Hi everyone-
I'm at 31K and my front tires are totally beat up so time to replace. The back are still in really solid shape....well above the indicator. (I rotated the first oil change but didn't after that, which is probably to blame for the fronts being so much worse)

So...I'm a bit overwhelmed by the massive amount of info about tire size, brands, etc so figured I'd lay out my specific wants/needs and see if I could get some advice.

First question: Do I replace all 4, or buy two new ones for the rears and move the existing rears to the front?

Second (and more important) question: I have a 2012 base model that currently has 175/65/15. Seems like a lot of people have gone with 185/60/15 for their second set. Here are my specific needs:

1. I don't really care that much about "performance" type issues...the car is a commuter and occasional road tripper.
2. I live in central TX so this car will almost never see snow. Lots of heat, however...summers are 95F+ for 3-4 months.
3. The two factors i probably care most about are road-noise and lifetime.

Any suggestions on what would be a good tire choice? I've sort of casually been looking at the Yokohama Avid Ascends and Michelin Defenders....but I'm not exactly well-versed in this area so figured I'd lean on the expertise of the board for guidance.

 

Check out tire rack they have those categories scored on their site. You find the perfect tire for your needs looking at their survey results. I have a sport, so I'm not sure about the size recomendation. There are some tire size calculators on the web that will tell you if the tire size change will change the speedometer.

 

185/60R15 tires are a wee bit smaller diameter than the stock ones, so the speedometer reads a tiny bit high. 195/60R15 tires are a wee bit larger diameter than the stock ones, so the speedometer reads a tiny bit low. They're theoretically about equally wrong—by maybe a couple mph at highway speeds. Different tire models also differ slightly in diameter, even for the same nominal size, and of course the diameter changes a little bit as the tire wears as well.

The main reason to go with them vs. the stock size is that they're more popular sizes so there are more tire choices available.

Unless on a budget, I would replace all four. The stock tires are nothing special, not by a long shot. There are plenty of tires that will give a quieter ride and longer life and not break the bank. However, if money is a concern, you could get away with replacing only two.

I know many people will say it's dangerous and you're prone to die an instant death if you do it, but I would actually suggest putting the new tires (if you only get two) on the front wheels. Less traction on the back tires can lead to oversteer, but the Fit suspension is set up to rather strongly favor understeer (as is common for most front wheel drive cars), and the vehicle stability control also works to help prevent oversteer. The advantage is that you get better traction for the drive and steer wheels in poor conditions—admittedly perhaps more of a concern in snow, which you aren't likely to encounter.

I'm one of the people who replaced the tires with 185/60R15 tires (no-name/house brand tires as suggested by my local tire store). The new tires, which are now old tires and which I'll have to replace before winter, have been superior to the original ones—somewhat quieter, and longer wearing, and a bit better riding. I tend to rack up the miles at a pretty good clip.

 

I woul d agree with not getting another set of dunlops if that was your oem tire. I got coopers and I'm super happy with performance (I'm in ohio with rain &snow)and durability. For you, I would not get coopers because they are a bit loud, but I paid a lot less than the dunlops would've cost. Also I would check around, my dealership was trying to charge me $159 per tire then $250 for each mount and a new pressure sensor. $1636 is about $1000 more than i spent on my bigger, better performing coopers. Apparently I didn't need new sensors.
I would also like to agree about tirerack.com. they seem to be reasonably priced & read of other members using them.

 

For me I got 205/50-16 for a super cheap price than the OEM sizes. I think these were $45 a tire, since I only need them to last about a year or so I'm doing okay. Has anybody thought about 205/50-15s?

 

[QUOTE=dbart2;1320023

First question: Do I replace all 4, or buy two new ones for the rears and move the existing rears to the front?

[/QUOTE]

You never want the "good ones" in the back. ALWAYS up front if you only buy two.

 

I've had General's Altimax HP tires on my Fit for several years and loved them. Though now they are discontinued, this is their newer style. Mine were a directional tread. Smooth, quiet, no weird problems with treadwear or handling, good price here on TireRack.com:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....t&autoModClar=

 

Buy 4.

Tires are the single most important thing that you can do for your car. Never pick tires as the place to save money. Always buy the best that you can afford, and, when you can afford better, buy better.

