nov 8, 2004

( Is there a secret)

I don't know about a secret and of course "ratings" can sometimes be a little misleading, but each tire should have a Treadwear, Traction, and Temperature rating on it and I consider those to be a starting point, at least. You can read a little bit about those at this web site. It's hard to say a particular "brand" is good or bad since each brand usually makes several different quality tires with different ratings.

Gary_in_Indiana · Nov 8, 2004

Years and years ago, I worked in a tire manufacturing plant on the production floor. The redundant name of the area in which I worked was 'Final Finish' and it was the last stop before the tires left the plant.

It was also where you saw the final spec's on the tire for things like Total Harmonic Distortion (noise), etc. There was an interesting thing about tires I learned there and I'll share it here.

The tires that go to the manufacturers for OEM on new vehicles have the very tightest tolerances. The very same label tire that falls outside of that range but still in an acceptable range goes to the tire dealer. That's why OEM tires always seem to last longer and ride better than replacements.

As to the "off-brand" tires being appearing to be superior to the branded tires, the reason is simple - They are! Someone like Sears has such incredible clout as a customer that they can and do negotiate not only better pricing but also better tolerances on their tires as well.

I hope this insight explains some of the differences.

ronjhall · Nov 8, 2004

( The very same label tire that falls outside of that range but still in an acceptable range goes to the tire dealer. )
I thought I was the only one that knew that. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
You and I probably spent time in the same plant. The company I retired from made the machines that did the gaging. I got to install and service the machines.

Phred · Nov 8, 2004

I agree that the problem was the pressure.
50 is way to low. Now some dealers say run them low because it improves ride. Also somebody at a jiffy lub might think that 30 psi makes sense......but they would be wrong. Low pressure eats up tires very quickly.

I run mine (also goodyear E rated) at no less than 70 psi (cold pressure) even when empty.
Keep in mind that the front end on that truck is very heavy even when the truck is empty.

I had a set of bridgestones on a SUV years ago and the dealer convinced me to run the tires on the low end of pressure. I only got 30 K out of those tires.
The next set I ran near their max and they lasted much longer. Of course the ride was not as nice.

Fred

MF1455v · Nov 8, 2004

50 psi sounded low to me too. But the side wall and the Good Year pamphlet that came with the truck said between 45 and 60 psi. The size of these tires are 235/80/17. Most of the Dodge trucks the same year have 265/70/17. They call for the 60 to 80 psi. Anyone know why the difference in pressure, even with an E rating? My 99 Dodge had 265/70/16 and I always ran them at 70 psi.

Stopped by local tire center today and the owner has seen a few of these before. He could not tell me what was going on. He is however going to help get some credit that I can apply to any other tires he sells. Have never gotten over 30k on a set of Wranglers before, so this will be a plus.

Bird · Nov 9, 2004

The sidewall says 45 to 60? I've never seen that on a tire before. I'm accustomed to seeing only one number. In '91, I spent the summer working at my brother's B.F. Goodrich tire dealership in Anchorage. At that time there was no authorized Uniroyal dealership in town, but of course the B.F. Goodrich distributor was also the contact for Uniroyal. And during that 4 months, the only manufacturer's warranty situations we had were when the distributor sent a few customers to us who had OEM Uniroyal tires on 3/4 ton GM products (primarily Suburbans). The vehicles' owner's manuals showed the lower range of air pressures, just as you've said your pamphlet shows, but the tires had the higher number on the sidewall. Of course Uniroyal claimed it was an error on the part of GM, but did allow us to warranty the tires. However, the problem with those tires was cord/rubber separation (bubbles on the tires) rather than the cracking your tires show.

HickoryNut · Nov 9, 2004

Interesting statement about Sears buying clout. I've long suspected the models of tires available at Sears that you can't find anywhere else were extra value. Two recent personal experiences, the BFG Revelation economy passenger tire, decent tire with a good price. And the Michelin XC-LT which ain't cheap but after 15k miles on my dually they still look like new and are super performers. I've never seen either tire available anywhere else but Sears?