Need Opinions on New Tires for my Truck, please

[Guest Bassman17SC]

It is past time to get new "tars" for my 2010 F-150 FX4.  I currently have Goodyear Wrangler SR-As on them now and am not at all hesitant about using the same tire model for replacements.

 

1. Since I only have experience with Goodyear and BF Goodrich truck tires, are there any others out there with similar warranty and quality characteristics?

 

2. What would be the best place to have them installed?

 

Thanks for any and all recommendations!

[tennessee01tacoma]

I bought a set of falken wildpeaks this spring and I love them so far, they ride good and are priced reasonably and have a good warranty as for a place to have them installed I had mine installed at tire barn here in Knoxville and they did a good job, my only complaint is that they put weights on the outside and I have charcoal painted wheels so they stand out, next time I I have them rotated ill have them rebalance with weights on the inside only.

[peejman]

From what I see, the SRA is a more road biased tire.  I got about 75k miles out of a set of Firestone Destination LE's on my SUV with no complains.  Smooth, quiet, good traction. 

 

I've currently got Cooper Discoverer HT's on it with about 10k miles.  Also quite good.  Most of my motivation for buying the Cooper's was that they're made in the US.  I read not too long ago that Cooper was bought by a company based in India.  I don't know what (if anything) has changed, but it's something you might look into. 

 

That said, if you can afford the price of admission, you can't really go wrong with Michelin's.  Dad's had several sets on his various trucks and been happy.  He also had a set of Firestone Destination AT's and had no complaints. 

 

www.tirerack.com   is a good place to do research on various tires.  There's lots of reviews, warranty performance, and they may also have some comparison test data.

 

As to where to have them installed... your local tire store.  Most all do lifetime balance & rotation.  Once you decide what you want, call a lot of shops and get "out the door" prices. 

[peejman]

I bought a set of falken wildpeaks this spring and I love them so far, they ride good and are priced reasonably and have a good warranty as for a place to have them installed I had mine installed at tire barn here in Knoxville and they did a good job, my only complaint is that they put weights on the outside and I have charcoal painted wheels so they stand out, next time I I have them rotated ill have them rebalance with weights on the inside only.

 

 

If they're using the weights that clamp on the outer edge of the rim, you can't balance a tire with weights on the inside only.  The machine is balancing the tire in more than one plane, hence weights need to be on both the inside and outside.  The best option is the adhesive type weights that they stick on the center line. 

 

But since the weights are already there, it's likely they've rubbed through the clear coat on the wheel and will leave a permanent mark (unless you get it fixed). 

[enfield]

I replaced my Goodyears with Michelin M&S road tires and bought them at the Ford Dealer.  They had a special on tires and it was a better deal than Tire Rack.  I'd check with your local Ford dealer before jumping on a deal.

 

Edit - better mileage warranty than Goodyear too.

Edited September 25, 2013 by enfield

[10-Ring]

It is past time to get new "tars" for my 2010 F-150 FX4.  I currently have Goodyear Wrangler SR-As on them now and am not at all hesitant about using the same tire model for replacements.

 

1. Since I only have experience with Goodyear and BF Goodrich truck tires, are there any others out there with similar warranty and quality characteristics?

 

2. What would be the best place to have them installed?

 

Thanks for any and all recommendations!

If you can afford them the Michelin LTX tires are awesome.  I've gotten 90,000+ miles out of a set on a K-5 Blazer I had.  They are pricey but worth the money in the long run.

 

 my only complaint is that they put weights on the outside and I have charcoal painted wheels so they stand out, next time I I have them rotated ill have them rebalance with weights on the inside only.

Depending on how the tire is out of balance the chances of getting it to balance with weights on the inside only is slim.  They also will not be able to do it with most electronic wheel balancers, which is all most shops use anymore.  Sorry man, you might try a black paint pen on those weights.

