XPost: alt.home.repair   
   From: kludge@panix.com   
      
   micky   wrote:   
   >I usually just buy whatever the used tire store has, but I think he had   
   >trouble finding the size I need last time, so I looked online.   
   >   
   >This is for a 2005 Toyotal Solara SLE convertible.   The current tire is   
   >215/55R17, as recommended by the maker.   
      
   1. Go to tirerack.com.  They are honest, their prices are good.  The   
      customer reviews are doubtful because they are often made by people who   
      have just changed from a failed tire to a new tire and are impressed with   
      the improvement.   
      
   2. Tires with directional tread look like they have directional tread.  If   
      you see a V shape or you see a center rib, it's a directional tire.  I   
      like directional tread designs; they perform much better on wet roads.   
      Yes, they limit your ability to easily rotate tires.   
      
   3. TPMS reset on many newer cars requires plugging in an OBD-II tool and   
      telling the computer there is a new tire.  Not a huge deal, but a thing   
      worth billing for.   
      
   4. The difference in noise between different tires is substantial, but   
      tires sold as "quiet" aren't necessarily quieter.  If you drive a very   
      quiet car where the tire noise is one of the worse noise sources then   
      you might worry about trying different "quiet" tires.  Note that the   
      customer ratings about noise on tirerack bear no connection with how   
      noisy the tire is.   
      
   --scott   
   --   
   "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)