My friend is putting futura tires on his car (96 accord), and I am trying ot talk him out of it. He says that "tires are tires", however I heard that Futura tires are terrible, and I know for sure that I never put Futura tires on my car.

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"Damn the torpedos, four bells full speed ahead"
-Admiral Farragut




-1987 300E Smoke Silver
-1997 S320 Black on Black
-Soon To be E55 AMG
-27 foot Grady White Offshore Sportfish.

i was actually in a pep boys a while back getting some stuff for my jeep. I noticed an article talking about the futura tires from some car mag.

The mag seemed to think they were well worth the cost, especially on a car like a ford mustang Which eat tires quickly.

They did mention that the futura's were a good price, and the quality was not too bad.

Personally I go with brands I trust. Michelin, Dunlop, Continental, and Bridgestone.

I have never had yoko's or any other brands.

My brother has some super cheap tireson his 380SL, which have lasted for about 30k, and need replacing, even though they were supposed to be 50k tires.

i think the only thing your friend will have to do is replace those tires quicker than he would on a better set of tires.

I don't think the futura tires are horrible, you just wouldn't catch me getting them installed on any of my cars.

tires are cheap when you compare the price to damages done by blown out tires on the freeway. ever seen what kind of damage rubber moving at 65 mph can do to a car? I've seen it destroy fenders.

so to answer you question, I think the futura tires would be ok tires.

I do think that he'd be better off going with some Major Brand tires like Michelin, Dunlop, Bridgestone, etc. but its up to him.

If he decides on using cheap tires, he shouldn't expect much from them.

Alon

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'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

you get what you pay for ... that's why I don'y own a Yugo. When you consider that all of the safety features and cor modifications do not mean a thing if the tires can't grip the road or occationally lose all air pressure I do not buy cheap tires. I also do not buy cheap helmets for racing. There is only about 20-30 square inches of contact with the road on most cars so that contact area must be of the utmost of importance.
I do not have any experience with the futura tires so I am just speaking in generalities.
Thanks, Luke

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Please, call me to place orders or for more info
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So let me get this straight, the only good tire is the one that lasts 50K mi? I only got ~20K miles on my old SP8000s. Gf got ~18K on her old Toyos. I don't know of any ultra high perf tires that will last close to 50K. Do you? In general, ultra high perf tires (as branded by tirerack) will all have low UTQs & low life expectancy. It's the price you pay for sticky rubber.
Even 'good' tires blow out. Blow outs are often caused by bad mounting, low tire pressure and damaged rims, not simply by 'bad tires'. I had 2 blow-outs within 1 weekend last month on new Dunlop SP8000s. Both at ~80mph. 1 happened after racing a riced out Civic to 130mph on the I5. No biggie. No damage to car. YMMV.
Are you saying Yokohama, Kumhos or Toyos aren't major tire brands and hence don't produce good tires? Do you think the rubber on your 300CE is better than the Yoko AVS Sport on our CLK430 or the Toyo TS-1 the Miata guys use??? Futuras are made by Cooper Tires. They're completely usable if you drive like a grandmother.

FWIW, I have 1 Futura mounted on the spare. So sue me.

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00 w210t, all stock.

I don't think any performance tire will last 50k. In every major manufacturer there are some good tires and some bad tires. Including Yoko, Kumho, Michelin, Dunlop, etc.
The Futura tires which started this post are not made by them they are a private label tire from a true tire manufacturerer. From a logical position the private label tires do not have the same quality as the tires with the manufacturer's name on them ...

Thanks, Luke
800-428-8355 ext. 362

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Please, call me to place orders or for more info
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Well my buddy does not drive like a grand mother (thats me ) and he is ot really looking for performance tires. He just wants tires for his car. I am hesitant to let him ahve those tires knowing the way he drives, and I don't feel safe on those no name brands. My Mercedes has Michelin tires on it and I love them.

__________________
"Damn the torpedos, four bells full speed ahead"
-Admiral Farragut




-1987 300E Smoke Silver
-1997 S320 Black on Black
-Soon To be E55 AMG
-27 foot Grady White Offshore Sportfish.

Oh I checked the side wall on the Futura tire and there was a big difference between its thickness and my Michelins tire. ( I checked it against my summer tires as I change the tires on my rims for both change in weather: snow.

