Recommend me an all season tire for a beater

The car is a 2008 Scion xD with bald tires. In fact, I did a 360 off the road on Friday night in the rain. Rear came out like it was on banana peels.

This car is very much a beater, so I don't want to spend a ton. But I would like to not slide off the road in the rain and very occasional snow. 

I have had good luck with Nexens in the past, any other suggestions? It currently has 215 16s on it, but apparently the factory size is 195 according to Google. Or should I pony up and spend more for something safer?

Sailun is my low budget, decent quality go to.

The Sailun snows I had were excellent. I've had good luck with Ironman tires but they're not as cheap as they used to be

Nothings cheap anymore.  I used to buy Falken Brand 201's for my Prius fleet and they were $75 and that included mounting.  The last pair I bought $100 mounted was a bargain.  I've really like the Falkens.  

I searched my usual source and did not find Falkens for you.  

I think 195/60/16 is an odd size because few choices come up.  With 215/60/15 choices are plentiful which is probably why your car has them.  

Here are the two best finds I came up with quickly.  

195's:  Walmart has some real no names labeled Wanderers (great name for tires!)  but they are $48 each pre-mounting.  The are probably tires typically bought by used car lots who just want to prove the car has 4 tires that hold air.  But, cheap.  

215's:  Walmart has a Goodyear for $65 and they are rated for 65k treadwear.  

I had Sailuns on my e36 for 10k. Very happy customer. They were not the basic all season, but I was happy with the brand. 

I'm guilty of going to a tire website, searching my size, sort by lowest price, then pick the first brand that I recognize.

Conti DWS. 

Tires are one of the things I refuse to cheap out on. Trust me I didn't, like the $900 I just spent to put them on our '18 Mazda 3. 215/45/18

And of course, right after we purchase them, she gets laid off. And now starts a new job in two weeks where she will be back to working from home. 

In reply to z31maniac :

How are these on grip?  Would they autocross relatively well?  I'm looking for something of a do-it-all tire potentially.  Or I will have two sets of wheels and tires.

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to z31maniac :

How are these on grip?  Would they autocross relatively well?  I'm looking for something of a do-it-all tire potentially.  Or I will have two sets of wheels and tires.

IMO they would autocross acceptably. 

In reply to z31maniac :

I have that tendency too, obviously it depends on intended use but I'm not afraid to buy a $1000 beater and then throw $750 in rubber at it...though part of that is just tires being expensive as hell these days.

All that said the Conti DWS is a great tire but the last time I bought there was also a Kumho that really punched above its weight as far as all-weather capability for the price. I usually just decide on a price range then look at Tire Rack test results to make a decision.

Someone on one of the Miata groups was asking about Mucho Macho brand tires recently and I was speechless. Call me old school, but you'll never see me running a tire brand I've never heard of or only heard of pejoratively.

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to z31maniac :

How are these on grip?  Would they autocross relatively well?  I'm looking for something of a do-it-all tire potentially.  Or I will have two sets of wheels and tires.

I'll defer to clutchsmoke on this, I don't think I've driven "her" car since we had the tires put on.

But I suspect decent, I have Conti ECS in 245/35/18 on the BRZ. And super happy with those. Really need to actually go try AutoX next season.

In reply to z31maniac :

I have the same tires on the Miata.  I've considered them for DD duty too but might like something that will last a bit longer and be better now rain and cool temps.

The Goodyears from Walmart seem like a great deal. Thanks John!

Never heard of Sailun, I'll check them out. 

I will consider the Conti DWS, see how much of a price difference it is from the Goodyear and see if it's worth it. 

The car currently has 215/55s on it. I was wondering why, now I know. Thanx.

Edit: Ooof, the Conti DWS comes in that size, but is $145/tire on Tirerack. DAMN. That's a huge difference from those Goodyears. $580 vs $260 before mounting. Wow.

I usually put Douglas all seasons from Walmart on my beaters because they're cheap, made here in the US, and they're not too bad in the rain and snow.


In fact I just ordered a set for the '11 Focus I bought for the youngest kid. 

Walmart is usually my go-to for cheaper tires, sometimes they are stunningly cheap

CyberEric said:

The Goodyears from Walmart seem like a great deal. Thanks John

I just crossed 10k miles on a set on my Mazda3. They're doing fine, showing very little wear. My biggest complaint is that they flat spot on a cold night and are bumpy for a few miles until they warm up a little.

Westlakes have been a decent option for me in the past. 

I am pleasantly surprised by the Vredestein Quatrac Pros I put on the CX-9 when the OE bricks the factory put on finally wore out.  Nearly the cheapest option, review incredibly well, and on top of that, got a $120 rebate back from Vredestein.  Tire rack carries them. Made in Europe--Hungary, if I'm not mistaken.  Nice quiet tire that handles very well.  Check them out.

Walmart had a black Friday sale last year, I picked up some goodyear 195/65r15s for like $50 each. They've been decent tires for the Volvo Amazon they're on. Mounted and balanced, tax and everything was under $300 for all 4. 

I've been perusing Priority Tire - they have a bunch of cheap black round stuff.  Discovered a brand from Turkey- Petlas. Mounted some on a friend's car and they were pretty good. They offer a variety of sizes. 

Continental is giving a $110 rebate gift card until 11/30. That helps a lot.  So now I need to decide ECS or DWS06 for daily driving including rain, rallycross and autocross a few times a year.  

Another less-expensive, but very good tire- I put a new set of Sumitomo HTR A/S P03 on my Mazda3, to replace the worn out OEM tires.  The 205/60R16's I got were about $100 each for just the tire.  They are great in rain and dry, haven't had a chance to try them in the snow yet but the reviews on TireRack mention decent snow-ability.  

Thanks all, I'll check out the Sumitomo and Vredestein. 

Laserface, thanks for the review. Good to know these Goodyears from Walmart are decent. 

And thanks for the heads up about the Conti coupon, Anthony.