New tires for 2003 Toyota Camry LE?

A) Like all manufacturers these days, Toyota is now putting tires on their cars that last typically 35K, so at 32K for your first tire change sound about right.

$419 + tax is not unreasonable for 60K tread tires. You can get tires for cheaper, but then their mileage warranty is typically less as well. Cheapest you can get are 35K warranty tires. (typically run about $40 per tire) The higher the tread wear warranty, typically means the rubber is harder and I've learned through experience this typically means a harder ride in the car. You'll fee more of the road if that's what you want. Lower treadwear warranty typically means a softer ride. This may not always be the case, but that's my experience.

B) Two separate ratings on tires one for temperature and the other for traction. They are rated A,B,C. Where A is obviously excellent and B is acceptable. I stay away from C ratings unless you're stuck and desparate for a tire. The Firestone tires that gave the Ford Explorer such a bad name had a C rating on one, (I can't remember if it was traction or temperature)

Most tire dealers charge for a lot of extras, such as warranty for tire replacement, free flat fix. Most places charge $10 per tire for this warranty.

Do ask for their other hidden fees that they may not tell you up front. 1. How much does balancing tires cost. (Typically around $8/tire) 2. Does this include lifetime balance? (These days no). 3. Tire disposal fees 4. Valve replacement (I recommend tire valves be replaced every 60K. This could mean ever other tire replacement if you buy cheap tires, or if you get the 60K tires, replace on every tire replacement.

C. Now I know someone out there is going to shoot me, but I think the best deal on tires is at Walmart or Costco. They don't do anything fancy, just get you new tires, with a good tread wear warranty. (Be sure to ask walmart what the tread wear warranty is, they typically don't offer this information up front).

D. As long as you are watching the traction and temperature ratings, I don't look at any particular brand.

Camry 2003 Le

A 03' Camry LE uses either a P205/65R15 92T or P205/65R15 92H tire - a very popular size so there are lots of choices out there to fit any budget.

The original tires were probably either Dunlops or Goodyears (92T) or Bridgestone Potenza's (92H) and yes, at 32k its not surprising they are getting low on tread. Original Equipment (OE) tires are designed for a lot of things, long wear is not one of them.

The Tire Rack was already mentioned as a good place to buy tires. They have a wide variety of brands and sell literally at pennies above wholesale (what your local tire dealer pays direct from the factory). Of course you do have to pay shipping and a local tire shop might charge you more to install tires you bring in yourself vs. ones you buy from them so it still pays to shop around. They may not always be the best deal.

The tire you were quoted at the dealer is probably the Yokohama AVID T4 - not a bad tire but not one of my favorites. The AVID TRZ from the same company is a longer lasting, better riding tire for not much more money and gets great reviews. Other good choices in a high-end 92T tire would be the Goodyear Assurance ComfoTread or TripleTread or Michelin Hydroedge. All have treadwear warranties of at least 80k miles. If your looking for something less expensive the BF Goodrich Control Plus or the new Kuhmo Solus KR-21 might make very good choices. If you need cheap go with a Kuhmo Touring Plus 732 - a good tire for the money.

In the 92H size Kuhmo's Solus KH16 is a great budget tire while the Firestone Affinity LH30 has always been a favorite of mine for good winter traction (if applicable of course) and long wear.

I've got a 04 Camry LE and I'm in the same boat as you. I purchased a set of Yokohama 215 x 60 x 16" TRZ Tires from tirerack.com. I've purchased tires from them for 22 yrs. Huge selection all name brands. The reason I selected this particular tire was it is an 80,000 mile tire and when you open the website on this tire under test. there will be a score of road testing procedures such as: Noise, wet & dry stopping, light and deep snow operation, ride comfort, worthwhile tread life and many others. Believe me I weighed every tire specification and test chart. I felt these tires would fit my needs better than the ridiculous Bridgestone RE 92's that came on the car. In all my driving experiance of 45 yrs. this set of origional tires was the overall worst I had to endure. No snow traction, miserable hydroplaning, poor wear and so many other areas that I don't want to waist your time reading about. You pay no sales tax when wou purchase from Tirerack. They charge a $5.- $5.50 delivery drop ship to you or a local instalation facility picked by tirerack according to your zip code. I've got to share a tip on wheel balancing. On your computer. Look at Hunter Wheel Balancers. Their latest and greatest is the Force Wheel Model. They'll show you a demonstration and also an area to type your zip code and they (Hunter) will find a shop with this balancer in your area. I spoke with a tire engineer at Yokohama last summer. He relayed the info. on this particular machine. Good luck where ever you choose to go. I've driven Yokohama AVID touring tires for eight years. This TRZ tire works in the snow and hydroplanes less than anything I've driven.

For an education on tires go to www.tirerack.com - a wonderful resource for information. To visit a store, I would look at a Goodyear Service and tire station. For best price on tires you might try Bluestreaks (this is a private label of GOODYEAR) and they are most reasonably priced tire on the market. For a U.S. made tire (get a quote on COOPER). Another up and coming tire maker is TOYO product, making a name for themselves. Yes, tires will wear if not properly inflated, rotated every 6,000 miles. Also good to have your alignment/suspension checked out. Hope that you find www.tirerack.com helpful. A wonderful resource of information for you!

1

The regular sized full service spare tire is a regular full service tire & can be driven until the tread is worn & needs to be replaced. *IF* there is a temporary short term spare tire, the directions & life span will be written right on the side of the tire.

new tires would probably cost you around 400