[10-Ring]

Oh and I highly recommend Discount Tire, I've bought 2 sets of tires from them and have been very happy with their prices, service, turn around times and warranties.  I know they have some locations in the Nashville area.

[Spook]

+1 on the Michelin LTX tires. I have almost 75k on my latest set on my truck.

[leroy]

As others have opined... Ive bought a lot of tires in my several years of drivin... There are none better nor any that wear longer than Michelin...

 

leroy

[Volphin]

If they're using the weights that clamp on the outer edge of the rim, you can't balance a tire with weights on the inside only.  The machine is balancing the tire in more than one plane, hence weights need to be on both the inside and outside.  The best option is the adhesive type weights that they stick on the center line. 

 

But since the weights are already there, it's likely they've rubbed through the clear coat on the wheel and will leave a permanent mark (unless you get it fixed). 

Incorrect.  You can balance a tire/wheel assy in dual plane mode (same as he has now) using Tape-A-Weights for the inside and outside plane.  The Tape-A-Weight simply adheres inside the rim, out of sight close to the spokes.

[Volphin]

10-Ring wrote: "Depending on how the tire is out of balance the chances of getting it to balance with weights on the inside only is slim.  They also will not be able to do it with most electronic wheel balancers, which is all most shops use anymore.  Sorry man, you might try a black paint pen on those weights."

 

That is not the case.  A wheel balancer will support tape weight mode and can easily be balanced to zero.  Did I mention I'm an ASE Master Tech?  LOL  Got my start in the tire biz.  OP, the best tires on the road are Michelins, hands down.  You have to decide what you want in new shoes for your ride.  If high mileage, look at the tread wear rating on the tire... higher number = more mileage. If you go off road, then look at the tread pattern, load rating and inflation pressures. 

 

And be aware that the model names of tires are NOT SKU driven.  There are Michelins with the same sidewall name that come in 70K mi tread ratings and 40K tread ratings.  You have to look at the part number.

[tennessee01tacoma]

If they're using the weights that clamp on the outer edge of the rim, you can't balance a tire with weights on the inside only. The machine is balancing the tire in more than one plane, hence weights need to be on both the inside and outside. The best option is the adhesive type weights that they stick on the center line.

But since the weights are already there, it's likely they've rubbed through the clear coat on the wheel and will leave a permanent mark (unless you get it fixed).

I have had the last 3-4 sets balanced with weights on the inside only. And typically if they won't balance then you break down then spin the tire a little on the wheel.
I have had them balanced before with weights on the inside only at a couple tire places around, they have to use a different setting on their machine but it works and balances out well. I want to touch them up so I'm not worried about the weights already being on the outside. Edited September 25, 2013 by tennessee01tacoma

[Guest Bassman17SC]

Thanks for all your help.

 

Now I am leaning towards the Michelin LTX M/S 2 tires, with the 70K warranty.  Discount Tires seem to have a great price, if they are in stock.  Apparently these tires are so popular that a lot of stores (especially Sam's Club) are out of stock.

 

I do not take the truck for off-road usage, but mostly to drive to/from work and to drag my boat to the lake.  However, I DO need all-weather traction capabilities in case of our rare snow fall.

 

The Goodyears did well in those respects, but dang they wear too fast.

[peejman]

Incorrect.  You can balance a tire/wheel assy in dual plane mode (same as he has now) using Tape-A-Weights for the inside and outside plane.  The Tape-A-Weight simply adheres inside the rim, out of sight close to the spokes.

 

Assuming the wheels are designed such that you can stick the weight in the right spot and it be out of sight, agreed.

 

 

To the OP: can't go wrong with the Michelin's.  Just make sure you intend to put another 100k on the truck.  No sense buying high dollar 100k mile tires if you're not gonna keep the truck long enough to justify the purchase.  Finding places out-of-stock is a good thing... that means they sell a lot of them.  They should be able to get them in a few days. 

