Tires-Pay for WhWals, WhStripes or plain?

[MimisMom]

A while back, I changed the wheels on my 2005 PT Cruiser Convertible so that I could have white walls with Baby Moons. I purchased tires that were from Diamond Back, and they turned out to be Dean Alpha 365 AS. I didn't know much about tires when I got these, I was just interested in the size of the white wall. The tires look great on the car. I get asked about them everywhere I go.

Well the steel belt came through the tires this week, I don't think I even had 25,000 miles on these tires, and I had them rotated everytime I had the oil changed. There appears to be no way to purchase white walls for less than $180+ per tire not including shipping, installation, balancing etc. The economy being what it is, I can't spend $1,000 on tires, and then have to purchase a new set every 24 months. I checked DB, Coker, all the usual suspects.

I'm looking for some options here. I've been online looking for tires that would just have a small white stripe that used to be available on some of the higher end luxury cars, and have had no luck finding tires in my size. Anyone have an ideas our there?

If I abandon the idea of white walls or stripes, can anyone recommend a tire that would provide good gas mileage and have a warranty for 50,000+ miles? I've already decided to switch to the nitrogen fill instead of just air to help with mileage. I see that Goodyear has the Assurance Tire that's supposed to be good on mileage. All you fellow turbo owners know that you're now spending $40 to fill the gas tank, and who knows where that will stop this year.

My brother-in-law tells me that you can either have a tire that has a hard surface that gets good mileage and a bit rougher ride, or a tire that grips the road and provides a smoother ride, but wears out faster. What do you experts say? I need tires for the weather in So. FLA. No snow, just rain & heat here. My new wheels take 205/65 R15 Tires.

[MimisMom]

Okay, so I see that people are reading my post, but no replies. I've given up on the idea of white walls, white stripes, anything white, but what about regular tires?

Does anyone LIKE THE TIRES THEY HAVE ON THEIR PT CRUISER? If so won't you please post a brand or series that you've been pleased with the performance? Thanks.

[Travis2k7]

Originally Posted by MimisMom

Does anyone LIKE THE TIRES THEY HAVE ON THEIR PT CRUISER? If so won't you please post a brand or series that you've been pleased with the performance? Thanks.

I bought my PT 3 months ago at 45k and it came with tires-easy.com - Details: Toyo SPECTRUM 205/55 R16 89T .

I can't tell you when they were installed but I can say that I have put 4500 miles on them with no issues.

It's a nice looking tire as well... Tread depth at my 48k rotation was 12/32 so they'll be on my car for a while.

[Travis2k7]

Sorry about the double post... Unfortunately we don't seem to have a delete post option on the forums.

Edit: Not sure about your size 15 but I'm sure they make them. I'm in southern Georgia so our driving weather is the same and they've been good for me.

[tandt14]

I, too, purchased my latest Cruiser three months ago. It came with a brand new set of General Exclaim UHPs. I have put roughly 6,500 miles on them with no complaints thus far. They aren't terribly noisy, the handling is great and they handle water with ease. I haven't noticed any excessive wear although they do chirp when I have to take off quickly.

I've always been a fan of Bridgestone Potenza tires and had a set of those on my previous Cruiser and my Mitsubishi Eclipse before that. Neither set of tires wore out too quickly.

When my Generals wear out, I will be replacing them with: Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport.

[Mean Green]

Nitrogen filled tires will not give you better mpg. The nitrogen molecule is larger than an oxygen molecule so nitrogen will leak less out of a tire. This keeps proper inflation for a longer period of time so you continue to get better mpg. The same thing can be accomplished by checking your oxygen filled tires more often to keep proper tire inflation. At $6 a tire for nitrogen it is not worth it. Just check your oxygen filled tires more often to continue to get better mpg. No rocket science there.