well i have the stock 2004 alloy wheels for the cavalier, and its about time to get new tires. Is there any tires out there that will give better economy? I dont really care about performance as i never race the cavy, but MPG is a big concern for me, thankyou!

just go for a stock size tire and one that is a hard compound plus drive them soft if you scrub you going to kill the tires fast



cardomain page

What psi r u running?


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

im runnign 35psi cold

as much as i hate to mention.... pep boys sells the Futura 2000 LTE tire.... its an 80000 mile tire, so you'll get probably 35-45k out of them, they're fairly cheap, but their traction is bad if you whip it around corners.


I've had a pair on the front of my 03 cavi for about 18 months now, 20k miles on them, and i drive hard, they still have about 2/3 tread life left on them. I'm happy with that.

Basic info on the tire is

Treadwear 800
Traction A
Temperature B

The traction rating is rather a misnomer, since its only based on straight wet and dry braking and acceleration performance.


Hope this helps ya


Freakin morons.... When will they learn. Hold On Not Done Accelerating

what psi should i be runnning thoug, 35, 30, 40??

For general-use tires, you can't beat Michelin's Harmony line. If you go to an independent dealer, they sell the "Harmony". Discount Tire sells the "Destiny". Sears sells the "Agility". Sam's Club/BJs/Costco sells the "X Radial". They're all essentially the same tire, but the treadpattern's a little different between the four of them. UTQG grade is 740 A B.

I think the X Radials are the best deal. Depending on the size, you can get them for $60-70 ea. Plus, mounting and lifetime balancing and road hazard is like $10/tire. $320 for four out the door for dang good tires that will probably last the full 80,000 mile treadwear warranty.

I have the Michelin Agility tires on my Grand Caravan (I would have bought the X Radials if I had to do it again, because of the price). After 10,000 miles and almost a year, we've gone through about 1/32nds of tread. At this rate, they should last the full 70-80k miles.


Jason
North Carolina

1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)

I forgot to add, for what it's worth, Consumer Reports recently tested 18 all season tires (it's in their Nov. 2005 issue). The X Radial was the only tire to score "Excellent" for handling (the others were "Very Good" or lower. Plus, the X Radial was one of only two to score "Excellent" for noise. It also scored "Very Good" for ride. It finished second overall, second to Goodyear's Assurance TripleTred (which didn't handle as well or ride as quiet).


Jason
North Carolina

1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)

Sorry to keep stringing these replies out. For maximum economy, you can run the air pressures a little bit higher than stock if you like, but don't go too much higher. I wouldn't go much more than 10% higher than what the door jamb sticker calls for.

Consumer Reports tested the "rolling resistance" of those 18 tires. Lower rolling resistance will give you better fuel mileage. The tires that scored "Excellent" for rolling resistance include:

Michelin X Radial
Michelin Agility
Michelin Harmony
Hankook Mileage Plus GT 707
Kumho Touring 795 A/S
Toyo 800 Ultra
Sumitomo HTR T4

If you like, you can download a spreadsheet I made with the Consumer Report data. Click here:

http://www.jnjhome.net/crtires.xls

I built it so you can plug in your own preferences for ride, handling, etc, and see which tire of the ones they evaluated are the best for you.


Jason
North Carolina

1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)

I would keep it a 35psi like you have if, 40 may be a little better for milage but it will porblay wear unevenly.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

thanks for all the nfo, i think ill try tunnign them at 40 and see if that makes any difference, they gotta go soon anyways

*probaly* haha mis spelled that.

With 40 psi, watch the center of the tread because thats what going to wear first. It should improve your milage a little but wear and grip will be sacraficed somewhat, just be careful and keep a eye on them.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

I TOTALLY disagree with 40 psi, even 35 psi. I work at a mechanics shop, and we do ALOT of tires and performance tires. The shops name is "Wheelworks". I have NEVER put 40 pounds in anything, other than truck tires. Almost everything that comes in is 32psi. 35 on some, but almost always 32. Especially wtih winter coming up. 40 pounds in your tires probably isnt a great traction idea, nor is it safe. that is just my 2 cents, adios

what do you recommend fst cav?

Why don't you use what the chevrolet engineers said to use. If you were to open your driver side door, you will notice a white sticker that tells you how much your car weighs along with the amount of air pressure to have in each tire. And that is 30PSI. That is the pressure that I use all the time unless I am fixing for a race, then I drop them to 27PSI.




New Picture comming this summer.

What the factory says isn't always the best, I just set mine at 36psi today.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

Why not use what Chevy says? You don't know what their incentives are for suggesting that number, and their idea of a good compromise may not be the same as yours.

I had a '95 Nissan 4x4 truck that suggested 26 psi, front and rear. 26!! I've never seen a recommendation for that low. Why that low? Probably to soften the ride a little bit. Mileage and performance sucked at that pressure. I always ran it at about 32 psi.

My '97 Cadillac recommends 30 psi. Again, probably for ride. I've found that in the long term, especially when I *used* to drive it hard, I got a lot of edge wear at that pressure. I've since ran it at about 36 psi front and about 32 psi rear.

My '03 Grand Caravan recommends 36 psi front/rear. Probably for mileage. I find that 36 psi in the front is pretty good...I've actually gone up to about 37-38. But that high in the rear is inappropriate. The edges of the tires don't even touch the ground (unloaded, the back of the van is pretty light) and the ride from the rear is very "crisp" at that pressure. I keep the rears at about 33 psi.

The OE pressures are a good starting point, but you may want to adjust from there to suit your preferences. I think anything between 28 and 40 psi is going to be safe...just tailor it to what your priorities are. Good mileage? Set 'em at 35-38 psi. Good ride? Set 'em lower. Also keep an eye on tire wear, as suggested by other folks above.


Jason
North Carolina

1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)

I should add, since nobody's yet mentioned it, that the tire may not be designed for more than 35 psi cold. There is a maximum inflation pressure molded into the sidewall of every tire. Most have a maximum pressure of 44 psi. However, many have a maximum pressure of 35 psi, meaning you shouldn't run much more than 35 psi (cold) in them. Just a thought. I'm not sure what you have on your car now...just check the sidewall and see if you indeed CAN run more than 35 psi in them.


Jason
North Carolina

1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)

yeah my tire says 35 psi max cold. still hot what do you think it should be, usually i put at 40 after lots of highway driving

You should always fill (and check) the tires cold. Preferrably after sitting overnight...because even a few hours after a drive, the tire can still have some latent heat in it, and the air pressure will be higher. The air pressure will increase when the tire heats up, but the heat build up isn't necessarily uniform or completely predicable, so you should always check the air pressure cold, and fill when cold, to ensure an accurate reading.

Fill the tires to 35 psi (if you wish) when they're stone cold, and then you can check them after a drive. You'll probably find they've "gained" 2-4 psi, just from the heat from driving. But that increase won't always be repeatable, so it's always best to check pressure cold.

That maximum inflation pressure is when cold (as you stated). The tire manufacturer knows there will be heat build up from driving, so if you discover the tires to read 40 psi hot (but you filled them to 35 psi cold), that's okay. Just don't go much over 35 psi cold.


Jason
North Carolina

1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)

hey notallthere are those the koing unknow wheels on your cav, they look hot. sorry to get off topic here


http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/my2005cav/my%20car%20the%20bash.jpg

^^^ From his profile

Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:

18" konig unknown
kohmo ectas 712s 225/40/18



2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier