Tires Really Make a Difference
I knew it, but I guess I didn’t really know it. I do now — tires really make a difference. A week ago, I bought a new set of Michelin Primacy MXV4′s for my car. If I recall, this is the 3rd set of tires I’ve put on in the 100,000 miles I’ve put on it (in 10 years). I’ve needed them for a while, but I kept putting it off, because I knew they’d be a special order. Nobody stocks the size tires I need. As this October was the wettest October in Memphis history (at least since they started record keeping in the 1800′s), I finally got sick of slipping and sliding like I was on ice and called Sears up to get them to order the tires. They came in after a few days and I got them put on over lunch on Friday a week ago. The difference is dramatically different. The road noise, ride, and grip have all improved more than I expected. The most impressive change is in road noise. I knew my car was loud, but I just assumed it was because I’d pulled out the headliner and that it’s 20 or 21 years old. Sure, I realized there was some tire noise, but I didn’t think it was such a large contributor. Now, it’s like I’m driving a new car.
11/8/2009 – Slight update: Gas mileage increased as well. With one tank behind me I’d say 5%.
11/11/2009 – Further update, I would have been in an accident yesterday if it weren’t for the new tires. Cruising home from work and suddenly everything stopped. Lots of cars sliding and pulling onto the shoulder. I absolutely know the old tires would have let go, but I didn’t even get a chirp with these.
