Need new tires.....advise please!!

Ok, we have a 2003 Honda Odyssey and it's going to need new tires soon (probably in the next few months). We have a little over 50,000 miles on it and it's still on the original tires. With #3 on the way I don't have a fortune to spend, but I still want decent tires (and safe of course)! Are there any brands that I should look for? Also, another tires question, sort of. About what's average for an alignment on the same van? I've noticed lately that the steering wheel isn't as steady as it used to be, and I think that might be it. I used to have an older cavalier and that's what it did when it need alignment, and for some reason it needed it often!!

Tire Rack has ratings for various tires. You can go to the website, plug in your vehicle information, and see what tires are available for your car and how people judge that they perform. www.tirerack.com

I can't answer your other question, but I'm sure someone here can.

ditto on tirerack. they have a fantastic consumer rating system. you can use it as a guide to narrow down your choices, then if you don't want to order them online but would rather go to a brick and mortar tire shop (which is what i always prefer to do), just call around and see if they can quote you prices close to tirerack's. my local tire dealer always comes to within a few bucks of tirerack's prices, and i don't have to pay for shipping

when you say the steering wheel isn't as "steady" as it used to be, do you mean that it shakes slightly, or it just feels "sloppy" and kind of "dead"?

shaky means the tires are imbalanced (or your brake rotors are warped). if the shake gets worst when you apply the brakes, it's the brake rotors. if it shakes all the time and doesn't get worse when braking, then the tires are imbalanced. the new tires will get balanced when they are put on, so that's a moot point.

the fact that you got 50,000 from your original tires suggests that they were not the grippiest tires out there. there is an inverse relationship between tire life and grippiness. the longer lasting tires have a harder rubber compound that grips the road less. but you should be able to search tire rack for the tire that best fits your needs (grip, tread life, ride comfort, noise level, etc). there are too many good tires out there for me to recommend any one in particular.

HTH!!!

Since you have over 50,000 miles on your tires, when you have new tires installed, you WILL notice a huge difference on driving, especially grip and firmness. I've usually noticed it whenever I purchased new tires (kind of like new shoes ), but the most obvious was when I replaced our Dodge Dakota's stock tires when they were at 40,000. There was still quite a bit of tread wear left on the old tires. I was so surprised to find out that the new tires made such a difference in handling & driving. For one: I didn't have to put it into 4 wd for extra traction on the rare times it rained in NM

Until you get new tires, don't worry about trying to solve anything else. Right now, worn tires are likely to be affecting everything.

I can't help you choose the tires, but when you do have them installed, make sure they are balanced when they're mounted on the rim. Some locations do not include it in the tire cost, not many, but it helps to ask.

I'm a very fussy person with my driving habits. Since I was switching winter-summer tires 2x a year, I always had them rebalanced before I had them mounted onto the car (2 full sets of tires). I had the car aligned about every 18 months. I put on a lot of miles where we lived prior. I always felt good keeping my auld car as tip top condition as it could be. I'd tell my mechanic, "I want to STOP as fast as I GO" He thought it was funny.

You might want to check out different auto care programs for your tires. I discovered that Firestone has a 'lifetime' wheel balancing and a separate 'lifetime' alignment programs for your vehicle. The balancing program was only about $10 more than to have them done 1 time. I think the total cost was $45. My car drove so much nicer after that.

The alignment program was about 2 1/2 times the cost for a 1 time only alignment, but since I had a 'new customer' coupon from previously purchasing the wheel balances 3 months prior, I was able to save 10% off the fee. My wheels were aligned almost 2 weeks ago and it was like driving a brand new car! I was told that if I went out and hit a curb that day, I could bring it right in and they'd fix it.

Good thing I got that program. They're doing major construction on the main road in the residential community. Even though I'm careful, last week, my front end nailed a hidden hole that was like popping off a curb & up another one Not as tight as it was The Camry still drives so much better than before, but I'll probably have it realigned next month. It's across the street from the McD's playground, so it's convenient for DD & I to just drop it off

I've also never opted for that extra "road hazzard" protection fee for new tires. There's a warranty & I figure either AAA or dh will save me from a flat tire just as good. Afterwards, I'll deal with the tire company to get it repaired. I think it's one of those scare tactics to drum up extra income for the business... but that's just me

southpawboston said:

ditto on tirerack. they have a fantastic consumer rating system. you can use it as a guide to narrow down your choices, then if you don't want to order them online but would rather go to a brick and mortar tire shop (which is what i always prefer to do), just call around and see if they can quote you prices close to tirerack's. my local tire dealer always comes to within a few bucks of tirerack's prices, and i don't have to pay for shipping

when you say the steering wheel isn't as "steady" as it used to be, do you mean that it shakes slightly, or it just feels "sloppy" and kind of "dead"?

shaky means the tires are imbalanced (or your brake rotors are warped). if the shake gets worst when you apply the brakes, it's the brake rotors. if it shakes all the time and doesn't get worse when braking, then the tires are imbalanced. the new tires will get balanced when they are put on, so that's a moot point.

the fact that you got 50,000 from your original tires suggests that they were not the grippiest tires out there. there is an inverse relationship between tire life and grippiness. the longer lasting tires have a harder rubber compound that grips the road less. but you should be able to search tire rack for the tire that best fits your needs (grip, tread life, ride comfort, noise level, etc). there are too many good tires out there for me to recommend any one in particular.

