I'm an owner of 2003 Corolla LE. Recently, I went to the dealership to get lube service and brake inspection. I was told new tires were needed. Never bought tires in my life. Did some research and realized so many options. I know that there are many posts on tires, but I just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with Michelin X-radials sold at Costco. Consumer Reports (in december) rated this tire second after Goodyear Assurance Tripletred. I wanted to get Tripletred, then some service people told me Tripletreds were not good for Corolla - many customers complained about vibrations and other problems. Was advised get Michelin (not only from dealership but several independents as well). Some suggested Hydroedge, others Harmony, others MXV4+, others x-radial. Upon reading some posts and reviews in various sites as well as Corolla requiring a rating of 89S (speed rating), settled on X-radial or Harmony. Harmony has many reviews but almost nothing about X-radials. Are there any sites reviewing or rating this tire other than Consumer Reports. Does anyone have any experience with these tires. By the way Consumer Reports rates X-radial higher than Hydroedge or Harmony.
Two more things, is speed rating important? Toyota says 89S is required for this corolla. Tripletred is 89H, Hydroedge 89T, Harmony and X-radial are 89S (reason why I settled on these two tires). I heard about this being important for handling and driveability, is it?
Buying and installing tires from dealership, is this an idiotic choice? Are places like Costco or Tire Dealers better? How about regular independent garages who normally don't always deal with tires?
Thanks for your time and input.
my mom has x radials on her 626, she hasnt had any complaints. the ones she has are 80K mile tires with a wear rating of 680 which is very high. they have a deep tread which does well in the snow and rain but to me feel a little squirmy under turns and handling but thats to be expected with any tire with such a deep tread and hard compound. now they feel squirmy compared to my yokohama avids which have a very shallow tread from the start.
I've been running Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds on my '03 Corolla LE since December, 2004. I haven't noticed anything like the "vibration" problem you were told about. The TripleTreds have been the smoothest, quietest tires I've owned in my lifetime. They have performed superbly in all kinds of weather -- rain, snow, ice. They are every bit as good a Winter tire as any high-end dedicated winter tire I've ever owned. The only difference is they are also a superb wet-weather tire as well. I keep mine inflated to 36 - 38 psi, and have been getting excellent fuel economy -- up to 42 MPG on long trips. I recommend them very highly.
Max
Speed rating is not that important- S is minimum on your Corolla. You could do a T or H with no problem, and in fact, some improvement in handling is likely. Go to www.tirerack.com to read reviews by actual drivers.
X-Radials are tirs that are sold exclusively at warehouse clubs like BJ's, Costco, and Sam's Club as well as some discount tire chains. That exclusivety also makes it very hard to find many reviews on the tire. Kind of like Michelin Destiny tires (only at America Tire and Discount Tire) and Michelin Agility (Sears and NTB).
From all that I've seen and some test information that some people never get a chance to see (good t be an insider) - I'd rate in the Michelin lineup as Hydroedge as your top tire then Harmony and X-Radial in the that order.
I've also heard about vibration issues with Goodyear TripleTreds and Goodyear RS-A radials. But running RS-A on my Matrix (~40K miles, 60% left) and Assurance TripleTreds on a Camry (~25K) - I've got zero vibration issues with either one. Air pressure is important to Goodyears - the pressure stamped on the door/glovebox placard is generally to low for them. They can take pressure variations much better than most tires - but usually have vibration issues when pressures are uneven or too low.
Like Max suggested - tirerack has good information on it to compare different tires. You won't find many tires, if any, that are below Toyota's spec for tire speed and load (S speed rating and 89 load rating). You can always go up in the speed ratings (generally will get you a better performaing tire in corning, acceleration, and braking). Load rating can be tricky. I ran 85W rated tires with no problems - yuo just have to stay on top of the tire air pressure. A 30PSI 89S rated tire will hold less weight than a 85W rated tire pumped up to 44PSI.
Mr. Ed
I've owned many different Michelin tires down through the years, including the X version. We currently have Hydroedge on my Corolla and the wife's LeSabre. In my opinion, the Hydroedge is the best tire yet. On wet roads, it really does "stick like glue."
Threw out the crap OEM Integrity tires at 12K.
Michelin Harmony has been great in all weather.
Son bought Michelin's at Sears for his 03 - Great.
We bought the Michelin Harmony's for our 98 Corolla around a month ago. They are excellent all weather tires. The best i have ever had for sure. They were a little loud at first but once we got about 150 miles on them they quieted right down. This is not uncommon for any of the high treadwear rating tires.
I would definitely recommend them!
For those of you who are concerned with winter performance ... we live in Rochester, NY and have already had them through the snow on several occasions. They have performed excellent in all weather conditions.
