Project complete. Just got back from my local Tire Rack installer. I went with Yoko's this time. They have a new LRR tire line called "ENVigorator" or some such. The UTQG numbers blew away the comparable Michelins at 560/AA/A, plus I've had great luck with Yoko's on past cars too.

Due to a radical new belt seaming design, they were able to shave 2 pounds off each tire and increase the max psi to 51, without sacrificing any other performance.

Unfortunately the car pulls slightly to the left. I hope once the sipes have worn in it will go away, hope they didn't goof the alignment.

Anyway, all my noises and clunks are gone. Now I can concentrate on work, so I can afford to pay for all this fun stuff.

 

I love new tires. Can you post your alignment report? Before and after.

 

Funny, I asked for that report and the guy said no, and mumbled something about a "software update". IOW, he hasn't paid his Hunter site license in a few years and his report function has been disabled. That's my take on it anyway.

The report would be largely meaningless anyway, since I had the whole suspension pulled apart yesterday.

All I know is the car was rock stable yesterday, and pulls slightly now. Maybe their rack calibration is as old as their license status.

 

Yep, I understand the before could be meaningless. Maybe time for a 2nd opinion from someone that can provide documentation.

 

I was thinking of installing the Yokohama Avid Envigor V rated on my TCH. Is this what you installed? Let me know how you like them. They have very good ratings through Tire Rack.

 

Yessir, those are them. I'll update after some use, but right off the bat I can say they are slightly louder than the Michelins were when new. I might play with the pressures a bit, let them wear in first.

 

McGyver, I will look forward to your reviews on these tires. I have 63,000 on my original Michelins and will be replacing them this summer before a trip to the Grand Canyon area. I kept the Michelins around 40 psi. I have been researching tires on Tire Rack, these look like a good option for our cars, and I spoke to a friend who works @ Discount Tire and he gave Yoko's a good review also. Hopefully he can help me on the price a little also. I am curious, how was Tire Rack to deal with? I am not worried about the winter ratings on these tires because I have dedicated snow tires and wheels for my TCH. Will you be using these year round?

 

Tire Rack has always been outstanding to deal with. I have used them for more than ten years. On this last order, I got a call the day after the order was placed. The adviser told me the tires were back ordered from Reno warehouse, which I knew at the time of ordering. But he was calling me to advise the tires will not be in until the 29th. That would have ruined my schedule. He told me the tires were good in stock in Louisiana. To re-route my order should have required an additional $30 in shipping, which I would be fine with. But the phone rep said he'd do it for $10 extra, make up for the inconvenience. Nice.

While ordering, you can review authorized installers in your area and pick who you want to do the work. Then the tires just get shipped to them. They are strapped together 2 at a time. And you always get freshly made tires, none of this "new, old stock" that many mom and pop shops tend to hustle.

The Yoko's were $87/ea. Whereas comparable Michelin's ranged from $102 - $140, and the Yoko's beat the pants off them on specifications.

Wow what a difference! The car feels like the front wheels are clawing at the pavement instead of wallowing over it. That could be due to the new struts, both fronts were leaking and flat.

Yes, I run them year round. But I live in SoCal, sorry. Out here though, super hot sun exposure wastes a tire faster than they can wear out. The sidewalls typically develop dry cracks, so it stands to reason that the whole tire carcass starts to stiffen a bit.

I'll give longer term updates, but even last night, they settled right in to I-10. Maybe I was just giddy, but I hit 85mph without realizing it. I tend to drive very, very observantly outside my car. I rarely look at my instruments because I know what each speed "feels like", with a high degree of accuracy. And I consider other drivers a far greater threat to me, than my own car. The point is, it "felt like" I was doing 65, when in fact it was 85. THAT is how much the ride improved.

 

Thanks.

Let me know how your MPG do and what psi you are using. In the summer months I was getting around 41-42 MPG @ 40 psi with my Michelins.

