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OT: All knowing board: info, opinions, caveats wrt Radar (brand) tires.

Bob78

Well-Known Member
Jul 5, 2001
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I need new tires on my '15 Mazda CX5 (thank you, mmII, and a tip o' the blue facemask to ya).

Had it in to the dealer service area yesterday for a routine oil change, etc., and they had a deal going on Radar tires. I have never heard of that brand, but I don't keep up with such things. Asking about comparisons to other, more well-known brands, I was told nothing of substance. Interwebs info was not overly helpful.

Makes me suspect the whole K-wality thing is an after-thought here, but I don't know. Went through TireRack last year to get new Bridgestone tires for daughter's car, had them installed at a Midas, wasn't cheap but was a decent, competitive price vs. other options and very convenient.

If the Radars are good, this deal is a good one. Just thinking I may end up getting what I pay for, and this is on the cheaper side of TireTown. But then, sometimes that where I roll.

Any knowledgeable input and ideas are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
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Not to be a smart$$$, but if you can't find anything on the web and the dealer can't give an informed opinion on them, I would stay far away.
 
Stay the hell away. I'll stick my car keys up my ass if those Radar tires aren't Chinese- made

Spend a few more $$$ , even a lot more, and sleep well knowing you've got a high quality tire like Continental or Michelin...

Tires are the most important car-spend you'll make... not a place to cheap-out/roll the dice... I'd never spend money on Chinese-made tires... Enn. Eff. Dubbyuh.
 
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Not to be a smart$$$, but if you can't find anything on the web and the dealer can't give an informed opinion on them, I would stay far away.

That's my initial reaction as well, but I'm far from knowledgeable about tires and anything automotive.

It's not urgent, so I can take my time and get some help here from people who know. This is almost always a good place to solicit and get informed advice for such things.

If we don't gotta a thing called Radar love, I'll find another light in the sky.
(Go ahead, rock'n'rollers on the board, try to get that song out your head for the next half-hour or so. You're welcome).
 
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I need new tires on my '15 Mazda CX5 (thank you, mmII, and a tip o' the blue facemask to ya).

Had it in to the dealer service area yesterday for a routine oil change, etc., and they had a deal going on Radar tires. I have never heard of that brand, but I don't keep up with such things. Asking about comparisons to other, more well-known brands, I was told nothing of substance. Interwebs info was not overly helpful.

Makes me suspect the whole K-wality thing is an after-thought here, but I don't know. Went through TireRack last year to get new Bridgestone tires for daughter's car, had them installed at a Midas, wasn't cheap but was a decent, competitive vs. other options price and very convenient.

If the Radars are good, this deal is a good one. Just thinking I may end up getting what I pay for, and this is on the cheaper side of TireTown. But then, sometimes that where I roll.

Any knowledgeable input and ideas are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
If you're not already a member, join Costco and go get a set of Michelins or Bridgestones. Free lifetime rotation, balancing and flat repair. Less expensive than Tire Rack or Discount Tire.
 
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Stay the hell away. I'll stick my car keys up my ass if those Radar tires aren't Chinese- made

Spend a few more $$$ , even a lot more, and sleep well knowing you've got a high quality tire like Continental or Michelin...

Tires are the most important car-spend you'll make... not a place to cheap-out/roll the dice... I'd never spend money on Chinese-made tires... Enn. Eff. Dubbyuh.

Thanks, mmII! Once again, you da man. Always appreciate your input on such things.

Follow-up.... do you use TireRack or a similar service to buy tires, or is there a retailer you like?
 
Thanks, mmII! Once again, you da man. Always appreciate your input on such things.

Follow-up.... do you use TireRack or a similar service to buy tires, or is there a retailer you like?


Nothing on the fact that Singapore isn't China? I.e.Carkeys?

LdN
 
not sure how you search the interwebs but it took me about a nanosecond to find all sortsa crap about "Radar" brand tires... these are cheapo economy tires made in Singapore, likely made from baby bunnies and toenails. No thanks.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/radar-tires-189391.html?s=d262a73402f30ba5d1b28c0b9bcc3c45&

Omg. How did I miss that about the baby bunnies?!

I ignored the Radar website and looked for reviews. I didn't find enough bad to confirm my suspicions, so I came here. I'll take the chastisement to get the info from an informed, live person!
 
Nothing on the fact that Singapore isn't China? I.e.Carkeys?

LdN

I figured mmII would say I was splitting "hares" if I mentioned the Singapore detail.... his point is clear.

As for carkeys..... to each his own. Some things said in passing are better left to hang out there and die on the vine. ;)
 
Thanks, mmII! Once again, you da man. Always appreciate your input on such things.

Follow-up.... do you use TireRack or a similar service to buy tires, or is there a retailer you like?

I've bounced from TireRack to Discount Tire Direct to TireBuyer.com .... good results from these , though Tirebuyer has eclipsed TireRack IMHO (one crappy customer service instance from TireRack and I haven't gone back, i think they got tooooo big)....

My most recent set of Michelins for my wife's car were purchased from my local Mavis Tire retailer (formerly Cole Muffler) who offered to match any on-line price ( they'd been installing all of the tires I'd been lugging into their shop over the past 15yrs) ... I'm on a first-name basis with the manager there for 15+ yrs and he's a good dude who has always been fair ... I'll never buy a tire on-line as long as he'll price-match, he has access to all brands as Mavis gets all of their tires from these three distributors anyway...
 
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Glad you like the Mazda... i will say that the CX-5 is still THE choice for those cross-shopping CR-V / Rav4 / Equinox / Escape etc... I've had a handful if people go the Mazda route and none regret going with the CX-5, several claim they would not even had stopped at the Mazda store had I not been so adamant
 
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The only thing between your car and the road are your tires. I stick to known quality brand name tires.
 
Glad you like the Mazda... i will say that the CX-5 is still THE choice for those cross-shopping CR-V / Rav4 / Equinox / Escape etc... I've had a handful if people go the Mazda route and none regret going with the CX-5, several claim they would not even had stopped at the Mazda store had I not been so adamant

At the risk of showing my age I've owned 20 cars and most brands. Now stick to Honda and Toyota families. Wife owned a Mazda when I met her. Without a doubt the most underrated brand when it comes to price and quality. Rented a CX-5 out of Cleveland for a week. Loved it.
 
At the risk of showing my age I've owned 20 cars and most brands. Now stick to Honda and Toyota families. Wife owned a Mazda when I met her. Without a doubt the most underrated brand when it comes to price and quality. Rented a CX-5 out of Cleveland for a week. Loved it.

Mazda remains the worthy underdog... let the sheep keep going to Honda... the Ridgeline is probably the only Honda that really interests me... other than that they lost their mojo many moons ago...

while I have not seen the new '18 Accord yet, I read that Acura dealers are pretty nervous about it as it's better than the sedans that are growing moss on their lots
 
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