Well, that was a fast way to spend $478!
You won’t believe how long I agonized over what tires to buy. Then again, you might. The thing about pursuing the perfect car-nut tires when you’re living on the frontier is that one has to endure the cry of the Taos merchant: “We can order them for you…” Even the OEM tires, the dreaded Goodyear Eagle RS-As, were going to take a week to get here. So you have to hunt around and have a few choices in mind, then pounce on the first alternative that pops up. In my case, since Nameless Motors obviously didn’t want to order the Yokohamas I had in mind that were prominently featured in their ad, I scored some General Altimax HPs and had them installed today in the middle of a snowstorm.
What do I think?
The full report will have to wait until after we break them in, but I can tell you that the ride is vastly improved, also that they might be a tad squirmy for my taste (less stiff sidewalls). And if the gas mileage goes down significantly, I’ll be pissed but bereft of excuses, since I did read about that in several reviews. (We’ve been getting in the low 30s anyway–before the new tires–not the almost 40 mpg the Vibe got when it was brand new.) As for the responsiveness, it’s supposed to take about 500 miles of driving to wear off the mold compound, and when the tires have worn a little, the turn-in might be snappier. But they look great, they feel great, and they’re supposed to be a helluva lot better in the snow than what we had.
If it ever stops snowing (10 to 14 inches predicted here overnight), I’ll make sure these babies have an extra helping of air to stiffen them up a little. Otherwise, I’m obviously happy to just have ‘em, after driving around for six days on the temporary spare…
UPDATE: My wife came back from running errands this morning. She “didn’t notice” anything different about the tires. So far, so good, then.
UPDATE #2: Finally had a chance to drive on dry paved road. I love these tires! The steering is definitely different–to be expected anyway with new tires–but I’m quickly getting used to it. The ride is much smoother, and the car feels more planted and on-center going down the road. The tires are quieter, too. I never thought of the old ones as noisy, but now I can hear the engine!
Which I like, of course.
Related posts:
