Car Tire Question

[scesnick]

I live up a 2.5 miles dirt/gravel road that can get a bit rough at times. It seems that this road is killing my car tires. I seem to always get slow leaks and i am sick of patching them.

I don't have an issue with my pickup truck tires. obviously because they have a higher ply.

I'm sure there are plenty here that know alot more about car tires than I do. So, my question is are there any higher ply passenger car tires out there or do they all have the same ply? If so, could you point me in the right direction.

 

[NIXON]

This may,or may not help You. Hope it does......
Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels

 

[JD 4520]

Yes there are many tire options available that are designed for different driving conditions. If you have access to multiple retail tire stores, take some time to visit more than 2 and educate yourself. Let the professional know your driving conditions and habits and what you are looking for.

If you become confused, respond back. Good luck.

 

[scesnick]

Yes there are many tire options available that are designed for different driving conditions. If you have access to multiple retail tire stores, take some time to visit more than 2 and educate yourself. Let the professional know your driving conditions and habits and what you are looking for.

If you become confused, respond back. Good luck.

I understand there are many options availbale according to driving conditions but i have yet to see anything about the number of ply's in car tires like you see daily on light truck tires.

 

[JD 4520]

The ply is generally the sidewall strength not the tread strength so to speak. A truck tire is built different on the height for the side wall, you don't see a car tire built that same way.

That said you can get different quality of tires and varying tread patterns which I'm sure that you understand. Still to my original comment, visit a few shops ask questions and learn what options are really out there. I think you will be surprised.

I am a bit rusty on the latest tires but if you can't find what you are hoping to get reply back and I will get a suggestion for you.

 

[scesnick]

I am a bit rusty on the latest tires but if you can't find what you are hoping to get reply back and I will get a suggestion for you.

Not sure what i am lookiing for really. What I want is a tire that this gravel /rocky road won't puncture in a month or so. so, I guess i am looking for a tire with a thicker tread.

I guess It will boil down to trial and error. I do know that the Hankook Optimo tires that came on my new Hyundai Elantra really sucks and didn't last long.

Wifeys Continentals on her Outback are also pretty crappy. But, we do have a set of winter treads that were on our old car that weren't bothered at all by our road. But, i don't want to run winter treads all year.

 

[ultrarunner]

We used to use truck rated tires on the Ford Galaxy and Chevrolet Impala... They held up really well... the trade-off was noise and cornering.

 

[scesnick]

We used to use truck rated tires on the Ford Galaxy and Chevrolet Impala... They held up really well... the trade-off was noise and cornering.

Yeah, I thought of that but wifey shot it down pretty quick. She didn't want a set of 305's on my new Outback for some reason.... Not sure why....lol...

 

[ultrarunner]

The right tires can make a huge difference.

The key is finding the right one for the application...

Are you getting tread or sidewall damage?

Some highway tires are very fragile... one curb bruise and you're finished.

Some of the jeep guys would run special tires for snow and another set for desert... like Desert Dogs or BF Goodrich All Terrains.

The serious off road guys would always run tubes with tube liners... the liners were hard to balance for highway driving... but made the tires almost impervious to punctures.

Some manufacturers like Honda and BMW equip with run flats... kind of expensive.

What sizes are OEM for your car?

 

[scesnick]

I am getting tread damage. Wifey's car has 225/60/17. It snows alot here and I have to plow the road in question so sometimes wifey is putting her Subbie to the test if I am at work and didn't get the road plowed. So, we are going with snow tires this winter like we walways do.

The real issue is with our All Season tires. It seems that we have a flat or a slow leak atleast once a month. the gravel is **** on the tires for sure.

Like I said, i don't have a problem with my pick up truck. I have 10 ply's on it. Te issue is with our everyday commuters.

 

[Cat_Driver]

When you say slow leak, do you actually have to patch the tire? My wife had a slow leak and it was her valve stems that were loose, They had those sensors on them, I tightened them down and they were fine. Also they have washers or o rings in them that can be replaced. Worth looking at if you actually do not have holes in the tires.

My other options would be this stuff.
Ultraseal Tire Sealant | Gempler's

Permanently seals tire punctures caused by objects up to 1/2" in diameter

OR...... if you really have sharp stones or people shooting your tires out, try this stuff.

