My son's 2015 Fit used up the original tries in 29, 462 miles. They had about 3/32" left on them. That's not bad for original tires. He replaced them with Michelin Premier A/S from Tirerack.

 

I gleened over Tirerack's web page, but could not tell if customers pay separately for mounting at one of their approved shops or if it is part of tire's cost.

 

Replaced mine also with the Michelin Premier A/S from Discount Tire. Great service and price same as Costco. Excellent handling tire (but caveat not tried out yet in wet conditions because it's summertime in San Diego!). Did reduce my gas mileage by mayble 1 to 1.5 mpg. 60K mileage rated/warranty included in price. I've always had great results with Michelins on all my cars. Just drove up and back to Los Angeles at steady 70 mph and got 42 mpg (per the car computer). Previous trips usually bit a wee bit better (but could be affected by other factors like temp and head/tail winds).

 

If you buy wheels and tires from them, the mounting is free. Otherwise, you're on your own. I mount them myself with a $45 machine from Harbor Freight. I also tend to go to CT to pick them up from tirerack. I save almost $60 that way.

 

How do you balance them?

 

I have a bubble balancer and clamp-on and stick-on weights.

 

Got a Link to the mounting machine? How well does it work (IE, any chance of scratching the rims)?

 

They list two of them, and they look identical. I think I've done my last tire change. I've had this since 2003, and I've done dozens of changes. I've decided that I'm going to pay someone to do it next time. Everything is fairly easy - except that last step. Getting the final section of the tire over the edge of the wheel can be a killer. It will almost be on, and it will come undone.

Manual Tire Changer

As for scratching the wheel - yes, a definite possibility, but if you're careful, it's nothing to be concerned about.

The best way to do this is to order wheels and tries from tirerack, but you don't want new wheels every time you buy tires. I emailed them and asked if they could mount tires if I picked them up there, in CT. They said that should be okay. That's what I'll do next year when I need tires on mine.

 

You're fortunate to live so close to TireRack. I'm envious.

 

Michelin Premier AS looks like the best tire out there for those who plan on driving them for 30,000 miles, especially if you live in an area where it rains a lot. This is due to their retaining wet traction as they wear. Consumer Reports indicated that their wet stopping distance when new was only slightly above average, but no change after half the tread was gone. Tire Rack's tests suggest very good to excellent wet stopping when new.
Several people on the Chevy Volt forum have also reported that they are great tires but also that their mileage decreased some. That is a bit surprising given that it is their newest tech. However, sticky tires tend to have more rolling resistance.

 

I buy a lot of tires from Tire Rack for all kinds of vehicles that we own. I always drive to their warehouse in South Bend and have them installed there. It costs me $10.00 per wheel for mounting, with new valve or TPMS transfer and balancing. I do not pay shipping but I do get stuck for Indiana sales tax.

I had one set of tires that had a little vibration at 65. I drove to British Columbia and back on them before going back to Tire Rack. They replaced all 4 no charge even though they had about 8000 miles on them. They also gave me a gift certificate for $50.00 because of the trouble I went through. I used that certificate 2 years later when I put new tires on my motorhome. I have other good stories about them.

If you are not local to them, they have approved installers all over the country. You look up a local installer on their web site.

For a long time I used Sam's Club and Costco. Now Tire Rack gets all of my business.

Do not ask me about Discount Tire. I do not like writing negative reviews on the Internet.

 

When i bought my 2015 with 18,000 miles, the original tires were MESSED up, worn at random spots on the tire like the suspension was only halfway-bolted-on. Made a massive noise.

 

I expected about 25-30K our of the OEM Firestone tires, but by 20,000 I ended up replacing them. A bad rear axle (bad alignment-no adjustment possible-replaced under warranty) wore the right rear tire excessively. First FWD car I've ever owned that wore the rear tires faster than the fronts.


At 20K, one tire was down to 2/32, one at 4/32 and two at 5/32. I didn't want to buy one tire, so I opted to replace all four.

 

That happens to me too. What becomes of tires that are not completely worn out?

 

My guess is that the mechanic takes them and puts them on HIS car.


I know this happened with my Harley once. Unlike some, I try to replace my tires before they become too worn. I remember once I had a rear tire replaced and one of the buddies of the mechanic actually put my worn tire on his bike as it was better than the one he had at the time, and he had no money for a new tire.

 

It would please me to know my not-so-worn tires get another life before being sent to the landfill.