[mwilliamshs]

Got the car, installed SG, liking the 34+ mpg (hand calculated) on the first tank of mostly surface-street commuting. Turns out the "new tires" are like 11 years old but have seen virtually no miles. All that tread-depth is wasted due to all the cracking in the rubber. They may last forever but given the prevalence of broken asphalt in my area and the fact that our summer air temps often break the 100* mark, I just don't trust these tires. I bought this car as a gas saving daily driver but also to take out of town when the cargo capacity of my van isn't needed and having multiple blowouts on a summer trip just isn't my idea of fun.

My initial plan was to replace the 185/65 tires with 175/70 to get a taller profile and less width, both good for fuel efficiency. The latter size is far, FAR less common than the former and pricing varies directly with that commonality, as does the chance of a modern, low rolling-resistance design being available. I just didn't have much luck finding anything I liked in 175/70 and the difference in height is less than .5" anyway and the difference in tread width varies from nothing to next-to-nothing. A good idea, just not one currently well supported by the market. In researching tires available in 175/70R14 I kept reading about the Cooper CS3 and CS5. I like Coopers, have run them exclusively on everything with 4 or more wheels (not my motorcycles and scooter) for most of my adult life. Ran the old-school Discoverer STT's on an old Jeep then ran at least 3 sets of them on my first DD, a 4wd Ranger followed by ST on a second Ranger, ATR's on an Isuzu Rodeo and Trooper, a staggered set of HT and ATR on a 2wd Ranger, etc. Only other brands of tires I can remember buying were Firestones for company-owned vehicles (service contract dictated), Douglas crap for a Sentra I hated, and Bridgestones for my old Neon but I got a deal on those from a buddy at the Firestone store (yes, a kickback for that service contract, sue me). Last year I bought 225/75R16 Discoverer HT3s for my van and LOVE them. I bought them at a great time to take advantage of Cooper's annual rebate and got a GREAT deal IMO. So this year there's a $50 rebate available on Cooper CS3 tires. Can't get them in 175/70 but they are available in 185/65 (OE size) and in the 5% taller 185/70. The best deal I could find on the taller size is $19.71 more than the OE size, an extended difference of $78.84. Yikes! Not sure that additional height would even prove beneficial since the larger tire is also heavier and would raise my ride-height and aero-drag...so, long story short, I ordered OE size Cooper CS3 tires for $63 each, minus a $40 discount, with free shipping, and will get a $50 rebate. $162 for 4 new tires delivered to my door? Yes please! That's $40.50 each. I'll weigh them before installation. I'll post details to my thread and link it here.