Goodyear RSA tire wear
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Goodyear RSA tire wear
I have 20,400 miles on my SE as of today. I keep reading about the poor treadwear on the Eagle RSA's, but mine seem to be doing pretty doggone well.
I passed by a new Discount Tire store today and they didn't look busy, so I asked the guy there to measure my remaining tread. He checked both froont and rear, and said, "7-1/2 32nds".
Now, I don't know what these tires measure when new, but having between 7 and 8/32 after 20,000 miles doen't strike me as too bad. The tire dude said I should get 40,000 miles out of them (although I think that's a little optimistic).
He priced the RSA's for me, too ... $211 apiece installed. Since I recalled a price closer to $250 on Tire Rack, that wasn't so bad, either. And btw, everything else except maybe Falkens was higher than the RSA's.
My car is leased, and the main thing I'm wanting to do is be able to turn it back without having to buy 2 sets of tires. So, if I can get maybe 30,000 out of these, I should be able to get one more set of RSA's and still pass lease-end inspection when I turn it back in at 45,000 miles. The only rub is that probably 5,000 of my current miles were highway trip miles.
Overall, though, I'm not disappointed with the wear!
Mike
I passed by a new Discount Tire store today and they didn't look busy, so I asked the guy there to measure my remaining tread. He checked both froont and rear, and said, "7-1/2 32nds".
Now, I don't know what these tires measure when new, but having between 7 and 8/32 after 20,000 miles doen't strike me as too bad. The tire dude said I should get 40,000 miles out of them (although I think that's a little optimistic).
He priced the RSA's for me, too ... $211 apiece installed. Since I recalled a price closer to $250 on Tire Rack, that wasn't so bad, either. And btw, everything else except maybe Falkens was higher than the RSA's.
My car is leased, and the main thing I'm wanting to do is be able to turn it back without having to buy 2 sets of tires. So, if I can get maybe 30,000 out of these, I should be able to get one more set of RSA's and still pass lease-end inspection when I turn it back in at 45,000 miles. The only rub is that probably 5,000 of my current miles were highway trip miles.
Overall, though, I'm not disappointed with the wear!
Mike
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Do you have the full sized spare? Here's my plan.....when I need tires. I'm buying three. I take one used wheel w/tire and put it in as the spare. I'll use the spare tire for the 4th location.
The spare will still be perfectly functional, have tread left, and be the right wheel. I won't have to pay for the 4th tire. And...the rim the spare is mounted on will be in perfect shape. I'll pick the wheel with any sort of damage to it to be put back as the spare.
This way you only pay for 3 new tires for your leased vehicle! Its a good plan eh?
CM.
The spare will still be perfectly functional, have tread left, and be the right wheel. I won't have to pay for the 4th tire. And...the rim the spare is mounted on will be in perfect shape. I'll pick the wheel with any sort of damage to it to be put back as the spare.
This way you only pay for 3 new tires for your leased vehicle! Its a good plan eh?
CM.
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Originally Posted by CanadianMoFo
Do you have the full sized spare? Here's my plan.....when I need tires. I'm buying three. I take one used wheel w/tire and put it in as the spare. I'll use the spare tire for the 4th location.
The spare will still be perfectly functional, have tread left, and be the right wheel. I won't have to pay for the 4th tire. And...the rim the spare is mounted on will be in perfect shape. I'll pick the wheel with any sort of damage to it to be put back as the spare.
This way you only pay for 3 new tires for your leased vehicle! Its a good plan eh?
CM.
The spare will still be perfectly functional, have tread left, and be the right wheel. I won't have to pay for the 4th tire. And...the rim the spare is mounted on will be in perfect shape. I'll pick the wheel with any sort of damage to it to be put back as the spare.
This way you only pay for 3 new tires for your leased vehicle! Its a good plan eh?
CM.
LOL! Yeah, that's what I usually do, too. But this time I had to take a car with the toy spare (or wait for one with a real spare to come in at some unknown later date), so I can't play the old used tire shell game.
The prospect of $1,000 for a set of tires gives me the heebie jeebies, so I'm trying now to hedge my bets. I've got to go read the lease agreement and see how much tread Nissan requires the tires to have, but I've learned from other leases that you have to have tires on the car that are "comparable" to the OEM's. IOW, you can't bring it back with a set of Pep Boys specials and slip it past 'em.
