[Curious Dave]

My odometer just hit the 30,000 mile mark and my original set of Bridgestone Potenza tires are already shot. :-/ The inner and outer portion of the tread on all 4 tires is much more worn than the center. Strange! I kept the tires inflated to 44 psi, yet they still seemed to wear unevenly. My guess is that the combination of the narrow rear track of the car combined with the grooves and the angled slope of Florida highways has a lot to do with the odd wear pattern. Perhaps the roads and highways in Japan are more flat and less rough than those in the U.S.. Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone has a list of all of the different brands of tires that are available?? I've been reading in a couple of threads that it is best to stick with the RE92 Bidgestones, but I have to admit that I'm not much of a fan of Bridgestone tires. Any ideas?

 

[JeffKinTN]

How much do you care about your MPG"s?

- Yes, I care. Head to your friendly F/B dealer. I have been to two. Both kept them in stock. In fact a new dealer in town advertised our size in last week's mail.

- Nah, don't care. Many to chose from. Many threads to read with alternatives.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

The both edge wear is "normal" for the OEM Bridgestones.

But any other tire (AFAIK) isn't as LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) and MPG will suffer.

See:

Tire Comparison Test
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... 38&start=0

Its your car and choice.

HTH!

 

[Curious Dave]

I really hate to stick with Bridgestones but it sounds like that may be the best option in order to retain the best LRR. I've notcied that not only do the Bridgestones wear rather rapidly, but they also appear to go out-of- round in a relatively short period of time. If I jack up the front or rear end of my Insight and spin the wheels by hand, I can visually see the out of round condition on all 4 tires. :? This was before I boosted the inflation pressure from 38-40 up to the rated max. of 44 psi..

What about Yokohama? Yokohama has been one of my favorite tires for years and i've always had good results with them. I noticed that my owners manual lists Firestone/Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin, Dunlop,and Yokohama as OE tire options. Hmmm!! I wonder what brand of tire they use in Japan?

 

[Insightful Trekker]

I've notcied that not only do the Bridgestones wear rather rapidly, but they also appear to go out-of- round in a relatively short period of time.

<snip>

What about Yokohama? Yokohama has been one of my favorite tires for years and i've always had good results with them.

<snip>

The tolerance for tire runout is rather high for most cars. The Insight is no exception.

Did you _READ_ the links I gave :?: :roll: Yokohama's were the "other" tire. -12% in MPG :!:

AFAIK the OEM Bridgestone's are the only OEM tire for the Insight. Yes there are various manufacturers the make a size that will fit, but at an MPG penalty. If you want better handling then thats a topic for a different thread (and there have been several).

There are some Euro tires with similar LRR specs. But unless you know how to speak the language and have some shipping connections your in the same boat with the rest of us (no "equivalent" choice).

 

[Valiant118]

Interesting observations by the OP. My '04 had essentially the same wear at 31k when I bought it. However, because the idiot first owner neglected to rotate the tires, and ran them at around 28-30 psi, the rears were worn but still serviceable. I replaced all 4 with a fresh set of Potenzas and have been running them at 44 front, 40 rear. So far, so good. FWIW, anyone I've corresponded with that have tried using a different tire complain about reduced fuel mileage and no real improvement in wear or road noise.

 

[Curious Dave]

[quote="Insightful Trekker"
The tolerance for tire runout is rather high for most cars. The Insight is no exception. Did you _READ_ the links I gave :?: :roll: Yokohama's were the "other" tire. -12% in MPG :!:[/quote]






I thought the other tire brand in the test was Sumitomo?

 

[james]

I'm surprised you're only getting 30K miles. I bought my Insight used, with about 50K miles, and obviously not brand new tires. Replaced the front ones recently, at about 75K. The rear ones don't show much wear at all.

No idea why this should be so: I drive a lot of mountain roads with hairpin curves and such, so I'd think mine would be wearing out faster than average, wouldn't you?

 

[Curious Dave]

I'm surprised you're only getting 30K miles. I bought my Insight used, with about 50K miles, and obviously not brand new tires. Replaced the front ones recently, at about 75K. The rear ones don't show much wear at all.

No idea why this should be so: I drive a lot of mountain roads with hairpin curves and such, so I'd think mine would be wearing out faster than average, wouldn't you?

Hard to say for sure! I really think that sloped highways combined with rough asphalt have something to do with the abrasive wear pattern on the edges. I know that when it rains here in FL on a sloped highway, the car likes to get real wishy-washy and steering can become a real pain. Mix in some wind and things can get really hairy with keeping the car headed straight down the road. Especially if the hatch area is loaded with luggage and the gas tank is full. :roll:

 

[Insightful Trekker]

I thought the other tire brand in the test was Sumitomo?

You did :!:

and my BAD.

Sincerely,