Okay I bought these BF Goodrich tires (the T/A model). I have a 99 E320. Switched from my Conti's to these and they ride rough as hell! I had em balanced again to make sure that is was done right and it evened out a bit but still not smooth like my Conti's were. One of the tire techs told me that it was a truck tire not a luxury car tire. Is this true. They are the exact same size as the Conti's so i don't understand how it could make a difference. I do need to replace my back rotors and brakes but like I said it wasn't doing this when I had the Conti's on. Someone please help me know what to do.

 

There are T/A models for passenger cars and trucks/SUVs. Do you know the exact model of your tire?

 

Ride Rough as Hell! All depends on what this means.
Is the RIDE hard i.e. you feel the bumps or
Is the problem a vibration?
I ask because you said that you had the tyres balanced and this made matters better.

Different types of tyre can have different construction and load carrying capacity. This info is written in code on the sidewall.
Get the numbers and maybe we can advise whether the tyres are technically the same class. Truck tyres have more plys to permit greater loading and therefore ride stiffer (feel the bumps).

Always best to stick to the OE recommended tyres. A lot of work is done to ensure the best ride, wear, grip, noise etc compromise for normal road use.

 

You know what? I did notice that I could feel every bump on the road. There is still a slight vibration at high speeds. That may come from feeling every bump in the road as well. Lemme take my lazy butt outside and look at the numbers on the tire.

 

Okay they're BF Goodrich Traction T/A 215 55 R16 93 H M+S. That's pretty much the bulk of it. Other than that there are a bunch of little numbers here and there. Please advise fellas. Thanks again!

 

The key to your tyre data is:
H = OK up to 131 mph
93 = Load Factor = 650 kg/tyre.
M+S = Mud and Snow. (Winter)

What was the original tyre marking?....If no idea maybe take a look at the spare assuming that it is full size. Maybe have a look at another car on the street of the same type.

My w220 S Class is on 98W (750kg 168mph) and my SLK on 92W (630kg 168mph)

Looks like you are on the correct spec tyres.
However M+S will be harsher due to the whole nature of the tyre and its pattern.
This is why cars don't come fitted with M+S as standard.

Hope this helps.

Stuart.

 

55/R16? Sounds like a low profile tire! Did the original tires comes like this? Low profiletires generally ride too rough for me. My wife's 2005 Acura TLlow profile tires perform well and look great butyou can feel allthe bumps in the road. I will stick with my old 65's on my 89 300E. A smooth quiet ride for an old guy! LOL!

 

I guess the mud and snow factor is what's making me feel all thebumps. But even then, I don't think I should be feeling vibrations in the car itself. I do know I need to replace the back rotors and brakes. Could that be the culprit. I'm only asking all these questions because I bought the tires in a whole nother state than where I live so I can't really go all the way back there to return em.

 

Oh I forgot Big Dog, they're the same sze as the old set. Definitely not low profile. I have low pro's on another vehicle (ashamed to say) and they ride great. I'm going to see if I could possibly hook up with a local tire shop and do a swap out. Hopefully they will be able tobeing that these are only 2 days old.

 

That is for passenger cars and not for SUVs.