I picked up what looks like a roofing nail in one of my tires, so took it to Wheelworks for repair. They told me that the tire could not be repaired because the nail went into the shoulder of the tire. I took it to Goodyear and they told me the same thing They have been trying to get me a replacement since then. None of their distributers has one. Goodyear makes the tire just for the Element. They make a tire for Ford that has the same description, but a different tread pattern. They told me that it will be around $200 total for the tire when they get one. I hate to pay that much for a tire that has a reputation for lasting no more than 12,000 miles.

I was a happy Element owner until this happened.

Dave

Tire Rack has Wrangler HP for $105.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+HP&sidewall=Raised+Black+Letters

By the way, that sales guy was tossing you BS, Goodyear's Wrangler HP is probably the most popular OE tire on SUVs.

I've got 29K on mine and i haven't even rotated them yet :shock: 8)

I have 31,000 on my Goodyear Wrangler oem's. I also had to replace one tire (due to nail piercing sidewall). They need to be special ordered. I paid about $100 for the replacement including install. Initially, some Goodyear store put on the wrong size tire. It's somewhat unique size should make all Element owners careful when replacing with oem's. I figure to get 40-50,000 miles on these Goodyear Wranglers (thats what the tread looks like it has left). To be continued.................

rafale

Do you think that the Goodyear dealer lied to me because he didn't want my money? He showed me the book. Same description, different item number. Just because it says Goodyear Wrangler HP doesn't mean that it's the same tire. It's not uncommon for a tire to be produced for a specific vehicle.

The Goodyear dealer left me a message saying that he found a tire in Nevada that he may be able to get by tomorrow.

Dave

Did the Goodyear dealer say it was hard to find a Wrangler tire in a matching size, or hard to find one with a matching tread and size?

paulj

Hard to get the correct tire. The correct tire is an exact match to the rest of the tires on the vehicle. He has pleanty of incorrect tires in stock. The tread pattern is slightly different.

Dave

[quote:effd378f22=" "]rafale

Do you think that the Goodyear dealer lied to me because he didn't want my money? He showed me the book. Same description, different item number. Just because it says Goodyear Wrangler HP doesn't mean that it's the same tire. It's not uncommon for a tire to be produced for a specific vehicle.

The Goodyear dealer left me a message saying that he found a tire in Nevada that he may be able to get by tomorrow.

Dave[/quote:effd378f22]

Maybe he wants to charge you $200 for a $100 tire?

And, it is uncommon for a tire company to produce a special tire just for one car model. Not only is it costly for the tire maker, it makes the tire very costly for the car maker. Made in volume, tires like the Wrangler HP are popular with many SUV makers.

FYI, the Goodyear tire website lists the MSRP of the OE Element tire at $156. You're getting taken if you pay $200.

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/results_other_vehicle.jsp?year=2003&make=HONDA&model=Element&option=DX%2FEX&size=P215%2F70R16

I said $200 total. That would include state sales tax and mounting.

Dave

[quote:22be7c1fa0=" "]I said $200 total. That would include state sales tax and mounting.

Dave[/quote:22be7c1fa0]

Dave, I'm not trying to be an ass, having just had to buy 2 new tires for our Mazda minivan taught me once again how tire dealers often try to screw you. I had Goodyears on and because the alignment went out and my wife did not notice for a few thousand miles the two front tires were ruined with only about 20k on. I went to the Goodyear shop and in the estimate they tossed in a special order fee and mounting and balancing and recycling with the alignment. In the end, it would have come to almost $350 for two damn tires. I left and went to Kaufmanns (a regional chain) and ended up spending $200 for an alignment and 2 Mastercraft tires. Now I have two different types, but I'll keep them on the same axle and replace the Goodyears next year for two new Mastercrafts. Maybe it would be cheaper for you to get two of the different tread pattern HPs instead of one special order? Or, go with a different brand at a discount store? It just seems to me that $200 for 1 tire is damn expensive no matter how you look at it. Hondas are supposed to be economical vehicles, and you should be able to get at least 2 new tires for that price.

