I just got my car back from the shop, where it was getting the ipd sway bars installed. It handled nicely, from what I could tell, but the bars revealed a new problem . . .

The mechanic said that the front right tire was low on tread and really shouldn't be driven for more than 60 or 70 more miles. Previously, I had told my dad that I probably needed new tires and he had agreed, but we just hadn't done it. So, when I got in the car, I was expecting some slight shaking or something since I knew the tire was screwed up. However, I wasn't at all prepared for the new driving feeling.

At slower speeds (20-40), the wheel visibly jerked as I drove. If I let it go, it slowly rotated clockwise, and the passenger seat vibrated quite a bit. Faster than that (which probably wasn't safe in the rain, either), and the whole car kind of rumbled along.

So, I need new tires. My mom had said something about getting the front two replaced, but I've got a little over $250 left over in case the sway bars had cost much more than I anticipated, and so I want to use that money to get a good set of four tires for my car. My parents will probably chip in a little, maybe, and they will hopefully cover labor costs, so what would be best in that price range? My brick is a 240 GL with the 14" Corona style alloy wheels, not that the style makes a difference. It rains maybe once a week here and we don't have harsh weather usually, but I'll be going to college in upstate South Carolina where it maybe snows a few times a winter. I don't do anything stupid like offroading, so I just need a good set of grippy street tires. Thanks for your help!