by 03toyola, September 20, 2004
the stock tires on my 03 corolla LE seems to be pretty noisy, think they're firestone tires, for a passenger vehicle, i find this to be quite a bit of road noise, don't think i am hearing the bearing or axle noise...any thoughts?
any recommendation as to tires for upgrade? the yokohama DB2 seems to be pretty good...these firestone don't track worth jack...
From what I experienced in my friends' '03+ Corollas both the Firestones and Goodyears that come on the Corolla as OEM are not great tires. As you said, the Firestones are very loud and don't track well. The Integrities have poor traction on snow and in some rainy conditions. Personally, I have never had a good experience with a Firestone tire on any car I've driven, and can understand why you want to get rid of yours.
I don't know exactly what your definition of what a "good" tire is, so my suggestions might not work for you. I am considering the BFGoodrich Traction T/A H or the Goodyear Regatta II to replace the OEM tires on the '05 Corolla I will be buying in a couple months. The Yokohama DB2 is another good choice, if snow traction isn't a factor. My best advice is to do what I did, look on www.tirerack.comand see if there is anything else you might like.
i just wanted to see what people's opinion is with regards to the oem tires, apparently it's not just me that the oem tires (firestone) are loud...i thought it was just me being anal and perhaps something else like wheel bearing or what not is creating this noise...
Yes, they are a little noisier than more expensive aftermarket tires you can buy. Just use up the OEM tires for 20k miles or so then trade up for some better ones.
I now have 22.7K miles on my OEM Firestone FR690 tires on my '03 Corolla LE. I haven't noticed that they are particularly noisy, but that may simply be because I have nothing else to compare them to. My Firestones are wearing quite well, mainly because I'm fairly on top of things as far as air pressures and rotation is concerned. They'll probably last a lot longer than my patience -- I do want a better set of tires, preferably before Winter sets in. Any tire I switch to will have to have excellent Winter (meaning snow/ice) traction as well as wet and dry weather performance. I have a personal preference for Michelins -- any recommendations within that make? What of other brands?
stock tires take forever to wear them out, since i am in CA, there isn't much weather variance, all i got to worry about is rain, in that sense, i think the yokohama DB S2 are probably the best buy, given the soft compound, they handle pretty decent and the noise level should be way better compared to these firestones,
if anything, i'd try Bridgestone tires, they make good tires, michellins are good in terms of wear and noise, but they don't track very well...
oh yeah, avoid bridgestone potenza RE92s, they are poor all season tires for a ridiculous price, everyone knows they are junk...
Larry the Michelin Hydroedge is rated 8 in winter traction. You could also search on TireRack.com if you want.
Now that you mention it, the Goodyears and Firestones on my 2003 Corolla LE don't track well. I just bought the car used from Hertz Car Sales. Didn't pay close attention to the tire brands, but I do know that some are Goodyear and some Firestone. I'm glad to know the poor tracking is from the tires and not the car.
Haven't noticed any extra road noise, though. I'll pay closer attention and see.
I've used Michelin tires on my last two cars before the Corolla. They're excellent and give a very cushiony yet in-control ride. A little expensive, however. But they last a long time.
I got sick of the Integrity tires at 12K.
Michelin Harmony is great in rain and snow.
What, precisely, are all of you referring to when you say that certain tires don't "track" well? I haven't noticed any such problem in my '03 Corolla with the OEM Firestone FR690's. The car goes where I point it, and there doesn't seem to be any pronounced tendency for it to vary it's course, with the obvious exception of imperfections in the road surface or in stiff crosswinds. How does one test for the "tracking" ability of his tires?
BTW I checked out TireRack.com and I'm quite interested in the Michelin MXV-4 S8. They have a higher load range (91) and speed rating (S, I think) than my OEM tires and are an All Season Grand Touring tire, whatever that last term means. Any comments from the peanut gallery? These tires are $121 EACH from Tire Rack, I'll check the price at my local tire monger. However, if they work well and last a long time, they could be worth the money. I have no problem spending more for the best possible tires -- they are the only thing between me and eternity while driving.
My Goodyear Integritys went off at 40,000km. They were total and complete junk. I replaced them with Michelin Harmony and now, at 156,000km am more than pleased. I will probably go to Michelin Hydroedge next time just because of the cool directional tread 
As for the MXV-4, they are a good tire, but softer(wear faster). I had them on my 98 VW Beetle as OEM tires.
Max
Grand Touring usually means "nice plush ride." Tire Rack describes touring tires as a good blend of performance and all-season tire, with the emphasis on a smooth, quiet ride. Bridgestone Turanza LS-T is rated the best of the standard touring tires, so you might ant to check that one out and read the reviews.
Larry, when I say I notice a tracking issue with my tires, I mean they seem to (very slightly) cause the car to pull out of its straight-line travel. I have to keep compensating for these slight pulls left and right to get the car back on a straight track. Again, it's very slight and nearly imperceptible. But I don't have that on my Buick LeSabre, which has Michelin tires.
