YACT OP YATT -- Old Car / New Tires question

[michaelh20]

I have an ancient rusty car (Chevy 88 Celebrity) that that has 2 front tires that are getting worn down, and 2 rear tires that are apparently old and weather-beaten (can see cracking in sidewalls). Since it has no functional A/C (tried having it fixed, 3.75 pounds of freon later... ), I will probably not be driving it 6 months from now. I'd guess that really all the tires need to be replaced, but is there some way to do it on the cheap? Are used tires safe?

I do some highway driving various places, but not a whole lot of driving in general right now (about 300 mi/month), although that might change when I get a job... (that issue is another thread)

This is Minnesnota too, so really, decent tires are probably a good thing to have.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Most tire stores have used tires for sale.

 

[JC]

Nothing wrong with used tires. If 2 of 'em are better, make sure they go on the front.

JC

 

[RaySun2Be]

Used tires are usually fine, make sure they have adequate tread, and get them balanced.

I had to drive through a lot of road construction for 2 years, and after losing 1 good tire, I switched to used tires, so in case I lost another tire, I wouldn't be out a lot of $$.

I would get 2 P205R75 14" tires mounted and balanced for $45.00

 

[michaelh20]

>> Nothing wrong with used tires. If 2 of 'em are better, make sure they go on the front

What I have heard from the car talk people (experts huh), is that you put the bad ones on the front so that if they blow out, you can steer (sp??) the car out of the resulting mess, but if a tire blows out on back, you have absolutely no control then.....

 

[Aceman]

You have a front wheel drive car in Minnesota. The best tires go on the front. Two new tires for that car will probably set you back $80-$100 at Tires Plus. Whereas two bald or used tires could blow out or make you slide into a ditch or accident. Do you really want to pay for a tow out of the ditch in Minnesota?

 

[JC]

Originally posted by: michaelh20
>> Nothing wrong with used tires. If 2 of 'em are better, make sure they go on the front

What I have heard from the car talk people (experts huh), is that you put the bad ones on the front so that if they blow out, you can steer (sp??) the car out of the resulting mess, but if a tire blows out on back, you have absolutely no control then.....

On a front-wheel drive car, the front wheels are doing all the steering, most of the braking, all the driving, and carrying most of the weight. That is why I recommend having the better tires (if any) on the front. Blowouts are a pretty rare occurence, and just because a tire has a little more tread doesn't mean it's less likely to blow out.

JC

 

[freebee]

New tires go on the BACK...unless you have extensive experience on dirt ovals (and using the throttle to steer)...you wont be prepared to handle sudden and dramatic oversteer in the event of blowout/loss of grip.

You might as well get 4 new tires when they are on sale....think of it as an investment on liabilty towards others...since if you hit someone because you couldn't stop...your insurance rates will go up.

 

[jsbush]

Yep best tires should go on the back on a FWD car, cus it's a lot harder to gain control of the back when you loss it then the front.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: michaelh20
>> Nothing wrong with used tires. If 2 of 'em are better, make sure they go on the front

What I have heard from the car talk people (experts huh), is that you put the bad ones on the front so that if they blow out, you can steer (sp??) the car out of the resulting mess, but if a tire blows out on back, you have absolutely no control then.....

The best tires should always be in the back.
If you loose traction in the front you can recover.
If you loose traction in the rear you'll spin and maybe end up in the ditch or the wrong lane.

You can get decent tires for around $45-50 each.

 

[JC]

Originally posted by: jsbush
Yep best tires should go on the back on a FWD car, cus it's a lot harder to gain control of the back when you loss it then the front.

You guys

FWD=better tires on the front. Have you ever worked at a tire store? How many blowouts have you had? When you 'push it' in a FWD car, it understeers (plows)....I guarantee you'll have better control with the better tires on the front.

JC

 

[Aceman]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: michaelh20
>> Nothing wrong with used tires. If 2 of 'em are better, make sure they go on the front

What I have heard from the car talk people (experts huh), is that you put the bad ones on the front so that if they blow out, you can steer (sp??) the car out of the resulting mess, but if a tire blows out on back, you have absolutely no control then.....

The best tires should always be in the back.
If you loose traction in the front you can recover.
If you loose traction in the rear you'll spin and maybe end up in the ditch or the wrong lane.

You can get decent tires for around $45-50 each.

How in the "f" are you going to spin out by loosing traction in the rear of a FWD car? The front wheels are pulling the car!!! Geezus, I can understand the guy from AZ saying it, but you people from snow country????????????????

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: Aceman

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: michaelh20
>> Nothing wrong with used tires. If 2 of 'em are better, make sure they go on the front

What I have heard from the car talk people (experts huh), is that you put the bad ones on the front so that if they blow out, you can steer (sp??) the car out of the resulting mess, but if a tire blows out on back, you have absolutely no control then.....

The best tires should always be in the back.
If you loose traction in the front you can recover.
If you loose traction in the rear you'll spin and maybe end up in the ditch or the wrong lane.

You can get decent tires for around $45-50 each.

How in the "f" are you going to spin out by loosing traction in the rear of a FWD car? The front wheels are pulling the car!!! Geezus, I can understand the guy from AZ saying it, but you people from snow country????????????????

