Goodyear Eagle GTs

[808]

Wow, good write-up Matt42!

[CreepyPT]

Well, I'm a manager at a walmart, thats where I'll likely get them. Unfortunately for the Michelin tires, I can only get the PIlot Exalto AS, Primacy MXV4, or MX4 (H). I've been reading reviews on Tirerack, but they go back and forth. So, I'm not sure what the hell to get. The Eagle GTs are generally getting very good reviews, but Michelin has a much better reputation. Plus, the OEM Badyears I have have left me wary of that brand.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by CreepyPT

Well, I'm a manager at a walmart, thats where I'll likely get them. Unfortunately for the Michelin tires, I can only get the PIlot Exalto AS, Primacy MXV4, or MX4 (H). I've been reading reviews on Tirerack, but they go back and forth. So, I'm not sure what the hell to get. The Eagle GTs are generally getting very good reviews, but Michelin has a much better reputation. Plus, the OEM Badyears I have have left me wary of that brand.

I know it's a tough choice. I also find that the Tire Rack reviews and reviews from other online sources are all over the place. First, they are from different sizes of tires on different cars. Then they are from people in different parts of the country. Does someone's good experience in Maine with a minivan mean you will have good experience with a PT Cruiser in California? Is the opposite true?

It used to be much easier years ago when very few manufacturers made tires made in segmented molds (several mold lines cross the treads; Michelin, Pirelli, a few others) and 99% of US brands made them in obsolete clamshell molds (one mold line around the circumference, in the center of the tread). Now most are made in segmented molds. For a long time, only the better brands (Michelin, Pirelli, high-dollar Goodyear, some Continental, a few others) made tires with B and A temperature ratings, and 90% of the US tires were the bare minimum of C. Now it's hard to find one with a C rating.

Until the middle 1970s, there was Federal Excise Tax (FET) charged on all tires. Congress repealed it on tires below a certain size and weight. That was a mixed blessing. Before there were uniform tire grading standards, the FET could be used to compare tires of a given size. The FET was computed on a tire's weight, so if the FET on brand B tire was higher than on brand X tire, it was safe to conclude that there was more material in Brand B, and it was probably sturdier.

The independent Goodyear store I worked at carried several brands including Atlas. An Atlas radial (which was a private label Firestone 500) that sold for $35 made more money for the store than a Michelin that sold for $45. THAT was a scary thought. What is the comparative profit margin on the Goodyear vs. the Michelin? We have Pilot Exalto tires on our 2001 PT, and they are excellent.

40 years of my own experience also include 40 years of watching other people have bad experiences. It colors my outlook. I buy Michelin. My brother buys his Michelin tires at Sam's Club. Having said that, I know that Goodyear is now making some really good tires. Still, I would avoid any made in China or any other other Far Eastern countries. I have seen slow-leak underinflation problems with inadequate butyl liner layers. There was a U.S. Supreme court case that danced around the issue about five years ago, I think it was Carmichael vs. Kumho Tire.

[CreepyPT]

Quick update:
Been running on Bridgestone Turanzas for the past month now. The tire shop I was getting the Hydroedge from quoted me one price for tires, road hazard, and mount and balance, and upped the price $150 when I went in to get them.
I checked availability at work, and after reading some great reviews which compared the Turanzas directly with the Hydroedge, and another tire, I got them.
So far I have about 500 miles on them, enough time to wear off most of the mold release. They are much quieter, except in hard corners. That's fine since the edge tread is blocky, and I would expect them to dig in more. They are a little stiffer sidewalls, so response on turning is better, without much change in ride quality. Wet traction is better than I had on the old tires when they were new. We haven't had any snow yet, but a couple frosty mornings suggest they will do at least as well as the old ones in light snow.
Most importantly, is that I can still feel the shuddering vibration, especially when accelerating, that my Chrysler dealer told me was bad tires. I called the service manager at the dealer last week and told him, and he's having me take it in this week to have the passenger side half shaft and bearing checked, and possibly replaced.
Bring on the snow!