Bikeman982
I know I live in California and don't have to worry too much about driving in snow but I purchased Big O Legacy tires for my car and the ride seems very good. The tire wears well and is smooth on the ride and corners fine. I think they look good and handle well. I got one from a junkyard that was in a wrecked car spare tire area. Apparantly due to it's location it was overlooked. I purchased it for $22 and then went to the Big O store to match it for the other wheels. They charged $100 per tire and claimed that it was their best. It was a little more expensive than some other tires I could have put on, but definitely meets the requirements. Hope this helps.
the falken ziex512 is my next tire. my avids are still almost new and i'll be swapping this summer. if anyone here wants a deal on the avids let me know and we could work something out. right now they have about 7K miles on them, this summer it would be closer to 10-11K miles. but going by mileage is a bad way, i'd do the service of calculating % of tread left for whoever wanted to buy them
I only got 18,000 miles from original Goodyear Integrity. They wore fast, and the day they hydroplaned, I replaced them with Michelin Harmony (from Tire Kingdom). I now have 12,000 miles on them, and they are good tires in dry and wet. We don't get much snow. Also put a set on wife's Passat. S rated tires are good to 112 MPH. That covers most of my driving! I told my wife to hold it under 112, since her car came with H series tires. No more 130 MPH for her.
I also purchased Michelin Harmony tires for my car.
WAY better than the Integrity's that were still on there.
I was scared to drive in the rain and snow with those things.
Bikeman982
I'm an owner of 2003 Corolla LE. Recently, I went to the dealership to get lube service and brake inspection. I was told new tires were needed. Never bought tires in my life. Did some research and realized so many options. I know that there are many posts on tires, but I just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with Michelin X-radials sold at Costco. Consumer Reports (in december) rated this tire second after Goodyear Assurance Tripletred. I wanted to get Tripletred, then some service people told me Tripletreds were not good for Corolla - many customers complained about vibrations and other problems. Was advised get Michelin (not only from dealership but several independents as well). Some suggested Hydroedge, others Harmony, others MXV4+, others x-radial. Upon reading some posts and reviews in various sites as well as Corolla requiring a rating of 89S (speed rating), settled on X-radial or Harmony. Harmony has many reviews but almost nothing about X-radials. Are there any sites reviewing or rating this tire other than Consumer Reports. Does anyone have any experience with these tires. By the way Consumer Reports rates X-radial higher than Hydroedge or Harmony.
Two more things, is speed rating important? Toyota says 89S is required for this corolla. Tripletred is 89H, Hydroedge 89T, Harmony and X-radial are 89S (reason why I settled on these two tires). I heard about this being important for handling and driveability, is it?
Buying and installing tires from dealership, is this an idiotic choice? Are places like Costco or Tire Dealers better? How about regular independent garages who normally don't always deal with tires?
Thanks for your time and input.
As long as you have selected the tire you want put on your car, there is no difference once it is on the rims. Anyplace is able to mount tires. The difference might be which place is more reliable when it comes to warranty and also the balancing and alignment (should you have those done). I have done everything from taking off my wheel and having a tire place change just one tire and balance it, to having all four tires done at once. I have never done it at a dealership but have had it done at a tire shop. I always insist (sometimes it is included with purchase) that they be balanced. If your car has had good alignment, then it should be fine without re-alignment. Normally that is done if you experience any driving/steering problems associated with the wheels and tires. There is caster/camber adjustment and toe-in/toe-out adjustments. They are varied to get your wheels driving straight without the tires angled in or out too much either way. You should be able to remove your hands from the steering wheel and the car will drive straight. There should also not be any wheel vibration on a smooth road. Hope this helps.
Where do they sell (retail/brick mortar store) Michelin Harmony tires??
NTB?? Discount Tire?? Sears??
Max
Many places. Visit www.michelinman.com to find a retailer near you. There's a link right on the front page.
Bikeman982
Where do they sell (retail/brick mortar store) Michelin Harmony tires??
NTB?? Discount Tire?? Sears??
They sell tires at a retail/brick mortar store?
Got mine at Tire King.
I meant a physical store, instead of a virtual (online) store.
Max
ycr, let me try telling you this again with details. If you visit www.michelinman.com, on the front page of the website, bottom right, you'll see text that reads "Find your nearest tire dealer." Click there. It will ask for your zip code. Type in your zip code and click. It will then give you the name of a genuine, physical store near you that sells Michelin tires.
Bikeman982
I got mine at a junkyard and also at Big O tires. I also got some at Petrillo's tire shop and at Schwab's tire store.
www.tirerack.com has lots of reviews about them.
people here have said that NTB is not good. I haven't used them for anything, so I have no say.
I also purchased Michelin Harmony tires for my car.
WAY better than the Integrity's that were still on there.
I was scared to drive in the rain and snow with those things.
Looks like I'll be the market for a set of tires before too long. The Integritys are wearing fast on my Corolla, and I've only had the car a little over 2 years. I'll look into the Michelin Harmonys, and probably Toyo Ultras.
Not sure if this is working or not...had to format today. As per tires....going to get my 205x60x15 Goodyear Comfort Treads installed tomorrow. Hope they are better than the Integritys.
the falken ziex512 is my next tire. my avids are still almost new and i'll be swapping this summer. if anyone here wants a deal on the avids let me know and we could work something out. right now they have about 7K miles on them, this summer it would be closer to 10-11K miles. but going by mileage is a bad way, i'd do the service of calculating % of tread left for whoever wanted to buy them
My wife has about 25k on her Michelin Harmony's, they don't feel quite as 100% confident in the snow, but just by looking they look brand new. Wet and dry traction they are still supreme...
Which Avid? H4s? Why are you getting rid of them so soon? Most of what I've read was positive.
I 'got rid of my Integrity' at 20k, shoulders were nearly worn flat, hydroplane resistance was nil.
