# Goodbye terrible Firestone FR710



## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

Not to big a fan of the tires on my LTZ either.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Hurray! I can't wait for that day. 

Let us know how the Generals are. Hopefully you upped the speed rating as well from the crappy "S" rated tires as well with their floppy sidewalls. 

I had some General Altimax's on another car - they were a decent tire, but didn't really stand out to me in any way. 


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Hurray! I can't wait for that day.
> 
> Let us know how the Generals are. Hopefully you upped the speed rating as well from the crappy "S" rated tires as well with their floppy sidewalls.
> 
> ...


In 2007 General Tire was purchased by Continental. The tires that I ordered ar Z rated.


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

*General Tire G-Max AS-03*

*Size:*
225/55ZR16

*UTQG:*
480 A A

*Max Inflation:*
51 psi

*Tire Weight:*
21 Lbs

*Section Width:*
9.2 inches

*Diameter:*
25.7 inches

*Revs per Mile:*
877

*Country of Origin:*
DE Germany


*Firestone FR710*

*Size:*
215/60R16

*UTQG:*
560 B B

*Max Inflation:*
44 psi

*Tire Weight:*
22 Lbs

*Section Width:*
8.7 inches

*Diameter:*
26.1 inches

*Revs per Mile:*
801

*Country of Origin:*
MX Mexico


*Review of the General GT G-MAX AS-03 from Road&Track:*
All Season Tires - All Weather Tire Review of General Tire G Max AS 03 at RoadandTrack.com - Road & Track
*
* General Tire is not a name that springs readily to mind among driving enthusiasts, although Steve Saleen did use them as original equipment on his Mustangs in the late 1980s. Coming into the new millennium, the brand, now owned by Continental, was pretty much a marketing retread, with no new development. 
Continental, however, has seen potential in the brand that traditionally offered good performance at a competitive price, so in 2007 Continental retooled the General corporate mold. Working with their strongest name, the Grabber light truck tire, General started making tracks in off-road truck racing, followed by the Altimax street tire. Now the General has re-targeted the important and challenging all-weather ultra high-performance street tire market with the G Max AS 03. Interestingly, General says the AS 03 replaces the Exclaim summer tire and not the all-season Altimax. 
The new G Max takes an enthusiast's stance on all-weather tire: dry pavement performance is important, but meaningful grip in the wet and snow are vital because the tire won't be swapped seasonally for dedicated winter rubber. To that goal, the G Max sports a highly refined vee-shaped tread. The two main center and multiple series of diagonal grooves are sculpted into large and narrow channels as necessary to accommodate varying water volume, and are provided with short backflow voids at the groove intersections to reduce flow-inhibiting turbulence. The result is more organized, higher-volume water flow. 
*Snow Performance* 
For snow performance, generous siping is provided, but with an ingenious twist to preserve dry handling. Inside the slit-like sipes, a series of tiny male and female blocks are provided. These allow the sipes to do their job of flexing the tread blocks in a snow-biting fore-and-aft direction, but the sipes lock together under lateral loads to form a more rigid, precise tread block in dry cornering. Snow performance is also augmented with detailing in the main grooves to help lock snow in the treads. This provides better snow-on-snow traction—think of how a snowball grows when rolled in snow, and the difficulty in trying to shear a snowball apart. 
*Maintenance Features* 
General has also incorporated some crafty maintenance features. Besides the usual tread wear indicating blocks, the tread center is molded with "replacement tire monitor." This scrubs to read "replace tire," presumably at the appropriate level of tread wear! Along the outer tread edges a light squiggle pattern is molded in. These Vehicle Misalignment Indicators wear quickly, revealing in the first several hundred miles if the tire is seeing excessive camber or toe-in wear depending on how the inner and outer squiggles wear relative to each other. 
*Driving Tests* 
Driving tests provided by General at Infineon Raceway showed the AS 03 against select competitors. Dry performance approached some of the most aggressive names in traditional performance tires, but ultimately the all-weather AS 03 could not quite match the dry performance specialists. The AS 03 proved very progressive breakaway traction in the dry, meaning grip gave up earlier and faded gently, clearly telegraphing to the driver that the tire was approaching its limits. At race track intensity the AS 03 hung in there with satisfying performance, but with relatively large slip angles. 
*Wet Weather Performance* 
On the wet handling course, the AS 03 was definitely ahead of the benchmarks, some of which were more expensive, up-market names. The AS 03s definite wet advantage was in both higher grip and quicker, more agile recovery of grip after big puddles or major tire-scrubbing slides. Snow performance was not tested. 
General Tire has enjoyed large growth, even in the latest economic doldrums thanks to the combination of good performance and high value. The AS 03 will continue the winning trend with drivers looking to keep dry performance while enjoying fine winter and wet traction. Look for the G Max AS 03 in no less than 63 sizes in 15- to 20-in. fitments by August. 


