Well,
Bit the bullet today and replaced all the factory Goodyear Fortera HL Edition in 18s" with Cooper CS4s in 19s".
Here's Cooper's link to the tire:
http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Passenger/CS4-Touring-H-V.aspx?tab=2
I shopped this locally as well as online, hitting Consumers Tire, Belle Tire, a Chevy Dealer and a GMC dealer as well as Discount Tire.
Got a deal on a set of factory polished aluminum rims about a year ago and although all 4 of my factory 18s" were wearing evenly (I've got 45K on 'em), they're down to an even 4/32" across all 4 tires. Felt going into the winter with more wet conditions, traction would become marginal. More of a peace of mind approach. Felt if it was spring I could get another 5K or so out of them without being "white knuckled". Only put about 25 miles on these new-to-me 19" rims and new Coopers. Can tell that the ride is firmer and the Outlook is really quiet when the windows are up and the radio is off with this new setup. Interesting, the road noise of the Goodyears I took off kinda' crept up on me over time and I guess, not noticing a sudden growl or hum, I gradually accepted that.
I'm ready for winter and, hopefully, will see 50K to 60K + in miles. Think the key to mileage on any tire is rotation and paying attention to their inflation. The deal I worked out with Discount Tire ended up being $797.00 out the door + Cooper is sending me a $50.00 gift card on the purchase of these....so $747.00 net!
They agreed to "jump through hoops" at that price. I musta' looked like a sidewalk salesman as they had to break down and load into my XR both sets of tires along with the 4 18" rims, reuse my sensors from the 18" wheels and install new stems with these same sensors on the 19" wheels and reprogram the sensors. 'Course balance all 4 new tires to these 19" rims as well. The jury is still out but, by and large, the commentary on these LAMBDA forums were more positive then negative on these CS4's We'll see. I did notice, and this is probably common to all the tire manufacturers, Cooper (and probably Discount Tire) gives you a 30 day window and a no questions asked approach should I decide this particular tire is not for me and return them for something else.
Onward to some peace of mind and safe driving this winter!
Regards,
Jim
In God We Trust!
ps While the XR was off the ground and wheels removed, I took the liberty (Discount Tire encouraged me) to visually check the brake pad thickness (factory originals) and the fronts are almost 1/4" thick (both sides) and the rears, as expected were more like 3/8" thick. No leaks at the shocks or struts and the timing cover and power steering were bone dry!! OH YEH!!
