Re: [Chrysler300] 235/75R/15 Tires

On Sun, Sep 25, 2016 at 12:25 PM, EMills_ATC <millserat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I believe Cooper still has 3 US plants, Findlay OH, Tupelo, MS, and Texarkana, AR, but I believe they also source some of their tires from China, India, and England - you have to look at first 2 characters of DOT code to see where made.

I don't know if India is still in the picture, but at one time there was a proposed merger or acquisition of/by the company they were affiliated with in India that fell thru. England is combined with Avon and China with Kenda.

Problem is availability of sizes for older cars. 14's rare as hens teeth, 15's going that way. 16 inch is kind of minimum in current OE use with 17, 18, 19, 20 more and more. And whitewalls even harder to find.

Older P225/75R14 Trendsetters I have were made in AR, but they were discontinued about 10 years back. Cooper internet site shows Trendsetter SE still made in P235/75R15 in narrow white but the Trendsetter is a low end tire (low priced tight margin) and I had heard these had been off shored to Chinese factory due to cost of manufacture - but if they are low production they may still be run in batches here like the old big 14's before they were discontinued.

Don't have any newer P235/75R15 to check, can anyone provide DOT code on recent Coopers? First 2 characters after DOT is plant code: U9 is Tupelo, MS; UP is Findlay OH; UT is Texarkana, AR; etc.

Edward Mills Antique Tractors 1930-1960 Antique Cars 1960-1985

On 9/25/2016 11:47 AM, Ray Jones wrote:

Being an old fart, this goes back decades.

Back in the day, the understanding was that Continental Tires had a hard compound to aid high mileage and Michelin's had a soft compound for the top 2/3's or so for traction and better road holding abilities and then went to a hard compound to keep you off the cords. Thus, you found the on economy imports such as VW and Michelin's on the more pricey brands.

My wife insisted on Michelin's just for that reason. Then, she would inform me she needed new tires when they got so they didn't hold as well as she was used to. Looking at them, the tread was well worn, but had some use left to my eye, but you could tell the difference on the road.

I now live in a rural area with mostly gravel roads and use only Cooper Tires. I tried several brands out here and found Cooper's did best.

What we run into is that when the tread gets low, we end up with a rock puncture.
I use 10 ply on my Ram and they hold up very well. I would get 40-50K miles on my older trucks with them. I just put a set of Grand Touring 5's on my T&C, replacing tires with 60K on them.

Note that Cooper's are USA made and I use them as the ones I get are usually made in Arkansas, so I am supporting my state economy.

Let me also add that tires made in the last 10-15 years will NOT last very long. I have a stack of mounted tires that have exploded on the rims of my cars in the shed. ALL of them are tires made in the 10 years before their demise, and ALL my old tires from before 2000 are still holding air.

I even have a pair of 4 foot tall Implement wheels with Goodyear 4.5 X 36" tires that must be 60+ years on display in my driveway that still hold air and have few cracks on them.

Ray in Mena, AR., wondering where the comments on the meet are?

On Sun, Sep 25, 2016 at 9:58 AM, EMills_ATC millserat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Were they relatively fresh date codes (not 3 or 4 year old stock)? I have not seen any problems surface that early, but I did have cracking problems on some 4 year old Michelin Hydroedge a few years back and have had multiple problems on Continental OE on F250 truck as well as Trailer and daughter's Nissan Altima.

All my problems about 3 to 4 years after Date of Manufacture. And dealers will not cover unless you replace with same Continentals and even then its prorated based on 5 year life so not much use. I actually had pieces of tread chunk out on both the Trailer and the F250 (both were LT tires) and Ford dealer service guy said they have had similar issues with Continentals - recommended I replace with Goodyear which I did - but that is another story - finally got Michelins and did not have any further problems.

Impression is they are adding too much solids (high silica content?) and it is decreasing long term flexibility / extension capabilities. So it may be unique or more problematic on a particular rubber formulation / tire model.

