Toyo Tires

[ORGramps]

I'm at 30K with my 04' and still have 5/32's left on the original Pirelli Scorpion STRs. As we live in the NW, I usually get my tires from Les Schwab and they have taken good care of us with other cars. However, they do not normally stock Nokias which have gotten such positive comments on this forum. They will order them for me. However, if I'm on the road and have ablow out, that dealer won't have one.

Therefore the question. Has anyone had any experience with Toyo Proxis (which is what Schwab recomends for our XC)?

Thanks in advance,

P.S. On a different subject, driving over the pass from Portland last week we had the famous "squealing" sound in heavy rain and then again in the snow. I searched the forum here and found the thread in which Gibbons posted a photo of the muffler rub mark on the driveline. That printed photo really surprised my dealer when I brought the car in with the problem identified. They corrected by bending the muffler clamps.

In case you read this, thanks Gibbons for your detailed study of many "surprises" we find with these great cars.

[wgriswold]

I'm in the same spot you're in with my 2003. 25k miles and 5/32 left. Since I live in the mountains at 6800 feet and will experience lots of snow in the next five months I will buy new tires now and not wait until the current ones are completely worn out. I don't want the Scorpions because of the low mileage the current set gave me. Our local Les Schwab dealer is recommending the Toyo Ultra 800 to me. That tire is not high on the Consumer Reports list in the November issue (14 out of 18 evaluated) and is downrated for dry and wet braking, but above average in the snow.

The speed rating is the hard thing to figure out when replacing the V rated Scorpions. There is very little available in our size with a V rating other than the Scorpions. The Sacramento Volve dealer is recommending the T rated Michelin Hydroedge, which CR recommends as one of two best for winter conditions. So, if a T speed rating is OK then the possibilities open up. Right now I am leaning toward the hydroedge, since I cannot find a local shop that stocks the Nokian WR.

Let us know what you decide about the Toyo's.

[Elkhound]

I've read every thread on the tire topic and I am completely torn on what to do. I'm at 30k miles on my stock STR's for my '04 XC. Outside of the tread life, I liked them, but not overwhelmed. I don't know enough about cars to know the concerns for the Nokian WR's at a bigger size, etc.

There is nothing else available in V and the H rated (1 step down) is limited. I don't drive aggressively as I have 2 little ones in the back seat. I want to do what's right in terms of their safety and wonder if dropping 2 speed ratings maintains that goal.

I've called 4 places, 2 (plus tirerack) said H would be ok, but T is too far for proper handling and the other 2 places say no problem with T rated if you don't "rip" around corners.

I've narrowed it down to the

Goodyear Triple Tread
Nokian WRSUV's
Continental ContiPremier
Kumho H4
STR's

Grr.....

[Ron N]

Elkhound,

I have Nokian 235/60-16 on my 2002 XC. No problems whatsoever !!
They are a great tire. They best price in town was Maynard/Lesieur.
I had called over NH for prices.

Ron

[Jonliv]

I've read every thread on the tire topic and I am completely torn on what to do. I'm at 30k miles on my stock STR's for my '04 XC. Outside of the tread life, I liked them, but not overwhelmed. I don't know enough about cars to know the concerns for the Nokian WR's at a bigger size, etc.

There is nothing else available in V and the H rated (1 step down) is limited. I don't drive aggressively as I have 2 little ones in the back seat. I want to do what's right in terms of their safety and wonder if dropping 2 speed ratings maintains that goal.

I've called 4 places, 2 (plus tirerack) said H would be ok, but T is too far for proper handling and the other 2 places say no problem with T rated if you don't "rip" around corners.

I've narrowed it down to the

Goodyear Triple Tread
Nokian WRSUV's
Continental ContiPremier
Kumho H4
STR's

Grr.....

ElkHound. I did the same as you and have the same concerns (little ones in the back).
I dealt with TireRack and went with the ContiPremier. Had them for a month, including a bad rain downpour (nor'easter sans the snow) and am very happy with them.

I basically got the same list you did, and Oscar at TireRack said the Cont's were about the best if you take out the GoodYear. Tirerack doesn't sell Nokian which is why they didn't make my final list.

[Jack]

There are a bunch of choices at TireRack in a 235/60/16.

[wgriswold]

I called the Volvo dealer in Sacramento and the parts department first offerred the Scorpions and when I said I was unsatisfied with the mileage he said they were putting Michelin Hydroedge (T rated) on many XC's and gave me a price for them. So, at least one dealer is ok with a T rated tire. I'm going to check the price at Costco today. Les Scwab can get them but wants $812 out the door. What do the Nokian WR's cost in total? I went to a web site and it seems that they will be above $800 when all is done.

[Jonliv]

I called the Volvo dealer in Sacramento and the parts department first offerred the Scorpions and when I said I was unsatisfied with the mileage he said they were putting Michelin Hydroedge (T rated) on many XC's and gave me a price for them. So, at least one dealer is ok with a T rated tire. I'm going to check the price at Costco today. Les Scwab can get them but wants $812 out the door. What do the Nokian WR's cost in total? I went to a web site and it seems that they will be above $800 when all is done.

the manual states T as a minimum.
And based on my research seems many folks are putting T's on...

[Elkhound]

I must have missed the T mention in the manual... what page?

Volvo US just said the only tire corporate can reccommend id the OEM tire, blah, blah, blah.

What a pain.

[Art]

Anyone out there ever use Vredestein winter tires? I once had a set on a RX-7 and they were awesome. From what I understand, they’re more popular over in Europe.