____________________________________

After installation was completed I took my Cruze for a quick run down to the car wash to get as much release compound off the tires as I could. This is critical as the release compound is quite slick and can even border on dangerous until it has been removed. Removal can be done via lots of soap and water, or by driving the car somewhat aggressively until the layer of release compound is worn away.

Drove to the local ballpark which is now off season and empty. On the way to the ball park I did notice that the tires are quieter than even the FR710 factory tires... Smooth ride with less 'bounciness' than the FR710. Driving slalom between the light poles I progressively increased the speed I was driving until I was comfortable with the steering feedback. This took around 15 minutes to get the tires good and warm and the release compound was more or less removed.

The other car that I drive rather regularly is a LS1 powered Datsun 240Z. Weld racing wheels with Toyo Proxes R888 in 245/45-16. The General's grip on initial bite is no where near as aggressive, However it is still quite impressive. The trackout release is progressive and predictable.

I guess that pretty much sums up the dry performance:

Linear, Progressive, and Predictable.

After I get a chance to drive the Cruze in the rain I will update this thread.


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

General Tires handle better in the rain than the Firestone did in the dry. Good solid grip with very little hydroplaning. New Generals able to handle driving on Interstate @ 80+ MPH while in the pouring rain (over 1 inch per hour) without hydroplaning. Not highly recommended - But I tested it so you don't ever have to.

Next is testing them in the snow.


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

Just got a little light snow up here in North West Arkansas - Took the little Cruze out to see how well the new tires would handle light snow. Now do realize this was about 1/2 inch of packed snow with an inch of loose stuff on top.

The tires did well enough to call them all season. They are no where near as good as true snow tires... but they do perform better than the Firestones did.

Overall I will have to say that I am quite pleased with this purchase!


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## Jordy927 (Jan 4, 2013)

I have a set of Kingstar centums...I paid 200 bucks for them...they may have fallen off the back of a truck...just saying. They're re-branded Hankooks, produced for sale at Walmart. 

They are traction A, temp A and Tredwear 540
Basically they will get us through the winter here in BC, than I am buying summer tires. All seasons are ok at everything......good at nothing.

They handle better in the wet than the firestones in the dry, they're quieter, we have driven through a lot of water and deep puddles at 70mph and they don't even offer to hydroplane...super happy with them for 200 bones....even if I bought them for the 475 that they cost new per set, I would be happy.

Anything is better than the crap that it arrived with.

Why did your RS not get the 18" wheels with the Michelins?


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## Silver Streak (Jan 5, 2013)

I have also been very disappointed with the 16" Firestones that are standard. Seems like I am adding air to them, more than I expected from other cars/tires. Also, living in MI, the snow traction to me is poor. With only 13k miles on the car, I still have some time before they wear to the point that they need replacing. Personally I have never met a bad Michelin tire.


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## cronyjabrony (Aug 10, 2012)

does it look better with the wider size you chose?


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## oMAHONEYo (Mar 23, 2012)

The Firestone710s are awful. I'm at 17,000km, so I don't have quite the problem that you did Wyre, but the slightest bit of condensation or snow on the ground, and all traction was gone. Glad I'm getting new wheels in the spring... it'll force new tires too.


