Help me compare these tires

[Astrodawn]

i've never bought tires before, could someone help me out?

i'm deciding between Mastercraft A/S IV and Goodyear Assurance A/S

is there any notable difference between the two, besides $100+ in price?

Also, do Walmart's tires suck? i'm just assuming they do, but the free lifetime balance and rotation sounds appealing, considering i can access a walmart pretty much anywhere in the country.

[Big_kid]

Until a buddy of mine recently got back into tire retail, I'd been buying mine at Sam's Club. They usually had good/best prices, and they're everywhere for warranty concerns. edit: Sam's also has lifetime R&B, along with flat repair.

I can't comment with personal experienceon Mastercraft tires, having never owned any. I've tried to avoid Goodyear, they don't seem to last. When I'm tire shopping I consider price (not as a major factor, but it plays a part), and the tire ratings.
Traction- A, B or C: AA best, then it goes down from there,
Treadwear- how well the tread holds up. the higher the number, the longer it's going to last. A tire with a 400 treadwear rating should last twice as long as one with a 200. These numbers don't translate directly to miles, there's too many variables. I've gotten 85K out of a set of tires, I've read reports of 100K.

Temperature- How well the tire handles the heat generated while in use

http://volvo.custhelp.com/app/answers/d ... -of-a-tire

For tire reviews I'd look at http://www.tirerack.com

Another thing to consider- both links you posted are for car tires. (The Mastercraft is a P215... that P is "Passenger Car") These vans ride MUCH better with light truck tires. I'm partial to General Grabber AT2s, but that's just a personal preference. Putting them on my van made a HUGE difference in how it handles. I had previously done suspension work and installed new shocks, but it still drove like a wet sponge until I installed truck tires (LT) with stiffer sidewalls.

[Big_kid]

Also while on the subject- look at the tire manufacture date code if you can. It's 4 small numbers in an oval on the sidewall.
A date code of 1116 would indicate the tire was manufactured during the 11th week of 2016. 4815 would be the 48th week of 2015. Tires from the 1990s and older leave you guessing as to what decade they were made, but otherwise follow this too (mostly). When I got my buggy running, it had rear tires I suspect were made during the Carter administration.

[Astrodawn]

Very helpful. Thanks! I will look into Sam's Club.

on the LT vs. P topic, what exactly is the difference? I am now comparing the General Grabber AT2s to the Goodyear Assurance and it seems like the only difference is the Grabber has a lower speed rating and mileage warranty, but a bit higher treadwear. Everything else is the same.

[Astrodawn]

the general grabbers are $200 more expensive than the Mastercraft. Is it worth it?

Edit: went with the Mastercraft. Let's hope they don't kill me.

[chevymaher]

Mastercraft are good tires.

[Big_kid]

P= passenger vehicle, LT= light truck. The LT tires have more reinforcement and give a stiffer ride. In our vans, that usually means less body roll in turns, and better handling. It did for me.

This was 8:30 pm on a Sunday night in Middle O'Nowhere, SC on the way to Florida a few weeks ago. It was our Colorado, not the Astro, but it's a Grabber AT2 that had less than 600 miles on it. Luckily there was a truck stop across the parking lot. I bought pliers and a plug kit, prepped a plug, pulled out the nail... and it didn't penetrate. (Hmmm... that's the 4th set of Grabbers I've bought. I see a trend here)

[AstroWill]

Can't comment on the brand/model you are looking at, never used them.

Also, do Walmart's tires suck? i'm just assuming they do, but the free lifetime balance and rotation sounds appealing, considering i can access a walmart pretty much anywhere in the country.

The last time I bought my tires(Yokohama Geolandar) at Discount Tire/America's Tire and had them mounted with lifetime balance/rotation at Walmart for that exact reason. So that may be an option depending on what tire you want. Just check with them first to ensure that they still do it, policies do change over time.

[WimpTech]

Very glad you are addressing those tires!
Not sure if I remembered to send you a link, but amazon has a screaming deal on these..
Goodyear Wrangler Radial Tire - 235/75R15 105S
by Goodyear
Link: http://a.co/0yyJ66L

You could get them on Amazon prime then have wally world mount them. Hard to beat at $77 each.

[markmitch]

I have Walmart tires on our Chevy Aveo been on there about 5 months and they are fine. I live in a rural area in NorCal and there lots of hills and sharp turns and for a stock size tire for this car they do very well.