Vredestein Wintrac H (http://www.vredestein.com/autobanden/Main.asp?menuID=3&UserSessionID=17781794&BandCategorieID=1&BandToepassingID=2&BandTypeID=467)

[Ron N]

I paid $600 for a set of four Nokians 235/60-16. This included mounting, balancing, taxes and disposal of old tires.

Ron

[Jonliv]

I must have missed the T mention in the manual... what page?

Volvo US just said the only tire corporate can reccommend id the OEM tire, blah, blah, blah.

What a pain.

Not sure I will look when I get home...

I had the same results from the dealership. They didn't come out and say that I had to put the OEM on, only that that was what they sold. *shrugs*

Even the place where I had the tires installed said they would not put any tire on that was not the proper speed rating for the car as they could be sued. I live in the People's Republic of Mass, so I beleived him. :D

[wgriswold]

Yesterday I noticed that the tire info on the fuel door states that the tires are good from 0-100 mph. That seems to imply that a T rating of 118 mph is ok. I could not find any mention of a speed rating in the manual.

ORGRAMPS: did you get the Toyo tires and if so how are they doing?

[Fairfax]

I too have been looking for new tires. I have been satisfied with the Scorpions , except for poor tredlife, and have felt that there should be something better handling. I checked with Costco but they would not sell me any tire that was not the exact size and speed rating that is stock on the car, and they don't have any. Because of the review in Consumer Reports and the reviews on the Tire Rack website I have been thinking about Goodyear Triple Treds. They come in a 225/60-16 H rated and I'm hoping they will fit without clearance problems. I think the diameter is very close to the Scorpions.

wgriswold; Heavenly opens tomorrow. I have a place on the top of Kingsbury and spend a lot of time there in the winters. Maybe we'll see each other in the Cal parking lot (old Face Rat), '04 Crystal Green, Calif plates w/ Goteburg frame.

Paul

[ORGramps]

We've been driving around NW Washington and out to the Oregon Coast (about 1500 miles worth). With no ready access to Internet (Libraries give 30 minutes to an hour), I didn't have a good opportunity to look at the message board.

We have not made a tire decision yet. We did drive up to Mt Baker ski area in snow with no problem and then got into a heavy traffic, snow pack with some ice coming back from Portland last Saturday. The car handled really well in that even when I had to swerve to not hit some guy who decided to pull a "U" into bumper-to-bumper oncoming traffic. My STRs are sipped and I'm sure that helps. Nevertheless I am concerned about more winter driving with the amount of tread remaining.

Now I am scheduled to go to Portland again this week and we have a severe winter storm warning with 25" expected on the Mt. Hood route I use. On TV we can see packed snow/ice and now more snow expected, I believe this trip with these tires will be cancelled.

So, I'm back to the drawing board. This morning I have read this thread and several others all dealing with winter tires. Tomorrow I plan to go have another discussion with Schwab about TOYO and Nokian WRs and also will go have a talk with COSTCO about Michelin X-Ice. I will probably focus on those three choices.

Since Vredesteins were brought up earlier in this thread, I haven't looked at them because they are not universally available. However, they do make fabulous tires. I had a set (in my young turk days) on a 356C Porsche and other than exhibiting a higher rate of wear, they were great for handling in all kinds of weather.

[Jack]

I think Costco can get the Pilot Alpins for you too (but you missed the $60 rebate in October :( ). As I recall they were close in price to the Dunlop Winter Sport M3's I got from TireRack and am very happy with after our first weekend of skiing.

Fairfax: I think that 235/60-16 is a closer match. Believe TireRack shows several in that size of appropriate speed range. The Traction T/A V and T/A H come to mind as a couple.

[ORGramps]

After interaction with Schwab, Costco and Tire factory, I had Cooper Weather Master ST2's installed with studs at Tire Factory. The Nokian choices were the WR's (w/o studs) and the Haqqa Q (w/studs). The Michelin XIce also looks good. However, I decided to go with studs because of our climate and prior experience here with and without studs.

Driving home I went onto a road without much traffic, but with packed snow and ice patches and tried the new rubber out. I'm very pleased with the decision. Total cost $461 mounted and balanced.

When I remount my used Scorpians in the spring, I'll get some new alloys so I'm into the two sets of rims system. More wheels to store-now two sets!

[Ducatista]

Hiyall,
Vredestein Wintracks are great tires for winter driving and not as expensive as Mich/conti/dunlop/bridgestones.

Unless you live in extremely cold areas, dont go for the softer compounds or you will have reduced mileage. Also these tires have two compound layers with the first half of tread depth being softer than the rest. They will behave differently at 1000 and 20000miles.

Bear in mind that winter tires should be narrower than summer tires, if they are to be used in snow mainly.
Therefore a 235/60/16 will be at a disadvantage in snow/icy conditions due to the different weight distribution a wider tire carries to the road. If anything, stick to the original size.

An excellent wintertire for the XC could be the Goodyear UltraGrip GW3. Haven't tried it myself but tests and forum reports give top ratings.

[Calloway]

I researched a lot of tires before putting STR's back on my 04, one reason is i found them on sale at Town Fair Tire (northeast US) $149 installed, I actully like the STR's, good all around tire, I got 45,000 miles out of my old ones "not bad". I almost put a set of Hydroedge on, but found that Costco would not install anything but a V rated tire. I have heard some stories of people that put on lower speed rated tires and found them to be a little floaty/squishy in the cornes, they do not handle the same.

[Jonliv]

I have heard some stories of people that put on lower speed rated tires and found them to be a little floaty/squishy in the cornes, they do not handle the same.

I went down one speed rating, and can't say that I have noticed any issues with cornering etc. Of course with two little ones in the back, we are not doing anything over 60/65 mph.