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

Jordy927 said:


> I have a set of Kingstar centums...I paid 200 bucks for them...they may have fallen off the back of a truck...just saying. They're re-branded Hankooks, produced for sale at Walmart.
> 
> They are traction A, temp A and Tredwear 540
> Basically they will get us through the winter here in BC, than I am buying summer tires. All seasons are ok at everything......good at nothing.
> ...


My car is a 1LT RS - It comes with 16" wheels.





Silver Streak said:


> I have also been very disappointed with the 16" Firestones that are standard. Seems like I am adding air to them, more than I expected from other cars/tires. Also, living in MI, the snow traction to me is poor. With only 13k miles on the car, I still have some time before they wear to the point that they need replacing. Personally I have never met a bad Michelin tire.


The Firestone tires are quite poor. Right now I am sitting at 7000 miles. At the last run through the dealership they measured the tires at 9/32 Front and 10/32 Rear - So I had them rotated.





cronyjabrony said:


> does it look better with the wider size you chose?


I think they look so much better than the Firestones. They sit wider and the tread design is aggressive.


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

Just passed 20,000 miles on the General G-MAX AS-03 tires. At this point half of the tread is gone. I have to say that I have been quite pleased wit this set of tires, and I am fully intending on either buying another set when these are worn out, or upgrading the wheels and tires at the same time.

The tires have picked up a bit of road noise as they have worn. Overall, it isn't a lot of noise... It is most noticeable at slower speeds. Probably due to the large tread blocks.


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## plasticplant (Mar 26, 2013)

I have these tires on my car for the summers (235/45/18). They have been great so far and they look amazing (mean looking)! That's a nice bonus.


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## Trinkah (May 3, 2014)

I have a 2012 Cruze 1LT with the Firestone FR710 tires. Just a tick under 18,000 miles. I was having some issues under hard braking/cornering but that was caused by excessive body roll. I installed a set of Eibach Pro springs (See my pic in the lowering thread) and my Cruze actually handles better than my Grand AM GT that I just rebuilt the entire F & R suspension on.


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## Diesel Dan (May 18, 2013)

We have just over 20K on the FR170s and they show little wear. Rotate them at 5K intervals.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Diesel Dan said:


> We have just over 20K on the FR170s and they show little wear. Rotate them at 5K intervals.


Your in the minority then, most like me they wore pretty quick by 35K mine needed to be replaced. Mine wore extremely fast the first 6K miles, at least twice the rate they did after that point. 

So glad to be rid of those tires, I like traction when wet and hate how bad those firestones hydroplaned when hitting deeper water groves in the road.


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## WhiteAndBright (Mar 4, 2013)

2013Cruze said:


> Not to big a fan of the tires on my LTZ either.


I love mine.. I just rolled over 72k on them and will be replacing them with another set of Michelin's when it's time.


This extraordinary insight brought to you from the confines of my iPhone..


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Your in the minority then, most like me they wore pretty quick by 35K mine needed to be replaced. Mine wore extremely fast the first 6K miles, at least twice the rate they did after that point.
> 
> So glad to be rid of those tires, I like traction when wet and hate how bad those firestones hydroplaned when hitting deeper water groves in the road.


Curiously mine have slowed down the past 5k or so. I thought they'd be much more worn by now. I'm thinking they might make a few more long trips at this point (26k)



WhiteAndBright said:


> I love mine.. I just rolled over 72k on them and will be replacing them with another set of Michelin's when it's time.
> 
> 
> This extraordinary insight brought to you from the confines of my iPhone..


That's freaking impressive. 


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jblackburn said:


> Curiously mine have slowed down the past 5k or so. I thought they'd be much more worn by now. I'm thinking they might make a few more long trips at this point (26k)


I think allot of these newer tires have a strange compound of rubber, its supper soft and gets harder the lower the tread gets. I have seen the exact same thing you did not only with those firestones but my previous yokahama tires as well. This would also explain why so many tires seem to get allot louder over bumps the more miles you put on them. Guess thats one way to get good reviews for traction and still get a high mileage tire. 

