I have a 2012 V6 Charger with 245/45R20. I am needing my third set of tires with only 90K miles. Can anyone recommend some tires that wont break the bank and have great tread life. Also that is good in rain. We have been flooding in the Houston area since February. Most tires i'm seeing only have 40 to 45 thousand mile tire life. If I need to could I go to a different size to get better mileage from the tires?
Tread Life
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Most Michelins last a long time.
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I've been a Michelin fan for most of my life and swear by them. However, the Continental PureContact has gotten some of the best reviews on Tirerack and are a tad less expensive than the Michelin. I'm looking at replacing the OEM Hankooks with the Conti's when the time comes. The best tires I ever owned were the Michelin Defenders. I had 80K miles on those tires when I traded the car and there was still good tread left. I never once had to re-balance these tires. I do rotate my tires with every oil change and watch my tire pressures closely, so I usually get more mileage out of my tires than the average Joe. They were quiet, good in the rain and snow, handled great, and gave me slightly better fuel mileage when switching from the MXM4s that came OEM (I didn't like those much). Unfortunately, the 90K rated Defenders aren't offered in sizes that fit our chargers (yet). They cost me quite a bit up front, but ended up being the cheapest tires I ever owned due to their longevity and maintaining balance. The Continental PureContacts seem to be the closest thing to the Michelin Defenders at this time so that's what I'm going with unless the Defenders are made available first. They offer a 70K warranty for your tire size and a 90K warranty for mine.
I personally won't buy cheap tires for vehicles I plan on keeping. I've found that cheap tires end up costing a lot more in the long run. Safety, longevity, ride comfort, handling, and noise aren't worth compromising a few dollars up front. The newer silicone tire compounds by Michelin and Continental don't sacrifice grip with long tread wear like they have for years past. It used to be that a long life tires were hard as a rock and wouldn't grip. That isn't always the case with these newer tires. They have come a long way in the last 5 years or so with these new silicone compounds. Proper tire pressure and rotation is the key to long tire life. 1 psi does matter but most people won't believe it.
Another thing people don't usually think about is the rust that forms on the hubs in the center. They are unpainted from the factory and are rusty even on brand new vehicles. When I rotated my tires for the first time, I noticed a slight noise afterwards that sounded like an out of balance tire. It was caused from the rusty hubs. There was some rust scale buildup that didn't allow the wheels to seat properly when they were swapped. I used a die grinder with a wire wheel and cleaned up all the rust. I then coated them with grease to prevent further rust. I made sure not to get any grease on the stud threads as that will cause a severe over torque and possibly break the studs when torqued. I probably could have alternately shot the hubs with a coat of paint after cleaning the rust but I didn't have any on hand. My neighbors looked at me like I was crazy when I was using a die grinder throwing sparks and making a rust cloud in the air on my brand new car until I explained what I was doing and why. This would have significantly shortened the life of the tires had I not corrected the issue and prevented it in the future. I reinstalled the wheels and the noise was gone. I'd be willing to bet that none of the mechanics that rotate your tires at the shop take the time to remove the rust and fix this issue. I'd suggest looking at it before throwing new rubber on the car.
Just my 2 cents,
:beerchug:
I personally won't buy cheap tires for vehicles I plan on keeping. I've found that cheap tires end up costing a lot more in the long run. Safety, longevity, ride comfort, handling, and noise aren't worth compromising a few dollars up front. The newer silicone tire compounds by Michelin and Continental don't sacrifice grip with long tread wear like they have for years past. It used to be that a long life tires were hard as a rock and wouldn't grip. That isn't always the case with these newer tires. They have come a long way in the last 5 years or so with these new silicone compounds. Proper tire pressure and rotation is the key to long tire life. 1 psi does matter but most people won't believe it.
Another thing people don't usually think about is the rust that forms on the hubs in the center. They are unpainted from the factory and are rusty even on brand new vehicles. When I rotated my tires for the first time, I noticed a slight noise afterwards that sounded like an out of balance tire. It was caused from the rusty hubs. There was some rust scale buildup that didn't allow the wheels to seat properly when they were swapped. I used a die grinder with a wire wheel and cleaned up all the rust. I then coated them with grease to prevent further rust. I made sure not to get any grease on the stud threads as that will cause a severe over torque and possibly break the studs when torqued. I probably could have alternately shot the hubs with a coat of paint after cleaning the rust but I didn't have any on hand. My neighbors looked at me like I was crazy when I was using a die grinder throwing sparks and making a rust cloud in the air on my brand new car until I explained what I was doing and why. This would have significantly shortened the life of the tires had I not corrected the issue and prevented it in the future. I reinstalled the wheels and the noise was gone. I'd be willing to bet that none of the mechanics that rotate your tires at the shop take the time to remove the rust and fix this issue. I'd suggest looking at it before throwing new rubber on the car.
Just my 2 cents,
:beerchug:
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7,376 Posts
I always put a bit of anti-seize compound on the hub ring and the wheel to prevent the rust/corrosion that you've also experienced. Amazing how quick that crud forms in wet weather.
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