175/70R13 from Kauffman tire for $36/tire

[htchbck]

I know there are a bunch of you guys in OH, and there are several Kauffman's there too. They just added a "bargain brand" to their lineup, and the 175/70R13s are $36 each. Cheapest I've seen new tires in a while. I haven't bought any yet since my festiva doesn't need tires, but they look like they will be decent DD tires. I just put a set on my old roommate's Sentra, so I'll let you know if he ends up liking them or not. If they turn out ok I may see what kind of deal they can cut me on a couple of sets and throw them in the basement for later lol.

[TominMO]

These: http://www.kauffmantire.com/tire/1499691678.html

[Bert]

Already 35 years ago it became apparent (with regard to tires) that you get what you pay for. I've grown to hate "cheesehound" wheels and was dismayed to the nth degree, when I got my first Festy, that nobody makes good round 12s anymore. I know that you're talking about 13s here but who the heck is kauffman tire other than just another capitalist broker for Chinese, Indian or maybe even Mongolian tires? Likely imprinting the brand on the molds cost more than the tire!
I've mentioned this a few times before but when I escaped from Festy rubber over to Aspire/Rio wheels, and bought some 14 inch Finnish-made rubber (Nokian) I couldn't believe I was driving the same car. At 70 there was no shake or shimmy that I had always presumed was inherent to driving econoboxes. The only way you'll see me buy cheapies is to pass a mechanical in order to get rid of a car.

[TominMO]

^ +1.

[navdoc101]

Kauffman tire is only in Atlanta, Ohio, & Florida, & is a familey owned business thats been around 35 yrs.

[htchbck]

Sorry, was just throwing it out there as an option for cheap rubber since I know not everyone on here can/will buy the better (more expensive) stuff. Cheap tires that are in good/new condition are still better than 10 year old 758s with 2/32 of tread left on them.

[navdoc101]

Yes they are. Thanks htcbck. some people are just negetive.

[htchbck]

Speaking of higher quality rubber, I just ordered this one, its the last one they had in stock. Same size I currently run on my festiva and my sister's festiva. I asked if they could get anymore at that price and they said they couldn't get anymore at all lol. Still, a smoking deal on a Solus.

http://www.kauffmantire.com/tire/1130972942.html

[Bert]

Sorry, was just throwing it out there as an option for cheap rubber since I know not everyone on here can/will buy the better (more expensive) stuff. Cheap tires that are in good/new condition are still better than 10 year old 758s with 2/32 of tread left on them.

In this you are quite correct and I apologize. Same goes for items like ball joints and tie rods; third world cheapies (when new) do beat the pants off dangerously worn-out parts. Brands like Moog may be a superior and long term proposition but most frugal folks look long and hard in their wallets before committing to quality.
I just happen to have come to appreciate good rubber over the years and no amount of money or wishful thinking will get you good 12s, and 13s are fast becoming novelties now too! In all his years my dad could never be bothered with tires and always installed middle of the road Uniroyals, Firestones etc on his full size cars. His repair garage (I don't know what possessed them to do this) mounted premium Pirelli's on his Chev Impala last time around and boy did he ever notice the difference! Funny how he specifically commanded me not to buy cheap tires for his Toyota Echo recently, not something he's ever done before.

[TominMO]

To me, buying cheap parts that relate to stopping, handling and steering is asking for trouble. Why not buy good-quality tires, if they are about the same cost as cheap 12s, and last a lot longer? Tires are the only interface we have with the road. It is false economy to buy a junk tire that is $5 cheaper, but will wear out a lot sooner, and not give as good handling or stopping. It's often the little details in life that get people killed. Same with tie rod ends and LCAs. The boots on Moogs last a lot longer, so why not buy them (unless you are just prepping the car for sale)? This is not negativity, it's good sense.

[htchbck]

I've put over 15k on my $41 douglas 155/80R13s from walmart on Green Car, and my sister has put about 12k on the ones on Babystiva. Now, would I run those on a BP swapped festiva? Absolutely not. But for a stock DD, I'm happy with them, and I don't feel like I've compromised anything by not paying an extra $15-$20/tire. So I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. Are higher quality tires better in the long run. Probably so, but here in the mountains tires wear pretty quickly no matter what it says in big bold letters on the sidewall. So going with a 60k mile tire over a 40k is more like choosing a 30k over a 25k. And for $15-$20 less I'm ok with that.

[navdoc101]

Suspension parts that you can't redily see & inspectis one thing, I would never skrimp on. Tires that you can see & inspect( I nnspect mine at least once a week), is another, if you just need a temp. till you can save for better tires. Kauffman is not a Chinese tire mill. They sell all brands & quality tires. You can get buggers in any brand, think firestone/bridgestone.

[htchbck]

^^ Correct. And at least down here they've just added the Pegasus/Vortex lineup, before that they didn't even have any "cheap" tires, their lowest line was Starfire, which I have had very good experiences with in the past. Their SF850 directional tires perform extremely well in all driving conditions we face down here. Unfortunately the smallest SF850s they have are in the 15" range.

[Zanzer]

Many people don't realize that quite a few of the "economy" tires are produced by the big name makers. I had a set of Fisks that I bought for $40 each that were actually made by Michelin. They rode great and lasted forever. I'm looking at a set of Negotiators now for $36 each that are made by Falken. I've ran Falkens on my built 98 Mustang GT with excellent results so if they're good enough for it I figure they'll work just fine on the Festy

Just because the price is low doesn't automatically qualify it as a Chinese import. Plus you'd be surprised to know just how many of the big brands actually are produced in China and imported.

[TominMO]

^^ The question, though, is to what standard are the big companies making the inexpensive tires? Why would they undercut their name-brand tires by making cheap off-brand tires that are as good? I suspect you still get what you pay for; few if any screaming good deals on inexpensive tires. Bear in mind that many companies make items at different price points, for the budget buyer and the high-end buyer. Speakers, refrigerators, tires, the marketing concepts are the same.

Any tire is good enough 99% of the time; it's that 1% or less of the time when you need tires that handle well and have a short stopping distance without locking up. That is my point here. I understand why people buy cheap tires; I just think that in the long run, good tires are cheap insurance. So they cost you $50 more. Cost that out over 50 months, and your "insurance" rate is $1 a month.