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spacemanspif · 09-30-2015, 11:26 PM

I went to Firestone the other day because the wagon has developed a vibration around 60mph. All I wanted was my wheels/tires rebalanced because I figured maybe a weight popped off. Got a call later in the day saying that they can't rebalance the rear tires because there is cupping and the tread is too close to the wear indicators (2/32" I think was their reading); with that, he tried to sell me a new pair of tires or a set if possible. I told him that I don't have the money and to not worry about the balance. $0 later I'm still driving a car with a shake at 60mph and thinking about getting a "sketchy" place to rebalance them to see if it fixes the issue.

If they still shake, I'll probably drive them until it gets too bad for me to tolerate. Now I'm stuck at a bit of a cross roads, do I keep stock size 195/60/15 and just buy 2 or do I get taller 195/65/15 tires for a little bit of rubber gearing to try and bring my highway RPM down? Looking on tirerack.com it doesn't look like I have many size options other than those listed above. I'm only looking at LRR tires and comparing prices and need some advice.

The cheapest 195/65/15 tires on the site are Hankook H426 for $264 for 4
The cheapest 195/60/15 tires on the site are Kumho KH16 for $208 for 4 but I can also get a set of 4 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422plus for $240 after a rebate.

So the 65s rotate 30 less time per mile according to tirerack specs but I'm not sure what my RPM will drop. My car is geared horribly low which is why I'm considering taller tire. Either way, do you think that it's worth the extra money to get the taller tires, or save a little money by staying with stock size? If anyone has more advice on tire brand, size or sales please feel free to speak up. Even if I don't buy tires for another year, I want to have a good plan ready for when I pull the plug and do buy some. I never thought I'd toil on the internet looking for tires until I joined this site and now that I'm overthinking thing I really want to make an educated decision.

TIA,

09-30-2015, 11:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
spacemanspif Spaced out... Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Dirty Jersey Posts: 748 The New Focus - '07 Ford Focus ZX5 90 day: 32.44 mpg (US) Thanks: 142 Thanked 205 Times in 149 Posts	Help me pick tires I went to Firestone the other day because the wagon has developed a vibration around 60mph. All I wanted was my wheels/tires rebalanced because I figured maybe a weight popped off. Got a call later in the day saying that they can't rebalance the rear tires because there is cupping and the tread is too close to the wear indicators (2/32" I think was their reading); with that, he tried to sell me a new pair of tires or a set if possible. I told him that I don't have the money and to not worry about the balance. $0 later I'm still driving a car with a shake at 60mph and thinking about getting a "sketchy" place to rebalance them to see if it fixes the issue. If they still shake, I'll probably drive them until it gets too bad for me to tolerate. Now I'm stuck at a bit of a cross roads, do I keep stock size 195/60/15 and just buy 2 or do I get taller 195/65/15 tires for a little bit of rubber gearing to try and bring my highway RPM down? Looking on tirerack.com it doesn't look like I have many size options other than those listed above. I'm only looking at LRR tires and comparing prices and need some advice. The cheapest 195/65/15 tires on the site are Hankook H426 for $264 for 4 The cheapest 195/60/15 tires on the site are Kumho KH16 for $208 for 4 but I can also get a set of 4 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422plus for $240 after a rebate. So the 65s rotate 30 less time per mile according to tirerack specs but I'm not sure what my RPM will drop. My car is geared horribly low which is why I'm considering taller tire. Either way, do you think that it's worth the extra money to get the taller tires, or save a little money by staying with stock size? If anyone has more advice on tire brand, size or sales please feel free to speak up. Even if I don't buy tires for another year, I want to have a good plan ready for when I pull the plug and do buy some. I never thought I'd toil on the internet looking for tires until I joined this site and now that I'm overthinking thing I really want to make an educated decision. TIA, __________________ -Mike 2007 Ford Focus ZX5 - 91k - SGII, pending upper and lower grill bocks - auto trans 1987 Monte Carlo SS - 5.3/4L80E swap - 13.67 @ 106 2007 Ford Focus Estate - 230k - 33mpg - Retired 4/2018 1995 Saturn SL2 - 256K miles - 44mpg - Retired 9/2014 Cost to Operate Spreadsheet for "The New Focus"