__________________
"Damn the torpedos, four bells full speed ahead"
-Admiral Farragut




-1987 300E Smoke Silver
-1997 S320 Black on Black
-Soon To be E55 AMG
-27 foot Grady White Offshore Sportfish.

ok well I think you misread what I was saying. I have never had yokos or some of the other brands on my cars, and I said that I hadn't.

I also said major brands like micehlin, dunlop, bridgestone, ETC. which was in there.

Now I never said good tires only lasted 50k.
I did say that my brother has cheap tires on his car that have lasted for 30k when they were supposed to last to 50k, because thats what the tire manufacturer stated on the tire warranty. Again you misread that. I never stated that good tires must last for 50k miles.

I also never said I was talking about high perf tires.

As for damages on the freeway, I never said good tires don't blow, but I have seen cheap tires blow more often than good ones. usually when I see good ones blow, the owner either hadn't changed em when it was time, the tire had a defect, or he drove over something sharp at speed.
I have seen cheap tires just up and fly off the rims of a car and go bouncing past me, wheels still on the car. I have seen good tires blow too. But I obviously havent seen enough good ones to blow.

Tire blow for many reasons too, not just quality, but neglect, incorrect pressures, things like that all affect the tire especially at speed. Maybe I'm just fortunate enough to have never had a tire blow on me.

I have used various brands on my cars.
Bridgestone Desert Duealer's on my GMC Jimmy I had.
Pirelli P6's on my MGB I used to have
Michelin LTX on my Jeep, which have lasted for over 50k miles and still have a few thousand left in them. I expect them to last for 60k total. The tires were manufacturer rated for 50k miles, and they have accomplished the 50k and then some.
On my benz, it has conti touring contact on the front, the rears were conti sports that were worn badly and had the nylons showing. I will be upgrading to 17" wheels before I need 4 new tires, SO Why would I buy 2 expensive tires to replace the ones in the back when I will be upgrading to bigger wheels and will have to get new tires at that time? I decided to match the rears to the front, and I got two matching conti touring tires for $50 a tire. Which have been and still are used on new mercedes vehicles.

I never said my tires were good, but for my kind of driving, which is not balls out fast, but mellow, I like to cruise and enjoy the car, I'm never in a rush to get anywhere, They are just fine for me until I get the 17" Wheels, in which case, I'll only put on michelin, dunlop, or bridgestones.

I myself don't care if my tires last 10k or 50k, as long as they work for the car, and are high quality tires.

SO Before you make assumptions about what I said, take the time to read it properly. I relayed some information I remembered about the futura tires from magazine article in a pep boys. Then I gave my opinions.

SO Are you saying I can't have an opinion about something?

Just because I didn't mention yokohama's, Toyo's, or some brand I never heard of you take offense because you have those brands on your cars? You can use whatever you want for your tires. I will use whatever it is that I want to use on my car.

My requirments for me for a tire, and this again is my OPINION, is very simple. I want a high mileage tire that performs very good in dry weather, but still does well in wet weather. If that tire costs more, I'm willing to spend it. I hate having to change tires often, so I look for a tire that fits the above mentioned requirements.

Well thats enough for now.

Alon

__________________
'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

I did not misread you. I understand exactly where you're coming from. You are OK with not using stickier tires on your Benzo. It 'seems' you are willing to sacrifice performance in search of longevity, ride and style. I'm simply tired of people buying 'all-weather' tires because they last 30K+ miles and have low tire noise.

The misconception is that 'all-weather' tires perform better in the rain than ultra high-performance tires. One can use Dunlop's product line as example: SP9000 is considered top-o-line tire from Dunlop, yes Dunlop engineers have noted that it is also 1 of the best rain tires. I believe Luke can confirm this.
All tires that fall into your requirement are second-tier tires that will not 'cost more'. All-weather tires NEVER cost more than ultra-high performance tires. They will ALWAYS last longer. They will NEVER stick as well. Blame it on modern science's inability to come up w/ a hard rubber compound that gives high G-loads. That is the fact. Let the fact form your opinions.

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00 w210t, all stock.

I still never said high performance, but I did say performs good. A Tire that can do a high mileage and do that is generally what I look for yes. IT does rain much in souther california, so wet traction is only really needed for me for stopping the car from morons who can't drive in the rain.

