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HELP! Every dealer I talk to wants to sell me a different tire. I drive a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu (tire size 215 60 15) I have called around the area and was told I should get a Cooper CS4, a Hankook Optimo, an Dean Equus lsi, and a Mastercraft Avenger. I live in northern Minnesota and want a all-season tire that will handle well in the snow. Can any of you help me? What is the best tire? Any of these? I am not concerned about the price; I want a good tire. Thank you for any advice you can give me.  

First you need to determine what you want in a tire - What do you want the tire to do.

Physics dictates that there are basic compromises in tires.

Rolling resistance (fuel economy), tread wear, and traction is a technology triangle.  in order to improve one of those, you have to sacrifice the others.  In other words, if you are looking to maximize treadwear, then the tire will not have good traction and / or fuel economy.  But there are good compriomises out there.

Ride quality vs handling:  This is another area of compromise.

Price vs quality:

So you need to have thought about what you want before you go shopping.  After all, when you go clothes shopping, aren't you aware that you want either a suit or a pair of jeans, or something in between?

Plus, be aware that tire dealers do NOT carry EVERY brand of tire, and while indicating what you want is going to narrow the field a bit, there will be several tires that will fit your needs.  Each tire dealer will have their own preference.  You need to decide what works for you.  

So as to not over complicate...Cooper not only produces the CS4 but also the Dean and Mastercraft lines of tires (along with many others). Similar products, different names. If it was my car I would search for a well established dealer within the local market.  They should have the expertise to recomend what brand and type tire works the best in your specific geographic region.  I like Goodyear, BFG and Sumitomo...Hankook not so much.  You might look at either an asymmetric or symmetrical tread design vs. one that is directional but thats just my preference.  

I don't sure whether my blog & Shop can help you or not.,try visit at  

http://tireslerning.blogspot.com
or
www.7Day-Shopping.com

if cannot,I so sorry. ^_^
     

 

Not sure if you got new tires or not, but I have always gotten help from reading tire buying guides.  A good one is located here: http://simpletire.com/buying_help  
Josh
http://www.simpletire.com

I'm 80 years old. I've been spinning wrenches for 66 years. Don't misunderstand. I'm not boasting about my skills or experience. I'm just trying to make the point that, "THERE SIMPLY IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE". Visit the website below for the BEST and ONLY tire you should consider buying today. When the page opens, if you input your vehicle and current tire size information, the link will post the "DUNLOP" tire that is best suited for your car.

http://www.dunloptires.com/


The earth was created in eight days not seven. On the seventh day GOD realized he needed help so he called in the MARINES..

God Bless The United States Marine Corps.  
The earth was created in eight days and not seven. On the eighth day GOD realized he needed help, so he called in THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.

Hey,
you guys should check out our website
www.redtagtires.com    our price are great and we are also selling the Sumitomo A/S PO1
Wich was rated #1 on consumer reports.  Check it out guys!!  

Do some research there are plenty of other options than going to a dealer, you can find a tire store with great deals or an independent mechanic who can take care of the job for you.  Sometimes dealers are the more expensive way.  

a great place that I like to look at is www.streetdreams.org -they can answer any wheel/tire question for you.  

You can go with Cooper CS4.It will go very well with your car.