[klmulder]

Two mechanics have told me that my 2001's Potenza tires need replacement ASAP. I've never had tires that wore out so quickly in 30 years' of driving (at merely 30,000 miles, and, in the relatively mild climes of Virginia)...and to my consternation, looking up independent ratings of these OE Potenza tires gave me very dismal reviews.

Can I hear more from those folks who switched to 175's, or other tire brands that Insight owners recommend? The Potenza tires definitely lack traction in snow and heavy rain, as well, so I'm eager to be rid of them. [Does anyone know if the wear might have been affected by the fact that this car (unbelievably) sat on the lot for a year, registering a mere 12 miles on the speedometer when I bought it in 2002?]

Otherwise extremely pleased Insight owner, KLM

 

[Resist]

The OEM tires on my 2001 CVT needed replacing at 14,000 miles. The sidewalls were all cracked up. The car is kept outside and the California sun is harse on tires. But I chose to replace them with the same tires.

 

[Calpod]

Mine were replaced at 80,000 miles, they still looked fine but I was making a cross country drive and I didn't want to take a chance, I have 55,000 miles on the second set and they still look good.

Tires usually have to be replaced after 5 years, as the sidewalls start getting cracks, I wouldn't feel safe driving with cracks on the tires.

 

[Kuma]

Potenza delamination

I bought my 2001 used so I don't know the milage on the tires, but they were still street legal - they also had side cracks (small). One of them delaminated at 80 MPH. I fish tailed and flew off the road. It is in the shop being repaired. A friend at work said he had driven a relative's Insight and the tires blew out twice in one month. I had mine at around 40 PSI. A tire should never delaminate at all. How many others have experienced delamination or sudden blowouts with Potenzas? :?:

 

[Resist]

Well any cracks on the sidewalls should have been an indication to you that the tires were not safe. You can't just use the tread depth as an indication of how safe tires are.

 

[Rick Reece]

I still have 1 tire on the car from when I bought it. It has about 130K miles on it. I replaced the other 3 when in the 90-100K range. The tire with 130K miles still has plenty of tread (I replaced the other 3 due to sidewall deterioriation and expect this one will have sidewall failure before the tread wears out. Have fun, Rick

 

[Kuma]

How the disparity in milage for tires?

I believe you when you said you have ultra milage on your tires. I just wish to know what you are doing differently from those that get only 30,000 on their Potenzas and you get over 100,000. :shock:

I only had my car a few weeks before the accident - I was going to get an oil change and new tires the week it blew.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Re: How the disparity in milage for tires?

Low / Mid speed hard cornering and underinflation take its toll. "straight" line, even hi speed (80 MPH) is _much_ easier on wear. Although straight line mid speed will be even easier :!:

And if their out of alignment...


HTH!

 

[onefstsnake]

I wore out my factory tires in 10,000 miles... 8)

Must have been those E-Brake burnouts everyday...

 

[Scott]

I imagine any tires could be worn out in 10K or less depending on how one drives....... me personally, I'm hoping to get the max miles out of my OEM's, currently 32K and looking pretty good.

 

[Skimmer]

To answer the original question by klmulder: spend some time looking at tire threads on this forum. There is lots of input on the subject.

The choice is more difficult for the Insight because most people want a tire that will retain the low-rolling resistance benefits of the stock tires, otherwise you will take a mpg hit. One option is the Goodyer Integrity, which has gotten good reviews from some people on here and is the OEM tire on Toyota Prius. Another option is the Sumitomo HTR 200, which is rated as a LRR tire by an outfit called Green Seal (look for their website and their .pdf report on LRR tires).

I took a different path and opted to upgrade to a high-performance "summer" tire in 195/55/14. It's the Dunlop SP8000. Handling and ride quality are hugely better compared to OEM. I did take a slight hit in mpg (maybe -5 mpg overall) but the tradeoff has been worth it for me.

Whatever you do, most any choice will be better than the Potenzas in terms of handling and ride quality.

 

[jrrs]

fwiw, since many people mention that they consider the OEM tyres to be terrible at handling (people here, people in magazines, etc), i feel compelled to say that personally, i do not find the tyres deficient in handling quality at all.

 

[figgy]

I also don't want those considering an Insight to thiink the stock tires are unsafe. They are fine. They have some quirks about tracking and such, and I wouldn't use them for wild driving on Hwy 1, but overall they are just fine. You can turn, stop, start, do all the usual things.

The difference would show up in an extreme emergency situation, or when you drive hard around corners and the like. When I am on the OEMs I wish I were on the sticky tires, and when I am on the sticky tires, I wish I were on the OEMs. Right now you can't have the benefits of both in the same tire.

It is the old apples and oranges debate. One day we will have 'oranples' or something, but until then you have to have oranges one day and apples the next. They are both nice, but quite different.

 

[Dougie]

I was in a tire store today and they said that the stock tire costs $79 and has a one month waiting list... Luckly I was in there to get a nail out of the tire of another car!

 

[devin1955]

I was in a tire store today and they said that the stock tire costs $79 and has a one month waiting list... Luckly I was in there to get a nail out of the tire of another car!

Costco has them for $59.99. If they don't have a tire in stock, they usually get them in just a few days. A month or two ago though they were pushing Bridgestones and I actually saw the RE92's there.

 

[Tman]

Potenzas

Checked yesterday at the Tire Rack. They were $52 each plus shipping

 

[Rick]

If there's a Costco near you (and you have a membership) they will be cheaper at $60 each because that includes mounting, balancing, warranty... the works. Tire Rack, while a good source for hard to find tires, price only includes the tire. You have to get it mounted yourself.

I discovered on GEM Cars (http://www.gemcar.com if you don't know what I'm talking about) I can make a 14" wheel fit and since they're electric I decided to play with our LRR tires. Outcome, I actually increased Range and top speed. I get to work on friend's cars sometimes and whenever they see mine with big wheels they want them immediately so I just put in an order for my 4th set of Potenza's, and hey gotta keep the demand up for these tires.

 

[Skimmer]

fwiw, since many people mention that they consider the OEM tyres to be terrible at handling (people here, people in magazines, etc), i feel compelled to say that personally, i do not find the tyres deficient in handling quality at all.

If you're ever in the Golden State, look me up and I'd be glad to give you a ride in my Insight with Dunlop SP8000 tires. I think you'll feel differently about this statement afterwards! :wink: