Finally....

[NSI31]

Now.....

How do I get a smoother ride out of an '07 ???

Tires??

New Struts / shocks??

[2RedV's]

Now.....

How do I get a smoother ride out of an '07 ???

Tires??

New Struts / shocks??Tires, number 1...

[Cocodrie]

I have read a lot on tires, tire noise and so on. The only complaint with my 08EX is the noisy Duelers. For least noise and good handling I am thinking of Michelins only because of past ok experience. That's been a while. Any comments, guys?

[jpod]

As far as tires go, switching from the Duelers to an all season touring tire is a good way to go. Touring tires are built for comfort and good overall performance in everyday driving. And almost any brand of touring tires would be less noisy than the Duelers or Continentals.

I've always liked Michelins but went with Cooper CS4s on my 04. There was dramatic improvement in noise, handling and traction. I will probably put CS4s on my 08 in a couple of months.

But whatever brand you go with, based on my experience with a lot of different types of vehicles and tires, I recommend that if you don't need SUV or light truck tires, switch to touring tires.

Happy Motoring
JPO

[Badgerland]

I second the Cooper CS4's!!! I wore down the OEM's to 3/32nds in 26,000 miles and didn't want to go through 1/2 the winter with less than adequate rubber. Although the noise level is somewhat reduced, the performance is dramatically enhanced. :)

[Cocodrie]

Ouuuuuuccccchhhhhh!!!!! Only 26k miles on OEMs? That's not acceptable.....with the light weight of the V, proper inflation, not rallying on the street, etc., I would expect more.

Guys, thanks for the Cooper recommendation, I had forgotten about them.......had a set on an Isuzu Rodeo '91, that went 60k miles. Will certainly check them out.

Cocodrie

[Badgerland]

Well, if it hadn't been the middle of winter I would have taken more miles on them but the handling was really getting bad. If it had been May...I would have burned another 10-15k out of them. If you look at the wear number for the OEM's it is only 30k anyway so 26k isn't all THAT bad.

[MrDCrV]

I second the Cooper CS4's!!! I wore down the OEM's to 3/32nds in 26,000 miles and didn't want to go through 1/2 the winter with less than adequate rubber. Although the noise level is somewhat reduced, the performance is dramatically enhanced. :)

From Tirerack
Tire Tech Information - Measuring Tire Tread Depth with a Coin (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=51)

Common Sense

However, as a tire wears it's important to realize that the tire's ability to perform in rain and snow will be reduced. With 2/32" of remaining tread depth, resistance to hydroplaning in the rain at highway speeds has been significantly reduced, and traction in snow has been virtually eliminated.

If rain and wet roads are a concern, you should consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 4/32" of remaining tread depth. Since water can't be compressed, you need enough tread depth to allow rain to escape through the tire's grooves. If the water can't escape fast enough, your vehicle's tires will be forced to hydroplane (float) on top of the water, losing traction.

If snow-covered roads are a concern, you should consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 6/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility. You need more tread depth in snow because your tires need to compress the snow in their grooves and release it as they roll. If there isn't sufficient tread depth, the "bites" of snow your tires can take on each revolution will be reduced to "nibbles," and your vehicle's traction and mobility will be sacrificed. Because tread depth is such an important element for snow traction, winter tires usually start with noticeably deeper tread depths than typical All-Season or summer tires. Some winter tires even have a second series of "wear bars" molded in their tread pattern indicating approximately 6/32" remaining tread depth to warn you when your tires no longer meet the desired tread depth.

[Cocodrie]

Hey Badgerland, I wasn't being critical or maybe I took your response wrong. You did the right thing changing out the tires for wintertime.
I just expect more out of my tires, even the OEMs. Down here we don't have the snow to contend with, but we do have a lot of rain.
My routine is this: tire pressure checked every week, brought back up if its changed. Tires rotated/balanced every other oil change, 6k miles.
Have the shop and equipment to do this.
Now, I want 40k outta the OEMs, and I'll let you know how I do, but this might take a while, my wife's last vehicle was 3 yrs old with 12k miles when she got the V. They'll probably get changed out for exposure reasons rather than tread wear.
.
The post with the info from Tire Rack is good info.

Checked out the Coopers...........thanks for the recommendation.

[Badgerland]

Hey Badgerland, I wasn't being critical or maybe I took your response wrong. You did the right thing changing out the tires for wintertime.
I just expect more out of my tires, even the OEMs. Down here we don't have the snow to contend with, but we do have a lot of rain.
My routine is this: tire pressure checked every week, brought back up if its changed. Tires rotated/balanced every other oil change, 6k miles.
Have the shop and equipment to do this.
Now, I want 40k outta the OEMs, and I'll let you know how I do, but this might take a while, my wife's last vehicle was 3 yrs old with 12k miles when she got the V. They'll probably get changed out for exposure reasons rather than tread wear.
.
The post with the info from Tire Rack is good info.

Checked out the Coopers...........thanks for the recommendation.

No worries...I rotated the tires each oil change and kept them at 32psi cold so I know I did all the right things. Looking at the wear numbers they are only 30k tires so 26k isn't all that unreasonable. Like I said, if it had been May, I would have burned some more miles before changing but old man winter was rearing his ugly head.