KatyTL

Okay. I know nothing about tires other than my current front 2 tires wear every 7,000 miles. I current have Bridgestone Pontenza RE960AS Pole Position. I need two new ones like a month ago. I went to the tire place and they don't have them in stock so he tried to talk me into a different tire and getting all 4 and getting my credit from the Bridgestones. My question is...

Should I just replace the two Bridgestone Pontenza? Or does someone else recommend another tire in this "rating"? The guy at Discount told me about two different ones...General Exclaim UHP Size: 235-45-17 or Goodyear Eagle GT Size: 245-45-17. What would yall recommend out of these three and do yall have any other recommendations? Would it be bad to change sizes...pros? Cons?
Many many thanks
Brooke

Bearcat94

If you change size, change all 4. Nothing "wrong" with 245/45-17 (thats what I am running, btw) but the sidewall is a little taller - about a 1/4" in total diameter, iirc.

In a general sense, wider (245 v 235) is better. More tread on the ground = more traction. Caveat is all 235 (or 245 or 255, etc) are not created equal. First number (235, 245, etc) is "Section Width" - the widest point of the tire. What really matters is Tread Width. But, in general, a wider section width will have a wider tread width.

No way the Bridgestone 960's should wear in 7k miles. Something else is wrong - alignment most likely. If that is the case, you're just going to replace them and wear out something else far too soon.


Can you psot pics of the tread/wear pattern? My guess is it's the inside edge from the shoulder to about 1 or 1 1/2 inches in toward the center. Just a guess.

General Exclaim UHP is well liked by those who use them. GY GT's are too new to have much information about.

Push comes to shove, take the Bridgestone credit and get the General Exclaim UHP in 235/45 or 245/45 or 255/40 and have your alignment checked.




.

KatyTL

The tread wear is the inside (I believe) front two tires that keep wearing. Are the Bridgestones worth keeping and just going to have an alignment? What are your thoughts on the Firestone lifetime alignment for $139.00? Is this worth it? Thank you for your help and detail.

Piotr_W

Have you got a lead foot?

KatyTL

No I'm a very safe and gentle driver as I typically have my dog, a child, or my mother in the car with me.

Piotr_W

Maybe you hit something like curb, manhole and your alignment went off

Bearcat94

about keeping the Bridgestones.

If they are worn to the point that Firestone/Discount Tire is saying they need replaced, probably not. Need pics to make a better guess.

If you mean 2 of the 4 are still good, I'd have a hard time getting rid of them with just 7k miles. The 960 is a good tire by all accounts. I've got them on my '02 and have no trouble.

Like I said before, there MUST be some underlying problem to cause excessive wear by 7,000 miles. Find that problem, otherwise you're just throwing good money after bad.

Lifetime alignment is OK at $139. You really shouldn't need an alignment very often at all - if you lower your car or hit a curb or hit a big pot hole or something. But it will pay for itself with ~2 alignments, so it's not a bad deal if you use it 2 or 3 times.

KatyTL

I must be honest. I hit curbs all the time Also, I live in Houston and our road (excuse the lang.) are shit. There are massive potholes everywhere when you hit them you think your car just fell apart. So maybe I should go with two new Bridgestone and go to Firestone and get the lifetime alignment and see if they are still wearing. IF so I may seek you out to ask your opinion on a different tire. I want to stay with a good quality tire - tires issues (blow outs, rough handling, and road noise are my biggest car fears).
Brooke

Bearcat94

Rubbing or scraping a curb with the side of your tire/wheel won't do it.

Crashing over a curb (like crashing over a pot hole) can cause a problem. Or hitting the curb with side of the tire in a kind of "crash landing" as you park - that'd do it.

Inaccurate

Discount Tires offers a Lifetime Balancing (not a lifetime alignment). This is NOT what your problem is. You are perhaps confusing the Lifetime Balancing versus alignment. You need an alignment, which is done by the dealership (Discount Tires does Not do alignments).

To other readers - She said that the tires are wearing on the inside. This is an alignment issue. Brooke, take your car to the dealer for an alignment (usually approx $100, I think). You will need to get the new tires first before the alignment. But, go to the dealership IMMEDIATELY to get the alignment after you have the new tires installed (preferrably, the same day). As usual, call the dealership in advance to get an appointment to do the alignment.

Don't wait to see if the wear happens again to the new tires.... IT WILL.

Regarding the tire brand problem. Yep, this is an issue we all face. I am picky about my tire brands. No one in Houston stocks my tires... I order them from TireRack.com. This requires me to stock my own emergency replacement tire (in my closet). If I get a flat that is not fixable, I have my brand of tire sitting in my closet, ready to be deployed.

Bearcat94

No one suggested it was a tire balance problem.

Lots of places beside the dealership do alignments.

She said Firestone had a $139 lifetime alignment program. This is very similar to the alignment program I have with Tire Kingdom.

Just because it is not a dealership does not automatically mean it is sub-standard. Just becasue it is a dealership does not automatically mean the work is good.

Inaccurate

Oops. I overlooked that one. I stand corrected. Thanks Bearcat94

ronche2424

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and would like some help on how do I post my own tire question. I ordered some rims with 19x 8.5 all the way around and I want to know what is the best tire size to get in order to lessen the gap without lowering it. Thanks

Inaccurate

ronche2424,

Have you tried this (see link below) for ideas yet ?

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/new-wheel-tire-specs-thread-pics-577276/

Bearcat94

Click here: https://acurazine.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=97

Then look in the upper left of the new page for the "New Thread" button.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Alignment. The lifetime alignment is an excellent deal. I highly recommend it!

Will Y.

I concur with everyone else here- you have an alignment problem.
You should rotate the tires every oil change or every other oil change once you get the alignment re-set.

The BS 960 Pole Positions are supposed to last pretty long for an ultra-high performance tire, so they shouldn't be wearing out at less than 20K miles, let alone 7K miles (unless you are in autocrosses or using track time).

avs007

+1. I have the 960AS on our TL, and they have about 25k miles on em, and still going strong with about half the tread left.

KatyTL

Thank you all for your help. I went ahead and replaced to two bad tires with the same Bridgestone ones. The other two only have 10K wear and Discount said they are looking good as of now WOOHOO. I will go Monday and sign up for the lifetime alignment... I was in debate over doing that with Firestone or just going and having an alignment done at the dealer. Any thoughts? Does anyone else use Firestone and would recommend them? I don't want my car to get messed up I'm too clueless about cars. Thanks again for all of you time and input to help me. It's truly appreciated.
~Brooke

Bearcat94

A good shop is a good shop, no matter who's name is on the door.

In general the national chains are OK. Some better or worse than others, but they are generally run by knowledgable people. With the Firestone deal, you can hang it on them if they rotate and align your tires every other oil change; excess wear = their problem.

The dealer will likely cost more and may not have the "life-time" or "3-year" deals.


You are also not totally clueless - you somehow ended up with one of the best performance All Season tires available and you found your way to the best Acura information site in existance.