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tires

5K views 38 replies 9 participants last post by  steve333 
#1 ·
hey im ordering a new set of tires for my stock 15in steelies and i was curious what size you guys have gone or wut i should go with. Right now i think im going with 205/60/15 ZE-912 or possibly even a 215/60/15 for a wider tire patch. the stock tires are 195/60/15 so basically my question is should i up the size one or two? will the 215 be too wide for my stock wheel? crowning and such or has someone already done this? thanks guys
 
#2 ·
I went with Yokohama AVID Touring P195/60R15's because I'm figuring on getting 17's and just wanted a good cheap tire for the winter. 205's would give you a little wider contact patch and make the tire a little taller. 215/60R15's would be about half an inch taller than stock so now your looking at a speedo difference of about 3 mph faster than displayed at 60 mph. Not to mention the extra weight of a larger tire.
 
#3 ·
Theres nothing wrong with the Pirellis that come on them stock. Maybe you dont have those, but either way unless your tires are bald there is no reason to get new tires, especially when you have the stock rims. Save your money and get some wheels. Otherwise your throwing your money away.
 
#4 ·
my car did not come with the parelli's( i wish it did) i have the LS with the continental crap tires. Im lookin into the Falkan ZE912's 205/60/15 so hopefully it will handle better and offer more traction. plus there $220 for all four shipped
 
#5 ·
Either way i think you're wasting your money. You need to be honest with yourself and what your needs are. Unless you are pushing your car through some serious track work there is no reason to upgrade your tires right now, especially when there are plenty of other things you could think of with 220 bucks. Save it for some new wheels, and maybe then think about upgrading tires. If all you do is daily driving with some lead foot from time to time, i promise your stock tires are going to work fine.
 
#6 ·
Tires are arguably the most important part of any performance performance tuned suspension or drivetrain for that matter. Even the best coilovers and lightest wheels will suck with Costo econo tires.

My parents called to tell me my G-force sports got to their house today, I am going to use their garage over spring break to leave the car on jack stands while I powdercoat the wheels and get the new tires mounted. :)
 
#7 ·
i see what your saying but my tires are bald and need replacing so i cant just leave the stocks on. And i dont want wheels, ive seen too many people on this site get rims and it looks like a truck if they didnt drop it. i do not want to drop my car idc that much, this is my daily driver that i horse around with occasionally on the weekends. I was just debating sizes since i HAVE to put tires on anyway. I would like the best bang for my buck since im not putting wheels on or lowering the car. Thanks for all your imputs. I bought a set of 912's 205/60/15 and hopefully they will work out nicely for me
 
#11 ·
Here is what tirerack.com says TPC spec tires are...basically if you like the crappy unresponsive steering the Continentals offer then you should stick with them as GM thinks they 'behave' well during normal driving.

Since tires play such an important roll in establishing the personality of a vehicle, numerous vehicle manufacturers require their tire suppliers identify some or all of their Original Equipment (OE) tires with symbols or codes branded on the sidewalls that confirm the tire's original use.

The vehicle and tire manufacturer's goal is to make it easier for the owners to identify and select exact replacements when the Original Equipment tires wear out because matching the original tires exactly helps maintain the vehicle's intended personality.

Unfortunately many vehicles wear out tires in pairs (rather than sets of four) due to a lack of maintenance or when equivalent tread wear can't be achieved through periodic tire rotation. While it can't make up for performance differences due to tread depth, It is most important to match new tires to those originally used on the vehicle when replacing tires in pairs.
 
#13 ·
The only time I had to go to a dealer was to get the the electric window panel replaced and also my charcoal canister on my old junk lemon car.
 
#16 ·
^^truth^^
 
#18 ·
Just had 4 Goodyear Assurance Comfortreds installed at Evans Tire. Supposed to be the most comfortable tire out there. My car rides exactly the same!
The tire guy said it feels as if there is nothing in my struts and shocks, that over a bump the suspension just clunks without any cushioning at all.
So now its back to the freaking dealer after being out 600 bucks.
I now officially hate my Cobalt.
 
#20 ·
okay, you hate your cobalt, just wait till you see the $8000 in damage to mine due to a flaw from GM!!!!!
 
#21 ·
That really sucks!
I spoke to the service manager and he pretty much told me theres no way GM is going to change the struts and shocks. He told me to bring it in just to make sure its not the tie rods or something. They were supposed to have checked it out last time it was there and insisted it drove as well as the new Cobalts, which is a crock of crap.
I am going to suggest that the front end guy drive my car home and give it a real road test. Same goes for the collapsing seat which they also insist is normal.
 
#23 ·
The new ones take some broken roads a little better, but on a small jutting hole or mark the car just thumps hard over it, just as bad as before. There is a slight improvement on smooth roads and cornering but the tires feel as though they are not stiff enough because winds cause the car to sway more than before.
I have a question-when you press down the rear of the car and let up (to test the shocks), should the rear tires move at all? I dont remember that ever happening.
I gotta tell you its hard to move the car at all when pressing down on it front or back. So stiff it barely moves.
 
#24 ·
the rear tires shouldnt move, only the back of the car. if they are a bit stiffer than normal, get them double checked by a small shop, i find they do better business because they depend on the customers coming in
 
#25 ·
Evans Tire said it felt like there was no cushion at all in the rear shocks or front struts.
The dealer will of course say there is nothing wrong. Not sure why the rear tires move when I press down on the bumper, but I guess I'll mention it to the dealer when I bring it in wednesday.
I just ordered Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires to replace the Goodyears. I dont get the 4th tire free with these so it will cost me another $130.
 
#26 ·
Evans Tire said it felt like there was no cushion at all in the rear shocks or front struts.
The dealer will of course say there is nothing wrong. Not sure why the rear tires move when I press down on the bumper, but I guess I'll mention it to the dealer when I bring it in wednesday.
I just ordered Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires to replace the Goodyears. I dont get the 4th tire free with these so it will cost me another $130.
does it move outward? the car comes with a solid rear axle, it shouldnt do that!
 
#30 ·
good thing to do to check if it's the hub, jack up the corner of the car, then grab the wheel at the top and bottom. pull/push at the two points, then do the same for side to side. If the wheel moves more than two degrees in any direction, get the hub replaced, because you prolly have toast bearings. Is there excessive noise from the rear of the car as you drive?
 
#32 ·
Well, the dealer replaced the steering intermediate shaft and column and the steering feels tighter. They couldnt find a problem in the suspension.
I traded the Goodyear Comfortreds with Michelin Primacy which handle much better but the tires also get caught in the freeway grooves.
$700 down, Freeway ride still sucks. On the street the car feels fine now.
 
#33 ·
I just put a set of Radial TAs on my Cobalt and they really make the car look, handle and ride much better.

The stock Continentals were OK in rain and snow. But once my engine was broken in, and I started driving a little "harder" through the curves on dry days, they were letting me down. Plus I didn't like the look of the 195/60/15s on the car. When the tire is skinnier than the wheel it looks very econo-box.

The 205/60/15s are just right. They fill the wheel well just right without going beyond the lip. The ride is better. And even though the Radial TAs are S rated, like the Continentals, they grip far better on the curves, IMHO.


I'm a happy camper.
 
#37 ·
I realize referring people to another site is probably viewed as a bad idea and I have had people tell me they hate that site but you might try cobaltss.net. I hate to say it but they are a larger site with more members. Sure they may not have the best reputation among some posters but hey info is info. Maybe you could search and find some pertinent information among the Socal members? There is also ecotecforum.com, they also seem to have a large active site dedicated to everything with an ecotech.
 
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