QuestionQUESTION: Hi John,
I have a 1995 Chrysler Town & Country that needs new tires, I am planning on replacing all of them. Costco has a great price on the Michelin X-Radial DT but since it's a "club tire" I am not finding much in the way of online reviews and such for this tire. I was hoping you could give me an opinion on some questions on this tire. The first is noise - the T&C, like any minivan is a giant metal box that works wonderfully to amplify any tire noise. The current tires on the van - Toyos - are cheapies that came on the van when we bought it used a few years ago and have always made a terrible racket at highway speeds. I'd go nuts if I had to drive the van daily (fortunately I don't, it's my wife's vehicle) since I commute. Are the X-Radials better in this regard? I've read conflicting advice - some say that supposedly the rubber in 80K mile warranty tires is harder and makes more noise, others say the more expensive tires have better noise designs and are quieter, others say directional tires are more noisy than unidirectional tires, and still others say softer tires are noisier! The second question on these tires is the speed rating. The speed rating is a T rating, which is the same rating on just about all other comparable tires of this size by the other major manufacturers. However I read a posting online by a tire engineer who said for safety you should not buy a tire below an H rating because the failure rates of the lower rated tires are far higher than at H rating and above (failure rates at any speed, not just high speeds) and as a result there are even some countries in the world that prohibit tires to be sold that are not H rating or above. Do you have any opinion on this? Next question concerns the road hazard warranty. Costco does not offer free tire replacement - prorate ONLY and cannot be combined with any of their tire coupons. Most of the other dealers seem to offer free replacement within the first 25% of treadlife then prorate. Firestone's road hazard warranty offers free replacement throughout the warranty life of the tire. My concern with the road hazard warranty is that it appears that if you are much beyond 10-15% of tread that no matter what credit you get, if a tire fails your stuck at least buying a set of 2 so that tire circumfrence is the same on that axle. In your opinion are these RH warranties mostly a waste of money? Other than the Firestone one, it appears the credit you would get would not be large - plus the prorates are calculated off list, not actual sale price - and it seems they are full of exclusions anyway. My last question concerns lifetime balancing. Costco gives you free lifetime balancing - other dealers charge a bit for this. Once again I've read conflicting advice - some people say they've never had to rebalance a tire, others say you do.
One last thing - I bought a lifetime alignment on the van years ago and I bring it into the shop every year or so to have it's alignment checked and reset if needed.
Thanks very much!
ANSWER: Ted,
I will do my best with your questions. If I missed any, just write back.
Here is a link for info on the tire.
http://www.michelinman.com/tires/passenger-car-minivan/x-radial-dt/#footnote-3
As for noise, I have not heard if harder or softer is better or not.
I prefer softer tires for less noise.
Now if you want a good tire with no noise, then look at the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus. I own them and they are nice.
Link:
http://www.michelinman.com/tires/luxury-performance-touring/energy-mxv4-plus/
As for speed rating, I have heard of that report but I have never had a tire go out or fail under the rated speed rating.
So if the speed rating for the mini van is T, then it will be fine.
As for Road hazard, they are always a good idea.
The 25% is basic free replacement under probate anyway, thats why some offer first 25%. Always get a mgr. booklet for the warranty when you buy. Just ask for it.
Make sure it covers flat repairs. But if you can find a RH ( no longer offered where I live ) it saves you money. Say you have a tire fail at 50%, thats 50% covered.
But the main one to look for is free flat repair and tire rotation.
Tire rotation is every 6000 miles and all tires should have there balance checked and re-balance if needed then. In order to get the max tire life and best tire wear, the tires need to be balance each time you have get a rotation done. Tires wear, making the balance off.
Hope this helps,
John
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks! I checked and the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus isn't available in the size I need 205 70 15. Only Harmony and Destiny and X Radial. And the first 2 are lower mileage warranty.
ANSWER: Here is link of all tires in that size.
http://www.michelinman.com/action/tires/find-by-tire-size/
I recommend the ( in order )
Destiny
Weatherwise II
Symmetry
Do NOT get the Harmony! They are junk. I had them once, and it is the only tire made by Michelin that I do not like. I had problems stopping on dry roads and slide on wet roads. I could not stop. I had a person tell me about a different problem they had with these tires from this site. They are very unsafe.
John
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi John,
Thanks - but the link doesen't work when looking up the Destiny tire. I did a little more research and discovered the Destiny is mainly sold in Canada - and in fact, the Canadian-locale of the Michelin website DOES have the tire specs. In fact, the UTQG rating of the Harmony and Destiny is identical, as are all other specs (at least, for my size) according to that website - here's the links:
http://www.michelinman.ca/specs/harmony/1257.html
http://www.michelinman.ca/specs/destiny/1724.html
For all intents and purposes it appears that they are the same tire, just different model names. The tread is different, if you click on the enlarged pictures, but the only difference is in the center strip the sipes face opposite the grain of the sipes on the rest of the tire on the Harmony. Maybe that has something to do with worse water control?
The interesting thing the website also reveals is that the X-Radial also has MOSTLY the same specs as the Destiny and Harmony with one critical difference - the tread depth. On the Harmony, the tread depth is 11/32 on the X-Radial the tread depth is 10/32. The center strip is also missing on the X-Radial tread. Maybe that is why the difference. However small the 1/32 is, it is pretty critical to the road hazard warranty from Costco, where the X-Radial is sold. Costco will only replace a failed tire under the road hazard warranty if the tread is more than 9.5/32 worn. If the tread is worn down more than that, they will only prorate. A half of a 32nd is not a lot of miles.
AnswerOk, since that link is not working, here they are.
HydroEdge®
Enlarge
Sidewall: Black Sidewall
Model # (MSPN): 40433
Benefits
Lasts Up To 33,000 Miles Longer Versus the Competition1
The Most Fuel-Efficient Tire in the Category2
Better Braking — 14 Feet Shorter Than the Competition
Harmony®
Enlarge
Sidewall: Black Sidewall
Model # (MSPN): 23967
Benefits
Lasts Up To 15,000 Miles Longer Than the Competition1
Quiet, Comfortable Ride
Up to 15% Better Snow Traction Than the Leading Competitior1
Symmetry®
Enlarge
Sidewall: ???tire.sidewall.WSW???
Model # (MSPN): 51587
Benefits
Quiet, Comfortable Ride
Precise Control in Wet Conditions
Go Farther With Each Tank of Gas1
Destiny™
Enlarge
Sidewall: Black Sidewall
Model # (MSPN): 03293
Benefits
Get More Miles For Your Money3
Enjoy A Quiet, Comfortable Ride
Sure Grip In Wet And Snow
X® Radial
Enlarge
Sidewall: Black Sidewall
Model # (MSPN): 25498
Benefits
Get More Miles For Your Money
Enjoy A Quiet, Comfortable Ride
Sure Grip In Wet And Snow
Weatherwise® II
Enlarge
Sidewall: Black Sidewall
Model # (MSPN): 36114
Benefits
Get More Miles For Your Money3
Enjoy A Quiet, Comfortable Ride
Sure Grip In Wet And Snow
Go to www.michelin.com
click on find tire by tire size.
The Harmony and Destiny are not identical.
They look identical, but when you look at the sipes, they are different. Sipes are what stop the tire.
The X-Radial is also very different.
As for the tread depth, each prorate depends on the amount of tread. 10, 11, or higher.
So the tread depth will not effect the road harazd program. If one tire starts at 10 32nds and one starts at 11 32nds, each will be prorate at there level.
Just because the UTQG is the same, it is not the same tire. They just passed the tests with the same number, which is common.
Also every tire that Michelin makes, is full depth.
Hope this helps,
John