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by CreepyPT

The tire shop I was getting the Hydroedge from quoted me one price for tires, road hazard, and mount and balance, and upped the price $150 when I went in to get them.

Report them to you local better business bureau/chamber of commerce. It's the least you can do.

I love the wear of Michelin - I have hydroedge now for thousands of miles and they are great - too bad hydroedge isn't made in 17" - my daughter & son-in-law could use them on their GTs - they got Falkens, which wore veryfast - but cheap. Bridgestones aren't bad - all my experience with Goodyears is that they are lousy in rain/snow, pricey, and wear out.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by quicksilverdon

Report them to you local better business bureau/chamber of commerce. It's the least you can do.

I love the wear of Michelin - I have hydroedge now for thousands of miles and they are great - too bad hydroedge isn't made in 17" - my daughter & son-in-law could use them on their GTs - they got Falkens, which wore veryfast - but cheap. Bridgestones aren't bad - all my experience with Goodyears is that they are lousy in rain/snow, pricey, and wear out.

Ditto on the Michelins. I would add my Goodyear experience to all of the above. I find that they follow cracks in pavement, have numb road feel sort of analogous to eating soup after dental work, separate unexpectedly and puncture easily.

In a previous post I mentioned that my used 04 came with a set of four Goodyear WeatherHandler radials. Now it has three Goodyears and one Pirelli. The RR Goodyear ran over a small piece of flat metal (1 by 2 inches) and tore in the sipe between treads. Not much thickness there, I'm sad to report. But I'm not surprised, either. When my best Goodyear experience is just mediocre, I go with what worked better for the same or less money.

Eventually I will replace all four with Michelins and 16 inch chrome wheels, hence the one Pirelli now.

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by Matt42

Ditto on the Michelins. I would add my Goodyear experience to all of the above. I find that they follow cracks in pavement, have numb road feel sort of analogous to eating soup after dental work, separate unexpectedly and puncture easily.

Beautiful description.

[Chromenut]

Dittoh Don's words... Matt hit the nail directly on the head.

This is the first year I've ever, I mean in the 34 years I've been driving, ever changed tires to a brand that's not part of the "Big 5" tire makers.

Someone at PTCrew introduced me to Falkens, then I met the regional rep for them at the Lowe's AutoFair and he had me try a set on my PT. Damn they were nice, ran the Tail of the Dragon twice in them and just loved the feel. Their over the highway feel is outstanding, and my favorite thing is running them hard in wet weather. So I was convinced to buy them, found them what I would consider "reasonably cheap" compared to the top 5 makers, then replaced my wife's worn Michi's with a set of Falken's (she's got an Aspen hemi and drives like a maniac).

My wife just recently drove the 10 hours to/from her mom's farm in southern Indiana. To get there she had to pass through the Blue Ridge, and over the Smokies. She had good weather, rain, sleet and snow. She had nothing but glowing comments on her new tires, how they handled the foul weather, how they seemed to track very well in the rain. Myself, I've since run the Tail of the Dragon 5 times, two of those in the rain, and had a total hoot doing it.

I say all of this because I'm a firm believer in buying whomever makes the best tire, and could give a sh*t less what their name is. I got my Falken's at a bitchin price, got lifeftime everything, and now we are a Falken Family. I would dare most of you to run the TotD as fast as I have in wet weather. I have pushed them to the edge to see how far I could take them, and I won't normally say this but I took them far enough to scare myself. I couldn't believe how I could corner in the rain!

Now my tests are done, so no need for me to hang it out on the edge, but at least I know I don't have to worry about hydroplaning like I used to. I can now hit a corner hard when before if there was a drop of water on the ground I pushed through the corner into opposing traffic. And now I know that I can stop in about 1/3rd less distance than I used to.

I'm sold, head to toe, on Falkens. I love the damn things!