165/65r14 Tire Discussion

[dragon2knight]

Due to my not having any other choice as it seems that local tire carriers in NYC don't order online apparently, I got a set of the Potenza RE92's. Only have around 300 miles on them, but they completely blow the Enasave's away in feel and grip. Plus they seem to be the only other LLR tire available to us at this size. I'll update here on how well they work out as winter is almost here in NYC.

[Mark]

A 165/65r14 Falken tire has appeared on the market in the States. Both tires-easy.com & simpletire.com are offering it. More & more 165/65r14 options have appeared in the past couple years. Outside of the typical Dunlop & Bridgestone tires - Federal, Nexen, Vredestein, Kumho, & Nokian are offering now 165/65r14 tires in the States.

Falken Sincera SN250A A/S 165/65R14 79S BSW Tires

https://www.tires-easy.com/165-65-14...ecode/59000730

https://simpletire.com/brands/falken...=165-65r14&v=1

[Fummins]

I don't and won't buy tires locally unless I need something instantly. I can buy tires from Laval, Quebec which is 3500km/2200miles away from me, delivered to my door for less than local retail prices. If I buy wheels at the same time they're mounted and balanced for free. Shipping across the country is either free or around $20 depending on where I buy from(quattro or pmc). I even did some price checking from those places compared to the "deals" we get at a few local places for work. Retail online prices are still slightly better than local shop discount prices. Unless we bought direct from a distributor it's just cheaper to buy online.

[Basic]

a 165/65r14 falken tire has appeared on the market in the states. Both tires-easy.com & simpletire.com are offering it. More & more 165/65r14 options have appeared in the past couple years. Outside of the typical dunlop & bridgestone tires - federal, nexen, vredestein, kumho, & nokian are offering now 165/65r14 tires in the states.

falken sincera sn250a a/s 165/65r14 79s bsw tires

https://www.tires-easy.com/165-65-14...ecode/59000730

https://simpletire.com/brands/falken...=165-65r14&v=1

UTQG - 320BB WOOF!

Yikes

[Mark]

I don't and won't buy tires locally unless I need something instantly. I can buy tires from Laval, Quebec which is 3500km/2200miles away from me, delivered to my door for less than local retail prices. If I buy wheels at the same time they're mounted and balanced for free. Shipping across the country is either free or around $20 depending on where I buy from(quattro or pmc). I even did some price checking from those places compared to the "deals" we get at a few local places for work. Retail online prices are still slightly better than local shop discount prices. Unless we bought direct from a distributor it's just cheaper to buy online.

I had two different local tire shops add cloned sensors to my winter set of tires for my Mirage & Forester this past summer. Both places asked for $30 to mount/rebalance 4 tires after the new sensors were installed. I gave them $40 cash & no work slip was made up. If I bring tires in to be mounted/balanced on rims, I don't expect it to be much over $10/tire.

It's been a few years ago now, but I bought a set of Cooper CS4 tires (now they are CS5) from my local mechanic. A local chain store (Blaine's Farm & Fleet) was running a buy 3 tires get one free deal (tires must be mounted/balanced by them). I got a quote from F & F. I saved $80 on the same set of tires (mounted/balanced) buying them from my local mechanic. Plus, I still received the same $40 VISA rebate card that Cooper tires was offering at the time. These tires were mounted on my former 2000 Honda CR-V.

I would never rule out my local tire shops. I find them to be very competitively priced. They are not stupid. They know people are shopping the internet these days. If I need a plug/patch after picking up a screw or nail, $10-15 usually takes care of it. I am leery of large discount chain stores with promotions that seem too good to be true, but getting a quote on everything never hurts.

I guess I look at all options. For my Forester, I would probably get a quote from local mechanic. If he's near the price of everyone else, I know he's not going to hose me on mounting/balancing them. Since 165/65r14 is a bit of an odd size, I am more inclined to just buy tires when I see a good deal & have my local guy mount/balance them for me.

I bought a pair of 165/65r14 Nexen N'Priz AH5 tires this summer when they were about $50 each (usually $70/tire). Those new tires are going on the back of my Mirage this coming winter (Nokian snow tires will be up front). Worn Dunlop & Federal pairs will be coming off soon & go back on next summer.

The new Nexen tires were mounted on a pair of Dirk's steel rims when the new sensors were done. Thus, they were a part of that $30 charge for all 4 tires having sensors installed & rebalanced.

I thought that I would wear out the Dunlop & Federal tires more this past summer, but COVID has reduced my overall traveling. I should get another summer out of them easily. I've held off changing to snow tires on my Mirage, but I have my Forester snow tires on for added insurance.

