I have an odd question.

My daughter and her husband have a Nissan Quest mini van, which replaced a Ford Explorer.

The Nissan Quest has an inordinate appetite for tires.

Worse, they are apparently an odd width and only available from the dealer -- and perhaps one other supplier in their area (greater Denver) at a very high cost.

Two questions:

1. Has any one else heard of this particular situation?

2. Other than looking into a different wheel size --- assuming fit and safety can be assured -- does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

have they spoken to the dealer about whether or not ALL quests have this problem?

they might just try another tire manufacturer/model...shouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

Nissan is notorious for designing suspensions that eat tires....like the 350Z

I'm sure there are lots of other options for tires other than the OEM ones. Try Discount Tire or Tirerack and see what they suggest. The last place you want to ever buy tires is at the dealer...

 

if the nissan quest has tires similar to the new honda odyssey then yes, it will be expensive. it's a new technology of run flat tires, i believe. the outer diameter of the tire is larger than the diameter of the inner. so the labor in replacing the tire will also be expensive. stupid technology if you ask me.

 

I think the FX35 or 45 has a similiar problem. At one point i remember reading that only 1 or 2 tire companies even made the size and they were back ordered as much as six months.

 

have you tried tirerack.com???

 

225/65 16 is a rare size
and the wheel size is only 6.5x16, so 235/60 16 is iffy on stock wheels.

 

What other problems are you having besides the tires? Nissan build quality and reliability have been really really bad in the last several years.

 

I would ask the dealer to search for a TSB or search for yourself. My wife had a Pathfinder that had a TSB on the rear suspension. The TSB replaced the rear tires and some suspension pieces. Nissan trucks have had a history of quality problems. I owned a Quest and Pathfinder in the past and their overall quality was equivalent to US big three or worse.

 

Run-flat technology is a bit of a bear. You can try and get around it with off-size rubber, but there are definitely going to be fitment issues. Older VW Passats were notorious for fitment isses, but time and experience have eventually come up with a solution.

Premature tire wear is abnormal either way. Suspension and alignment need a looking-over. More than two sets of tires in three years for a non-aggressive/sportscar driver is grounds for bailing on the car, IMHO.