You still have a conception I'm talking about high performance tires. I don't expect high performance tires to go for high mileage, and I do think they perform well dry and wet. but if they don't suit my mellow driving, because I don't need such a high performance tire, then I can get a different tire that will perform well wet and dry and go a bit higher mileage, to me for my driving style thats exactly what I want.

For me if a touring tire fits my driving style I'll use the best one if there is one. If its a High performance tire, I'll use the best one, based on what the facts are, but I do have brand preferences, yoko is just not a tire I look at or toyo or the other one. I look for brands That I have used, that I know work well.

I also said I'd be getting 17" wheels and new tires sooner or later, and then I'd really decide on which tires will be best for me.

Even if they only last 30k its fine if thats the type of tire I want that wears out, like you said stickier tires.

I don't go cornering at high speeds or driving very fast. the most I usually do is a nice acclleration through first and second and maybe third, then just cruise back down to driving speed.

I don't need a tire that has extreme grip, but enough grip so I feel safe, wet and dry, and high mileage ability is a big plus on it. If the better tire that I will feel safer on is stickier and has lower mileage ratings, then I'd get that, but if I can get a 30 - 50k tire, Thats fine.

I've had tires that were only rated for 20k miles If I remember correct from 6 years ago...pirelli p6's for example, the bridgestone desert duellers were only rated at 25k I believe, The michelin LTX on the jeep like I said were rated for 50k, and have done 57k so far and have probably another 3k on them left or more. They guaranteed 50k and I got what they guaranteed out of them, plus even more.

That should be a sign of the kind of driver I am. I can put more mileage on a tire before it is time for it to be changed.

I do not let them get past a certain tred level, but when they get that low, they go, and new ones get put on. Either the same brand if I liked them, or a different model of the same brand, or a different brand all together.

I can choose the tires I want base don what I have researched. I know that certain brands are a preference. I've spent hours reading the tire info and ratings at tire rack, just to find out what tires would be best to use.

I was going to replace all the tires, then decided to wait . If I had replaced the tires on the 16's, from conti tires, I would have probably put on dunlops, michelins or bridgestones. Tire choice is based on my requirements for a tire.

Alon

__________________
'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

Are you living in the same SoCal as me? It almost NEVER rains in Los Angeles. Our rain ain't squat compared to SFO's rain or snow in the Midwest. There's NO reason not to run high perf tires. I'd even run Yoko A032s if I was in a higher income bracket. You want the most out of your car, you go for the best tires. Tires are shoes for your cars. Cheap shoes are bad, cheap tires are bad. Once again, it makes me sick to my stomach how people mistreat their cars just to save a few bucks. There are so many high performing tires at reasonable prices (Dunlop SP8K, Bridgestone RE71). This is my last post on the subject. Stick to the 30K mi tires and I'll stick to my 180UTQ sticky rubber. YMMV.

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00 w210t, all stock.

Seems like every time I visit Southern California (SanDiego area), I bring the rain with me. Now if you want rain, come to Seattle. ;-) ...on second thought, don't!! ...we have enough traffic ;-)

On a separate but related note, I just purchased what I feel is about the best all around tire that I have ever driven. It's the Nokian Hakkapaliitta NRW.... made in Finland and a TRUE 4-season tire. Handles well in the dry and performs in the rain, slush, snow and ice like I had four wheel drive. H-rated and directional tread. And reasonably priced at about $90 per.

__________________
Steve

1992 300CE Sportline Sophie
1990 300E Emma - in the family
1979 240D Josephine - sold, but not forgotten
2004 Pacifica AWD

http://web.mac.com/dakota/Mercedes/Home.html

Tony C, that part where I said it does rain much was a typo, I didnt proofread in anycase I meant to say it doesn't rain much. hehe DOH.

Like I said too if you want tires that last low mileage but stick like glue thats fine, I don't drive like I need performance tires so why buy them.

If you drive like someone who likes to stick to the road at high speeds, then by all means get the sticky rubber.

Alon

__________________
'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

You guys are saying basucally the same thing except for one item. High performance tires do not mean you have to drive aggressively but, they do have the ability if you chose to use that grip it is up to the driver. I think there are 2 tires to consider in this debate for the SoCal region.
Dunlop Sport 9000 280 AA A
Bridgestone RE730 300 AA A

Thanks, Luke

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Please, call me to place orders or for more info
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i bought 2 futura scrambler a/p at the end of may. just 1500 miles later and the tire treads are half gone on each tire.