[Mark]

UTQG - 320BB WOOF!

Yikes

I agree. That seem like a very strange rating, because I believe these tires have a good rating in other sizes. Steve got great mileage out of his Falken tires in the past. Since he put 300,000 miles on his Mirage, he was a good source of information. He was using 175/65r14 tires, however. The 165/65/r14 didn't exist.

I am not recommending these tires, but I like seeing more & more tire companies offering 165/65r14 tires. I do think Steve was getting 70,000+ miles out of his Falken tires, but it may have been a different Falken tire. I would have to look that up.

[Mark]

I am adding the same post to two tire related threads. This thread & the thread on Federal tires. It may or may not be useful for anyone considering 165/65r14 tires. WARNING - If you read the other thread, don't waste your time reading this same post twice!

I ordered a pair of the 165/65r14 Kumho Solus TA31 tires from Walmart today. They were out-of-stock last week. ​They were available for part of the day on Sunday and then not. I kicked myself for not ordering them. Today they were in-stock again, but delivery won't happen until mid-July.

I've seen them for a better price in the past, but tire prices are up & down these days. When I visited my local tire shop last week, I was told tire quotes are good for 3 days. Their supplier told them 3-day quotes are all they can honor. They said tube prices have been going up & down daily in recent weeks.

I am sort of experimenting with 165/65r14 tires. My verdict on some so far -

Dunlop Enasave (340AB/no warranty) - These tires are $151/tire @ Walmart today. If they were half that price, I would still pass on them. I can live with the poor traction, & I appreciate their LRR (low rolling resistance). When these tires are on my car, I carry a full size spare for longer trips. The sidewalls make me paranoid. A extremely high priced tire with no warranty = better choices to consider.

Federal SS657(420AA/40,000 miles ?) - I have no complaints about this tire other than current pricing is high ($64.61/tire @ Walmart today). These tires were $40/tire at the time of my purchase, & that was 1/3 the cost of the factory Dunlop tires. I have never been concerned about the traction of these tires, and that includes being on the rear axle of my Mirage for two winters (18/19 & 19/20). I have 4 different pairs of 165/65r14 tires. I don't keep a super accurately record of mileage for each tire, but I would say the lifespan of a Federal is slightly better than the Dunlop Enasave tire.

Both my Dunlop & Federal tires are quite worn down. My Mirage is @ 50,000+ miles, & it would be fair say both tires have done about 35,000 miles each. They are at or very near the wear bars. While I am using them up, I am also making sure their replacements are ready to go.

Nexen N'Priz AH5 (460AA/50,000 mile warranty) - I bought these tires last summer, & they were used on my rear axle this past winter. I was very pleased with them this winter. I sort of test tires on turns in safe areas, & they held the rear in place quite well. When I saw these tires @ $50/tire, I bought a pair. They were only $5/tire more than the Federal tires at the time. Sadly, that lower price hasn't been seen for quite some time. $75/tire is quite common for these, & that's the current price @ Walmart today. I can't give a final verdict until I have used them more, but they seem decent so far. They may be going back on my Mirage before the summer is over.

Kumho Solus TA31 (500AA/60,000 mile warranty) - These will be added to my current fleet of tires later this summer. They will replace the very worn down Federal tires currently on my Mirage. They will be used in the rear this coming winter, and they will become my new summer tires (along with the Nexen pair) for the next few years.

The current Kumho price of $68.30 (both Walmart & Tire Rack) is about $4/tire more than the Federal tires & $7/tire less than the Nexen. Given their better warranty, the Kumho tires may be the best value. If I get 10,000-15,000 more miles out them (than the Federal tires), I see the Kumho tires as being a good purchase. The next couple summers will be a good test of the Nexen & Kumho tires. I plan on rotating them each spring or more if necessary.

Nokian Nordman 7 (snow tires are not given ratings or warranties) - I purchased these about 2 months after purchasing my Mirage in 2017. They have done 4 winters for me so far. They have less rolling resistance than most other snow tires. I wouldn't say they are the best snow tires on the market, but they are surely superior to any all-season tire on snow/ice. I have been extremely pleased in how well the Nordman 7 tires are holding up. Their lack of wear will delay my next tire purchase below. When I feel they are more worn down, I will use them as my rear tires for a few more winters.

Future next purchase -

Vredestein Quatrac 5 (400AA/40,000 mile ??) - These tires will eventually replace the very worn down original Dunlop tires I have. I may wait a year or two for this purchase, however. They are $70.55/tire @ Tire Rack today. I want to test these tires up front during the winter months. If they do well, they will become my winter tires of choice. If not, I would most likely stick with the Nokian tires or try the new Federal winter tires that appeared on the market last year. I realize a dedicate snow tire may be superior to these all-weather tires, but they may be a superior all year round tire. I like using up older tires during the summer months.

