Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires all seasons for the SVT

I recently posted (11/21/02) looking for advice on getting inexpensive ($100 range) all season tires for my 98 contour SVT. My Dunlop SP5000 are almost bald and winter is upon us up here in New England. Since my first posting (which is archived now), I have taken some of your suggestions and did a little more research...

I called Tire Rack and they said... Bridgestone Turanza LSH $97 each.

Good news, they could ship in 3 days directly to Direct tire and I only pay $25 per tire for install. Bad news, everyone else tells me that it is the wrong tire since it is not Z rated.


Sears said...Dunlop SP 5000 was the only tire they carried that fit my specifications (all season for my car) $132.99 each. They also said that the car needed a Z rated tire only.


DirectTire said...They would not put anything but a Z rated tire on the SVT. They claimed it would be unsafe and the tire would wear quicker. They recommended the Toyo FZ4 performance, rated at 40,000 miles, $116 each. They are the only distributor of Toyo in US.



Ford said...Pirelli P7 199.95 buy 3 get one free. 14.95 per tire for installation, (Bob at Ford). Pirelli has a 50,000 warranty which is shocking to me.



So where do I go from here???... My inclination is to go with the Pirelli at Ford since it has a nice warranty, and I'm confident it is a good tire. We had snow last night and the roads are super icy since it is only 20 degrees (salt doesn't work). We aren't driving the SVT in these conditions until the tires are replaced.

What do you think?


Thanks for all of your posts!!!!

OK, If you're about to drop $600 on all-seasons, this is what I'd do if I were you (and did myself):

Spend $400 now on good snow tires - you can get Artic Alpins for ~$100 each from TR shipped. In the Spring, spend another $400 on decent summer tires, such as the Kuhmo ECSTA 712 which came on my car. Not the greatest, but far better than any all-season tire. That way you get good, safe tires for the winter and good, performance tires for the summer for only about $200 more than a compromise for all seasons. The bonus is that the two sets of tires together should last longer than the 50k miles warrantied by Ford on the Pirellis, so you're really not out any $$ at all to get the best of both worlds.

BTW, the P7 is a "summer" tire, not an all-season. I wouldn't want to drive those in winter.

And $25 each for installation is very high for these parts; I paid $10 each at an independent shop recently, and Sears would do it for $18 each with lifetime balance. Places like BJ's Wholesale and Firestone offer free changeover from winter to summer tires if you buy snow tires there.

Scott

You need to take your driving style into consideration here. The tire Nazi's that are assailing you are just that; they are pushing a set of specs on you that are more of a rule of thumb than anything else. You can do just fine with W- or Y- rated tires on your car, though I personally wouldn't go below that (except for dedicated snow tires, which you're nuts if you're doing above 80MPH in).

I'm running W- speed rated Bridgestone PP S-03 tires now and actually have better traction and handling characteristics with them that I ever did with the stock Z-rated BFG KDW's...

As far as the idiot from DirectTire, lower speed-rated tires usually have a harder compound than higher speed-rated tires do, so 9 times out of 10 the lower speed-rated tires last LONGER, given the same type of driving.

I'd go with the Pirelli's at Ford. The "buy one get one free" and the warranty is a pretty darn good deal (you are actually paying for that 4th tire through the uplift on the other 3. Check Tire Rack's prices on the Pirelli 7000). Regardless, I'd go with it, just for the warranty, though read it carefully and make sure they don't have loopholes in it big enough to fly jumbo jets through...

BTW, the Pirelli P7000's are OK for light snow duty, though if you're getting pounded with snow, I'd go a different route.

I'm practicing the same concept Pidgeon brought up:

1)Bridgestone PP S-03's for Summer on one set of wheels
2)Michelin Pilot Alpin's for snow/ice driving on the other set

The prices and advice you are being quoted are ridiculous.

I got 4 Dunlop Sport A2s (205/60/15) mounted and balanced on steel wheels shipped to my door from www.tirerack.com for $420. That's the top rated performance all season H rated tire (the tires were $55 each) 10 minutes and I was good to go.

Stop trying to shoe-horn a 205/55/16 Z rated tire on your SVT for winter. I used a Yokahama Avid H205/60/16 last year and was dragging my frame and still pulled thru everything.

Buy winter tires for winter (either the above listed all-seasons or the Blizzaks or Michelins) and summer tires for summer.

An H rated tire is no less safe than a Z rated...unless you're driving at a constant 110mph+ in order to overheat them. They're just playing on fear and ignorance. Hell, for winter, you could use S rated tires and stay below 80mph.

Talk to Luke at Tirerack. He'll recommend tires that fir the car...and will do what you want them to do.

Why don't you just get more Dunlops but from Tirerack?

Just get some SP5000 or SP Sport A2 tires from Tirerack. If you don't drive your car to hard very often or drive over 130mph, then don't bother listening to the tire salespeople.

Hi, I'm very new here, but...

The best all around all weather tire I have found is the Goodyear Aquatred III. They cost $85 per at Tire Warehouse here in Haverhill, MA and they have a AA traction rating, B temp rating, and a 640 tirewear rating. They come with a 80,000 warranty and handle like a dream! I use them on my Mystique (205 60-15's) and on my wife's CR-V (205 70-15's). The speed rating is fine for any driving on the street (TR)(that's a tire salesman's hook - who drives at 130+ ?), and sidewall flex is minimal! Wet weather traction is superb, and dry is very nice too. BTW, Tire rack sells these for $68 if I recall correctly. Here's a fact.. Goodyear took 10 years and millions to get theses tires developed!

There are more things to choosing a tire speed rating than the top speed at which the owner drives. 80k tire and I bet I would toast it in 25k, all the while complaining about hte lack of grip, rollover, and cushy feel. It all depends on the requirements of the driver. The only time I had 40k Michilen (good, right?) H-rated tires I wore them out in 18k miles complaining the whole time. They didn't fit my style, still don't. If you think those Aquatreds handle like a dream, you should take a ride in a car equipped with something like the Bridgestone Potenza S-03. Heck, even the KDW would be so beyond what you think a car is capable of. But, not every driver needs that, so enjoy your tires.

How many folks actually purchase the tire warranty? Personally, I never have and probably never will. I've never had a tire that couldn't be fixed and with the amount of money I've saved, I could probably buy another complete set.