Tires - Toyota Camry Usa Options

[throwingks]

Do you guys have any advice on new tires for a 2004 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder (205/65R15)? It is the family grocery getter, and all 4 of the factory tires are bald, and the full size spare has popped. So, we need 4 new tires and gonna keep the best old one for a full size spare.

I am thinking of heading to Sam's Club and get them to do it. But, I admit, I know nothing about what brand or type to get.

Thanks for any help at all.

[twistedsymphony]

I rarely get more then 20K out of a set of tires

I only got about 15K out of a set of Falkens on my WRX not due to tread life but they wore unevenly and were just junk on a whole.

I've been running 33" BFG all-terrains on my Truck (massive sidewalls) and after about 20K they've still got all the little nubs like they did right from the factory, looking at them you'd swear I just barely put them on the truck the tread life is fantastic and I've heard claims of people going 50K before they even start to see signs of tread wear.

It's all based on the compound in the tire... the Falkens were cheap but they were sport performance tires so they were softer meaning they have a very short life and damage more easily, but they grip the road fantastically.

The BFGs on my truck are a very hard compound (and a more expensive tire) which means they'll probably outlast the truck (I'm pushing 160K miles at this point). But they don't grip all that well. they slide a bit in wet weather, in the snow they're great due to 4WD and a good tread, but I unintentionally peel out all the time when moving from a dead stop.

you'll need to find a good balance because good grip and tire life are competing goals.

An extreme example are race tires, they're super sticky and usually only last 1 race, sometimes not even that long (ie: pit stops).

Where you live in Virginia I wouldn't bother with all seasons (no snow... no reason). You'd be better served getting a set designed for dry and rainy pavement and high temperatures.

Also I highly recommend getting them filled with nitrogen. it's only about an extra $5 per tire but the pressure wont fluctuate with temperature and that's particularly important for those ridiculously hot days and incorrect tire pressure the second most common cause of blow outs and other tire related issues closely behind running over something sharp.