(And, btw, for those of you who don't know ... worn-out tires ain't part of the "normal wear and tear" clause of the lease. A buddy of mine who leases a Mercedes thought that after 45,000 miles, tires should be expected to be bald - and therefore perfectly acceptable for lease turnback. Surprise ... they do have a minimum required tread depth!)
Mike
I wasn't disappointed with the wear on my RSA's either - UNTIL I came out and saw that the front left was SPLIT in the sidewall due to a common defect on the RSA's. I was told my tire was losing air from the split and was in serious danger of a blowout. You can't repair a split so I was forced to buy a whole new set of tires. Very dangerous tire IMO - luckily the split didn't blow out on me while I was on the FWY doing 70. Unfortunately both Nissan and Goodyear won't admit that the splits in the sidewall are their problem. 
Also go to tirerack.com and check the reviews on the RSA's (Horrible)
Also go to tirerack.com and check the reviews on the RSA's (Horrible)
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 600
Originally Posted by JiuJitsuThug
I wasn't disappointed with the wear on my RSA's either - UNTIL I came out and saw that the front left was SPLIT in the sidewall due to a common defect on the RSA's. I was told my tire was losing air from the split and was in serious danger of a blowout. You can't repair a split so I was forced to buy a whole new set of tires. Very dangerous tire IMO - luckily the split didn't blow out on me while I was on the FWY doing 70. Unfortunately both Nissan and Goodyear won't admit that the splits in the sidewall are their problem.
Also go to tirerack.com and check the reviews on the RSA's (Horrible)
Also go to tirerack.com and check the reviews on the RSA's (Horrible)
How much did it run you?
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Originally Posted by msoemax
If the sidewall is cracking under a defect wouldn't that be covered under warranty???? Or is this defect one that has been observed on the org and not officially released by goodyear?
As for the RSA getting "horrible" ratings on Tire Rack, I don't particularly see that. Most of the ratings are in the high 6's, which for this crowd (all of them describe their driving style as "spirited") ain't too bad. I don't particularly put a lot of weight on tirerack ratings anyway, since you're more likely to hear from the disappointed customers than the satisfied ones.
I care more about my own personal rating, which for this tire is pretty good. It has been excellent in the rain (much better, for example, than the Michelin Pilots on my BMW, or the Continental Conti-Contact Sports on a previous BMW). Grip in the dry also seems good, and wear has been even. For a tire with a treadwear rating of of 260 (which equates roughly to a 26,000 mile life), they're holding up better than I expected. They *may* be a little noisy, but I suspect the lack of sufficient sound-deadening in the Max is the real cuprit there.
At this point, I don't have to replace them, but when I do I might just get some more.
Mike
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,087
I have 34k on my car and my tires are basically gone. Driving in the rain is horrible. So my 4 hour trip today in a down pour wasn't fun. I got a quote for 1200 on replacement tires. The guy said they were 450 a piece suggested price. Finding them for 211 a piece is definatly a nice deal.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Mike_TX - most passenger car tires start out with 11/32nds of an inch tread. Some high performance tires start with 10/32nds. Either way, you have done very well. Tires are not considered worn out until the tread depth drops below 2/32nds of an inch.
Another thing working in your favor is that, unless your driving habits or trip types change, the tendence is usually for tires wear very slightly faster when new than when they have worn well into the tread.
There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that, as the tread wears down, the percentage of the 'footprint' that is rubber goes up slightly, and the percentage that is groove goes down slightly. This is because tread ribs are always slightly thicker at the base than at the crown.
Unless you change your 'style', you should have no trouble getting 40K from these tires.
Another thing working in your favor is that, unless your driving habits or trip types change, the tendence is usually for tires wear very slightly faster when new than when they have worn well into the tread.
There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that, as the tread wears down, the percentage of the 'footprint' that is rubber goes up slightly, and the percentage that is groove goes down slightly. This is because tread ribs are always slightly thicker at the base than at the crown.
Unless you change your 'style', you should have no trouble getting 40K from these tires.
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Originally Posted by msoemax
If the sidewall is cracking under a defect wouldn't that be covered under warranty???? Or is this defect one that has been observed on the org and not officially released by goodyear?