GEMPLER'S Ultraseal Tire Sealant -- 5-gal. Bulletproof-grade - GEMPLER'S

Bulletproof-grade Ultraseal is an extreme heavy-grade tire sealant that was developed for off-road equipment that is subjected to multiple punctures in tires. Used in military combat vehicles to bulletproof tires in extreme combat situations, but is suitable for other slow-moving, off-road equipment with maximum speed of 25 mph. When installed, Ultraseal protects against tread separation and permanently seals leaks. This results in reduced tire wear for longer life. It guards against punctures, flats and blowouts which reduces downtime and improves safety. Bulletproof-grade Ultraseal seals wounds caused by objects up to ｽ" in diameter. Inhibits rust and corrosion on steel belts, wheels and rims. Provides all-weather protection (operates from -40ｰF to 300ｰF) and won't freeze or evaporate inside tire.

 

[scesnick]

Yeah, I usually have to patch them. Well, actually plug them. it seems that the tire tread area is just too thin or too soft maybe.

the Gemplers commercial grade sealant is an interesting idea. But our cars are newer models and they have the "low tire pressure" light. I beieve I read smewhere that you shouldn't use tire sealants if your car has these sensors on them.

 

[Western]

Try this link I found on a Google search, seems to have some decent info.

Good Car Tires for Gravel | eHow.com

 

[Turbys_1700]

If I were in your shoes I would get a road hazard warranty that would cover the costs associated with your repairs...

I typically do not do this as it is a profit generator for the tire company but in your case it may be warranted...

Couple months ago the wife and I were in Myrtle Beach on vacation...

I accidentally turned too sharp and damaged my left rear tire by hitting a curb...

Came home after checking the tire...

Did not see any damage but when the 7500 scheduled rotation was done the tire showed damage to the point of possible tread separation...

My pro-rated warranty covered the cost of a new tire but I went ahead and purchased the road hazard warranty for an additional 50$...

All 4 tires are now covered...

First time I have ever done that...

Just glad I was able to drive the 250 miles home with no incident...

 

[glinke]

You might asking your letter carrier what they use for tires. Ours drives either a car or a Jeep. They put on a lot of miles on some bad roads. We had to go with 10 ply tires on our Expedition when we moved to the country.

 

[JD 4520]

You might asking your letter carrier what they use for tires. Ours drives either a car or a Jeep. They put on a lot of miles on some bad roads. We had to go with 10 ply tires on our Expedition when we moved to the country.

It seems that part of his problem is the wrong vehicle for the job. Sounds like they have extreme road conditions (probably heavy crushed rock with ruts) while driving a vehicle not suited for this type of road. It's not just the vehicle but you can't likely get the kind of tires that you are looking for or hoping to find with the kind of car you drive. May have to look for a more suitable vehicle that can handle the road conditions including can support stronger tires. Doesn't sound like you want to tackle the road issue.

 

[scesnick]

It seems that part of his problem is the wrong vehicle for the job. Sounds like they have extreme road conditions (probably heavy crushed rock with ruts) while driving a vehicle not suited for this type of road. It's not just the vehicle but you can't likely get the kind of tires that you are looking for or hoping to find with the kind of car you drive. May have to look for a more suitable vehicle that can handle the road conditions including can support stronger tires. Doesn't sound like you want to tackle the road issue.

The road is 2.5 miles long and is pretty much your basic gravel/dirt road. The wife drives a Subaru Outback that was purchased pretty much just for tackling this road. It is amazing how well it will make it up over this road when it is covered with 6-8 inches of snow. It actually does it better than my Dodge 2500 diesel.

I don't really think it is an issue with the vehicles as much as an issue with tires

 

[woodchuckie]

The BFG Long Trail T/A is a street tire durable enough for off road. It is listed as an suv tire and is recommended for mini vans and trucks. It has three plys in the wall and with those 3 plys plus two steel and one nylon under the tread it's 6 ply under the tread. We get a good ride in our Honda Odyssey van.

 

[om21braz]

But, we do have a set of winter treads that were on our old car that weren't bothered at all by our road. But, i don't want to run winter treads all year.

I expect you may have answered your own question here. The winter M/S type are probably the "tougher" of all automobile tires.

 

[clemsonfor]

Rocks will chew up tires if you go fast esp. They also push junk in the tires that is stuck there but not punctured them into the tire like a nail. The rocks also cause plugs to leak on older tires. You need to really patch if running older tires on rocks. I use to get a flat or have a plug leak each time i went on a dirt road with my old wore out truck tires before replacing thme.