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Do my tires matter

I

ichy

Diamond Member
I need to get new tires for my car (2000 Ford Focus) and I'm wondering if getting anything other than el-cheapo economy tires will make any kind of noticeable difference. My car is an old econobox so I really can't picture it mattering what kind of tires I use.
 
Some tires will track strangely over uneven surfaces which you may find annoying and others may be noisier or not be as good in the rain so it is worthwhile checking the reviews and getting a tire with positive reviews for the type of surfaces you drive on regularly.
 
The only time YOU would notice them is in an emergency..... avoid any hard breaking, fast turning, going too fast in wet weather and stuff like that and you won't notice any difference.

And as JulesMaximus said, cheap tires can be really noisy on the road.
 
Yes it matters. Get some decent all season tires and you will be spending only a little more but get a lot better ride, handling, wear, etc.
 
Your tires connect your car to the road. Tires can make a big difference in how your car performs in basically every possible metric: acceleration, braking, cornering, fuel economy, road noise, hydroplaning resistance, etc. IMHO one should never cheap out on tires.
 
JCH13 said:
Your tires connect your car to the road. Tires can make a big difference in how your car performs in basically every possible metric: acceleration, braking, cornering, fuel economy, road noise, hydroplaning resistance, etc. IMHO one should never cheap out on tires.
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This

Tires are the most important part of anyone's car.
 
Went from decent tires to some cheapos on my old car. Cornering ability went from good to old lady.

Conversly went with some midrange tires for my wife's car and it was a pretty big improvement over OEM in almost every way; less noise, better cornering, better wet/snow traction.
 
OEM tires for my LS are nuts in terms of price.
Got Pole Positions that were both much better rates and cheaper 😵
 
Just here to put some more emphasis on yes... so... YES.

Noise, ride quality, steering precision, braking performance, cornering performance, adverse weather performance... etc. You don't need to be driving like an asshole to appreciate good tires. Personally, I'd just get a high quality set of performance all seasons that are good in the rain.

Tires make a huge difference in the way a car feels. Don't underestimate the impact.
 
The difference between cheap, midrange and great tires can make the difference between getting into a situation, narrowly missing it or comfortably avoiding it.
 
Get some Cont DWS tires.

They are long life all season tires and work great.
I have put them on my CTS, BiLs STS, and my SiLs Audi A4. Thats how much I like them.
 
It won't matter for 99.9% of your driving unless you drive like a psycho.

I bought the best rated all seasons and they seem to have no performance difference from the Toyo's Les Schwab deals out. (Braking distance, grip, hydroplane resistance, etc.)
 
TridenT said:
It won't matter for 99.9% of your driving unless you drive like a psycho.

I bought the best rated all seasons and they seem to have no performance difference from the Toyo's Les Schwab deals out. (Braking distance, grip, hydroplane resistance, etc.)
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It's that 0.1% that will get you into an accident though.

Also... "best rated all-seasons"? What ones? IMHO "all seasons" just means "crappy in all seasons" because there are so many compromises made in all-season tires.
 
JCH13 said:
It's that 0.1% that will get you into an accident though.

Also... "best rated all-seasons"? What ones? IMHO "all seasons" just means "crappy in all seasons" because there are so many compromises made in all-season tires.
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I disagree. Look up the Conti DWS and their ratings/reviews. It REALLY is an awesome tire in rain, dry, and even snow.
 
Marlin1975 said:
I disagree. Look up the Conti DWS and their ratings/reviews. It REALLY is an awesome tire in rain, dry, and even snow.
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It can't be as good as a real winter tire on snow and ice, and can't be as good as a real summer tire in the dry and rain. "Crappy" is a bit harsh I admit, but compromises have to be made in order to be used in all 4 seasons. When it comes to the most important part on a car I don't like to screw around with compromises.

At $240-$300 per set of tires, OP can stand to get winter tires and summer tires. It may seem expensive to have two sets of tires, but you'll pay about the same $/mile in terms of tire wear and have superior performance in any given season.
 
i would never put my ass on the line w/ cheap tires just to save a few hundred bucks. spend some cash now and have more confidence on the road w/ good tires.
 
