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#6919 of 8972 Corrections... by prayerfor May 28, 2003 (8:02 am)
First, the 55 in 225/55/17 does not represent a sidewall height of 55mm. It represents that the sidewall height is 55% of the tread width.   Second, you don't need to be exact if replacing all four tires. +/- 3% in total tire diameter is the generally-accepted threshold to maintain accurate speedo/odo readings and preserve correct functioning of other vehicle systems (traction control, ABS, etc). However if replacing just one tire, it is indeed quite important to match the diameter of the other three. It is for this reason that replacing all four tires together is recommended.
#6920 of 8972 Tires by habitat1 May 28, 2003 (8:05 am)
I agree with twinsteve if you are looking to only replace one tire - they should always be exactly the same width and profile as the others.   However, if your question is regarding replacing all 4, the answer is "it depends". The increased height (radius) of the tire is 11.25mm not 5mm. You get that by multiplying the 225 mm width by the 50% vs. 55% aspect ratio for height. Overall tire diameter is increased from 25.9 inches to about 26.8 inches or roughly 3.5%. That would mean your spedo and odo would be reading too low (i.e. 60 mph on the spedo is really more like 62 mph). You could partially offset this error by dropping to a 215/55 size tire.   The handling differences are probably more dependent upon the manufacturer, speed rating and tread design of the replacement tire than a 1/2 step change in aspect ratio from 50 to 55. For example, the OEM "W" rated 205/55 & 225/50 Bridgestone Pole Position tires on my Honda S2000 are rated considerably better handling than a lot of the 40/45 series "V" or "Z" rated tires. Usually, however, the higher the sidewall, the worse the handling in hard corners.   Hope this helps - also suggest you log on to Tirerack.com for lots of usefull info and prices.
#6921 of 8972 bad tires by buzzard4 May 28, 2003 (11:51 am)
I purchased a new '03 GLE last week. I noticed a vibration on the way home, like a wheel was out of balance. I returned it to the dealer, and they could not get the wheels to balance. They took it to another shop with more sensitive equipment, and they determined 3 of the 4 tires were out of spec. The dealer said that they have to get the tires from Nissan, and they would take over a week to arrive. Meanwhile, when they remounted the bad tires, the vibration got much worse, to the point that they agreed it was best not to drive it. I have been without the new Max for almost 2 weeks waiting for the new tires. Frustrating! Nissan customer assistance was no help in reaching a faster resolution, either.   Has anyone else had a similar experience?
#6922 of 8972 bad tires by p100 May 28, 2003 (5:17 pm)
Yes, I had a similar experience. Unlike you, I noticed this during test driving two 03 Maxima SE 6 speed brand new cars. One had a distinct steering wheel vibration at 60 MPH, the other had somehwat less vibration around 65 MPH and the hood shook violently up and down. I was very serious about buying one of these vehicles but this was really disappointing to me. Even if the problem turns out to be just tire balance, there is no reason why two vehicles should have the same vibration problem at the same speed if proper QC was in place. This smells of serious quality problems with Bridgestone tire manufacturing. If I am not mistaken, GLE models use Bridgstone Turanza tires as original equipment and SE use models use Bridgstone Potenzas.   In your case the solution is obviously to replace all of the tires on the car. If I were you I would demand they go with a different brand tires as well. You cannot go wrong with Michelin Pilots, for example.   I have read quite a few complaints about vibration problems with the new Maximas, most of them problably due to lousy tires. When one buys a new car, few people feel like spending $ 600 to replace all four tires. My 98 Maxima SE came with Toyo tires. They lasted almost 60K miles and I never had problems with them. They needed first rebalancing after about 25K miles due to natural wear. There is absolutely no reason why Nissan should use shoddy tires on their new vehicles. They already lost me as a repeat customer. You must ask yourself this question: if they do this with tires, what other car parts are of dubious quality as well?   By the way, I believe that Nissan should have installed four good quality tires on your car after the discovery of defective tires and they could have purchased these in any local tire store. You would be better off with Michelins anyway. Why would they let you wait two weeks? This is unbelievable.