I value traction during the winter months. Otherwise, I don't make it home some days. There are days when my older AWD Forester earns its spot in my garage, too.

Final note - Overall tires prices are up. You may also find an identical (brand/type) tire in a 175/65r14 size for less money. If all 165/65r14 tires were priced like the Dunlop & Bridgestone (very low rating of 260AB) tires, I would switch over to more affordable 175/65r14 tires. The 175/65r14 size gives one more choices, but most tires (brands/types) in that size aren't currently that much different in price. A Nexen may be cheaper in that size, however.

For example - Our good buddy Steve with his 300,000+ mile Mirage was quite impressed with the Falken Sincera SN250 A/S 175/65R14 82 T tires, but he was getting these tires on sale for $30-40/tire @ Walmart a few years ago. Include free mounting & these tires were an awesome value. Today those same tires are $75. If they go 70,000-80,000 miles, that's still a decent price. They are not the same bargain, however.

I am just sharing my experience with 165/65r14 tires, & that experience is still evolving. Thankfully, the 165/65r14 tire size limits my little tire experiment going on!

The lady looking up tire prices for me last week never heard of Federal tires before. I told her an old pair are on my car. They exist! Vredestein, Nexen & Kumho tires in Mirage sizes have only appeared on the United States' scene these past couple years.

[Frugal Fun]

Excellent review. I have a fairly new set of 4 Federals but based on your review next time I'll look into the Kumho tires. If they last a bit longer you save not only on the cost of the tires but, perhaps in the long run, you could save one a round of installation costs.

[Mark]

Excellent review. I have a fairly new set of 4 Federals but based on your review next time I'll look into the Kumho tires. If they last a bit longer you save not only on the cost of the tires but, perhaps in the long run, you could save one a round of installation costs.

I have been very happy with the Federal tires, especially when they were 1/3 the costs of the factory Dunlop.

Two factors have made me consider other brands -

First - 165/65r14 Nexen N'Priz AH5 & Kumho Soulus TA31 tires have appeared on the U.S. market, & their ratings/warranties are somewhat better. I still like to hear about real experiences with the tires. Ratings/warranties can be deceiving, but Kumho/Nexen are more well known than Federal. That's not really a knock on Federal, however.

Secondly - Federal tire prices have gone up recently. When Federal tires are priced within $10 of the other two choices, I think some consideration about this is warranted.

Someone has a pair of brand new 165/65r14 Federal SS657 tires listed on craigslist.com for $100. I thought about pursuing those even though they are 3 hours away. I have an uncle that lives near them. He would have picked them up for me, & I will be seeing him on the weekend of July 4th. I could have made it happen. They may have taken less $$ for the tires, but I wanted to try the Kumho tires next. Thus, I ordered them from Walmart instead. If someone wants a pair of Federal SS657 tires for $100 in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area, check out craigslist.com. They still have the stickers on them.

It's been a long time since I bought tires from Walmart, but I will just drop the wheels off & have them replaced while I am shopping. If I need to switch codes on sensors these days, I have the $125 Autel TS408 tool to do that myself. If I am not using the 4 original factory sensors together, I just need to make sure I have the 4 different codes on my car & no duplicates. I just need to let the air out of the tire, & place the tool next to the valve stem to change codes.

This is why I decided to purchase the Autel TS408 tool. Given how I like to switch out tires all the time, I knew the tool would become handy for me. It could become a choice of my TPMS dash light always being on or never being on at some point. Given I have 8 wheels for my Forester, I felt the small investment was worth it. I've programmed 4 sensors for my Forester & Mirage winter tires last summer, and that worked perfectly. When I switched back to my summer tires for both vehicles, I didn't have to do anything to keep my TPMS working properly. 8 wheels coming off and 8 going on. Yet, nothing needs to be done if your extra set of tire sensors are cloned to each other.

[7milesout]

Would like to see a SWAG from you guys. All else being equal, how many more mpgs do you guess the Enasaves provide?

I'm thinking about it on a "average." Meaning, the website here says I'm averaging 42.6 mpg. If I were to magically switch to Kuhmos (for example), what would my new average be? 41.6 mpg? 40.6 mpg? 39.6 mpg?

I ask because I have only a guess. And my guess would be I would lose 2 mpg at most. But that's just a guess.

Would anyone care to guess, or state their observations?