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Originally Posted by lightonthehill
Mike_TX - most passenger car tires start out with 11/32nds of an inch tread. Some high performance tires start with 10/32nds. Either way, you have done very well. Tires are not considered worn out until the tread depth drops below 2/32nds of an inch.
Another thing working in your favor is that, unless your driving habits or trip types change, the tendence is usually for tires wear very slightly faster when new than when they have worn well into the tread.
There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that, as the tread wears down, the percentage of the 'footprint' that is rubber goes up slightly, and the percentage that is groove goes down slightly. This is because tread ribs are always slightly thicker at the base than at the crown.
Unless you change your 'style', you should have no trouble getting 40K from these tires.
Another thing working in your favor is that, unless your driving habits or trip types change, the tendence is usually for tires wear very slightly faster when new than when they have worn well into the tread.
There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that, as the tread wears down, the percentage of the 'footprint' that is rubber goes up slightly, and the percentage that is groove goes down slightly. This is because tread ribs are always slightly thicker at the base than at the crown.
Unless you change your 'style', you should have no trouble getting 40K from these tires.
Sounds good to me!
Mike
Mike TX - Sorry the reviews I used before was this one - horrible reviews http://www.carreview.com/Tires/Goody...rx.aspx#review
And I can only speak from my own personal experience. I was totally happy with how they were doing until the split happened and it ended up costing me cash plus possibly endangering my life.
I also got 4 new Ultra High Performance Z rated Yokohama's for $800 total, not V rated like the RSA's (which cost way more - lol). Handles ALOT better and I feel safer. I can't believe people would consider buying V rated when they could get Z rated Ultra High Performance tires for less $$$. I would never buy Goodyear again. My next set will either be Yoko's or Falken's.
Anyway to each his own and best of luck with your next set of whatever tires you decide on.
And I can only speak from my own personal experience. I was totally happy with how they were doing until the split happened and it ended up costing me cash plus possibly endangering my life.
I also got 4 new Ultra High Performance Z rated Yokohama's for $800 total, not V rated like the RSA's (which cost way more - lol). Handles ALOT better and I feel safer. I can't believe people would consider buying V rated when they could get Z rated Ultra High Performance tires for less $$$. I would never buy Goodyear again. My next set will either be Yoko's or Falken's.
Anyway to each his own and best of luck with your next set of whatever tires you decide on.
Example of a review...
"The BAD-year RSA was OEM on my 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. If you have these tires get rid of them. They are dangerous and should be recalled. My car is impeccably kept and the tires are rotated every 7500 miles. I only have 22000 miles on my car. We were coming back from a trip to FL when the rear tire literally seperated from the rim. My husband pulled over as fast as he could. Thank God we are alive to tell our story. The seperated tire actually passed us when we pulled over. The tire ripped the shroud and broke my side molding causing over $900 worth of damage. A tractor trailer hit the rolling debris and it flew in the air landing on 95 South. Thank goodness it was 2:00 am and not pm because someone else might have been injured. I went back to Pontiac and they said I would have to talk to GOODYEAR. Good year said without the rest of the tire they cannot prove the tire was defective. No one will take responsibility for my car. It sickens me because we do not abuse our cars. I think Goodyear KNOWs these tires are defective especially after reading these reviews. We do not drive this car hard and we were doing the posted speed limit of 70 mph. To those of you who say you do not have any problems I hope your luck holds out. As for me and my family we will never have another Good (bad)year tire."
Another
"These tires were OEM on the
2002 Jetta 1.8T Sport Package.
Seems to be a widespread problem regarding the sidewalls. Seems the
sidewalls a cracking and the tire
begins to lose air as in a slow leak.
As you add air to the tire to keep the
pressure up to specs the matter gets worse. Finally you have a flat and Goodyear (dealers) don't seem to even want to acknowledge the problem."
Yet another Sidewall problem
"Right front tire has a bubble on the sidewall after just 10 months and 8,500 miles. Dealer, Ganley Hyundae in Cleveland, Ohio, says to contact Goodyear for service. Dealer will not stand behind the tires. Called a tire dealer...they too will not do anything about this. Goodyear AND Ganley Hyundae Dealership suck!"
