Best tires for the Saturn SC1
Top picks across four categories for the Saturn SC1, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 185/65R14. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
Touring-tuned winter compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Goodyear
Assurance all season
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Goodyear
Assurance fuel max 185/65R14
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
BFGoodrich
Advantage control
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Falken
Sincera SN250 A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Uniroyal
Tiger paw touring A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Toyo
Extensa A/S II
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Nexen
N priz AH8
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 | Best budget Falken Sincera SN250 A/S |
|
|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | - | 720 |
| Mileage warranty | - | - |
| Cabin noise | 71 dB | - |
| Season class | winter | - |
| Type | passenger | - |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the saturn SC1 use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993–1995 | 185/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1996–1999 | 175/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2000–2002 | 185/65R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the saturn SC1
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 185/65R14; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches passenger car segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
For sedans and compacts, the all-season touring tire below is the best default; long warranty, low cabin noise, reasonable cost per mile. Switch to the quiet pick if highway droning is a deal-breaker; switch to the winter pick if you see significant snow each year. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for saturn SC1
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (8) · Tread / Belt (5) · Sidewall (3)
Reported across: 1993 – 2001 (8 years)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 45% of these reports; about 3.1× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 11 reports covering every model year of the Saturn SC1 that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 45% | 15% | 3.1× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 36% | 20% | 1.8× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 36% | 8% | 4.3× |
| Tread or belt separation | 18% | 13% | 1.4× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 18% | 6% | 3.1× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 18% | 9% | 2.0× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Saturn SC1. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
DRIVING AT 55MPH ON GOOD ROAD WARM DAY 35 MILES INTO TRIP WHEN TIRE SIDEWALL BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON (BIG HOLE AND TEAR--MAY HAVE TORN BECAUSE I DROVE ON IT A LITTLE TO GET TO A SHOULDER).
TREAD SEPARATION. TREAD CAME COMPLETELY OFF TIRE. STEAL BELT IS SHOWING AND A HOLE IN THE TIRE exists. CAUSED BODY DAMAGE TO CAR. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE, BUT I HAVE TWO SETS OF NUMBERS FOR THE TIRES. ONE SET IS BM01854-1 THE OTHER IS P195/60R15 87H MTS. VERY UNSAFE TIRES.
WHILE IN MOTION, CONSUMER PLACED THE VEHICLE IN CRUISE CONTROL, MAINTAINING A SPEED OF 66 MPH. CONSUMER HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. CONSUMER FELT THE BRAKES CATCH, THEN THERE WAS A LETTING GO FEELING. THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FISHTAIL FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS UNRESPONSIVE TO THE BRAKING EFFORTS. CONSUMER TRIED TO EXIT THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE HIT THE RISING OF THE MEDIAN AND FLIPPED ONTO ITS ROOF. CONSUMER SUFFERED VARIOUS BODILY INJURIES. CONSUMER REQUESTS THE DEFECTS ENDURED BE INVESTIGATED, CONSUMER LOOKED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE AND OBSERVED THAT THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL HAD DE-BEADED AND HAD NO AIR, THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO FISHTAIL, TIRE IS A FIRESTONE LEMANS HR TUBLPS 195/60R15, IN THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 SATURN SC2. THE VEHICLE HAS SEARS GUARSDMAN TIRES. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AND REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRES HAD A COMPLETE BLOW OUT. A THIRD TIRE HAS A BULGE THAT CAN BE PUSHED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND TIRE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 128,000. UPDATED 11/17/08 *BF UPDATED 11/18/08.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Saturn SC1 →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Saturn SC1?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Saturn SC1?
Does the Saturn SC1 need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Saturn SC1?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.