It's easy to do, you know you're "due" and you push it back a bit.

Took a good look at my treads today and wow, they are totally bare. I feel bad, and negligent. The car has 85k, the backs are original and the fronts were replaced (due to being slashed) a few years ago, but they probably have 60k on them.

I have the stock steelies and it was a big deal being able to source two tires a few years ago as apparently they were quite rare at the time.

I need to order a set this week, all-seasons, more performance end than eco. Need a supplier like Tire Rack that has them in stock and a recommendation on OE steelie sized replacements. I appreciate any feedback in advance. Thanks guys.

 

If you call Tire Rack and speak to one of their phone salespeople you won't go wrong. They're not just monkeys, they know their stuff. When I ordered (online) tires for my '02 Civic Si in the spring I goofed and ordered the wrong section height, and they called me to make sure I knew I was deviating from OEM size. I appreciated that.

 

Looking around, I see Michelin Pilot Sport AS 3s have good reviews all around, and aren't that expensive.

There's also some variant of Kuhmo Ecstas on there. Lots of J-body guys ran them with good results even running them on the drag strip & at autocross events.

Dunlop SP sport 01's seem to be higher rated on TireRack, but after seeing what the OEM Dunlops are like, I'm avoiding their tires from now on.

Continental ContiProContact seem like a good tire, but maybe not what you're looking for.

This is all assuming you want to use the stock 175/65/15 size.

 

I see you are in Chicago. Get on the Skyway and drive to South Bend Exit 72 which is US31 South. Tire Rack is at the first S.Bend exit on the south side of the toll road. You will see it just before you get off. Call ahead of time and they will have them pulled from the warehouse ready for you. They will install and balance them for you in about 1/2 hour. They also have Saturday hours (Eastern time zone)

 

You can use some slightly different sizes compared to OEM: 185/60-15, 185/65-15, even 195/60-15 will probably work on the steelies and are close enough to the original tire diameter to not be an issue.

When Jadzia's original Dunlops wore out, we replaced them with Pirelli P4 Four Seasons in 185/60-15 size. Nice tire: quiet, stick well especially on dry pavement (wet pavement can vary based on the composition: some asphalt is positively greasy when wet!), improved fuel mileage, and looks like they'll last a long time. We'll probably throw another set on Fiona early next year, her Dunlops should be toast by then.

You can get the Pirellis from Tire Rack, and also Discount Tire.

 

thanks guys for the well thought out responses. I had no idea the tirerack warehouse would mount and balance for you. I've always had a hard time buying into tire racks reviews/rankings, nice to hear feedback from the horse's mouth

 

I have very positive things to say about Tire Rack and customer service. I have never had them ship tires anywhere but I have bought many, many tires and have had most of them installed right there at their corporate HQ in South Bend. It is a HUGE warehouse so when you get there drive towards the Flags on the North East Corner of the building which is their main customer entrance. They have somewhere between 10 and 15 installation bays.

I know they have other warehouse locations in the country but I do not know where they are located. It is quite an operation

A couple years ago I bought new tires for my Blazer there and started out on a trip to Alaska. I noticed a slight vibration at 65 but not enough to do anything about it on the trip. After I returned, I took the car back to Tire Rack and said "I think one of the tires is slightly out of balance". They took the car and 15 minutes later said that all tires were in balance, but the two of them were were marginal on the side to side run out spec. They apologized that I had to wait while they "ordered" the replacements. When I asked how long the order would take, they said about 1/2 hour as they had to be ordered from the adjacent warehouse. They covered the entire replacement charges for free even though I had put many thousand miles wear on them. I was still in and out with two "free" new replacement tires in about an hour.

 

I dont know if you got new tires yet, but Ive got the 195/60-15 Yoko Avid Envigors on the stock steelies and couldnt be happier. That tire also comes in the stock size if you want. A narrower tire tends to work better in winter conditions, but I usually drive the Tundra when it snows. The last three sets of tires have come from Tirerack.