Edward Mills Antique Tractors 1930-1960 Antique Cars 1960-1985

On 9/24/2016 3:53 PM, Steve Albu wrote:

I have a couple friends that have bought aftermarket replacement Michelin tires based on thier good reputation in the past. Both have been very disappointed that their sidewalls are cracking in very noticeable ways that is disturbing after only a year of use. When they took them back to their Michelin dealers, they refused to replace them and said the cracks would have to open up large enough to be able to insert a quarter in them before they would replace them. They maintained that the cracks didn't affect safety. So I am a little uneasy going with Michelins even on my 1997 Chrysler Concorde as I was planning on doing soon. Now I don't know what I will use.

On Sat, Sep 24, 2016 at 11:58 AM, John Grady jkg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Hi Ed,

I had a hard time twice with cooper tires; one new set in particular circa 2010 was the root cause of an elusive 60 + vibration that was chased for a year , thought to be hub and drum run out , balance etc . " tires are fine" Changed everything , eventually even spindles . ( diagnosed as "bent spindle" ? in desperation . Tires were balanced ok , ran in the machine ok , but one day I noticed on my own (!) the front of car moving up and down slightly while driving very slow . Tires were out of round , (!!!!), all of them !! but apparently can be still balanced ?? . Coopers were / used to be reasonable tires ( state police used them , might have been made in mass way back) but I think now just a brand name bought by someone in Asia . Beware . Check roundness if a dance starts .

Just me --and I do not like the black wall look , but I stay Michelin now , for cars I drive , except "restored 300 " where look matters a lot . Michelins Worth every cent . Never had a problem ; usually need no weights . Perfect tires . Outlast other tires 2x, ( especially Goodyear best high end.. Michelin literally go 3x Eagles )!so not such a bad deal !! Keeping tail intact is job 1 . Diamond back was supposed to add white walls to Michelin carcass ? Rumored ?

Did you find that physical tire size place on net ? Even Michelin does not tell you the detailed full physical sizes of their tires , drives me crazy . Only listed by cars they fit ---in their own data base . Dumb .

I too hear good things about Hankook and Nitto . Had ? Sp Kuhmo ? Side wall failure at speed ; Firestone too . Do not need this .

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 24, 2016, at 12:35 PM, EMills_ATC millserat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

According to the Cooper Tire internet site, there are several sizes of the Trendsetter still made in whitewall, including the P235/75R15. You might check the site for a dealer near you or just have your dealer double check. Ditto the Mastercraft AS-IV and several other Trendsetter clones made by Cooper. Just make sure the date code is fresh as there are not that many whitewalls sold.

Having said that, a more direct answer to your question about the Hankook, I like them and have had no issues with them in the P215/75R14, P225/75R15 or P235/75R15 narrow whitewall sizes. The P235/75R15 Hankook Optimo H724 are also extra load (XL = 108S = 2183 lb) vs most others including the Cooper which are 105S = 2028 lb rating. At a given pressure, load ratings are same, but you can run the XL tires at higher pressure if needed.

The H724 are slightly taller but my recollection is the Coopers and Mastercrafts tend to run on the small side compared to older tire specifications. The P235/75R15 H724 shows at 28.9 in OD with 9.3 Section Width and 5.8 Tread Width on a 6.5 inch rim. The Cooper Trendsetter SE shows 28.65 in OD with 9.1 Section Width and 5.9 Tread Width on 6.5 inch rim.

Don't know how much of a hurry you are in, but best prices I have found are Discount Tire on eBay - they generally have a $50 to $100 rebate and free shipping around holidays, but even without sale, they are comparable to Amazon.com and cheaper than dealers. This assumes you can get mounted locally.

The Hankooks I have gotten from both Amazon and Discount Tire have been fresh - some made in Korea - others in Indonesia. Best price I have gotten (after rebate) is in $60-70 per tire range - or $80-85 without rebate.

I don't think you will go wrong either way just stay away from the Chinese made tires.

Best, Ed

Edward Mills Antique Tractors 1930-1960 Antique Cars 1960-1985

On 9/23/2016 9:11 PM, 2HsandaHeritage@xxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] wrote:

I have a set of 10 year old Coopers with less than 4K miles on them on my H.

Cooper no longer produces the "Trendsetter" narrow white wall in the 235/75R/15 size.

Hankook does - anyone had experience with them?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Doug Warrener

--

Ray Jones. Y'all come on down an see us. Ya hear?

Ray Jones. Y'all come on down an see us. Ya hear?