A tire selection method...

[takza]

I've got a few observations on choosing tires and a method I use....not the only method out there...but about the best I've found.

This method hopefully finds inexpensive, longer lasting, higher traction....all season tires.

......

I basically go to....

http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp

I usually have decided what size tire I want to buy...usually maybe 2 to 3% oversized for better mpg. I use this page to calculate what size I want to look for and what the % difference will be from the original tires/wheels:

http://www.csgnetwork.com/tireinfo4calc.html

I use tirerack.com because there is an extensive number of user reviews and some tests on various tires.

No need to purchase the tires here...but they do have good prices.

The method:

* Click > Tires by Size LINK

* I SEARCH for tires by TIRE SIZE (in this case...215/60/14).....and I usually am searching for ALL-SEASON tires....so I CHECK all the ALL SEASON boxes.

Note: the tire companies don't make a big selection of tires in some sizes...so you might have to change the tire size you are searching for to find a better slection.

* After the search...I then SORT the results by price.

* I then CHECK the first so many tires...maybe 5 to 10 of the lowest priced....then click COMPARE SELECTED TIRES.

* Then in the Customer Survey area, I look for the tires with the best SNOW TRACTION.

Then considering price, dry/wet traction, & treadwear...I carefully go through the REVIEWS, SURVEYS, and any TESTS for any tire that looks good.

Not everyone is going to like a certain tire....but I can usually tell from the MAJORITY of the reviews, etc...what the tire is probably going to be like to own. Expect that some reviewers won't have had enough pressure in the tires relative to the weight of the vehicle.

My THEORY as far as Low Rolling Resistance tires is that YES...the OEMs put LRR tires on their new cars...but if you read some of the reviews...a lot of people can't wait to get them off of their cars...usually due to poor traction.

The method I use finds good high traction tires that I can then put enough PSI in to have low rolling resistance along with good traction year around....and I usually get a good deal at the same time.

The PSI in the glove box is only a start...aftermarket tires are sometimes made in a much different way...I usually test various pressures...going with as high a PSI that I can and still have good traction.

For instance...I run my current Kumho Ecstas at their max pressure in the summer...44 PSI.

As far as tires for 4WD...my belief is that for avg use...a regular all season tire with a good sticky tread as found by the method above...will likely give the best mileage/traction...espec if considering the cost for the tires.

Aggressive treads are noisy and can reduce mpg.

I ran the Kumho 60 series thru some rough terrain and though the treads were cut up and abraded some...the sidewalls were still in good condition.

You can spend almost 2Xs as much for the same size tire...and get less tire for your efforts in some cases.

[takza]

The Kumho tire after 39 K miles....

Tires had good grip till taken off...could have managed a few more miles if it was still warm weather.

[TominMO]

I am sold on Kumho Solus KR21s. I put them on all my cars. They have an 85,000-mile wear rating, which doesn't seem to far off in my experience. They do well in all conditions, including light/medium snow.

[ARCHINSTL]

I echo the other Tom's choice of Kumho Solus KR21s - that's what I went with when Goldie got her Miata Daisies in 2010. The choice was not made on price.
Tom M.

[TominMO]

Also, I now buy my tires online and have them installed at the local corner garage. Cheaper and less hassle. I like www.tires-easy.com