# Tires...



## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

Im in the Market for new tires for the Routan, Any recommendations? How are the 2012s Michelins ?


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

no comments ?

:beer::beer:


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## 58kafer (Jun 27, 2007)

Some one posted in here about Firestones

http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/21799-Bridgestone-Turanza

Here's another thread on Michilens having a hard time balancing

http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/sh...-S-won-t-balance-looking-at-Latitude-Tourings

Dig around on chryslerminivan.net there have been some discussions about tires before IIRC:beer: Post up what you swap out to. Anything has got to be better than the Turanzas, possibly even a flat tire! I was looking at ours today as I'm questioning if they rotated the tires at the 18K check up the other week. I might just rotate the better looking ones to the front. I know my wife doesn't drive it like a slot car either and the edges are rolling off on the fronts and I stay on top of the tire pressure often. I'd like to squeak another 18K out of them. How many miles are on yours Redzone? I remember you were complaing about them cracking already.


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

58kafer said:


> Some one posted in here about Firestones
> 
> http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/21799-Bridgestone-Turanza
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, i was looking for some info on the Michelins, i think they are going to be the tire of choice.

I was getting some Sidewall cracking at 20K, but the cracks were really minor. Now with 33K on the ticker, the cracks are very deep, and i even have a sidewall bubble. I have thumping at 65-75 mph, Bumps are not being absorbed without all sorts of harshness. 

They have degraded so much in the last 5,000 miles its unbelievable. even tho there is nearly 1/2 tread depth left.


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## 71sbeetle (Apr 12, 2002)

I've had the Michelin Latitude Tour or whatever they are for the last 15k miles, Got them balanced 3 times already, basically each time I do a tire rotation is when I notice a new significant out of balance ..... and the fact that they are LRR well, didn't make a difference at all on our Routan.


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## 71sbeetle (Apr 12, 2002)

Oh and they're starting to get loud at 15k miles too


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## VWroutanvanman (Feb 12, 2011)

*Replacement tires*

Just put on 4 BF Goodrich Touring tires in 225/60R-17 on my '10 Routan SE, and boy, did they ride hard. Took them back after 5 days, and replaced them back to the stock size of 225/65R-17 with Goodyear Assurance tires. Much better ride, although a harder ride than the stock Bridgestones over expansion joints, which wore down to 5/32 on one tire, 6/32 on another tire, and the other 2 at 8/32, most likely due to an alignment problem before I bought the dealer shuttle with 3700 miles on it as new. I've now put about 1500 miles on the Goodyears. I noticed that the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan has 235/60R-17s as a stock tire, probably a better size for our heavy vans, but why does a Dodge Journey have a larger rim and tire, and the vans only have 16s and 17s? I know that doesn't answer your question about Michelins, I did consider them, but they were about $80 more per tire, and couldn't justify the cost difference. Good luck with your tire search, and let us know about the Michelins if you get them. (I just spoke with my grandson who runs a tire store in CT, and he said he didn't care for the Michelins, reason not stated).


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## luckeydoug1 (Feb 11, 2001)

The stock Turanzas have low customer ratings on many tire sites I have visited.

I have been very pleased with every set of Yokohamas I have put on my VW cars, but have had no experience with them on heavier vehicles. The Yokohamas on my R32 are a vast improvement over the stock Dunlops (they do tend to get flat spots, since my R often sits for a couple of weeks at a time).

All this being said, I was EXTREMELY happy with the Nokian WRG2 tires I put on my Eurovan, once the stock tires were no longer available for sale. My daughter in law is quite happy with her Pirelli Scorpions on her Tiguan.

If I still have my Routan when it is time for tires, I will be looking at a set of Yokohamas, Nokians or the Pirellis.


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

I'm so far happy with the stock Turanzas. I have over 20k miles and it looks like plenty of tread to go. I put Serenity Turanzas on my Jetta TDI, which I got from Costco. So far they are doing well. I have lots of tread life left and I can't complain about the ride or noise. 

When I comes time to replace my stock tires, I will look for something cheap, with a good mileage warranty, and that is rated to handle snow and wet weather. I may go the Michelin Energy Saves or Lattitude Tours from Costco.


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## 71sbeetle (Apr 12, 2002)

Got my Michelins from Costco too. The stock Bridgestones were dead at 25k miles, and super loud too.


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## noslo912 (Feb 25, 2006)

We just put on a set BFG Advantage tires last week on our 09 Routan (R17's). 2 days later we had a horrific desert rain / thunder storm I feel they held up better than our stock Turanzas. Went through some low flood roads and sand washes, never felt them slip. This weekend we'll be driving from SoCal to NorCal so we'll see how they handle on long trips up the 5 hwy. Good Luck with your choice! :beer:


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## TCM GLX (Jan 2, 2000)

I posted in the 19" wheel thread, I have now 22K miles on my Pirelli's PZERO in 245/50/19. They are at 4/32 and I am waiting for them to be at 3/32 so I can cash in on the mileage warranty on them. So they wear very fast. 

That being said, I would highly recomend you guys look at going to a wider tire when replacing the OEM on the van. The move to a 235/60/17 on the Chrysler/Dodge is a good one, it makes the van handle much much better. When I did the 245's, my wife immediately noticed the difference.


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

TCM GLX said:


> That being said, I would highly recomend you guys look at going to a wider tire when replacing the OEM on the van. The move to a 235/60/17 on the Chrysler/Dodge is a good one, it makes the van handle much much better. When I did the 245's, my wife immediately noticed the difference.


That's a good idea going wider. That would improve handling. I think when my time comes, I probably do that, assuming prices are similar or close to stock prices.


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

71sbeetle said:


> I've had the Michelin Latitude Tour or whatever they are for the last 15k miles, Got them balanced 3 times already, basically each time I do a tire rotation is when I notice a new significant out of balance ..... and the fact that they are LRR well, didn't make a difference at all on our Routan.


I have heard this issue with a few other people, so its just not your case.

the latitude touring ARE different than the Energy Saver a/s, seems that the Touring is a tougher compound tire since they are rated as a SUV tire.

maybe ill take a 2012 out for a spin and see how the ride is


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## nater (Apr 10, 2000)

Let me say that Turanzas are not Turanzas. Turanzas EL series tire is totally different than the Turanza with Serenity. They may not make it in the minivan size, speed, & load rating but it's an amazing tire. 
Only bringing this up bc a couple ppl have talked about the Turanzas.


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

nater said:


> Let me say that Turanzas are not Turanzas. Turanzas EL series tire is totally different than the Turanza with Serenity. They may not make it in the minivan size, speed, & load rating but it's an amazing tire.
> Only bringing this up bc a couple ppl have talked about the Turanzas.


I have the Turanza Serenity on my Jetta, from Costco, with a 60k warranty, and they have performed very well. I have had them for about 25k, and they are doing just fine, plenty of tread left. I assumed they would have made them in the the van size.


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

nater said:


> Let me say that Turanzas are not Turanzas. Turanzas EL series tire is totally different than the Turanza with Serenity. They may not make it in the minivan size, speed, & load rating but it's an amazing tire.
> Only bringing this up bc a couple ppl have talked about the Turanzas.


ahh, Makes sense now. thanks for clearing that up.

I have decided to go with a set of Michelin Energy Saver A/S, What i have read around the Web, this tire is a great performer, and with the price of ~125 each, VERY reasonable too


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