Automotive

Tire recomendations

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  • Mar 5th, 2012 12:55 am
Newbie
Oct 3, 2007
53 posts
2 upvotes

Tire recomendations

Looking for some advice on tires.
I have a 2011 KIA Soul.
Stock tires are Hankook Optimo 205/55/16 I find them loud and not very good in slippery conditions.

I placed Michelin X-ICE on the OEM rims for winter which are 205/50/16
That seems to have knocked the speedo out of whack a bit where the GPS will state that I'm travelling at 100km/hr but the speedo shows 108-112 km's/hr
I drive a fair bit so that makes my odometer creep up higher than it should be.

I was looking at the stock 18" rims and tires that the Soul came with but heard that larger wheels make for a rougher ride and I'm an old man so I don't need that.

I'm trying to narrow down the options and thinking that 205/60/16 will provide a good compromise of a comfortable ride and maybe slow down my mileage creep a bit. I'm probably about 1200km's over where the actual mileage should be.

My options are:
Canadian Tire Michelin Primacy on sale for $169.49 each (Costco is $ 185/ea + $15/ea installation)
or
Costo BF Goodrich at $169.99 (plus $15/ea for installation)

Though if I shop around for Pirellis (I bought some last summer from Costco for my '08 Mazda5), I can get a $200 rebate thanks to this RFD thread

Though if you have another suggestion, I'll gladly consider it.
10 replies
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jun 7, 2001
7994 posts
2226 upvotes
Alberta
205/55-16 is stock.

205/50-16 is 3.24% smaller. If you want an aspect ratio of 50, 215/50-16 are a better fit at -1.66% (rule of thumb is 3% max plus or minus).

205/60-16 is 3.24% larger....too large IMO. Stick with 205/55-16 (stock) or 215/55-16 (+1.74%) or 195/60-16 (+1.35%). Better ride on the 55 (vs. 50 aspect ratio). 60 is an even better ride than the 55 (less agile handling however).

Try Simply Tires or another GTA tire dealer like Go For Tires, Tires23, Joy City Tires...

Dave
Newbie
Oct 3, 2007
53 posts
2 upvotes
Thanks DavidY for that info. I'll look at those stores.
I'm looking for a softride and I'm not picky about the look. I prefer the truck look to a car look anyway so the 60 series are still my first choice.
Deal Fanatic
Oct 1, 2004
5862 posts
268 upvotes
Retailers should be clearing Harmony/Primacy pretty soon since Michelin has a new line of tires to replace those (Defender).

Going 18" means you'll get less sidewall, and as you mentioned, harsher ride. If you want ride comfort, stick with 16"

If you're spending ~$170 per tire, I would get Conti DWS in 205-55-16. SimplyTire has them for $620 + tax + OTS ($23.36) installed... You can take advantage of their early summer groupbuy and save $25 on entire set.

Also shop around with others as already mentioned previously.
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Deal Fanatic
Jun 26, 2009
5427 posts
5283 upvotes
GTA
+ on Michelin Harmony - very good tire for larger vehicle(minivan/suv) gets excellent reviews too. I like them, great in rain, not bad in snow and very quiet. Bought them from Costco (sold there as Michelin X-Radial line), you will find them in 205/55/16 stock size...
Newbie
Oct 3, 2007
53 posts
2 upvotes
Do you think that a 60 would offer a more comfortable ride over a 55?
plus I'm trying to gain back some of the mileage that I lost by going to 50's so I'm leaning towards the 60's
I will be in touch with Simply Tire now that I saw them here on RFD and they seem to have some great deals.
that means that I'll be selling my Hankook 205/55/16's soon with less then 500km's on them.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Dec 23, 2003
18018 posts
7061 upvotes
Toronto
Wait for the Michelin Defender to come out as it replaces Hydroedge and Harmony and has better braking/wet traction.

Michelin will always cost more then a Hanook tire but it balances and rides much better. You get what you pay for.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Sep 3, 2003
13025 posts
2268 upvotes
Toronto
hightech wrote: Michelin will always cost more then a Hanook tire but it balances and rides much better. You get what you pay for.

Stop generalizing.

It always comes down to specific models and the technician that performs the service.
Deal with it.
Deal Addict
User avatar
May 28, 2009
1543 posts
529 upvotes
Ottawa
I have had very good experince with BF goodrich. infact in the last decade I have always put on BFG.
Last set of tires were bought at tire rack (US) and was considerably cheaper than Costco
Deal Expert
User avatar
Dec 23, 2003
18018 posts
7061 upvotes
Toronto
KorruptioN wrote: Stop generalizing.

It always comes down to specific models and the technician that performs the service.

Its not a generalization but from my experience. I have had many brands and keep going back to Michelin as I find less vibration and other issues.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 5, 2011
2313 posts
192 upvotes
YF
i know many of the shops like tire23, simplytire recommends pirelli P4 or yokohama touring S, really quiet and good on gas, don't buy from canadiantire.

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