New Tire Suggestions?
 

When I visit my parents, I drive their 2007 Fit Sport (AT). The car has less that 10k miles. Yes, less than 10k.
I am taking the car in next week to have a couple of warranty recall items done, get the coolant changed, and have the tires rotated.
All other service items have been performed in the last year or two.
The tires' tread (original Dunlop) looks good. (The car is garaged.) But it occurred to me that the tires will likely be the next major expense. The car is mainly driven around the city.
Not looking to replace the rims, but I am wondering if there are decent candidates that will provide a smoother ride.

I'd say that's a purdy smooth ride already! 10k miles, 2007. Smoooooth! Enjoy!

Living in Portland, you will need some kind of winter protection with whatever tire you pick. I have the General Altimax RT43s on my Fit and find them very good, as does tirerack.com. I'm not sure any tire will make a big difference on ride comfort on these small Fits, but the RT43 seems to be rated well in that department too. The other suggestion would be the Kumho TA-71s, also rated well by tirerack customers.
For lots more money (I'm sure), you can go with the wonderfully rated Michelin Premier All Season, available on line or at your local Costco.

I live in PDX, where I just bought a 2017 EX in September.

My folks live in San Francisco, so there's no need for winter tires.

In any case, I am looking forward to swapping the tires on both cars when the proper time comes. Thanks for pointing out some nice choices.

You really should choose the softest tires you can based on the average amount of miles you drive annually. Tires are really only good for about 5 years from date of manufacture. The deteriorate from the time they're pulled out of the mold. So if you drive 6K miles a year you should be looking for tires that wear out around 30K miles.

There is some misinformation this statement.

"Soft" tires are not needed because of the area he lives or miles he drives. In fact tire manufacturers compounds are very advanced in tires now. There are many options to get a go all season tire that will be great for his area and/or average amount driven. Keep in mind though that all season tires are not great in snow. There are the jack of all trades you can say. For heavy snow or ice you need a dedicated winter tire. Really think about what your needs are for the tire; wear, improved fuel economy, performance, quiet, looks, etc. This will help with the tire choice.

Tires are good for typically 10 years. If they have been sitting on a shelf after production for 5 years and never installed it's not best to use. You are right that tires start yo deteriorate in time but that processes slows down when in use. Natural rubber which is one of the ingredients (along with synthetic rubber) is was breaks down over time but once a time is in use it starts to "heat cycle" which helps preserve the tire. Most tire manufactures will tell you to take a tire off the road after 10 years in use.

When my '08 Sport was totaled a year ago, I had already logged 80K on Michelin Defenders. albeit in 195/60 rather than the nominal 195/55 size. I found them to be wonderful tires, fairly quiet and smooth with good grip in the rain and fair grip in the snow.

If you're wondering how I got them to 80K, I performed regular rotations. They replaced a set of Michelin HydroEdge in the same 195/60 size, those got only about 50K.

Although the Michelin product is good you really shouldn't downgrade the tires performance rating. That Defender is a T speed rated when the Sport tire is H rated. When you downgrade a tires performance rating or speed rating you are changing the vehicle dynamics that were designed by vehicle manufacturer. The Fit was tested by Honda with that specific size and rating for reason. It is common in th tire industry to see people change things but you should understand what could happen. Some studies have been shown that for every speed downgrade you do on a tire you lose on average of 20 ft of stopping distance. Also the vehicle reaction/response timing is changed so that crisp feeling becomes "loose or sloppy". Just something to think about then it comes to safety.


Plus going with a 60 series tire compared to the stock 55 is also compromising the Fit overall performance due to the taller sidewall. Having a higher sidewall from the factory size will have more flex. This also raises the Fit's center of gravity causing more sway and less response on turns.

To many people you might not push your vehicle to an limit to notice these things but keep in mind they have changed. I state this because A. I work in the tire industry with one of the biggest and top tire manufacturers in the world. B. I have researched this stuff for many years as my job and as an enthusiast. I've tested many different brands in the field and what they do. C. I have race for many years with drag, autoX, and road race. I like to share this information because its good for people see what tires can do. Just remember you can cheap out on rubber but its the only thing that connects your vehicle to the surface. Safety should always be #1 whether is rubber, brakes, suspension, etc.

if all season tires, continental DWS06 no question. there is no other tire dat comes close to its performance at its price point.

these are actually better performing tires than most cheaper summer tires too. these are my go to tires for all season. and I hate all season tires in general (all season = no season)

I just bought a 2007 Fit and has Bridgestone Turanza tires. They are all season. Seem to be very good.

I'm actually also buying more performance oriented summer tires for my 86 and they will also be Bridgestone, S-04 Pole Position.

Overall Bridgestone is one of the top tire markers out there. Plus they are a Japanese company if you like Japan stuff haha :)