 

back in time, after i bought - one and only - new car from dealer, 04 CR-V, it came with a moderate right pull. dealer "promised" to have it all fixed. they sent me to a shop, that did nothing. told me alignment is perfect, nothing i can do.
i went back to dealer, raised my voice, they sent me to a different shop. they told me same thing - alignment is perfect. but, fella that worked there, was kind enough to mention radial pull.
those were OEM Dueller HTs. 78 miles on them.

as it took me half a day hassle every time i had to deal with this, i quit wasting time on shops. one weekend, i checked pressure in all four - it was off per each tire, and rotated tires. that was it.

as i am typing this, ever since, i had radial pull in almost all tires we had. so, i fiddle with tire pressure and rotation. rotated tires on my TCH about 2 mths ago, she went from perfect straight to left pull. swapped front tires side to side, that fixed it.
it's silly to ask, but McGyver, you had car realigned after your struts adventure?
as of pressure... i own this car since march. owner just replaced OEM tires before i bought her. those are good quality Yokohamas. outside the radial pull thingy.. out of respect to forum, i tried 42 psi. forget it. NOW all the rattles and squeeks DO SHOW even worse. it's driving on rocks. i did 2 days driving, brought it back to recommended 32psi. sorry, half a mile better mileage is not worth banging suspension into submission on my book.
also, correct me if i'm wrong. tire pressure is supposed to be raised ONLY to accommodate additional load. there's eve a formula how many psi to add per yey many pounds of weight loaded. that tire can be blown up to 51, does not mean it has to be done, right?
eg:
http://www.milesgallon.com/tire_pressure_calculator.php

TIRE CONICITY PROBLEMS
When a tire is being built, the belts must be almost perfectly centered. According to some tire manufacturers, a belt that is out of position more than one millimeter may cause a steering pull on some vehicles. The position of the outermost belt is the most important because it has the greatest effect on directional stability.
A tire with an off-center belt will lead to one side because the location of the belt shifts more weight to one side of the tread than the other. This condition is known as a "conicity" problem, and occurs because the tire behaves as it if were cone-shaped. A cone always rolls in a circular path towards the pointed end. A conicity pull will therefore always be directional (either to the left or right), and can be reversed by switching the front tires from side to side, or by mounting the offending tire backwards on the rim.
Conicity problems can also arise when the beads are not in the same plane. The resulting difference in sidewall height and loading will create the same unbalanced steering forces that make the tire want to roll towards the shorter side.
Conicity problems are usually most noticeable on the front wheels, but may affect tracking and induce some rear axle steer on vehicles with independent rear suspensions. Vehicles with less caster also seem to be more sensitive to conicity probably because high caster angles have a stabilizing effect on the steering.
If you are trying to diagnose a steering pull and suspect a tire may have a conicity problem, rule out the other possibilities first. Check inflation pressure in both front tires and make sure it is equal on both sides. Low pressure can cause a pull towards the side with less pressure. Compare tire sizes and tread wear on both sides. Measure tread wear, too, because the steering will pull towards the side with the "shorter" tire (the one with the most tread wear). Also, check ride height and make sure it is within specs and is equal on both sides. The steering will usually pull towards the low side. Check for brake drag. A frozen or sticky caliper can cause a pull towards the side that's dragging.
Next, switch the left and right front tires to see what effect it has on the steering. If the steering still pulls in the same direction, the problem is not a bad tire. It is an alignment problem. Take your vehicle to an alignment shop and have them check for camber or caster misalignment, or the presence of a rear axle thrust angle. If the direction of a steering pull changes direction when you swap the front tires, one or both front tires may have a conicity problem.
The next step would be to swap the front and rear wheels on one side (right or left) to see if it eliminates the pull. No change would tell you it is the other front tire that is causing the steering pull. Swapping the other front tire to the rear should eliminate the problem as long as the offending tire remains in the rear. But if somebody rotates the tires later on and the bad tire ends up back in the front again, the steering pull will return. Replacing the offending tire will get rid of the problem altogether, and may be necessary if the tire causes problems in the rear, too.
Another way to reduce the effect of a tire conicity problem is to increase the inflation pressure of the tire. But the tradeoff may be a harsher ride and increased center wear in the tread.