Tire Query

Folks, after finally returning to a reliance upon true winter tires,
I'm looking for good quality 3-season tires for a 2001 Civic sedan.
Out on the Canadian prairie, 80% of my driving is good highway, with
10% city and 10% daily gravel. Looking for an excellent highway
performer that has very good tread life. My previous 3 -season (BFG
T/80) never made it to a 2nd winter (about 45K km's and worn).
Looking for any and all opinions on the current crop of tires.

 

Despite recent mixed reviews on TireRack.com (after previously having
mostly positive reviews), the Goodyear Regatta 2 is a decent tire if cost
is a factor. I put them on my '93 Accord last spring, and so far they
have performed quite well. Winter traction is surprisingly decent, but I
think I'm still going to get winter tires for next winter. My first
choice of all-season tire was the Bridgestone Turanza LS-T, but nobody in
my area carried Bridgestone tires at the time. But as (bad) luck would
have it, a tire outlet that sells Bridgestone opened up here just one week
after I bought the Goodyears. :-/

 

I am not sure of the size you need, and I'm too lazy to look it up. But I
bought Goodyear Assurance TripleTred and LOVE them. They cut through
puddles very easily. Can't comment on the snow aspect as I live in Florida.
The sidewalls are stiffer than what you probably have, which will increase
cornering performance. They are a bit noisier than the extra soft
Michelins, but most harder rubber tires are. Throw in the 80k mile (~129k
km)treadlife warranty, not a bad deal at all... heck, I still love them. If
you detail your car, the sidewalls stay black a lot longer than I ever
expected... just a perk.

<http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Assuran
ce+TripleTred>

They seem to come in a variety of smaller sizes. I think I paid $99 each
(out the door) at Discount Tire for 205/65-15

-keith
tallahassee, fl

 

You didn't say what Civic model or what size tire. If you're
staying stock size, then it's 185/65-R15 for the EX or 185/70-R14
for other trim levels. The only summer tires listed by the Tire
Rack in 185/65-R15 is the Fuzion HRi for $43US. Fuzion is a
bargain performance line from Bridgestone. In 185/70-R14 they
only list the Sumitomo HTR 200 for $39US.

If you're really looking for something that lasts, there's going
to be far more choices in all-seasons. Many of the all-seasons
are going to be fine performers, except maybe at the limits. It
doesn't sound like the summer tire choices for the Civic are
great either, unless you're going plus size.

I'm thinking Michelin HydroEdge. Unless you're autocrossing, it's
not likely to matter. There are some reports which estimate a
life of 80,000+ miles.

<http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=HydroEdge>

Oh - I wouldn't take the ratings on the Tire Rack too seriously.
There's no way that tire is going to outperform some really
high performance speed-rated tires. I think it's all about the
expectations of the average family car driver who is going to
buy this particular tire.