reputable tire dealer near NYC, and tire question

[Zack]

Last night I blew out my right rear tire, and it's unfortunately time
to buy a new set of tires (I had Michelin Rainforce MX4's with about
65,000 miles on them, so I was probably due for new tires anyway).

I normally get my service work done at Dan Perkins Subaru in Milford
CT -- I've had excellent experience with them and trust their work.
Under normal conditions, I would have bought my tires there (or near
there) and have the dealer do the balancing and alignment. However,
I'm now running the space-saver donut tire on which I have already
travelled 35 miles. Driving an additional 100 miles up to Milford is
obviously a bad idea.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably-priced tire dealer within 20-30
miles of NYC that they would trust to do a proper job of alignment and
balancing? I live on the lower west side of Manhattan, so any dealers
in New Jersey within 20-30 miles of the Holland or Lincoln tunnels
would be great.

Also, that age-old question, any recommendation for replacement tires?
I'm looking for all-season tires, something reasonably priced; my
priorities are long-wear, good handling (wet/dry) and
quiet/comfortable ride in that order. I don't get a lot of snow
(unfortunately), but do get up into the mountains maybe twice each
winter. I've always had good experience with Michelins, but they are
expensive and their all-season tires seem to be less comfortable on
snow than the competion. The other contenders seem to be the
Bridgestone Turanza LS-T, Yokohama Avid Touring, Goodyear Regatta 2,
or Pirelli P400. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Zack
1990 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD 155,000 miles

 

[Verbs Under My Gel]

Last night I blew out my right rear tire, and it's unfortunately time
to buy a new set of tires (I had Michelin Rainforce MX4's with about
65,000 miles on them, so I was probably due for new tires anyway).

I normally get my service work done at Dan Perkins Subaru in Milford
CT -- I've had excellent experience with them and trust their work.
Under normal conditions, I would have bought my tires there (or near
there) and have the dealer do the balancing and alignment. However,
I'm now running the space-saver donut tire on which I have already
travelled 35 miles. Driving an additional 100 miles up to Milford is
obviously a bad idea.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably-priced tire dealer within 20-30
miles of NYC that they would trust to do a proper job of alignment and
balancing? I live on the lower west side of Manhattan, so any dealers
in New Jersey within 20-30 miles of the Holland or Lincoln tunnels
would be great.

Also, that age-old question, any recommendation for replacement tires?
I'm looking for all-season tires, something reasonably priced; my
priorities are long-wear, good handling (wet/dry) and
quiet/comfortable ride in that order. I don't get a lot of snow
(unfortunately), but do get up into the mountains maybe twice each
winter. I've always had good experience with Michelins, but they are
expensive and their all-season tires seem to be less comfortable on
snow than the competion. The other contenders seem to be the
Bridgestone Turanza LS-T, Yokohama Avid Touring, Goodyear Regatta 2,
or Pirelli P400. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Zack
1990 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD 155,000 miles

Zack,

If you _don't_ have a limited-slip differential on the rear , and you
_do_ have an automatic transmission, install the "FWD" fuse and drive
to Milford (in fact, you could drive to the moon and back without
damaging the drivetrain as long as the "FWD" fuse is installed). If
you have a limited-slip diff on the rear and/or a manual transmission,
find a closer tire dealer.

As far a tires go, I recommed the Continental ContiExtremeContact.
They're excellent in the wet and dry, and not to shabby in the snow.
Haven't had them in the ice yet.

 

[Guest]

I got "Futura Plus Touring SE" tires from PepBoys just before last winter.
Pretty good tires with 75K warranty. For set of 4, with installation,
geometry, balance, and free "life time" tire rotation I paid about $330.
Since last year I have about 20K on them and had no problem.

 

[Howard R. Silverstein]

I just bought the Bridgestone Turanza LS-T. According to the ratings at
tirerack.com these are the BEST all season tires around.
I had the Pep Boys Futura tires in the past (they are made by Cooper).
The Futura weren't bad tires but good enough if your budget is limited.
Personally I stick with major brands.

~Howard

 

[mac]

<<the space-saver donut tire on which I have already

travelled 35 miles. Driving an additional 100 miles up to Milford is
obviously a bad idea>>

carefully driven (i.e. no Petter Solberg like stunts on the way<BG>), there
should be no problem at all. Call the dealership to get their verification
of the idea if you wish.

 

[Zack]

should be no problem at all. Call the dealership to get their verification
of the idea if you wish.

There seems to be lots of confusion on the question of driving with
the donut. The manual for my '90 Legacy AWD (no limited-slip
differential, which I don't think was an option for that year) says
nothing about using the front wheel drive fuse in this situation.
When I called the Subaru dealer whose service dept I trust completely
and explained the situation, they said don't use the FWD fuse and --
even though they knew it meant that they would lose the sale of 4
tires to me -- told me not drive more than 50 miles on the donut if I
could avoid it.

Another Subaru dealer which is decent but which I trust less than the
one just mentioned told me to use the FWD fuse with the spare, but
again not to drive more than 50 miles on the spare if at all possible.

So I called Subaru USA, spoke to the tech person who answered the
phone and asked about using the FWD fuse with the donut spare. She
said she would check and was off the phone for a long time. When she
returned, she apologized and explained that she had gotten conflicting
responses from the people she consulted! (though everyone agreed on
not driving more than 50 miles). She asked me to wait a bit longer and
she would track down the senior tech person and get his advice. She
eventually came back this person's final explanation: Subaru had
initially declared that the FWD fuse should not be used while driving
with the donut in the rear on '90 Legacies (hence the lack of mention
in the manual); however, a few years ago they changed their minds and
now recommend using the FWD fuse while driving with the spare in the
rear. In any case, they recommend not driving further than 50 miles
before replacing with a full size tire. I assume (though I didn't
ask) that this answer would apply to all first generation Legacies.

And of course the 50mph speed limitation on the tire should also be
remembered!

Zack
'90 Legacy Wagon AWD automatic 155,000 miles