Generally, I am fond of Michelins, but I just changed out my OEMs for Yokohamas. Too early to tell about the Yokos, but they got good reviews on Tire Rack.

Good luck.

 

If you are trying to save $ on tires, there is places in my area that buy decent used tires to resell. Not that I would EVER buy or suggest buying used tires but if 2 of your current are decent you might be able to get some money back for them. when I had mine changed it was mostly because a pothole put a gouge in the sidewall and the roadhazzard warrentee didn't cover claiming too much tread wear (less than 5000miles in). the place I got tires from asked me if I wanted them. after telling them I never wanted to see those tires again they told me that's what they do with them

 

The dealers are always going to suggest that you put the new tires on the back. They are morons, for FWD cars the new tires NEED to go on the front. New tires on the back will completely disrupt the roll center of the car and can cause a dangerous situation.

 

Falken Ziex ZE912s. A lot of people complain about them being cheap, but I've owned a lot of tires in my days, and I've never been happier than when I got my Falkens. They come in the stock size which does just fine for most applications (I drive fairly... enthusiastically... without issue.)

If you can find some Toyos for a decent price, I had good experience with them, too. Had a set on my Corolla, and they did the trick. But by the time they were swapped, I was long overdue for new ties, and forgot how the stock ones were. No idea what the stock ones were on my Corolla, just that they were alright. You could corner pretty hard with them, and they didn't break loose or understeer.

 

This statement is incomprehensible to me.

If you are rotating your tires regularly, all four tires will wear at about the same rate. Therefore, you should replace all four tires at the same time.

Saving money on tires for your car is like saving money on wings for your airplane. Really? Is that where you want to be able to brag that you got a "really great deal"?

 

Used tires? You mean like used sushi?

Sure? Why not? Such a deal!

 

lots of opinions. I just replaced my original dunlops. I hated the road noise. I found that the Michelins in this size were only a few dollars more than the discount brands, to I got them. I am soooooo happy with them. They are so much quieter.

 

The General Altimax RT43 are a good tire for a low price (< $65 each with rebate ) . Have the H rated on the '13 FIT since last October . Very little road noise , soak up bumps well and still good F.E.. Click on emblem for gas mileage since October '14 . Not sure if we'll leave them on for this winter or get new snow tires . They did quite well for the winter . Still suggest snow tires . Consumer Reports just rated the T and H . The Ts'are slightly better for winter .

 

Which Yokohamas did you get? Do you like them after driving on them for several months?

 

I bought the Yokohama Avid Ascend (T-Speed Rated) Standard Touring All-Season Tire. $85.10 ea.

They are fine so far. But not as pretty as Michelins. And I do like a pretty tire.

 

I just replaced my OEM Dunlop 7000s with the Yokohama Avid Ascends. Quieter, stickier and less roller resistance than the Dunlops. I love them. And only one tire (Michelin) is higher rated in that size on TireRack and they are $41 more per tire.

 

having 4 new put on my '13 fit next week. really wanted to try michelin this time. but $60 more per tire, in the end i couldn't justify that.
had a pair of coopers on my element that worked well. went with the cooper cs5. 205/50/16 hope they work out was well as the element tires did

 

I'm not sure where you got this information, but your "morons" statement is incorrect. The reason that dealers and tire shops put the new tires on the back is a safety issue. Tires with less tread (but not down to the wires) will grip better than new tires on dry pavement. This changes once you throw rain and snow in the mix as the worn rear tires in rain or snow would have less grip than the front tires. This causes a situation where the rear tires fail to keep the rear-end in line, a condition more commonly known as over-steer.

Installing the new tires on the rear of the vehicle will cause a more predictable, and less dangerous situation for most drivers, under-steer condition. It's safer to have a vehicle plow forwards because it can't turn rather than have a car spin out in turns or when coming to a hard stop.

Replace all of the tires on one axle if funds are tight. You might affect the handling if you get tires that have a different stiffness to the sidewall, or a different grip rating. I recommend all four if you can swing it, and don't forget to rotate those tires. Dealer says every other oil change for mine and my wife's vehicles, but that caused the tires on her Civic to wear funny. I go every oil change. Seems excessive, but I don't have to deal with funny wear patterns so long as I keep the suspension components tight.