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Author Topic:   Firestone Affinity replacement
Jactyl
unregistered
posted September 03, 2000 06:15 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I own a 1998 Malibu with Firestone Affinity tires 215/60R15. The tire pressure posted on the door calls for 29lbs front and 26 back. I plan to replace these tires with new ones from a different manufacturer i.e Michelin, Dunlop or GoodYear. What would be the proper tire pressure for the new tires since I'm getting conficting information, either from GM or from the tires store.

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Bender
unregistered
posted September 03, 2000 08:11 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I have a 99 Malibu and have found that 30 PSI
front and rear seems the best. I always thought that the Malibu's inflations of 29/26 were set low to give a smooth ride. The Olds Alero, which is the same car under the skin and comes with 215/60-15 B.F.Goodrich touring tires has the rec. inflation of 30 PSI front and rear. by the way any replacement tire will be better than those Firestone Affinitys, they were terrible.

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jactyl
unregistered
posted September 03, 2000 10:16 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
The problem with the original Firestone tires on my car is that they are wearing out very badly. After only 33,000KM the tread on the center is almost gone and the edges are bear even after keeping the proper pressure (29F/26B), balance and alignement. The ride is very noisy and feel like the tires are running "square". I notice also some cracks and small tears between the grooves.
Been chasing GM Canada and Firestone for a replacement.

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Bender
unregistered
posted September 04, 2000 11:08 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Yeah, That same thing has happened to all Affinitys on Malibus. Owner have been posting about this since 97 the first year they came out. It is the tires fault my replacement tires Firestone Firehawk SH30, show normal wear patterns and none of that center wear out.Those original tires have no belt caps so the center of the tire expands at speed and only rides on the center. This gives a strange handleing feel. The dealers will try to tell you that your alignment is out or some other excuse for this wear but even they can't tell you how to align a car so only the centers of the tire wear out. Everyone that sees this thinks it must come from over inflation but at 29/26 this can't be true, these are lower than average. I'd just scrap those tires and replace them with something else.

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jactyl
unregistered
posted September 04, 2000 07:30 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Bender, what would you recommend as a quality replacement? The more I look into it, the more confuse I get!

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Bender
unregistered
posted September 05, 2000 07:37 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Jactyl, Recommending a tire is not very easy. Everyone doesn't have the same needs, but here goes. I will only tell you about tires I have used on my own cars or have experienced with friends vehicles. I have four cars in the family so we go through a lot of tires. Also the 215/60-15 is not the most common size. I see that you noted mileage in km. so I guess your from Canada and need a tire with good snow traction and high speed stability.
Firestone Firehawk SH30- using it now, a grippy,smooth,quiet tire, but I have not had it in enough snow to rate its snow traction.
Dunlop D60A2- responsive but way too rough riding.
Bridgestone Potenza RE92- very good, quiet ,smooth and good snow traction, but they don't last very long.
Michelin Energy MXV4- Using them on my wife's car. they seem to be very good, I know that many people have posted that these tires are unsatisfactory, but maybe that happens after they wear down. I only have 7,000 mile on them now.
Pirelli P4000- ride like rocks, tossed them at 15,000 miles.
BF Goodrich Touring T/A - a good tire, nothing outstanding good or bad. Not a bad choice considering the price.
I plan on replacing my daughter Saturn's tires soon and I think I'll try Continental Touring Contact CH95. This tire is original equipment on many Euorpean cars, Audi,BMW,Mercedes. Looks a lot like the Michelin MXV4, has a silica tread compound and lot of sipes for wet and snow traction.
I hope some of this info helps you in your decision.

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Jactyl
unregistered
posted September 06, 2000 03:21 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I have good news and bad news from GM Canada.
The good news is that GM is willing to exhange my tires at no cost. The bad part is that they are willing to pay only for a new set of Firestone Affinity.
My GM dealer is affering me a set of BF Goodrich Touting TR4 at no extra charge, or a set of Michelin Pilot XGT-H4 at CN$ 35 per tire or MXVA at CN$40.
Comments anyone

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DaveB
unregistered
posted September 06, 2000 09:51 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
They will do that for you. Cool! The sporting enthusiast in me would say go for the Michelins (the H's would be cool for handling). However, if your primary driving is normal everyday use, take the Touring T/A's and run. Properly maintained, these tires will last 100K (60k miles) no problem. They will provide a quiet comfortable ride with reasonable handling qualities (far better than the Affinity's).

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Bender
unregistered
posted September 07, 2000 05:44 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Jactyl, Yeah seems like a easy choice, if you want to spend the money the Michelin Pilot XGT H4 would be great but BFG Touring at no cost would also be good. This seems like a win win situation.

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Jactyl2
unregistered
posted September 20, 2000 08:47 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Jactyl2=Jactyl

I finally replaced my old and defective Firestone Affinity (good riddance) with a set of Michelin Energy MXV4-PLUS after I finalized a deal with my GM dealer (Malibu owner with the same Affinity problems take note!!)
What an improvement in the smoothness of the ride! It's so much quieter on the road but still not perfect when the road surface isn't up to par. My Malibu feels like a different car, with a rich feeling. Why can't GM put quality tires on thier product(s), in the first place?

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Bender
unregistered
posted September 21, 2000 05:42 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Chevrolet sells a lot of cars and putting cheap tires on them save a lot of money.

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