mixed question - tires and SUV

18 years ago

I was all ready to post a question about getting new tires for my SUV .... I started first by doing a search on "tires" ... saw a post about "why would anyone want an SUV or truck over a car" and got sidetracked .... Thus, this now, mixed, two part question ....

Part 1: Need a new tire on my SUV (one is 75% more worn than the others - the "driving" rear wheel?). Bought this BEAST (04 Nissan Armada) used last year. Impulse purchase. Came with 20" custom wheels and Vogue tires. The Beast has always seemed to easily hydroplane and am hoping a new set of tires will help. Stopped at local tire shop and got my next cash surprise $$$$ Ka-ching --- only two brands available locally, least costly are the Coopers at $180 ea. Anyone have any suggestions for tires? Seems the selection is somewhat limited due to size (oh - current Vogues are 305/50 R20). I never heard of Vogues and assuemed they're some cheapo tire.... but after todays web search, guess they're highly prized by some ...

Part 2: This Impulse purchase is killing me in the dept department. Additionally, I've recently decided that, if I ever want to get into med school, I'm going to have to quit my 15+ yr engineering job to finish up my last few pre-requisite requirements. This mean, I'm going to need to make heavy reductions - especially in the debt department. I tried to unload The Beast recently, and found that I'm so upside down that it's nearly impossible to go to a 10K vehicle w/o a substantial up-front cash contribution. After reading the "why own a SUV" post, I'm thinking that I really do need to reconsider my choice of vehicle. My only requirement is that a vehicle be safe (both in personal protection and reliability), be able to transport two large dog crates (inside), and reduce my debt. I'm open to suggestions on another suitable vehicle. I keep going back to the Nissan Xterra and even PT Cruiser ... but can't seem to overcome the cost-difference barrier..... And, if I do trade-in, what do I do about the single bad tire on The Beast (showing cords - it's that bad)?

Sorry for the unbelievably long post, but that other discussion about SUV necessity sort of "moved" me ....

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Comments (4)

steve_o
18 years ago
It's interesting that one tire is worn way more than the others. If you choose to keep the Armada, I definitely would have the alignment checked or you could chew through the next expensive tire pretty fast.

I looked on-line and saw 305/50R20 tires for under $140 each (Goodyears and Kumhos). You could have someone local mount the tire and install it. On the wheel, though, that won't be much cheaper than the Cooper price you mentioned. I have no idea if any of these will handle better in the wet than the Vogues, but I'm sure there are reviews on-line which can help.

You have two problems here. One is that you're talking about a stonking big tire. The other is that whatever you do should be done in pairs, as mixing sizes and brands of radials is not recommended, especially for a vehicle that doesn't handle that well anyway.

I think your cheapest options are to suck it up and buy another Vogue or to just chalk this truck up to experience and trade it in without fixing the tire. You'll get dinged for it on resale, sure, but it's not like you'll get any more on trade for having four serviceable tires.

I also think you really need to consider timelines. If you can hold on to the truck another couple of years, barring any major political or petroleum catastrophes, you'll get out of being upside down. OTOH, you'll likely have to replace more tires by then, there may be other repairs as well and you'll be paying more for gasoline as the price continues to climb. There also is the consideration that SUVs may distinctly fall out of favor and it will be worth even less in two years than it would be if SUVs were still popular.

Some options to consider: I'm not sure what you mean by "10K" vehicle. 10,000 miles? 10 grand to buy (neither the PT nor the Xterra fill that bill)? You could consider buying a "certified used" car -- they typically are checked better than other used cars and come with a longer warranty. You'll pay a little more, but you should be able to consider it more reliable. Strongly consider vehicles which don't hold their value particularly well because they make a zillion of them every year or the car is a little outdated. I don't think they make the Ford Taurus wagon anymore, but it would be a choice that would meet your needs. Or a lower-end minivan -- not the ones with leather and all, but a 4-cylinder Caravan or Windstar or something.

You also could see if there's a way to finish off med-school pre-reqs with courses offered at a time which would allow you to keep your engineering job -- or take classes on-line, if that's possible. If you can hang on to your job a while longer, you can bank some bucks. You'll need them while you're in med school.

(BTW, no problem with the "unbelievably long" post!)
funkill
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks Steve for the suggestions ... I guess I didn't consider buying just one Vogue ... but will put that in the mix just "in case" ... and your insight to the future of SUV's is something else I hadn't thought about... I really am not excited about this vehicle. It's beautiful and bold, but the total cost is just a bit much for me. what I meant by 10K is the cost - thinking of buying used Xterra. I've always felt that my needs for toting the dog crates limited me to only SUV's, but it won't hurt to check out the wagons, etc! Med school, yeah - what a lot of work. I'm working on one night course a semester - retaking lots of chemistry & physics. Seems that, at this pace, I'll be totally grey before applying. Thanks again - you've given me a few other things to consider! I appreciate your help.
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ericwi
18 years ago
It won't cost very much to operate your SUV if you don't drive it much. Maybe you can arrange your schedule to minimize vehicle use, maybe not. It is something for all of us to think about.
johndeere
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Thats just the cost of a tank of gas in the near future.Ask around you might find a set of slightly used Firestones cheap.Might want to get a few extras for spares however.

mixed question - tires and SUV

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steve_o

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mixed question - tires and SUV

Comments (4)

steve_o

funkillOriginal Author

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ericwi

johndeere

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funkill
Original Author