Jetta diesel owner seeks inexpensive summer tire

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The Toyo Open Country H/T might just fill bill for Honda CR-V owner.

John Mahler

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Q: Do you have any suggestions on a cost-effective P195/65R15 summer tire? I am in Deep River and have a set of snow tires. I am trying to buy North American-made. My original tires were Goodyear LS 91H. Do I really need 91H on a diesel Jetta?

A: The most cost-effective tire in your size is the General Altimax HP. It is available from a variety of places including Canadian Tire. General Tires were generally less than state of the art. That changed when Continental took over. The newer designs, including the Altimax HP, are excellent value and offer great performance.

You don't necessarily need the 91H rating. The H is the speed rating (really stiffness) and the 91 is load index (how much weight the tire can carry). You can do without the H but you should stick to the factory load rating. However, you will be hard-pressed to find a tire within your size that has a 91 load index that is not H-rated. So stick with the H.

As for buying North American, that is a real tough call. All the tire companies manufacture all over the world.

Some sizes that are made in Canada could also be made in Bulgaria. That is actually the case in a recent letter from a reader.

When a wholesaler orders tires, there is no way of knowing where they will be coming from. They come from whatever plant has inventory or is currently making that size and model of tire.

Q: I own a 2007 Honda CR-V AWD and have to replace the tires. I have Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires on rims.

I was not very happy with the OE Honda tires as the tread is worn out already and they are only used for seven months of the year and may have 40,000 km on them.

The dealer is recommending Toyo Open Country tires for $740 plus tax installed and balanced. I checked the Toyo website and see that these are all-season tires. My thoughts are since I have snows on rims, should I not be buying a summer tire?

A: Your dealer has made a good recommendation. The Open Country H/T has a projected wear rate of 100,000 kilometres. An all-season tire makes more sense than a summer-only tire because they usually have higher tread wear ratings.

Plus they can be used earlier in the year and later into the fall because they have better grip in cool temperatures than a summer-only tire on cold days.

Q: My 2002 Honda Civic SiR came modified with P215/40R17 Yokohama Parada summer tires. Wicked high-performance, but low tread wear and harsh riding.

They need replacing and I'd like to get something a little less hard-core, if possible. I'm willing to sacrifice some grip for something slightly less hard riding if possible. Could I increase the side wall height by going slightly narrower and maintain the same ratio?

A: That is a big step up in tire sizing. So to cut to the chase first, you will not get much improvement in ride quality unless you go down to 16- or 15-inch wheels. A couple of millimetres of sidewall height will not yield any feelable difference in ride quality.

However, tire longevity is another matter. The Parada is a very quick-wearing tire with lots of grip. Your Paradas have a tread-wear rating of 300. Higher ratings last longer.

For better wear, I would consider these tires, all available in your size (wear ratings in brackets): Yokohama H4S (500), General Altimax HP (440), Pirelli P-Zero Nero (400), and the Continental ContiExtremeContact (400).

To improve your ride quality the most, the Altimax HP would be the least stiff.

Also play around with your tire pressures by dropping them 2 p.s.i. for a few weeks and see if the handling and grip are still good for what you want.

Email tire questions to John Mahler at thetireguy_1@hotmail.com. Please include vehicle's make, model and year, tire brand and size, as well as your name, address and phone number. Volume of mail prevents us from answering all queries or providing personal replies.

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