Not much left in 195/60(or65)-14

My '90 Integra came with 195/65-14, despite the factory size being 195/60-14.

The current tires lose about 3 psi/month. They only have about 14,000 miles on them, but they are also 9 years old.

Discount Tire lists 2 choices, both sketchy Chinese brands. Tire Rack has about 6 choices, but since I have to pay sales tax at TR (they have a warehouse in Reno) and with shipping, TR makes for a poor choice.

I'm not looking for a performance tire. I just want something round and black that holds air and comes from a brand I've heard of.

Is this too much to ask?

I bought some ohtsus from dt. They're actually japanese. Did good enough for me. On a 200$, im not putting expensive tires. Especially considering that pig should have beem dead 5 years ago.

Move up to a 15" tire and wheel if you can.

noddaz wrote: Move up to a 15" tire and wheel if you can.

Problem with moving up to a 15" is that means a 50-series tire to get close to the right diameter. A 50-series tire is the last thing I want on this particular car.

In reply to EvanR:

A 4 are loosing 3 lbs? 9 years old, was this not the time of the rash of bad chinese valve stems ?
Might buy some time while searching for tires of it is the issue.

Steve

195/55-15 has a good selection of reletively soft-riding tires, and the diameter is is essentially identical to a 195/60-14. FIY, DT can get you virtually all the same tires as TR (same free shipping as usual), they just don't list all the available sizes. Just bring them the manufacturer part number. Example: I bought my current 195/55-15 BFG Comp-2s from them, even though that size is nowhere to be found on either discounttire (local store site) or discounttiredirect.

The General RT43 is pretty highly rated in it's category at TR, is available in 195/60-14, and DT can get it for you in a couple of days if you ask for it. They buy from the same wholesalers as everyone else.

I have gotten great prices through www.tirebuyer.com since no shipping charges. For you maybe no tax.

Looks like some $60 Kumhos or $65 Generals then $13 to mount. No shipping, no tax

My '00 Focus is running Falken 211s that my guy got mounted for less than $60 each but I'm not sure where he got them. They are a 80k tire and 3k in, I'm very happy.

14" tires are getting harder to find in general I think. Last year when I got my GTX the PO was running Chinese Starfire tires. Can't say they are bad tires, they ride nice and are quiet, but I don't know what the longevity will be like, especially since they will likely age out long before I wear them out.

Point is if there are ONLY Chinese tires, it's not always a bad choice. Though i REALLY wish I had more options.

Edit: just looked it up and Starfire is owned by Cooper. Guess it's not totally Chinese.

Try Vulcan tire. They a few legit brands in 195/60/14.

I've had good luck with hankooks. Walmart carries them, I expect others do, too.

We run THESE on our LeMons car, different size, but a great handling tire.

There's also Uniroyals, Falkens, Generals and Kumhos.

Tip: if you prefer to not go to Walmart, find the tire you want there, print it out, and take the listing to your local garage/ tire jobber of choice. Generally they can order the same tires, and usually get pretty close on price.

I think I'd rather have new cheap tires than 9 year old dry rotted 'good' tires. While I'm not a safety Nazi, old tires that have seen a lot of UV could be a bad idea. I'd be OK for around town, but I wouldn’t hit freeway speeds with them for long. Again, I'm not in favor of tire age limits like some countries have (six years I think) but I'd be careful on old tires.

I know you're not keen on Tire Rack, but htey list Uniroyal TigerPaws in that size.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: I think I'd rather have new cheap tires than 9 year old dry rotted 'good' tires. While I'm not a safety Nazi, old tires that have seen a lot of UV could be a bad idea. I'd be OK for around town, but I wouldn’t hit freeway speeds with them for long. Again, I'm not in favor of tire age limits like some countries have (six years I think) but I'd be careful on old tires. I know you're not keen on Tire Rack, but htey list Uniroyal TigerPaws in that size.

Agreed. Also, though the tires may be OK on dry pavement, they may turn into a mess in the wet as the rubber hardens with time. Even cold temps can make them completely undriveable.

Discount Tire (not direct) lists BF Goodrich g-force Super Sport AS as coming in stock size ($89/tire). I know you said you're not looking for a performance tire, but...

I got blasted for saying the selection of 14" and 15" tire sizes are drying up.

Glad to see I am not the only one that noticed it.

EvanR wrote:

noddaz wrote: Move up to a 15" tire and wheel if you can.

Problem with moving up to a 15" is that means a 50-series tire to get close to the right diameter. A 50-series tire is the last thing I want on this particular car.

"50 series" is a meaningless statement on its own. Besides, you'd be looking at a 195/55-15 to replace a 195/60-14.

I'm assuming this concern is due to sidewall height. You'll lose 1/2" of sidewall going from a 14" to a 15" wheel. The choice of tire will have a much bigger effect on the ride quality than the size - I've got a set of 195/60-14s that ride worse than another set of 205/40-17s.

Tire Rack shows 30 options in a 195/55-15. I'm sure someone else could get a tire for you in that size.

Thanks, friends! I have more hope now.

I race my ministock on 195/60 14 Kumho KH16 tires. They appear to be round, they last a few races, and are about as grippy as anything left out there with a 400tw.

It sems they are getting hard to find, too.