"The BAD-year RSA was OEM on my 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. If you have these tires get rid of them. They are dangerous and should be recalled. My car is impeccably kept and the tires are rotated every 7500 miles. I only have 22000 miles on my car. We were coming back from a trip to FL when the rear tire literally seperated from the rim. My husband pulled over as fast as he could. Thank God we are alive to tell our story. The seperated tire actually passed us when we pulled over. The tire ripped the shroud and broke my side molding causing over $900 worth of damage. A tractor trailer hit the rolling debris and it flew in the air landing on 95 South. Thank goodness it was 2:00 am and not pm because someone else might have been injured. I went back to Pontiac and they said I would have to talk to GOODYEAR. Good year said without the rest of the tire they cannot prove the tire was defective. No one will take responsibility for my car. It sickens me because we do not abuse our cars. I think Goodyear KNOWs these tires are defective especially after reading these reviews. We do not drive this car hard and we were doing the posted speed limit of 70 mph. To those of you who say you do not have any problems I hope your luck holds out. As for me and my family we will never have another Good (bad)year tire."
Another
"These tires were OEM on the
2002 Jetta 1.8T Sport Package.
Seems to be a widespread problem regarding the sidewalls. Seems the
sidewalls a cracking and the tire
begins to lose air as in a slow leak.
As you add air to the tire to keep the
pressure up to specs the matter gets worse. Finally you have a flat and Goodyear (dealers) don't seem to even want to acknowledge the problem."
Yet another Sidewall problem
"Right front tire has a bubble on the sidewall after just 10 months and 8,500 miles. Dealer, Ganley Hyundae in Cleveland, Ohio, says to contact Goodyear for service. Dealer will not stand behind the tires. Called a tire dealer...they too will not do anything about this. Goodyear AND Ganley Hyundae Dealership suck!"
Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39
I'm not a big fan of the RSA's either, but at least they look nice. I noticed cracking on my RSA's at about the 13k mark. Took it to the dealer. They ended up sending me to Goodyear. Goodyear pulled the tires off and found stress cracks all over the indside sidewalls of three tires. Goodyear replaced all four tires for me under warranty. They didn't charge me a single penny. FYI, my 04 6sp. Max SE has been in the shop for probably 2 full months of its 13 month life with me. Lots of nagging issues, but the dealership (Jeff Wyler in Cincy, OH) has been great. I always get a free loaner and finally the car appears to be all straightened out. Even with the problems I love this car. Has tons of room, gets tons of looks and is fast as hell. The tires ride on triple coated bling bling (18in MKW's) that just makes the ride!
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Posts: 880
Thanks, Jiujit. I don't doubt there's been some bad experiences with the RSA's. Considering what tires have to go through, it's probably a miracle there aren't more failures. And I'm not trying to do a commercial for Goodyear, but I still doubt we get the whole story in those tire rack reviews. There's no way we'll ever know if the lady's tire "separated from the rim" because they ran over something unseen in the road (after all, it was 2 am) and blew out, or maybe it had been carrying a nail around for weeks slowly losing air, or ... well, you get the idea.
And cracks in the sidewall are often the result of running a tire too low on air, or possibly scuffing a curb or hitting a sharp pothole. Ditto for the guy's tire with the knot on the side (also called tread separation).
Maybe the tires ARE bad, and there'll be a big stink on TV next week. But in the meantime, I don't personally have any reason to dislike them. I can see how you're soured on them because of the cracks, but there isn't any product out there that can't fail at some point.
I've looked at the Yokos, too ... they're only a couple bucks less than the Goodyears, but I need to check and be sure Nissan isn't gonna be unhappy if I bring the Max back to them at lease-end with something different on it!
Mike
And cracks in the sidewall are often the result of running a tire too low on air, or possibly scuffing a curb or hitting a sharp pothole. Ditto for the guy's tire with the knot on the side (also called tread separation).
Maybe the tires ARE bad, and there'll be a big stink on TV next week. But in the meantime, I don't personally have any reason to dislike them. I can see how you're soured on them because of the cracks, but there isn't any product out there that can't fail at some point.
I've looked at the Yokos, too ... they're only a couple bucks less than the Goodyears, but I need to check and be sure Nissan isn't gonna be unhappy if I bring the Max back to them at lease-end with something different on it!
Mike
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