[Astrodawn]

Not sure if I remembered to send you a link, but amazon has a screaming deal on these..
Goodyear Wrangler Radial Tire - 235/75R15 105S
by Goodyear
Link: http://a.co/0yyJ66L

You could get them on Amazon prime then have wally world mount them. Hard to beat at $77 each.

dangit! that's such a good idea and i really like those tires. i already ordered the mastercraft and am having a local place put them on this afternoon. i just didn't want to support walmart, i guess.

i really want white sidewall lettering though...

[WimpTech]

Well, the shop should be able to return them to the warehouse without a charge, so dont feel bad for them. What you could do is order these and have that shop put them on so that they get at least some of your money. Mount/ Balance fee shouldn't be over $15 each, avg $10.
They might have white lettering on the opposite side, many tires still have that option. The white letters can be a PAIN to keep white!

[AstroWill]

Yep, it happens to them all the time, I wouldn't worry about telling them that you changed your mind.

[Astrodawn]

good to know. i was wondering about that, since they didn't take any info down other than my name and number when i ordered the tires.

question about the tires though. how are they better than the mastercraft? i'm comparing them on Amazon right now and Mastercraft has 440 tread while the wrangler's have 300. the wrangler's have 105 load capacity while the mastercraft has 100...

i could be looking at the wrong things though.

[WimpTech]

Treadwear is a hardness rating. The higher the number, the harder the rubber, which means it will likely last longer...but also means less grip on the road. See what the milage Warranty is for each, that should be a good indicator on expected life.

On load, both those ratings are fine for your van. The load rating should be well above your vehicle weight divided by 4. So, index 100 can support up to 6800lbs at Max pressure, where 105 is closer to 8000lbs. Our vans are around 4000lbs.

http://www.tiresplus.com/tires/tire-buy ... dex-chart/

[scoundrel2u]

Mastercraft is a cooper brand. No problem there...

My primary concern is the option of choosing car tires for a light truck.
Chances are, whether it's marshmallow choice number 1, 2, or 3... you will be disappointed.
If you drive faster than an old grandma, your tires will roll in the corners, and eventually show signs of cupping.
You'll then try to firm up the ride by increasing tire pressures, causing center tread wear.
Your car tires will never make it to the mile warranty...
All because your light truck (van) has a high center of gravity and is way heavier than a car.

Big Kid knows about tires. He recommends LT TIRES. I second the motion. Load range c or d for me.

[dramey]

You do realize that these vans came from the factory with passenger car tires. My 1997 product information guide shows every option available for the Astro Vans for 1997. It lists 3 tires options, P215/75R15 blackwall, P215/75R15 white outlined lettered and P215/75R15 white stripe. Cupping on tires is usually worn ball joints, hub or wheel bearing, or shocks.

[scoundrel2u]

You're right about the tire options... works great for most people.

I just wasn't happy with those options.
Passenger car tires, never were a good value for me. I live in a rural area with rough surfaced, sharp cornered country roads, with 50 mph speed limits and lots of pot holes and road debris. The stiffer sidewall LT tires just work better and last longer, for me. The van got all new front suspension about 3 years ago and rides like new... pretty sure it isn't worn out yet. Total van miles 99 k.

My Dodge dakota came with passenger car tires... same problem. Chevy silverado came with passenger car tires... gave them away at 15k miles.

[97cargocrawler]

Well, the shop should be able to return them to the warehouse without a charge, so dont feel bad for them. What you could do is order these and have that shop put them on so that they get at least some of your money. Mount/ Balance fee shouldn't be over $15 each, avg $10.
They might have white lettering on the opposite side, many tires still have that option. The white letters can be a PAIN to keep white!

Most shops won't touch a tire you didn't purchase from them. They don't want the liability if the tire gets damaged during mounting. Ask me how I know, the very reason I started mounting my own.

[Astrodawn]

so after getting new tires, i had them save one of the tires so i could use it as a spare (they argued with me over this because the tires were pretty dry and cracking). i just purchased a wheel from a junkyard for $20. i now need an inner tube. where might i be able to find one? i already tried walmart and a junkyard.

also, is it difficult to mount a tire onto a wheel and then mount it underneath the van? or should i have a shop do that?