A Gooduear Wrangler HP is a Goodyear Wrangler HP, as long as it is the right size, it doesn't matter what car it is made for(they aren't made for a specific car). Tread design, rubber compound, load rating, speed rating, etc will be the same.
Your tire dealer is full of it, if he says he needs to get one made for an Element.

Rafale

I have to admit that I was beginning to think you were.

That's why I posted in the first place. I don't like being screwed either. I just checked Tire Rack and I could get two Yokohama Geolanders, a much higher rated tire, for $166.92 including shipping.

The trouble is, I need to get the Element back on the road right away because my wife wrecked both of our other cars last week. But that's another sad story. :cry:

Dave

Rafale

I have to admit that I was beginning to think you were.

That's why I posted in the first place. I don't like being screwed either. I just checked Tire Rack and I could get two Yokohama Geolanders, a much higher rated tire, for $166.92 including shipping.
[/quote:3143868034]
Don't know where you're located but I have had good fortune with America's Tire Co., they carry a good selection of most brands, at awesome prices and have the obligatory road hazard warranty etc.
I prefer all four tire to be matching but as long as each two front and two rear are the same I *think* you should be okay.

[quote]The trouble is, I need to get the Element back on the road right away because my wife wrecked both of our other cars last week. But that's another sad story. :cry:

DaveOuch :shock:

[quote:ea057b2745=" "]The trouble is, I need to get the Element back on the road right away because my wife wrecked both of our other cars last week. But that's another sad story. :cry: [/quote:ea057b2745]

Ay Carumba!

-brendan

Like they said, you colud just order the tire from Tirerack.com and it should arrive in maybe 2-3 days. $10-$15 for mounting and that's it. The stock 215/70/16 is a somewhat odd size though. Only shared by from what I've heard by maybe 3 or 4 other makes like the Rav4 and the Aztek I think.

I have to admit that I was beginning to think you were.

:o

You and my wife.

Over the last few weeks/months there have been postings by EOC members selling their original tires when they went to bigger wheels. Perhaps going back and searching through the postings would connect you to the tires you're looking for;and also check the other list, hondaelement.org. Just a thought.

I ended up paying $178 total. I'm not happy, but at least I can drive the Element again.

Dave

1) WOW on the previous post about 31K on the original OEM'S Tires.

2) DOUBLE WOW about a wife's 2 car accidents in one week :shock:

[quote:edd852ecab=" "]2) DOUBLE WOW about a wife's 2 car accidents in one week :shock:[/quote:edd852ecab]

Or was it 1 accident involving both of their cars??

-brendan

Brendan

You're right. My truck was parked in the street and she fainted and hit it with her Accord. She spent four days in the hospital, not because she was injured in the accident, but because of the medical problem that caused her to faint. She's okay now, but I hide the Element keys from her.

I had full coverage and a low deductable on the truck, so it will get fixed. It's driveable now. I just had to use a 2 X 4 to pry a fender away from a tire. I think I'm going to give the Accord to a charity.

I saw your hitch posts. How do you keep your bikes from banging together on the Softride rack? I have three vintage bikes, and I can't have them banging into each other.

Dave

Ouch, sorry to hear about the medical situ on top of the accident. :(

Re: softride

To be honest, I've only had the one bike on it so far. Beach trips this summer will involve the problem you mention, though.

I got the main rack elsewhere, but bought some additional softride accessories (car-b-q!) from seasonaloutfitters. They seem to be a small local shop and ebay-based company, but their prices are great.

They carry an add-on product called "bumper pads" for $18.99 (per pair?):

http://seasonaloutfitters.zoovy.com/product/22125

I'm pretty sure you could cheaply create something similar, of course.

