Something I've never understood about OEM tires

[Gavnzdad]

Why are original equipment tires almost always crap?

For the masses, and people like me, the stock tires are 100% okay. I don't race the corners or any hot rod type stuff, so as long as they hold air and last many miles, I couldn't care less about brand. Some of the best tires I've ever used were OHTSU tires, and alot of people say they suck.

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[nicoled985]

For the masses, and people like me, the stock tires are 100% okay. I don't race the corners or any hot rod type stuff, so as long as they hold air and last many miles, I couldn't care less about brand. Some of the best tires I've ever used were OHTSU tires, and alot of people say they suck.

I agree. Mine are fine as well. Plus there are other factors that go into hydroplaning like speed and oil deposits on the roads.

 

[aaronarf]

No issues with my stock tires...11k on them so far. I do a lot of highway speed driving in all sorts of weather, on ramps at speed with no issues. Would I buy them on my own? No I wouldn't. No reason to change them early though

You guys need to remember a civic is not a race car, my 370z sure I had sticky RE11's on there...Civic not so much.

 

[1WickedCivic]

The first thing I change when I get a car are the tires, as OEMs usually skimp in this area. I felt the Firestones had mediocre grip & rolled the sidewall a bit much when cornering. Didn't care for how the stock alloys looked on the EX sedan, so I replaced both wheels & tires, and put the stocks in storage.

 

[totopo]

Why are original equipment tires almost always crap? This applies to the stock Civic Firestones as well. I realize low resistance tires help with fuel economy numbers but from what I've read these tires have little grip at all and suck in bad weather situations.

Think about it. Performance all-seasons wouldn't cost the manufacturer all that much more money. But look at what better tires would mean... especially on a new model like the 2016 Civic. Look at all the reviews. They all say the Civic's braking and handling is decent but would be better with better tires. And aren't good tires sort of a "safety feature" in a way?

I personally think car manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot.

Maybe car companies should offer a tire upgrade option?

Your thoughts.

There are a lot of considerations when choosing tires. MPG is a HUGE selling point on the civic. Low rolling resistance tires can have a pretty significant impact and every 1 difference in MPG probably significantly influences sales.

Other than cornering feel and speed, noise vibration and harshness are probably more important to your average test-driver. Road noise and comfort are probably a lot higher on their list than cornering ability.

OEM tires are usually a pretty good blend of a lot of needs. Obviously the tires on an entry econ family sedan are not going to be geared towards racing or autox. I doubt the vast majority of shoppers of the car are going to care if the turn-in isn't super crisp or care about the performance on a skid pad.

 

[dick w]

Does EVERYONE have trouble driving in rain or cornering in rain with the stock tires?

Ours has the Firestones. They seem OK including on rain. I can imagine there would be better choices for money.

Car was delivered with tires well overpressure. Made it handle/ride relatively poorly, so I suspect it might have been crap on rain. But didn't drive on rain until after I'd set the pressure correctly.

 

[goflyakuite]

Ours has the Firestones. They seem OK including on rain. I can imagine there would be better choices for money.

Car was delivered with tires well overpressure. Made it handle/ride relatively poorly, so I suspect it might have been crap on rain. But didn't drive on rain until after I'd set the pressure correctly.

Same experience that I had. Once the reduced the pressure to what is on the sticker inside the driver's door, things improved significantly across the board.

 

[4DBox]

I'm rolling on the Michelin Primacys size 215/45/17 and I love 'em. Feel like summer tires, great feedback. One drawback is noisy at freeway speeds over older pavement- but quiet on new roads. Another is the low profile--I worry about potholes denting the wheels but hasn't happened yet. Wet conditions perfect so far. Can report 43mpg avg. on steady freeway legs here on the west coast. And reasonably priced less than $100 at Tirerack. I will replace with originals when the time comes but that won't be for a long time as I'm only putting on 7500 miles annually.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

A few decades ago I was talking to a customer rep at Falken tires, and asked them why they didn't just sell them under the parent company's Ohtsu brand. They were WELL known as being great OEM tires on Honda ATVs, and I figured they could ride a little of that brand recognition.

And the Michelin Primacy's ARE nice tires...

 

[zaver5]

Michelins are supposed to be good

I've had Michelin Primacy tires out on my parents Lexus after using comparable Goodyear tires for 4 years. The Primacy tires were much smoother than the Goodyear tires and definitely felt stickier/ more grip to the point where there was a 2 mpg drop in efficiency. For the performance though Id take the hit when I eventually upgrade the tires on my civic. Currently at 7500 miles.

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