Road trip emergency tire replacement
08-06-13, 11:36 AM
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I have a question for you guys about tires. While on a 800 mile road trip I got a flat on the rear passenger Bridgestone RE 050A that was unrepairable. Being so far from home I was forced to get a replacement from another brand. It is a Cooper RS3-S, same size speed and load rating as my OEM tires. Now during the second day leg if my trip, I noticed that when I accelerated the car would pull to the left, I assume because of the tread difference.
My question to you guys: with only 12k miles on the OE tires, would it be in my best interest to replace the other rear tire? I guess I can live with the pulling even though it kinda bothers me. What about Cooper tires? Are they any good? I have no experience with them so any advice is appreciated.
My question to you guys: with only 12k miles on the OE tires, would it be in my best interest to replace the other rear tire? I guess I can live with the pulling even though it kinda bothers me. What about Cooper tires? Are they any good? I have no experience with them so any advice is appreciated.
Last edited by Kingkrs; 08-06-13 at 01:21 PM.
08-06-13, 11:45 AM
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Winding Road reviewed the Cooper tires against Michelin PS2s in March 2011 and found them to be superior in wet and dry conditions, 2 seconds faster on the track in wet and 5 seconds faster in dry.
08-06-13, 01:52 PM
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I would be surprised if you're experiencing a "pull" in your steering/alignment from a rear tire. I guess it is possible, but my thought would be that it is more your imagination than anything (or that you knocked your alignment out of sorts somehow).
Either way, I bought my ISF used a little over a year ago. It was pristine, with only 13K miles on the odo, and during my walk around inspection somehow I failed to notice that I had a Continental tire on the left rear wheel whereas all of my other tires were the stock RE050As. It was the same speed rating and size, just a different treadpattern and brand. I didn't even pick up on it until I washed the car for the first time 4 days after buying it.
Being that the tire looked to be worn down about the same as the other rear tire, I figured I'd just roll like that for awhile and then when the time came I'd replace both rears as a set. I just replaced them with Michelin Pilot SuperSports last month at roughly 26K miles. So for 13K miles and a little over a year of driving I had mismatched rear tires and my car handled perfectly fine. In retrospect I should have asked the dealership to correct it, but they actually gave me a really good deal on my trade and a good deal on another vehicle I'd purchased from them a few weeks prior to buying my ISF (my wife's car), so I let it slide.
Either way, I bought my ISF used a little over a year ago. It was pristine, with only 13K miles on the odo, and during my walk around inspection somehow I failed to notice that I had a Continental tire on the left rear wheel whereas all of my other tires were the stock RE050As. It was the same speed rating and size, just a different treadpattern and brand. I didn't even pick up on it until I washed the car for the first time 4 days after buying it.
Being that the tire looked to be worn down about the same as the other rear tire, I figured I'd just roll like that for awhile and then when the time came I'd replace both rears as a set. I just replaced them with Michelin Pilot SuperSports last month at roughly 26K miles. So for 13K miles and a little over a year of driving I had mismatched rear tires and my car handled perfectly fine. In retrospect I should have asked the dealership to correct it, but they actually gave me a really good deal on my trade and a good deal on another vehicle I'd purchased from them a few weeks prior to buying my ISF (my wife's car), so I let it slide.
08-06-13, 02:25 PM
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I would be surprised if you're experiencing a "pull" in your steering/alignment from a rear tire. I guess it is possible, but my thought would be that it is more your imagination than anything (or that you knocked your alignment out of sorts somehow).
Either way, I bought my ISF used a little over a year ago. It was pristine, with only 13K miles on the odo, and during my walk around inspection somehow I failed to notice that I had a Continental tire on the left rear wheel whereas all of my other tires were the stock RE050As. It was the same speed rating and size, just a different treadpattern and brand. I didn't even pick up on it until I washed the car for the first time 4 days after buying it.
Being that the tire looked to be worn down about the same as the other rear tire, I figured I'd just roll like that for awhile and then when the time came I'd replace both rears as a set. I just replaced them with Michelin Pilot SuperSports last month at roughly 26K miles. So for 13K miles and a little over a year of driving I had mismatched rear tires and my car handled perfectly fine. In retrospect I should have asked the dealership to correct it, but they actually gave me a really good deal on my trade and a good deal on another vehicle I'd purchased from them a few weeks prior to buying my ISF (my wife's car), so I let it slide.
Either way, I bought my ISF used a little over a year ago. It was pristine, with only 13K miles on the odo, and during my walk around inspection somehow I failed to notice that I had a Continental tire on the left rear wheel whereas all of my other tires were the stock RE050As. It was the same speed rating and size, just a different treadpattern and brand. I didn't even pick up on it until I washed the car for the first time 4 days after buying it.
Being that the tire looked to be worn down about the same as the other rear tire, I figured I'd just roll like that for awhile and then when the time came I'd replace both rears as a set. I just replaced them with Michelin Pilot SuperSports last month at roughly 26K miles. So for 13K miles and a little over a year of driving I had mismatched rear tires and my car handled perfectly fine. In retrospect I should have asked the dealership to correct it, but they actually gave me a really good deal on my trade and a good deal on another vehicle I'd purchased from them a few weeks prior to buying my ISF (my wife's car), so I let it slide.
Right now I am on the fence about replacing the other tire to match the new cooper.
08-06-13, 03:27 PM
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Is it possible for these tires to be different heights? I mean just eyeballing it, it looks that the cooper has a bit more height to it vs the Bridgestone which would explain the pull left under acceleration.
08-06-13, 06:54 PM
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08-08-13, 06:01 AM
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08-08-13, 10:00 PM
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You might want to read the comments in that article. Cooper has never been known for real performance, and this road test was sponsored by Cooper. I have my doubts they've suddenly changed their entire philosophy and started producing real performance tires when they are not found on any serious competition vehicle. Kind of like trying to take Lamborghini seriously when their racing heritage is non-existent except in the last few years.
When you read the comments and see some of the high powered car owners saying they were like driving on black ice, you'll see why I was so skeptical and wanted to see the article. Cooper has never showed up in any of the major car magazines comparison tests, and there's good reason for it. They're not competitive.
When you read the comments and see some of the high powered car owners saying they were like driving on black ice, you'll see why I was so skeptical and wanted to see the article. Cooper has never showed up in any of the major car magazines comparison tests, and there's good reason for it. They're not competitive.
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