Fix It and keep it

My 2003 Toyota Matrix is on its third set of tires after only fifty two thousand miles and so far I have found that the Michelin tires are wearing the best. The Michelin's are also giving the best gas mileage, around 32 miles per gallon, so far. Before the Michelin tires we used Continentals, that came with the car and they seemed to cup around the inner edges soon after we got the car. After rotating the Continentals several times we replaced them with Goodyear tires. The Goodyear tires were fine, except the tire place put one on backwards so it was rotating the wrong way. I brought the Matrix back to the tire dealer to have the tire turned around the right way and they said that the direction of rotation did not matter it was only for looks. Well, I left the tire alone as they suggested and that was the only tire that cupped so bad it had to be replaced, so if you get new tires make sure they are mounted the right way before you leave the tire store. The Goodyear tires, so far, are the only ones that I have seem where the direction of rotation is indicated on the tire itself.

In a nutshell: Buy Michelin for your Matrix and you won't be sorry.

Bob Crane is the author of http://www.americanwrenches.com - a site that helps many find tools they need for their projects.