JCH13 said:
At $240-$300 per set of tires, OP can stand to get winter tires and summer tires. It may seem expensive to have two sets of tires, but you'll pay about the same $/mile in terms of tire wear and have superior performance in any given season.
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This.

In winter, nothing compares to winter tires. The difference in stopping power on ice and snow is unbelievable. It could be the difference between stopping and slowly rear ending someone in one of those slow motion 3mph crashes where both parties are screaming NOOOOOOOOOOO. (those are easily >50% of all crashes in this city).

No comment on summer tires. I've never driven fast enough to lose traction in summer. Last tires I bought for summer use were $80 all season tires at Walmart. They probably sucked in performance, but I couldn't tell the difference. They go, they stop, they corner, that's good enough.
 
I got cheapies on the camry yesterday. A bit noisy but they track well. It works for me, but I also dropped $400 for some steelies with studded snows for our Honda Pilot.
I will also get a better grade of summer tires for the Pilot when they are due.
We drive that when things get dicey.
 
JCH13 said:
It's that 0.1% that will get you into an accident though.

Also... "best rated all-seasons"? What ones? IMHO "all seasons" just means "crappy in all seasons" because there are so many compromises made in all-season tires.
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Best rated on tirerack and by consumer reports. Hankook Optimo something other H727 or something I think? Idk. It was 5000 miles ago.

JCH13 said:
It can't be as good as a real winter tire on snow and ice, and can't be as good as a real summer tire in the dry and rain. "Crappy" is a bit harsh I admit, but compromises have to be made in order to be used in all 4 seasons. When it comes to the most important part on a car I don't like to screw around with compromises.

At $240-$300 per set of tires, OP can stand to get winter tires and summer tires. It may seem expensive to have two sets of tires, but you'll pay about the same $/mile in terms of tire wear and have superior performance in any given season.
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Invalid reasoning. I'm not going to pay $300+ for one set and then pay it again for some studded tires. I also don't even have the room for that shit where I am. I don't have the jacks or anything. I live in a fucking city.

TIRES DO NOT MATTER AS MUCH AS YOU THINK. They're very similar at the price range most people buy. If you're going $1000+ PER TIRE then it starts to fucking matter a lot more.
 
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TridenT said:
Invalid reasoning. I'm not going to pay $300+ for one set and then pay it again for some studded tires. I also don't even have the room for that shit where I am. I don't have the jacks or anything. I live in a fucking city.

TIRES DO NOT MATTER AS MUCH AS YOU THINK. They're very similar at the price range most people buy. If you're going $1000+ PER TIRE then it starts to fucking matter a lot more.
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-No one cares what you do as you are a self-professed car n00b
-If one set of all-seasons lasts you 2 years, then a set of summers and a set of winters will last you 4 years, but perform better, and cost about the same per year
-Studs are overrated IMHO
-Wheels/tires don't take up that much room (I lived in a NYC apt for four years)
-You don't need a floor jack, I've changed wheel sets with my spare jack and lug wrench
-Yes they do matter as much as I think
-How do you know all the tires are "very similar"?
 
icon_lol.gif
Wow. He sure does sound like a pro when it comes to tires.
 
JCH13 said:
-No one cares what you do as you are a self-professed car n00b
-If one set of all-seasons lasts you 2 years, then a set of summers and a set of winters will last you 4 years, but perform better, and cost about the same per year
-Studs are overrated IMHO
-Wheels/tires don't take up that much room (I lived in a NYC apt for four years)
-You don't need a floor jack, I've changed wheel sets with my spare jack and lug wrench
-Yes they do matter as much as I think
-How do you know all the tires are "very similar"?
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Summers tend to have lower tread life than regular all seasons... so, you're wrong.

And you're very wrong about tires not taking up a lot of room. I live in a 200sqft studio with maybe 8ft high ceilings.
 
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