The guy from AZ (me) is actually from snow-country (Sweden) and I said it just because I know it is true.
Sure you loose traction in the rear in a FWD car if the rear tires are bald combined with heavy rain or snow on the road.
I KNOW this. Been there, done that.

 

[Thegonagle]

In snow country, you should have 4 tires that are approximately equal in traction on a front wheel drive car.

If the tires on the back are bad, you spin out when you try to turn (been there). If the tires in the front are bad, it's difficult to steer, stop, or go (been there too).

Where in MN are you? I know of a few good places in Minneapolis and Bloomington.

 

[Aceman]

Where in MN are you? I know of a few good places in Minneapolis and Bloomington.

Garfang, we know about your neighborhood. Leave the tires on the neighbors' cars. It's not worth a rap sheet just to help a fellow Minnesota ATOT member out.

 

[JC]

We're getting off track here. Nobody said 'have good tires on the front, have bald tires on the back'. What was said is 'if 2 are better, have them on the front'. That's because the fronts do virtually all of the work.

I remember trying to spin out my mom's Civic back in high school (last time I lived in snow country) and found the only way to do it was with the e-brake. My rwd car, I had to have 2 75lb bags of sand in the trunk just to drive in the snow....and did plenty of donuts too

JC

 

[Aceman]

Geez, just get 4 new frikken tires and be done with the arguement!!!!! In every tire shop I've gone to (All in MN, SD, NE, and PA), they've all put the two new tires on the front or rotated the better tread tires to the front. And I've put on over a million miles in the past 18 years. at least 500,000 have been with FWD cars. You will not stop in snow, mud or rain with worse tread on the front. You will get stuck easier with worse tread on the front. These are quite important in Minnesota winter driving.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: Aceman
Geez, just get 4 new frikken tires and be done with the arguement!!!!! In every tire shop I've gone to (All in MN, SD, NE, and PA), they've all put the two new tires on the front or rotated the better tread tires to the front. And I've put on over a million miles in the past 18 years. at least 500,000 have been with FWD cars. You will not stop in snow, mud or rain with worse tread on the front. You will get stuck easier with worse tread on the front. These are quite important in Minnesota winter driving.

Very true, actually. But you should not have baldies on the back, or you will spin out. Just go over to Paul Williams tire (500(?) W. Lake) in south Minnie, and talk to Mitch. He'll get you just what you need (brand new) on all 4 corners for $200-300 OTD. If you want to spend less, hit the ghetto end of Lake and go to the used tire store, Tires for Less (3005(?) 3rd Ave S).

 

[Aceman]

Or, just go to Garfang's neighborhood with a jack, tire iron, amd 4 blocks. A huge selection of used tires for the "do-it-yourselfers".

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: Aceman
Or, just go to Garfang's neighborhood with a jack, tire iron, amd 4 blocks. A huge selection of used tires for the "do-it-yourselfers".

Not my neighborhood. 4 blocks east.

 

[michaelh20]

>Just go over to Paul Williams tire (500(?) W. Lake) in south Minnie, and talk to Mitch. He'll get you just >what you need (brand new) on all 4 corners for $200-300 OTD. If you want to spend less, hit the ghetto >end of Lake and go to the used tire store, tires for Less (3005(?) 3rd Ave S).

lol... this is where I live more or less 28th and hennepin.....

ghetto end of lake st.. lol....

I suppose one's life is worth at least $300 huh? I hope I get a job soon and I'll just replace them all... My bargain basement mechanics (who have the tiniest garage I have ever seen) also recommended Paul Williams.

 

[db]

Ha, some cars are oversteering, some are understeering, so you can't just assume that new tires should go one particular place for all cars in general.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: Garfang
Very true, actually. But you should not have baldies on the back, or you will spin out. Just go over to Paul Williams tire (500(?) W. Lake) in south Minnie, and talk to Mitch. He'll get you just what you need (brand new) on all 4 corners for $200-300 OTD. If you want to spend less, hit the ghetto end of Lake and go to the used tire store, Tires for Less (3005(?) 3rd Ave S).

Not an argument, just a question.

How do bald tires on the rear of a fwd car cause that car to 'spin out'?
Yes, I have driven rwd and fwd cars and yes, I have driven in snow. (40+ friggen years worth of it, and I'm ready for Florida NOW!)

 

[Ornery]

Do you know what your next car will be? Will the rims be the same size as what you have now? Buy high quality tires that will fit the new car, and use them temporarily on this one. Save the old ones to put back on when you get rid of the car.

 

[flot]

Well, for what it's worth - I bought a single used tire (to get a matching spare) for $25 mounted (not balanced) for my Jeep. My take is that it probably has at least 5000 miles of tread left and was in excellent visual condition. (no cracking, even wear, etc)

I'd imagine you could get a set of 4 "pretty good" car tires for $100-$120. Cheap new ones would probably cost you twice that - but I do have to agree with everybody else, if you can afford it - buy the new ones. If not, yes, used tires are probably a better solution than your current awful tires. Tires with sidewall cracks aren't really a good sign.