Doh! Flat tire! Need new tires anyway.. what to get?

[WinkOsmosis]

I was leaving the apartment parking lot when I heard a funny noise in the back and my car felt funny. I stopped in another parking space to check.. rear left tire flat. But I need new tires anyway, so I'm not going to bother getting it repaired.

What brand tires should I buy and where should I buy them?

I have 205/55-16 tires on there now but my brother was saying I should get 215mm tires to prevent scratching of the wheels (they extend quite a bit past the 205s I have now).

 

[human2k]

It happens to everyone.

 

[radioouman]

$99 set of Pep Boys tires.


(I'd never buy them though... )

 

[Spoooon]

Last time I had to buy tires, I just went to Discount Tires and got some cheap all weather 1 year tires. I wasn't going to have the car for long anyway so there wasn't much point in investing a lot of money.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Better than the 2 flat tires I got when I went to the scrap yard. I got a 3 inch nail in one (which held for about 3 hours), and a 6 inch bolt (yes, BOLT) attached to a 1/4 inch steel post section (about a foot long)., Now THAT created some issues.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Can I use this as a block? http://www.tortoisehead.com/block.jpg The CD case is for scale.
How about my roommate's calculus textbook? I don't have any boards or anything...

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Flat surface btw.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Or can I use a couple powersupplies as blocks?

 

[WinkOsmosis]

WHOAH! I had no idea how worn the insides of my rear tires were. I knew I needed new tires, but I had no idea. On one spot you can see wire mesh!! Damn! I don't know if that's why the tire sprung a leak, or if I should be thankful that I got a flat. And I've been hitting 100mph on these things!

Edit: Btw I am using powersupplies as blocks.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
WHOAH! I had no idea how worn the insides of my rear tires were. I knew I needed new tires, but I had no idea. On one spot you can see wire mesh!! Damn! I don't know if that's why the tire sprung a leak, or if I should be thankful that I got a flat. And I've been hitting 100mph on these things!

Edit: Btw I am using powersupplies as blocks.

Yeah, on one of my old cars I just happened to look at the driver side front tire. A chunk of rubber was gone and wire mesh was kind of torn up. I drove to Discount Tire right after.

 

[Dacalo]

consider yourself lucky

my rear tire ripped to pieces when i was on freeway going ~70mph

i had to pull a hollywood stunt driving to save my @$$

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I put on the spare. The manual said to tighten the nuts with a torque wrench asap.. but anyway, I used the spanner and tightened by stepping on the handle. Is that okay for a few miles to the tire store?

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: Dacalo
consider yourself lucky

my rear tire ripped to pieces when i was on freeway going ~70mph

i had to pull a hollywood stunt driving to save my @$$

!!!!

Geez... crazy...

I got a flat last weekend and purchased a used tire for $10... kinda an emergency, really sketchy mechanics, but it works.

How often are you supposed to change your tires? The mechanics told me to change all 4 within a month, but my car only has 22,000 miles on it...

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I put on the spare. The manual said to tighten the nuts with a torque wrench asap.. but anyway, I used the spanner and tightened by stepping on the handle. Is that okay for a few miles to the tire store?

The times that I've changed tires, I kind of lightly tighten it until it stops, then give it a half turn more. I would imagine that it would be okay.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I put on the spare. The manual said to tighten the nuts with a torque wrench asap.. but anyway, I used the spanner and tightened by stepping on the handle. Is that okay for a few miles to the tire store?

You don't need a torque wrench to tighten lug nuts...the included wrench should do just fine.

 

[dquan97]

Set of 4 tires costed me $500 for my 94' Camry...Michelin H-rated

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Is there enough pressure in my spare? http://www.tortoisehead.com/donut.jpg

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Is there enough pressure in my spare? http://www.tortoisehead.com/donut.jpg

Is this your first time changing a tire?

You can't really tell from looking, you need to use a gauge. But I think there is enough pressure for you to drive a few miles to where ever you need to go to get new tires. However, if there is a place where you can air it up a little, I would do that.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Spoooon

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Is there enough pressure in my spare? http://www.tortoisehead.com/donut.jpg

Is this your first time changing a tire?

You can't really tell from looking, you need to use a gauge. But I think there is enough pressure for you to drive a few miles to where ever you need to go to get new tires. However, if there is a place where you can air it up a little, I would do that.

Yeah first time . I guess I'll go to the gas station and put some air in. I don't have time to buy tires right now... too much schoolwork. But at least I can take the bus to class.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: Dezign

Originally posted by: Dacalo
consider yourself lucky

my rear tire ripped to pieces when i was on freeway going ~70mph

i had to pull a hollywood stunt driving to save my @$$

!!!!

Geez... crazy...

I got a flat last weekend and purchased a used tire for $10... kinda an emergency, really sketchy mechanics, but it works.

How often are you supposed to change your tires? The mechanics told me to change all 4 within a month, but my car only has 22,000 miles on it...

Depends on the tire.

Treadwear is a critical indicator of how much longer your Tire will last. In the life of every tire, tread eventually degrades to a degree where the tire can no longer be used safely. Each type of tire is tested under controlled conditions on a government test course and assigned a treadwear grade which theoretically indicates the useful life of the tread. It's important to remember that this is a theoretical figure and cannot be linked to projected tire mileage, as factors like road surface quality, driving habits, inflation, wheel alignment and rotation come into play.

Treadwear grades typically range from 60 to 620 in 20 point increments. The higher the grade, the longer the tread life as measured under government conditions.

 

[white]

check out tirerack.com. they have user reviews on there. also check out discounttire.com and if you're able to find something that they both carry, call up your local discount tire and give them the best price you can find and they'll beat it. then go the store and have it taken care of.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Hmm.. I have 205/55 tires on there now. So if I get 215mm width tires they would be 215/52 for the same tire diameter... so is 215/50 good?

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Okay... this is VERY BAD. The spare tire didn't have enough pressure. It was too loose on the rim and deflated. So now I have two flat tires. What should I do??

I guess I'll take the spare to a gas station and inflate it.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Hmm.. I have 205/55 tires on there now. So if I get 215mm width tires they would be 215/52 for the same tire diameter... so is 215/50 good?

The wheel wells in the S14 can handle up to 265-series tires I think.

Personally I would go a little wider, maybe 225/45...get the Bridgestone Pole Position SO-3 (or something like that) in that size. You'll notice a big change in the car's handling.

 

[her209]

JustTires

Or if you have Costco membership, look there.

As for brands, I'd say go with the name brands like:

Dunlops
Michelins
Good Years
Bridgestones