I can't say for sure it's the tires, but I do notice it.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm a Michelin lover and have used them exclusively for about 25 years. The ones I have on my LeSabre are the "X-One" model, all-season. They have a very cushiony yet in-control ride. Very comfortable. I put them on 5 years ago, cost $92 each. I got them from Big O Tires (I'm in Los Angeles--don't know if Big O is in all states). The thing I like about Big O is that you can buy a Big O warranty for a very reasonable price where you take your car in every 5,000 miles for a tire inspection, rotation and rebalance at no charge. The Big O warranty on these Michelins is 6 years unlimited mileage. I generally get 80,000 to 100,000 miles on each set of Michelins.
Had Goodyear Integrities on my Corolla and Firestone FR680 on my Camry - both are "just" adequate for all season use. Both lasted about 24-30K miles before I junked them. Still had some tread left - but hydroplane resistance and snow traction was nonexistent. I could get more traction from a v-8 power pickup on nearly bald Dunlops than from a half worn Firestone on a FWD Camry.
I'm hooked to the separate dedicated winter use and spring/summer/fall tires. Sure it is a pain to have two sets of tires and wheels - but the trade off in handling in winter time with M+S all season vs a winter rated tire and dry/wet weather behavior vs the same M+S all season was too much for me to accept.
But I agree - that the current crop of Jack-of-all-trades tires and their capabilities are very impressive.
If we had Minnesota or Iowa-type winters here in Kentucky, I would definitely buy 4 rims and 4 winter tires, but as it is, I am looking for a good a/s tire, and I may go with the Michelin Harmony or Toyo Spectrum. 
blah... I lived in MI most of my life and then Illinois. You don't need no stinking snow tires. Maybe in Minnesota, Vermont, Maine, or upstate NY. States with lots of snow, have lots of plows and use lots of road salt. Waste of money if most places.
Michelin Harmony all the way baby. As soon as I can justify throwing away what are otherwise new tires, I am putting four Michelin Harmony(s) on my car...I got sick of the Integrity tires at 12K.Michelin Harmony is great in rain and snow.
I think my Goodyear (no)Integrity tires are loud. Especially on concrete highways. Some patterns on the concrete make tremendous noises, some are so pronounced that it startles me.
I haven't noticed any problems tracking.
Mr. Ed
We put Michelin Hydroedge on my wife's LeSabre. I've never seen the Harmonys. How do they compare with the Hydroedge?
I think the Harmony is the replacement for the X-one. The Hydroedge is just newer technology. It has a directional tread that is designed to prevent hydroplaning. I think it also has a slightly better wear index.We put Michelin Hydroedge on my wife's LeSabre. I've never seen the Harmonys. How do they compare with the Hydroedge?
It also has a 90K mile warranty. It's rated 10 in all areas except winter traction, in which it's rated an 8. I think the Harmony could do just fine if you'd rather not spend $450 to have four Hydroedges installed! 
I had Uniroyal TigerPaws as the stock tire on my 03 Corolla and they were pretty quiet, too bad they wore out at an alarming rate and wasn't good at anything. It hated dry weather, the rain and ice/snow....what a useless tire. At 40,000 kms they were ready to be thrown out.
Since then I have been running on Nokian WR tires. Treadwear rating of 420 and they are outstanding on snow/ice but they are loud and not great in the dry weather. Still when the snow and ice hits this winter....it's going to be good times
I had some Uniroyal TigerPaws on my old rear-wheel drive S-10, and it would get stuck in wet gr****...seriously.I had Uniroyal TigerPaws...wasn't good at anything. It hated dry weather, the rain and ice/snow....what a useless tire. At 40,000 kms they were ready to be thrown out.
friendly_jacek
Second that on RE92, not being good tires, come standard though on many Toyota and Subaru cars.if anything, i'd try Bridgestone tires, they make good tires, michellins are good in terms of wear and noise, but they don't track very well...oh yeah, avoid bridgestone potenza RE92s, they are poor all season tires for a ridiculous price, everyone knows they are junk...
RE910 are not much better though. Recently, I replaced RE910 with RE950 and can tell you that they are truly good tires; quieter, but a performance tire with great traction. Excellent tire for rain, not recommneded for snow though.
I have heard good things about BFG Traction T/S H. I might want to try them next.
any info on the bridgestone insignia 200? this is the oe tire on my 2004 s. i looked at the goodyear integrity and noticed a very similar tread pattern and can only assume similarly poor quality. any advice???? is it possible to get a good mpg tire with good wet/dry traction (all other factors not important)?
anything helps. thanks
I would personally take the Bridgestones over the Goodyear for an OEM tire - but you are right that they are just adequate for most driving conditions.
As for a higher performance wet/dry tire - as long as you don't go too wide in width - tire pressures have more of an inpact on overall fuel economy than tire compounds and construction (within reason).
In my case - I averaged about 38MPG over a one year period with the OEM Goodyears (185/65R14) pumped up to 28PSI. With the current set (205/45R16, similar weight) pumped up to 44PSI - I averaged 36MPG over the same length of time.