HTH!!!

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It shakes.....like the steering wheel will shake left and right, and straight isn't quite straight anymore! It seems to be pulling to the right a little. We check the tire pressure once a week so that's not it. Other than that I know that I need new tires soon. They have a little left before they get to that little thing on the tires that let's you know the tread is low and you need new ones (I know it's got a name but it eludes me right now). I'm not sure what came on it new, I guess I didn't pay a lot of attention to the brand/type of tires. I looked at tirerack and they have a lot of suggestions. DH will probably make the decision on which tires, but at this point we are unfortunately on a budget that's a bit lower than normal since we need everything new for #3.

the pulling to the right could be a bad alignment or the unbalanced tires. getting an alignment at 50,000 is not a bad idea, regardless of if that is the direct cause of the steering wheel shaking. new tires and an alignment will almost certainly take care of that.

Thanks again! We don't usually do a lot of the extras with tires....like road hazard! Anyone have experience with pep boys? Online it seems like they include almost everything with their tires.

i'm not a big fan of extra warranties either. just make sure you get the new tires balanced and also get new tire valves stems... those should add about $3-5 per tire

Amaris said:

Thanks again! We don't usually do a lot of the extras with tires....like road hazard! Anyone have experience with pep boys? Online it seems like they include almost everything with their tires.

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I stopped going to PEP Boys when I lived in NM because I'd have problems with their mechanical parts --their alternator was a nightmare & had to replace 4x! I won't even say what happened with the Starter purchased But this is over 8 years ago & Tire sections are usually independent of any main store products. So who knows?

Do you have a regular mechanic or knowlegeable friend you trust for recommendations on where to go in your area? That might help

The Car Talk guys maintain a database of trustworthy mechanics. Of course, you're relying on what people post about them, not any objective measures of quality. But it's a good place to start and people who listen to Car Talk are probably considerably more car-savvy than average.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/

twokidstwodogs said:

The Car Talk guys maintain a database of trustworthy mechanics. Of course, you're relying on what people post about them, not any objective measures of quality. But it's a good place to start and people who listen to Car Talk are probably considerably more car-savvy than average.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/

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HEY!! yep, i not only listen to cartalk, i've actually met tommy and ray! i brought my old audi to them some time ago for a fuel injection problem (they fixed it cheap!), and my old mazda for an overheating problem (also a cheap fix). they have their own garage in cambridge ("our fair city")... called the "good news garage". their garage is about a 5 minute walk from my work...

and yes, they do maintain a database (the "mechanics files") of user-rated mechanics in different areas... searchable by zipcode i think.

southpawboston said:

HEY!! yep, i not only listen to cartalk, i've actually met tommy and ray! i brought my old audi to them some time ago for a fuel injection problem (they fixed it cheap!), and my old mazda for an overheating problem (also a cheap fix). they have their own garage in cambridge ("our fair city")... called the "good news garage". their garage is about a 5 minute walk from my work..

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Okay, I am completely envious! Much as I love my indy mechanic (who is highly rated on the Car Talk site), he is no Magliozzi brother. I love that show; it cracks me up. The column is funny, but they are much funnier on the radio, I think.

This might surprise you, but for the budget minded, try Wal-Mart

I was able to get Michelins for my Explorer lower than anyone else. My local Wal-mart includes the road hazard package automatically though, so be aware of that. (it can be worth it, but is just extra money up front).

Two things to point out from reading the posts:

1. Since your steering wheel is not "centered" anymore, tell them that you want the wheel centered when they do the alignment. Many times they don't look at the steering wheel, and allthough the alignment is correct, your steering wheel looks like it's turning when you are going straight (drives me nuts)

2. DO NOT buy nitrogen for your tires EVER! This is the latest scam tire stores are pulling. The regular air we all put in our tires already contains 78% nitrogen, paying extra is just a waste of money. Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise.

TheRealMacGyver said:

2. DO NOT buy nitrogen for your tires EVER! This is the latest scam tire stores are pulling. The regular air we all put in our tires already contains 78% nitrogen, paying extra is just a waste of money. Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise.

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My previously mentioned trustworthy indy mechanic also pointed out to me that if you do ever need to add any air to your nitrogen-filled tires, you have to go to a shop that can do it. No adding air at the local gas station! I could see this being really annoying.