Tire Suggestions for a 9-3 TiD 2005 Saloon

[CrashEd]

I've discovered (as have many it seems) that I was getting tire noise from the back end of the car caused by uneven tire ware. At first I thought it was a wheel bearing. On closer inspection, it is obvious that the inner tread on my rear offside was almost worn out. Checking the MOT advisory, it seems as though the previous owner had the nearside rear tire replaced a couple of weeks before I bought the car, so it looks as though the other side is suffering the same fate. The mechanic that checked it said to either put up with it or get a new tire. I'm going to replace the worn offside tire and have the alignment checked. It's annoying that it has a lot of tread on it other than on the inner edge!

Can anyone recommend a good tire for the rear wheels of my 9-3 Tid? I do between 10-12k a year, so I need something decent/hard wearing. I currently have Good Year Eagles on the rear and Good Year Excellence on the front. The mechanic said that they weren't the best on Saabs. He also suggested running them at 35 psi?! Any thoughts on this?

Any suggestions on tires would be much appreciated!

Edit> Tires are: 215/55 R16

[CrashEd]

Any advice would be appreciated.

[the zohan]

Have a look here: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyres_F...3-Aero-HOT.htm i realise this isn't your exact model but it gives more choice as regards reviews. Have a look around the site. Few people i know rate the falken 452's. I am currently running Pirelli PZero Rosso's which are pretty good all round but pricey, there are better tyres for less money.

[CrashEd]

Have a look here: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyres_F...3-Aero-HOT.htm i realise this isn't your exact model but it gives more choice as regards reviews. Have a look around the site. Few people i know rate the falken 452's. I am currently running Pirelli PZero Rosso's which are pretty good all round but pricey, there are better tyres for less money.

Thanks, this is just what I was after. Will take a look at the Falkens too.

If anyone else has any good recommendations then I'm all ears!

[aerojon]

i'm running Toyo T1R's..

i normally buy yoko's but the toyo's price was to good to dismiss,this is the 1st time i've ever run toyo's on any of my cars
& i would buy again..

[the zohan]

I had the t1s's on a scoob and our Puma, they seemed to suffer from the sidewall flexing, the t1r's are supposed to be better but still suffer. great wet and dry drip though. Funny how some tyres suit some cars over others.

[aerojon]

zohan,i think you're right what tyres are great on some can be useless on others..

the saying "horses for courses" springs to mind.

[CrashEd]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

What's the price of the Toyo T1R's like compared to the big names? (Good Year, Conti, Pirelli etc)

[the zohan]

check with the likes of black circles http://www.blackcircles.com/

[Caddyman]

I've discovered (as have many it seems) that I was getting tire noise from the back end of the car caused by uneven tire ware. At first I thought it was a wheel bearing. On closer inspection, it is obvious that the inner tread on my rear offside was almost worn out. Checking the MOT advisory, it seems as though the previous owner had the nearside rear tire replaced a couple of weeks before I bought the car, so it looks as though the other side is suffering the same fate. The mechanic that checked it said to either put up with it or get a new tire. I'm going to replace the worn offside tire and have the alignment checked. It's annoying that it has a lot of tread on it other than on the inner edge!

Can anyone recommend a good tire for the rear wheels of my 9-3 Tid? I do between 10-12k a year, so I need something decent/hard wearing. I currently have Good Year Eagles on the rear and Good Year Excellence on the front. The mechanic said that they weren't the best on Saabs. He also suggested running them at 35 psi?! Any thoughts on this?

Any suggestions on tires would be much appreciated!

Edit> Tires are: 215/55 R16

Appreciate you intend having the alignment checked but have you thought about whether the rear shocks are ok? You haven't said how many miles the car has done so far, but I had a similiar issue a few years ago on a non SAAB where my tyres were wearing strangely and the rear shocks were, well, ah, not very good! but the car always managed to pass its MOT. Once I'd replaced them, along with the fronts at 90,000 miles, the difference was immense especially under braking. Sadly, shocks are things that most people will never replace until one collapses. Truth is, once they've been on a car for 60 or 70 thousand miles, they ain't anywhere near as good as they should be and with 'un-noticeable wear' they can have an effect on the suspension set up/alignment etc.

It's just a thought and I'm sure others will have completely different ideas.

I run my own tyres at 35psi by the way. I'm still on original Pirelli P7's at 20,000 miles. I'll be replacing them with Cooper ZEON CS6 when the time comes.

[CrashEd]

Appreciate you intend having the alignment checked but have you thought about whether the rear shocks are ok? You haven't said how many miles the car has done so far, but I had a similiar issue a few years ago on a non SAAB where my tyres were wearing strangely and the rear shocks were, well, ah, not very good! but the car always managed to pass its MOT. Once I'd replaced them, along with the fronts at 90,000 miles, the difference was immense especially under braking. Sadly, shocks are things that most people will never replace until one collapses. Truth is, once they've been on a car for 60 or 70 thousand miles, they ain't anywhere near as good as they should be and with 'un-noticeable wear' they can have an effect on the suspension set up/alignment etc.

It's just a thought and I'm sure others will have completely different ideas.

I run my own tyres at 35psi by the way. I'm still on original Pirelli P7's at 20,000 miles. I'll be replacing them with Cooper ZEON CS6 when the time comes.

Hi Caddyman,

Thanks for the reply. I think it is definitely something that I need to get advice on. I've read that bushes and shocks can wear on these cars and cause the symptoms that I've described above. The Saab dealership where I live seem to think it is normal, but after 70,000 miles I'm pretty sure that something somewhere is worn that is causing the uneven tire wear.

Think I'll try my tires at 35psi for a while and see if that helps. After that I think it will be a trip to my local indie (specialise in Scandinavian cars) for a good check over.

[Caddyman]

No probs. Don't forget, these are quite heavy cars and I'm sure the shocks must take a bit of a pounding. If you end up having to replace the bushes, consider urethane bushes, they last much longer. I was advised when I bought my Cadillac BLS, which uses all of the Saab 9-3's suspension and mechanicals, to run the tyres at 35psi and so far they are lasting well. Good luck!

[El Del]

I'd recommend Continental Sport Contact 3's. Not sure they do those in the size you're after though.

[Jessigef]

Don't forget, these are quite heavy cars and I'm sure the shocks must take a bit of a pounding.

[CrashEd]

Had my car checked out by my local Saab Indy today. Turns out that there's no wear to the rear shocks or bushes. They advised taking it for a 4 point alignment which I got done at local tire specialist. I had a new tire fitted for good measure, and it's made a world of difference. Peace at last! Now I can hear all manner of other noises lol! Apparently the camber was a long way out, so I'm glad I got the alignment done.

The only thing is that they spotted some wear on the front steering rack. Grrr! Is this a common thing? Might just have to keep an eye on that one for a while until my wallet recovers!