[SonnyCrockett]

Goodyear stink IMO,worst tire made for any application,car truck or trailers......

 

Michelin is you have the coin,costco has many in stock,they last a long time but 1000 bucks a set is painful

 

Bridgestones is you wanna save a few bucks,does everything Michelin does but for a shorter amount of miles.I have the Dueler HL Alenza's on mine..cost me 650

 

 

Factory shocks stink also,consider getting upgrades,makes your new tires ride smoothhhhh

I have KYBs

[TNMTBik3r]

I just put Firestone Destination LE2 tires on,they are a 60k tire. I really like them so far, had BFGoodrich Radial T/A before and these are in improvement.

[hlb14]

+1 for Michelin LTX M&S and Discount Tire, I've always recieved good service from Discount Tire. I've also had LTX's in the past and they were worth the $$. Depending on how your truck gets used, check out BFG All-Terrain T/A KO's, a little pricey but they wear like nobody's business. The ride is very good mounted to a Chevy 1500. I'll never own another set of Bridgestone/Firestone's again.

Edited September 25, 2013 by hlb14

[TNMTBik3r]

Factory shocks stink also,consider getting upgrades,makes your new tires ride smoothhhhh
I have KYBs

I just put KYB shocks on and so far I'm hating them. I researched quite a bit before buying and these seemed like the best for the price (couldn't justify the price for Bilsteins) but they are super stiff. I got the Gas-aJust model, hope they break in and soften out some.

[10-Ring]

10-Ring wrote: "Depending on how the tire is out of balance the chances of getting it to balance with weights on the inside only is slim.  They also will not be able to do it with most electronic wheel balancers, which is all most shops use anymore.  Sorry man, you might try a black paint pen on those weights."

 

That is not the case.  A wheel balancer will support tape weight mode and can easily be balanced to zero.  Did I mention I'm an ASE Master Tech?  LOL  Got my start in the tire biz.  OP, the best tires on the road are Michelins, hands down.  You have to decide what you want in new shoes for your ride.  If high mileage, look at the tread wear rating on the tire... higher number = more mileage. If you go off road, then look at the tread pattern, load rating and inflation pressures. 

 

 

Cool man, learn something new everyday!  I used to be a tire guy, but the shop I worked at sucked and was not into customer service at all, so I didn't get to learn things like that, we could balance your tires our way or tell you to go somewhere else.

[Trekbike]

Another fan of Michelin. Use them on all my families' cars and 4x4 SUV. I just haven't been pleased when I've tried other brands. On my current car I needed to replace my Michelins and went with another brand. Didn't like them so I took advantage of their 30 day guarantee and spent the extra money and went back to Michelins.

[Lowpower]

IMHO the goodyears are loud on the road. The Coopers are quiet on my Ridgeline and are

60K mile tires. 

Edited September 25, 2013 by Lowpower

[Wiljo05]

So here is my trick.

Pick out a tire at Discount Tire online. Print that page. Then go to sears.com and see if that tire is available. Look at their coupon codes/discounts. Apply those discounts to the shopping cart on the sears.com site. Print. Take that to discount tire and they price match.

I got 4 18" all terrain tires for 115 out the door from discount tire simply by bringing in the print of my shopping cart from Sears.
This has worked twice for me. This year alone

[ttocswob]

Try these: Toyo Open Country A/T II

 

Put these on my 4-Runner last year. They have an aggressive tread pattern, yet are fairly quiet even at highway speeds.

 

NRA's American Rifleman had a good review a month or two ago.

[Wyldk2]

Just had my first rotation( after getting Firestone Destination tires earlier this summer) for My 98 Durango. So far the ride is quieter, and they are a 60,000 mile rated tire. I don't take my suv off road unless its some gravel road. But after having a blow out on the road, I needed some tires.

[Joseg]

Nitto CrossTek  @ NTB got them on my Titan, agressive look but decent drive on the interstate. BTW, I got $100 back on them too..