f13.net

My specs-
Standard Size: 195/60R15
Standard Speed Rating: H
Standard Load Index: 88

I don't want to buy winter tires; I just need something that will last and not impoverish me. Anyone have suggestions? I have exactly zero expertise in this area, so I bow to your collective wisdom.

I've had shitty results with Firestone. I mean, SHITTY SHIT SHIT SHIT results. Douglas and Goodyear have both served me well, the Douglas being less expensive than most other tires I've seen.

I like Michelin.  Right now I have a set of (free) Continentals on my Maxima and they are crap.  Well, they are too soft and my ride is a bit... squishy?  More grip but response is crap.  I also need to have them balanced, and when I do I think I'm going to have them filled with nitrogen.

Nitrogen? Why?

OMG GOOGLE.  :awesome_for_real:

I would have to think the benefits of pure nitrogn over air would be negligible since air is already about 70% nitrogen.  I'm sure they are measurable in the extreme, but over the 50k mile lifespan of most road tires, is there really that much of a difference?  I have access to regulators and nitrogen tanks.  I guess I could always test it empirically.

You aren't locked into your exact size. You can probably go 185 or 200 wide and nudge up or down ~10% on the sidewall if you find a good deal on something. But 195/60 looks like a very common size, so you probably won't have to worry about it.

What about hydrogen? That would make the tires lighter and help gas mileage, right?

The Tire Rack (http://www.tirerack.com) is a good place to get an idea of what to expect to pay for tires and see some reviews of common brands, etc.  There's about 15-20 models in that size that's under $60 per wheel, mostly because there's a TON of cars that wear that size from the factory (Ford Focus, etc).

Most people are best-served by 'summer/performance' tires, though if you want a quieter (and generally longer-wearing) tire at the expense of ultimate grip, 'touring' tires may be better suited.  If it occasionally snows, consider 'all-weather' tires.

Personally, I live in one of the rainiest cities in the country and summer/performance tires have generally been fine for me, since it never snows here, and I generally don't drive like a freakin moron in inclement weather.  YMMV (Ha!)

I put a set of these (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+200&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&partnum=96HR5HTR200) on my old Focus when one of the OEMs got shredded (the others were due for replacement anyway) and was very happy with them overall, especially given the price.

The main benefit of nitrogen, despite the sales pitches, is likely the absence of water vapor.  Nitrogen molecules are made of two atoms just like oxygen, and the atoms aren't much "larger" if you could even say that.  Basically the benefit would be that your tires will maintain a more constant pressure through a wider temperature range.  If you're the kind of driver that doesn't feel or care what your tires are doing, just use regular air.  I'm probably going to be putting pearls on a pig with these Continentals, though.

What kind of car do you drive?

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/2005/February/02.html (http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/2005/February/02.html)

Nitrogen filled is pretty much BS.

I can read that sort of shit all the time, so tell me if you have tried it or not.

Mythbusters did an episode on that nitrogen/hydrogen thing and found it was all BS.

If it WERE true, don't you think all the tire places would be doing it and charging you an arm and a leg?

Mythbusters also can't start a fire with two sticks.  Or a power drill.  I am pretty sure that nitrogen is mostly crap, due to having some common sense and, well, driving a fucking car all the time, HOWEVER I'm getting actual anecdotes from people who know about cars who have tried it.  So far I just have one guy who fits that description, and even he says it's likely just about having dry gas in the tires.  Nija knows a lot about cars and I'd like to know if he has tried it.  Personal experience FTW.

Hydrogen atoms are so small that you would get genuine problems with leaking through, well, just about everything, even if the nitrogen thing (in the other direction) is nonsense.  Valves, thin patches in the tyre rubber.. everything.  This is the atom that can migrate through glass.

There are a bunch of other problems with it, not least being the fact that hydrogen is flammable and, if allowed to mix with air correctly (a vast range of concentrations frmo about one part in twenty to three parts in four), downright explosive.  Since you'd have a lot of it under pressure, you wouldn't want a rapid puncture in your garage with a spark around.

Another problem with hydrogen is hydrogen embrittlement: if many metals (like steel) remain in contact with it they become brittle, which is awkward for things like valves

I don't have any clue regarding the weight of the air in a given tire and what the effect on fuel costs would be of repeated changes of angular momentum due to acceleration and deceleration (especially since it is acting as a fluid, and since the frictional forces involved in accelerating the air are so low... tricky), but if you did find that it was measurable then I imagine you'd want to use helium, not hydrogen.

I didn't see that one.  Did they just try rubbing two sticks together and hope for the best?  Proud boast: I can start a fire with two sticks.  My friend's father was ex-SAS and he taught us a bunch of fieldcraft stuff like that.  It's hard work, expecially without a bow, but it can be done.  You need plenty of fine wood shavings, dry grass or something similar, though, and a lot of blowing.

www.tirerack.com (http://www.tirerack.com)

They have user reviews and recommendations - a lot of people come back to review their tires years later, so it's nice to see what some folks thought of their tires 2 years after they bought them.

People who think about their tires two years after they purchased them have too much fucking free time on their hands.

They tried a few methods, including the bow method.  In the final bit they used a stick glued to a power drill and still couldn't get it.  Then you can watch Les Stroud start a fire while suffering dehydration on the same channel.

Like we don't do the same thing here?

Or go to any Boy Scout camp and watch 12 year olds do it.

86 on the nitrogen in the tires.  About as useful as blinker fluid and headlight bearings.

It's a ricer/FastandtheFuriouswannabe myth.


Exactamundo.

Mythbusters kinda busted themselves on that one. Hard to take them seriously about anything.

For tires, also check consumer reports. Might not be the definitive source, but it's not supported by ads, so it's probably unbiased.