-brendan

I ended up paying $178 total. I'm not happy, but at least I can drive the Element again.
I can't believe there are so many 'businessmen' trying to pull this crap! You should have told the guy the truth. You think he's trying to take advantage of you, put the spare on it, and drive it somewhere else.
That what a democracy is, having the freedom to take your business elsewhere!

An MSRP of $156, plus mounting and sales tax, $178 isn't out of the question. Tirerack quotes $105 for a tire of same name and size. I'm seeing MSRP for the HP ranging from $120 to $270 depending on size and speed rating and load rating.

http://www.goodyeartires.com/index.html

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Wrangler+HP&mrktarea=Light+Truck

"High Performance Radial With All-Season Traction
A combination of high-performance handling and tough all-season traction on any terrain makes Wrangler HP an excellent choice for on- and off-road driving."

Is our beef with the dealers, or with Goodyear?

paulj

brendan

Those pads are a bit pricey, aren't they? I've been using pieces of foam 3/4" pipe insulation and lots of bungies. It's not pretty, but it works pretty well. It's hard not to cringe every time I hit the brakes, though. My bike is 30 years old with original paint.

My wife is buying an older Ford Explorer from a friend to get around in.

The local public radio station is getting the Accord.

Dave

Yeah, a bit pricey. Still you only need 1 for 2, 2 for 3, or 3 pad pairs for 4 bikes, since they sit in between. As I said, you can probably rig something up yourself. :)

-brendan

I recently replaced my Goodyears...23,000 miles and they were virtually treadless donuts. I got some pretty meaty looking 50,000 mile guarantee Kelly's 225-60-16's for a grand total of $285, installed. Yep, that was for 4 tires, mounted and balanced with a lifetime rotation and balance deal. PM or E-mail me and I'll tell you where and how.

That expensive replacement tire I bought blew out this morning at 70 m.p.h. I'll be stopping at the Goodyear dealer on my way home from work. I fully expect them to claim that I hit some kind of road hazard. I didn't. I'm anxious to hear how they're going to explain how I could run over an object at 70 m.p.h. with only a rear tire. If I don't get a free replacement, Goodyear is not going to get any more of my money.

[quote:d9d14df594=" "]That expensive replacement tire I bought blew out this morning at 70 m.p.h. I'll be stopping at the Goodyear dealer on my way home from work. I fully expect them to claim that I hit some kind of road hazard. I didn't. I'm anxious to hear how they're going to explain how I could run over an object at 70 m.p.h. with only a rear tire. If I don't get a free replacement, Goodyear is not going to get any more of my money.[/quote:d9d14df594]
Sorry to hear about your (bad) luck. I hope everything else is ok?
let us know how it works out...

Wait, isn't there a warranty on the tires?? Excluding the nail issues. I know I have some paperwork that came with the Element. If treadwear is really that bad, shouldn't the warranty cover that?? I thought it was like 40K or 60K mile warranty, assuming tire rotations are done at the appropriate intervals, etc, etc... Anyone have details ????

I took a close look at the damaged tiire and it's obvious that I did run over something. I glad I did, because I could have made a fool of myself at the Goodyear dealer. I went ahead and ordered another tire. They had lots of Wranglers in stock in the correct size, but the Wrangler on the Element has a unique tread pattern. They had to get one from Nevada again.

I bought road hazard insurance for the whole set for $12 per tire. The shake roofs in my neighborhood have all reached the end of their lifespans and everyone is getting new roofs. I found two roofing nails in front of my driveway today. My roof is going to have to wait, because I've had to spend so much on my vehicles. I'm going to see if I can get the road hazard insurance on the Firestones I put on the used Explorer I just bought for my wife to replace the Accord she totalled. I had to put wheel bearings and an alternator in it too, but that's what I get for buying a Ford.

The truck is in the body shop with $5700 worth of damage. It's a '92 so it was almost totalled. I'm glad I had full coverage and a low deductable. I'll probably sell it. It's lowered 4" front and 6" rear and I just can't take it any more. I guess I've reached the age where it's more important to be comfortable than to look cool.


Dave