I’m about to purchase new tires for my 2006 Honda Accord LX 4 door. Right now it has the original Michelin’s on it - of course I would like Michelin’s but the tire store has suggested Federal brand tires. I’m not familiar with these, anyone know about them?
Thanks,
T
www.1010tires.com and www.tirerack.com both have good consumer feedback sections. I’d suggest visiting there.
Personally, I’ve been very happy with the Cooper Zeon tires I have on my Scion tC.
I’ve always had good luck with Michelin’s. Consumer Reports usually ranks them fairly high also (depending upon type).
If you like Michelin, get Michelins. Why risk the unknown?
You have not given us the reason the tire store is pushing Federal but it may be for their own sales benefit rather than yours.
They are a budget tire made over in Taiwan or China. They make be okay as no particular brand has a all star or losers. Typically each tire maker have a few great ones and the rest average and a few duds. Typically shops push budget tires and ones like Kumho as the their price is so low they can mark these up more and still make the customer feel they get a decent deal vs a more common branded tire like Goodyear, Michelin or Bridgestone. The markup is less on pricier tires in general within a given size.
If you were happy with the Michelin’s why compromise? There are many retail clubs and places like Walmart that sell them too. My best advice is call around and ask for installed quotes. I found a $25-$35/tire difference in price compared to lowest when I called three places on my last set of Nokian tires.
I’ve only heard of them and have never used them. They appear to be a Taiwan Chinese made tire and odds are the store is suggesting them because they’re making more money per tire than on the Michelins. It’s amazing just how cheap things can be produced over there.
If you’re happy with the Michelins then either stick with them or go to tirerack as mentioned and read up on reviews and tire specs. There are a number of quality tires out there if you decide to go with something other than Michelin.
I’ve used tirerack a number of times depending on the tire needs and often, but not in all cases, tirerack may be cheaper on the same tire than one available from the local tire shop. Just purchased another set of tires from TR and mounted them up day before yesterday. Even with the shipping and mounting costs the tires came out about 25 dollars PER tire less than the same tire available locally so it was worth a 100 bucks to order them. TR will also ship the tires to an installer in your area and TR also gets the product out lightning fast; usually 2 days from the order time. Mine were shipped out last Mon. morning and I had them by noon on Tuesday.
JMHO and hope it helps in your decision.
ALL TIRE stores will try to sell you the tires they make the MOST profit on…PERIOD…
If they don’t sell a certain brand…it’s ALWAYS because that brand is lousy or the brand they carry is SO MUCH BETTER.
As for Michelin. I think they make an EXCELLENT tire. HOWEVER…Their prices are way out of proportion with other EXCELLENT tire companies. I’ve been riding on Coopers for years now…EXCELLENT tire and about 40% LESS then the Michelins.
I have always found Goodyear to be a good mix of economy and longevity and that’s all I pretty much use now. I’ll get 80-90K on a set of tires and they perform well in the summer and winter, and don’t get killed buying them. Just depends what type and line though.
If you purchase Michelin you may want to make sure it is the same as original. I have heard that Michelin makes a special tire for some of the large retailers that is not the regular Michelin.
I have always had good luck with BF Goodrich tires. Good quality tire at a economical price. Plus I think Michelin makes BF Goodrich tires.
The factory Michelins that came on the Accord are pretty crappy for snowy conditions.
If you have the 15 inch rims on the Accord, buy this:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Exalto+A%2FS&partnum=065HR5EXAS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=7&speed_rating=H&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H
I’ve been very happy with my set
I have a pair of Federal tires that came with one of my cars, placed there by the previous owner. They must have been cheap. The tires are round and rubber and black. What more can anyone want in a tire?
Federal has been around for a long time…you can visit their Website here:
http://www.federaltire.com/
I ran them for a couple of rotations on my old Datsun 210 back in the mid-80s. As I remember they worked fine, except they didn’t last all that long. Having said that I think they were about 35 percent cheaper than the other tires.
As others have mentioned, there are lots of “other tire makers” out there. Nexen, Delta, Kumho, etc. Some of them make pretty good tires at a pretty good price. At the moment I am running Nexen, Kumhos and Goodyears. All have been fine, but the Nexen and Kumhos have whipped Goodyear pretty well based on price.
While Michelin is a good tire, except for a couple of their models that I have seen reviewed, as others have mentioned, I think the cost is a bit up there…meaning you can get comparable Deltas, Kumhos, etc. for much, much cheaper.
Each their own. Pretty much any tire nowadays is much better than the junk we ran in the 70s,…
I would add more more tire to consider here to the mix, Bridgestone Turanza’s. They cost about as much as the Michelins but I think they are a superior tire. I have Michelins on my wife’s Honda (MXV4 plus) and my Nissan Pickup (X1) and Turanza’s on my Saturn. I’m going to try the Kumho’s on my truck next because the Turanza’s aren’t made in that size.
Tires are with some exceptions such as tires for high performance cars or snow tires are what is called a commodity. Corn is, for example, a commodity. It is pretty much the same everywhere. So is gasoline, motor oil for the most part, many household appliances and other consumer goods. Differences are minor but people place value in what they have chosen, thinking that their choice has been wise. Many cars can also be considered as commodities unless you believe the minor differences in styling significant.
So, buy some tires if your old ones are worn out. Notice that cars are running around with every brand of tire under the sun. They all, more or less, work as intended. Shop for price. If the tires explode, sic a lawyer after the tire company. They know that can happen and must produce the required quality.
All-season tires are a pure compromise. They give up something to get something. It really comes down to what appeals to you in price, longevity, performance, and winter capability if needed. I would not blindly purchase tires on price alone as you may sorely disappointed. There is nothing else that can really disappoint you when you are spinning tire in wet conditions, stuck in 2" of snow, or listening to incessant road noise.
I think research is key as they have too much impact and last a while to suffer with them.
I ran Cooper Tires on my Mazda truck for seven years and they didn’t show wear. It’s a good, reliable, economy tire that will give you the service you want and some money back in your hip pocket. You don’t have to spend the most to get the most. In the final analysis, buy what makes you comfortable.
If there is a Sam’s Club or Costco or B. J.'s Wholesale Club, check them out. As long as you are a member of Sam’s, they give you free road hazard coverage. You might check out a memory chip for a Sony camera while you’re there. The Stargate DVD’s are priced too high.
Michelin OWNS Goodrich…but they are made in different plants.
B. J.'s Wholesale Club
Check out the BJ’s first. The one closest to me has Monro Muffler running their service center. They are as sleezy as Midas. I had bought a set of tires from BJ’s…about 1 month later Monro took over the service bays…Every time I go in there for a rotation…they find something wrong with the car…Mind you there was NOTHING wrong with the car…They were ALWAYS trying to sell more service. That was the LAST set of tires we bought from them…In fact we now no longer have a membership with them.