#6923 of 8972 Blackstone3 - Tires by aggiedog May 28, 2003 (5:42 pm)
Here is a site that lets you plug in your old and new tire sizes and it tells you what the speed difference would be. I may have got it from someone on this board (Thanks) but I can't remember. Don't let the miata name throw you off. It works for all tires.   http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
#6924 of 8972 Tires / 225-50-15s by vanbo57 May 31, 2003 (7:49 am)
I will most likely replace my Potensa's with the Michelin Pilot Sports, (I think that's the model) before next winter. I have read on Tirerack .com that these are the best I'm going to get for my '01 Max - there are a lot of reviews on that site. It will be very expensive, probably over a grand after ballance, align, etc, etc but from what I read and hear, these are the best - excellent wet as well as dry. Probably won't be "great" for snow but, either were the Potensas.
#6925 of 8972 tires by p100 May 31, 2003 (6:06 pm)
I installed four new Michelin Pilots on my 99 Mazda 626 ES V6. The tire size was P205-60 HR-15.   The tires have been excellent so far, but the ride is very firm. Also, they wear rather quickly and you must rotate them frequently, about every 5K miles, or the front ones will wear out in half the time as the rear ones. I do not expect more than about 35K miles from mine, although Sears gave me 50K tread wear warranty on these.   Expect less mileage for a V rated tire, and nobody will give you any tread wear warranty on that one.   One other tire I can recommend is Toyo Proxess. I also like Michelin MXVs which are softer riding than Pilots.
#6926 of 8972 Tires by habitat1 Jun 02, 2003 (3:39 am)
My 1995 Maxima SE came with Eagle RSA 215-60HR 15". I replaced them at 55k miles with the same tire and then at 110k miles with the Toyo Proxess in July 2001. After 30k miles on the Toyos, they seem to be wearing about the same as the RSA's and offer comparable or slightly better handling. They cost me $361.40 for a set of four, including balancing and mounting ($79 per tire alone).   Frankly, I believe anywhere near $1,000 for set of tires for a FWD Maxima (let alone with only 15" wheels) is a big waste of money. That's more than a set of top of the line "Y" rated S-03 Pole Position tires for my Honda S2000. That's also more than replacement tires for an M3 or 540i 6-speed.   I love my Maxima, but a sports car it is not. There are very good tires out there that will run $400-$500 or less including balance and mounting. Putting a set of $1,000 tires on a Maxima isn't going to turn it into something it isn't.
#6927 of 8972 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S by berbel Jun 02, 2003 (8:04 am)
I recently purchased a set of these to replace the Potenza RE 92's which were OEM on my SE.   Critique: These are ultra high performance tires which have proven to be excellent on wet roads even at interstate speed limits (and slightly above) They have a treadwear rating of 400 (which is great for this level of tire) and a heat rating of AA. If you choose a tire of this nature, expect tradeoffs. They do ride noticeably "harder" and they are "noisier" than I expected they would be. I have not had them on the Max long enough to truly assess how they are wearing. Would I buy this tire again? Probably not! In spite of their pluses, they are too noisey to suit me. I would more than likely go back to a "V" rated tire or a high quality "H" rated tire in lieu of these. Just my two cents....   berbel
#6928 of 8972 tires by p100 Jun 02, 2003 (9:02 am)
I absolutely agree with habitat1 when it comes to spending a lot of money on ultra high performance tires for a Maxima. I chose a set of Toyo Proxes TPT tires as replacement for my 98 Maxima original Toyos and they provide good quiet ride and decent handling. As I mentioned in the post above, I have a set of Michelin Pilots on my Mazda 626 and they are a lot harsher riding tire than the Toyo, plus they wear out a lot quicker. I got 58K miles out of the original Toyos on my Maxima. Do not expect more than 35K miles out of the Michelins Pilots on the Mazda. The total cost of four Toyos (P215-55HR-16) was about $ 460 including mounting and balancing.

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