Federal SS-657 (165/65-14) - long term thoughts?

[Wil B]

I bought a set of the Federals for my 2018 Mirage in late 2019 from Wal-Mart. They still look in good shape - nearly new after 20,000 miles. I rotate every 7,500 miles with every oil change. I hope to get 45,000 to 50,000+ out of the set.
I'm very happy with these tires. Ride and handling are at least as good as the original Dunlops. No issues on long high-speed trips. Best of all, they were only $39.00 at Wal-Mart. So cheap, I bought an extra tire just in case I get an unfixable puncture. They are an uncommon size, so it's good to have an extra on hand!
Count me as a fan so far. I would definately buy a second set.

[Azariah747]

I bought a set of the Federals for my 2018 Mirage in late 2019 from Wal-Mart. They still look in good shape - nearly new after 20,000 miles. I rotate every 7,500 miles with every oil change. I hope to get 45,000 to 50,000+ out of the set.
I'm very happy with these tires. Ride and handling are at least as good as the original Dunlops. No issues on long high-speed trips. Best of all, they were only $39.00 at Wal-Mart. So cheap, I bought an extra tire just in case I get an unfixable puncture. They are an uncommon size, so it's good to have an extra on hand!
Count me as a fan so far. I would definately buy a second set.

yes i am on rough roads here. so if i get 40k out of these i would be amazed. i think ill get 35 though. what are you driving conditions?

[Wil B]

yes i am on rough roads here. so if i get 40k out of these i would be amazed. i think ill get 35 though. what are you driving conditions?

Suburban streets and long-distance travel. Very little off road + a lot of highway miles
75,000 miles on a 2018 Mirage!

[Azariah747]

Suburban streets and long-distance travel. Very little off road + a lot of highway miles
75,000 miles on a 2018 Mirage!

ugh just realized i was running my tires on too low of pressure. i think they were wearing faster because of it.

[Fummins]

ugh just realized i was running my tires on too low of pressure. i think they were wearing faster because of it.

How low is too low?

[Azariah747]

How low is too low?

i was running them at like 33 psi in the winter and then i put a little more in them for the summer. but i guess i should have had them at like 36 for the winter and 38 for the summer. i have them at 38 now and it feels much better turning and handling. my rotors were warped and i didnt know it. i thought it was the tires that were making the vibration. it would vibrate like crazy if i put more then 35 psi in them. but now that i replaced the rotors i noticed that the tires were way too low.

[Casey]

Seen any tire deals lately? I am looking for at least two. Will try the local tire shop I am loyal to this week. But, have been looking online. These arent the SS 657 but look like the best deal I have seen:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14335534168...evt=1&mkcid=28

[Cobrajet]

Seen any tire deals lately? I am looking for at least two. Will try the local tire shop I am loyal to this week. But, have been looking online. These arent the SS 657 but look like the best deal I have seen:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14335534168...evt=1&mkcid=28

You might consider these. The SP10 was the OEM tire on the Gen 1 Toyota Prius. I ordered a set a week or two ago and am waiting to put them on.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30350424528...cAAOSwMQNfmDkp

[Eggman]

Seen any tire deals lately? I am looking for at least two. Will try the local tire shop I am loyal to this week. But, have been looking online. These arent the SS 657 but look like the best deal I have seen:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14335534168...evt=1&mkcid=28

Check with your favorite tire shop - if they don't have your chosen tires in stock they can usually order them in and often at competitive prices.

[Mark]

Seen any tire deals lately? I am looking for at least two. Will try the local tire shop I am loyal to this week. But, have been looking online. These arent the SS 657 but look like the best deal I have seen:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14335534168...evt=1&mkcid=28

The Federal SS657 were $40-50 tires for quite some time. Lately, the price of them have gone up. I don't think there would be anything wrong with the Federal Formoza GIO, but they use to be cheaper, too!

Sadly, the best deal I have seen lately ended yesterday.

Tire Rack was offering the Kumho Solus TA31 165/65r14 tires with a $50 MasterCard gift card (entire month of May). The Kumho Solus TA31 is a 60,000 mile warranty tire. The gift card made their $68.30 tires be $55.80/tire ($223.20 for a set of 4).

I sort of watch the prices of three 165/65r14 tires -

Federal SS657 - I paid about $40/tire @ simpletire.com, which are about $70/tire there today.

Nexen NPriz AH5 (50,000 mile warranty) - I picked up a pair of these last summer for $50/tire @ tires-easy.com, but they are $77/tire today.

Kumho Solus TA31 (60,000 mile warranty) - Best price I have seen was the one above.

If you are visiting a local tire shop, these may be good 165/65r14 picks. I suspect one will get more life out a Nexen or Kumho tire, & the tire rating/warranty seem to indicate that.

When the Federal tires were cheaper, I felt they were a pretty good value. I compare their life to the factory Dunlop tires, but they were about 1/3 the cost. Even at half the cost, they are still a decent value. I lost a factory Dunlop to a sidewall issue, & I am not a big fan of them. I am still using a pair this summer, however.

If you want to stick with factory size tires, I do think Federal, Nexen, & Kumho are good ones to focus on. Falken is now making a 165/65r14 tires, but they seem way overpriced for their tire rating (not as high as Dunlop, however). It's the new factory tire for the 2021 Mirages with 14" tires.