need advise on tires
11-08-2007, 10:12 PM
#21
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Join Date: 01-20-2006
Location: Centralia, Missouri
Posts: 1,707
Where did you get the A430? That is a a hard tire to find.
I hate that about tire shops...they don't care, they just jam the guns in and rims be damned if they get nicked at the lug holes...I hate even bringing it in to have the tires rotated
I'm thinking new rubber but not sure if I'm going to jump to 17" rims. The Affinitys are already spinning on wet pavement with only 15K on them...looking at the Michelin Exalto which is a great tire(had them on my Matrix) but real pricey in the 215/50 17 size...154 apiece at The Rack!
Goose
I hate that about tire shops...they don't care, they just jam the guns in and rims be damned if they get nicked at the lug holes...I hate even bringing it in to have the tires rotated
I'm thinking new rubber but not sure if I'm going to jump to 17" rims. The Affinitys are already spinning on wet pavement with only 15K on them...looking at the Michelin Exalto which is a great tire(had them on my Matrix) but real pricey in the 215/50 17 size...154 apiece at The Rack!
Goose
I got them at Big O Tire. According to the Yokohama website, the AS430 is made specifically for Big O, so that's the only place you can buy them. The AS430 and the Avid H4S are essentially the same tire. The stats are the same, but the tread is slightly different. I paid $131 a piece for the AS430s. I had 49,000 miles on the original Firestone's, so it was time to replace them. I knew when I bought the car the 17" wheels would be expensive to replace, but I bought it anyway.
I liked the look of the 17s over the 16s, plus I was sold on the 2LT. Good luck with your tire search. 
11-12-2007, 08:41 AM
#23
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Join Date: 10-19-2007
Location: Temple Terrace, FL
Posts: 196
I believe that "directional tread" is such that it is asymetrical in design and can only be mounted with the dominent side outwards. It is made to direct the majority of water towards the outside of the car rather than under the car. You cannot mount the tire but one way on the wheel so one side will turn in one direction while the opposite will turn the other way. They can be rotated the same as most tires but mounted only be mounted to the rim one way.
11-14-2007, 09:20 PM
#24
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Join Date: 11-14-2007
Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 1,240
Although I don't have an HHR yet, I do have some humble advise regarding tires.
The first thing to consider is what type of driving you do. For example, I live in Maryland, and do a lot of two lane, back-road driving about 65% of the time. The other 35% is on the highway. We get a decent amount of rain here in the spring and summer. I discovered on domestic cars that the Michelin Hydra is an amazing tire, both on Dry and wet pavement (EXCELLENT ON WET PAVEMENT, BTW).
I have owned 18 cars over the past 30 years and have driven on many different tires. I find Michelin to be the strongest and wear the longest. I have found Continentals to be the absolute worse, bar none. Believe it or not (please don't laugh too hard) another excellent tire is Uniroyal. They have excellent negative road risistance for a smooth ride. Some of their tread designs are fantastic and I've actually increased gas mileage with Uniroyal tires. (Did this on a Blazer a few years ago.)
Back to driving habits: If you do a lot of highway high speed driving, look for tires that have the best negative resistance to the road; a good tire person will know what this means and can recommend the right tire. ALSO very important, the HHR has some roll to it in turns (I just spent two full days test driving a 2LT HHR), so you should have a tire with solid side wall strength.
Remember, your tires and your brakes are your road connection "life-liines." Don't go cheap on tires. Buy the right ones for your type of driving and driving conditions. I have never been disappointed with Michilens, never. Nor with Uniroyal. I have been very disappointed with Continentals and Firestone. Some of the Goodyear tires are good, but some have too soft of a side wall and "funky" outer (on the outside edge) cross tread design that wears quickly.
Sorry this was so long. I hope it is helpful.
Sincerely,
MWG2
"Just about to buy a 2008 Imperial Blue 2LT"
The first thing to consider is what type of driving you do. For example, I live in Maryland, and do a lot of two lane, back-road driving about 65% of the time. The other 35% is on the highway. We get a decent amount of rain here in the spring and summer. I discovered on domestic cars that the Michelin Hydra is an amazing tire, both on Dry and wet pavement (EXCELLENT ON WET PAVEMENT, BTW).
I have owned 18 cars over the past 30 years and have driven on many different tires. I find Michelin to be the strongest and wear the longest. I have found Continentals to be the absolute worse, bar none. Believe it or not (please don't laugh too hard) another excellent tire is Uniroyal. They have excellent negative road risistance for a smooth ride. Some of their tread designs are fantastic and I've actually increased gas mileage with Uniroyal tires. (Did this on a Blazer a few years ago.)
Back to driving habits: If you do a lot of highway high speed driving, look for tires that have the best negative resistance to the road; a good tire person will know what this means and can recommend the right tire. ALSO very important, the HHR has some roll to it in turns (I just spent two full days test driving a 2LT HHR), so you should have a tire with solid side wall strength.
Remember, your tires and your brakes are your road connection "life-liines." Don't go cheap on tires. Buy the right ones for your type of driving and driving conditions. I have never been disappointed with Michilens, never. Nor with Uniroyal. I have been very disappointed with Continentals and Firestone. Some of the Goodyear tires are good, but some have too soft of a side wall and "funky" outer (on the outside edge) cross tread design that wears quickly.
Sorry this was so long. I hope it is helpful.
Sincerely,
MWG2
"Just about to buy a 2008 Imperial Blue 2LT"
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