I could have gotten 40-45K on my firestones if I wanted to risk it in the winter, decided tires vs insurance deductible and a big headache which one was smarter.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

When my Goodyear's wear out I'll buy Michelin. I don't even think about it, I always replace with Michelin. 

Put Michelin latitude touring tires on my escape and couldn't be happier. Used them last winter and had zero issues on snow and ice


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Diesel Dan said:


> We have just over 20K on the FR170s and they show little wear. Rotate them at 5K intervals.


Same here. I have 27k on mine and they still look almost new. I fully expect 50-60k out of them. Keeping them rotated and properly inflated is the trick.


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## Trinkah (May 3, 2014)

Any type of aggressive driving these stock Firestone tires do not like. But unfortunately I like to corner fast and brake late. Once I get my trifecta tune and cold air intake I'm sure I'll need new tires in about 6 months


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Sometimes I take aggressive turns. I'm still hoping to get a couple years or 50k km out of my Goodyear assurance tires


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

cruze01 said:


> Same here. I have 27k on mine and they still look almost new. I fully expect 50-60k out of them. Keeping them rotated and properly inflated is the trick.


Had my car in the shop yesterday to fix a flat, they said the tires still had 8/32" of tread! I'm at 31k on them now, at this rate I'll easily see over 60k out of these babies, maybe even 70. No gripes from me.....


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## Samuel (Jun 4, 2014)

I love these tires my fr710 set has 76000 miles on them. They are due for a change for sure but I've never had 4 tires last this long. I had one leek fixed and that tire has to be aired up once a week give or take. 

Sent from my cat


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## poodok (Apr 24, 2014)

I've been watching General tire emerge as a good tire for the money for years. Will probably put one flavor or another of General tire on my cruze(s) when the time comes. 

For an all out performance tire, I've never had a bad experience from Nitto. Love the NT05 DR on my stang, and prior on my TA, and vette.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

poodok said:


> I've been watching General tire emerge as a good tire for the money for years. .


 Always liked General Tires. Worked with General Tires, actually RKO Radio.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Not sure how you guys are getting so many miles on your firestone tires, do you actually slow down for corners? In all seriousness I have had some great tires that lasted to 75K but the FR710 was done by 35K. My new tires have 15K on them and still look like new, my firestones looked worse at 5K.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

spacedout said:


> Not sure how you guys are getting so many miles on your firestone tires, do you actually slow down for corners? In all seriousness I have had some great tires that lasted to 75K but the FR710 was done by 35K. My new tires have 15K on them and still look like new, my firestones looked worse at 5K.


I suppose I drive like any other mid aged man...... City/Highway about 60/40, rotate every oil change and keep them inflated at 38psi.


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## Wyre (Jul 23, 2011)

I guess I should point out that I don't slow down for corners at all... I live in the Ozark Mountains and my 27 mile drive (one way) to work is through a lot of switchbacks and hairpins. Averaging speeds of around 45 MPH through these hills is difficult even with a 'fast' car. A good friend of mine has difficulty keeping up my pace in a 2006 BMW 325.

I am now at 34,000 miles and ordering another set of these tires. They lasted far longer than the Firestone tires and are much more sure footed. Wet weather traction of the Firestone tires is terrible, and I am not willing to do mountain driving with those on my car.

So, that being said you can expect about 34 - 35 thousand miles on these tires, and have enough lateral grip to tear your face off... even in the wet.

At 97 dollars each they are one heck of a steal.


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## Juanton (Sep 26, 2016)

I have a 2011 cruze lt and have the firestone FR710. So far 6 years and 60k and it seems like new aside from cracking on the treads itself.


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## neile300c (Jul 8, 2014)

My 14 LT had 36k miles on the FR710's and they still looked new. Overall good tires for me


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