OK I need your help! I was at my dealer this past weekend getting an Oil
Change and they said that I only have 15% thread on all my tires and
they need to be replaced. They gave me a quote of around $700! for all
four replacements with an alignment, and labor. This seems a little high
to me, so I was wondering if I could get a better deal somewhere else?
What tires do you recommend for this Saturn? Thanks!!

<WGRG3 (AT) webtv (DOT) net> wrote

You can (should) inspect your own tread depth using the wear indicators in
the tread grooves, but it is better to buy a simple tread depth gauge for
~$5, and use it to measure the tread remaining yourself. I bet you will
find you have a lot more than 15% remaining. Measuring across the tread
will show if you should be raising or lowering your inflation pressure and
will allow you to keep the best tires on the front.

If you have a local DIY auto wrecker, go buy tires on rims with air. My
local yard sells these for $17 ea. Most of these tires have much better
than 75% tread remaining and are great for summer use at least. I have
found lots of tires that were much closer to 90%. If you can find good
winter treads, then save them for winter use, then summer when they are more
worn. This will give you a spare set of rims so if you need to buy new
tires you can use the newest ones for winter and then mount the poorest to
wear them out in the summer. If you do not have any DIY (Pick & Pull) yards
then call the normal wreckers but expect to pay more. The benefit is you
get a spare set of rims and do not have to pay for mounting which in my area
is ~$25 ea.

You will save a lot of money by doing your own tire rotations and will tend
to better monitor both the air pressures and wear. I suggest buying a spare
jack ~$5. (or better yet two) and wheel wrench just so you don't need to dig
out your jack mounted with your small? spare. Having spare tires mounted on
rims is great if you do have a flat as you can take your time getting the
flat repaired without needing to drive on a small spare. If you have a DIY
wrecker you will probably not bother to repair a flat as the tread remaining
will not be worth the cost of a repair (~$25) which will probably be more
than you paid for the mounted used tire and rim.

Good luck, YMMV

Good advice from Private ... Adding another two cents here ...

You can use a simple Lincoln head penny to check remaining tread. I seem to
recall you replace when the tread is less than Abe's head.

Shop around and do not be afraid to use competitive pricing for identical
tires and services. You should be able to find a set of decent name brand
tires for that car for $300-$400.

Bob

"Private" <please (AT) dont (DOT) bother> wrote

$700. for tires? That's nuts. Look and ask around and find a local tire
shop. I bought my BF Goodrich tires mounted and balanced for $85. a piece.
Even at $100. ea, that is still better than $700! Shop around.

--
marx404

"Bob Shuman" <reshuman (AT) removethis (DOT) alcatel-lucent.com> wrote

With respect and IMHO, the penny tool is just another example of 'the
dumbing down of America'. It may be better than nothing but just barely, it
does not tell you anything your eyes can not see in relation to the tread
wear indicators cast into the tread grooves. A real tread depth guage is
cheap, easy to use and very accurate, a plain old common caliper with depth
guage is more accurate but requires conversion from decimal to the
fractional inch measurement found in tire secifications. Accurate
measurement of tread wear, combined with visual inspection and a simple
running of your hand over the tread surface to detect feathering is IMHO the
best way to detect both inflation and alignment deficiencies.

I Agree.

Private,

While most people do not own a tire tread depth gauge, they should
undoubtedly have access to a penny. The penny is a simple (and cheap) way
to supplement visual inspection of the tread wear indicators.

Bob

"Private" <please (AT) dont (DOT) bother> wrote

Thanks for all the information! I know the dealer is out for buying new
tires so who do you guys reccomend? Who will give me the best deal for
the money, Costco, Big O, Walmart, etc? And what brand do you think
will give the best ride for this model Saturn? Dunlop, Michelin,
Goodyear, etc? Thanks!

"Bob Shuman" <reshuman (AT) removethis (DOT) alcatel-lucent.com> wrote

I do not disagree, the point I was trying to make is......

Tires are a very important safety critical item and deserve careful
attention to maximize safe operation. They are a costly consumable that is
second to only fuel and aprox equal to oil changes in total cost. This
significant cost can be minimized by careful monitoring of inflation and
wear and by frequent rotations. Tire maintenance does not require extensive
experience or significant time and is well within the capabilities of most
any car operator. Tire inspection and rotation does not require a
significant investment in tools nor does it require a workshop. The only
tools that are required are a quality tire pressure gauge and a tread depth
gauge, both of which can be purchased for $10-25 total, a second set of 4
rims will cost $20-150. These small investments will easily pay for
themselves during the service life of any car and normally much sooner.

Many people will claim they are too busy and prefer to have tire maintenance
performed by others at time of oil change but I submit that DIY will be both
cost and time effective and give the added benefit of allowing inspection of
brakes, suspension and exhaust systems at the same time.

We both know that the primary cause of both tire failure and short tire life
is underinflation. I suspect we will agree that the most common cause of
engine damage is failure to check oil and coolant levels and that the
easiest way to obtain good engine life is frequent oil changes. Our cars
are a big investment and a substantial yearly cost, simple maintenance will
substantially extend service life and minimize total cost. IMHO depending
on others to do this maintenance leads to missed oil changes and
maintenance, depending on a garage or dealer to do all this work is IMHO a
guarantee of over paying for this work.

Good luck, YMMV

<WGRG3 (AT) webtv (DOT) net> wrote

IMHO,

Buy quality, shop carefully, price matters.

I have been buying new premium brand and model tires but am disappointed
with total tire life. These tires not only seem to get flats easily in the
last half of tread life but suffer sidewall ply separation by the time I
realize the tire is going flat and being able to stop. (I am a perceptive
driver and stop immediately to check any soft feeling in handling.) The
high cost of flat repair means that tires are often not worth repairing
considering the life remaining. I am currently finding very cheap, near new
and mounted tires from wreckers but YMMV and availability is very timing and
luck dependant. You must buy them when available and not wait until you
need them immediately. It is really handy to have replacement tires mounted
and ready to use when a flat tire should be replaced.

IMHE very expensive tires do not seem to last much longer than bargain
brands but YMMV. There are a lot of old stock tires being sold as new,
check the date of mfg on each tire before buying.

Good luck, YMMV

Private,

Agreed on all points made. Underinflation is a major factor in both tire
wear and reduced fuel consumption/mileage. All tires and oil/other fluids
need to be checked at regular and frequent intervals. Back in the old days
of full service gas stations, the driver had some help with doing this at
the recommended intervals of every fill up.

On getting more miles from the tires, I've found that running them higher
than the manufacturer's placard on the side door is a good practice. Most
newer tires are max cold pressure 44PSI, and I run them 35PSI or so even if
the manufacturer recommends 26PSI. For max cold 35PSI tires, I run them at
32.5PSI. This can take a slight toll on the suspension components and give
a slightly harder ride, but pays dividends with fuel mileage, longevity and
wear.

I generally use Michelin tires and regularly get 60,000 miles on some fairly
heavy vehicles that are hard on tires. For the Saturn, less expensive tires
seem to last fairly long too as long as they are maintained and the vehicle
is properly aligned. These cars are so light that they are not as hard on
the tires. This is my experience. YMMV.

Bob

"Private" <please (AT) dont (DOT) bother> wrote