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Let's talk tires

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
My truck is due for tires so I've been shopping around for new ones. I'm not one to have a dedicated set of winter and summer tires that need to be swapped out every spring and fall. So a good semi aggressive tire with a mud and snow rating is what I look for. Most trucks come from the dealers with nothing more than a car tire that'll get you stuck the instant you leave the pavement.

Currently I have goodyear wrangler adventures on there. I believe they were on from new. I just turned 100000 kms on the truck and noticed that traction has been lacking as they're getting fairly worn. I had my heart set on a set of goodyear duratracs and had even picked up a used set that still had another 60000kms left in them for cheap. However, I went to have them installed yesterday and they noticed that the tires didn't have an LT rating which is needed for my truck as they have a stronger sidewall and can handle more weight. So I listed them back for sale and am now looking for a new set.

What do you all have for truck tires? What do you like and dislike about them?
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
100K kilometers from a set of tires? I haven't been able to do that in 20 years. Present day tires suck. I bought a new Cadillac 5-years ago. I'm not an aggressive driver but those tires only lasted 18K miles. My wife's Buick is slightly better but she's on her third set of tires in less than 80K miles. The 20-year old F-350 dually eats up tires, especially rear tires. I can't remember how many sets of tires I've put on it in 80K miles but it's been a few. Presently it's shod with Cooper Discoverer S/T tires and they seem to be holding up better than most. They're a hybrid tread design that seems to handle the pasture and the road pretty well.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
OEM tires are normally softer rubber so it gives a better feel driving it out of the dealer. I normally get about 30-35K miles on those.
Afterwards, I go with a quality brand with a very high tread wear rating (UTQG). It "used to be" that every UTQG point was about 200 miles but I think that's gotten pretty lax over the years.

On my previous truck (I'm still on OEM tires on my current truck), I went with Michelin LTX A/T2 and liked them very much. When I need to replace my current trucks tires, I'd most likely go with Michelin Defender LTX M/S.

I'd go to tirerack.com, provide what vehicle it's for then sort the results by your preference (e.g. cost or highest consumer rated).

Also, I personally wouldn't buy ANY Goodyear tires for this reason:
Goodyear Bans ‘Blue Lives Matter’ and MAGA Slogans, Allows Black Lives Matter

A leaked slide from a Goodyear diversity training session shows the company has decided what the “acceptable” and “unacceptable” slogans are for employees to support.

The slide is part of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s zero-tolerance policy, which has deemed “Blue Lives Matter,” “All Lives Matter,” “MAGA Attire,” and “Politically Affiliated Slogans or Material” as “unacceptable.”

Those slogans that are “acceptable” to the company included “Black Lives Matter (BLM)” and “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride (LGBT).
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I had a set of cooper tires years ago on a 97 jimmy. They barely made 25000kms before needing to be changed.

The goodyears on the truck right now have been great as far as wear but the traction in snow just plain sucks. As soon as I hit the driveway in the winter I have to put it in 4x4 to avoid spinning out. I'm leaning toward these firestone destination xt tires. I know years ago firestone had sidewall issues years ago but they are now part of bf Goodrich I believe. These seem to have a good all around rating for both on and off highway and have a winter tire rating but can be used all year.

Screenshot_20201205-130736_Google.jpg
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I run Michelin Defenders on my 4Runner. I got 60k out of the first set, most I've ever gotten out of a tire and still felt safe driving it. So I replaced them with another set of same tires. Love the ride and the performance. They cost more but in my book they are well worth the higher price.
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
tirerack.com has a pretty good tire life rating system that appears to use feedback from actual owners. So far I haven't been upset when I have used their rating system when buying tires. You pay more for good tires but they are better.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'm loving this thread. My tire dealer for over 30 years closed for good 3 weeks ago because of the pandemic. I used him for truck and Ag tires mainly. My wife and her family used him for everything.

I hope that I remember some of the suggestions when it comes time to replace them again. Tires are one thing that I never try to skimp and save money on.
 

pixie

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
I've had good luck with Nokian. Some are made in Russia which didn't thrill me but none have been defective, they have good traction yet are fairly quiet on dry pavement, last well and are reasonably priced.
 

norscaner

Active member
Cheers Brian. Its not often I post here but to answer your question I have had really good luck with Goodyear Duratracs. I had them on my old Toyota off road truck as well as my newer one. They wear well on the highway and I get about 4 years out of a set running them year round. Im kinda hard on tires as off road means running creek beds as well as snow on bush roads made by skidders. One thing nice about Duratracs is when its -35C they are still soft. I found Coopers too hard in winter and they wear like marshmellows on rough surfaces. Hope this helps
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks man. Nice to hear from you. I have duratracs on my plow truck and also had them on my old f150. Was just chatting with my bro who has the same truck as me. He's got them on his and is over 100000kms on them. They're pretty much worn but still have good traction in the winter.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
So I pulled the trigger on a set of firestone destination xt's. They are winter rated but also four season so no need for dedicated summer tires. They have a 90000 km rating and a 5yr manufacturer warranty against defects.

My goodyears were a LT275 65r18. I decided to go one size bigger on the sidewall and went with a LT275 70r18. They seem to have much better grip on wet pavement and ride good. When I left this morning on the old tires, I hit the brakes to make a 90 degree turn to head toward the highway. The old tires lost grip and I slid right passed the turn. That was on wet pavement with a skiff of slush with the truck in 4x4. On my way home, I was able to keep it in 2wd. Starting and stopping was no problem.

Here's a picture with the old tires.

20201210_082205.jpg



Here's the new ones. Not a huge difference in height but much better traction and ride quality.

20201210_093818.jpg



20201210_094734.jpg
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Initial thoughts on the firestone destination xt tires...love them. I headed out to the bush this morning to try them on an icy dirt road with a couple inches of fresh snow. I was in 2wd the whole way pulling the flat deck trailer with the side by side loaded up. When I got to the spot where I unload, I had to back the trailer off the main road onto a side road with 4" of snow. No problem in 2wd. They are quiet on the highway and have plenty of traction. The tire shop put 45lbs of air in them. I wanted to try them like that before dropping them to 38lbs where I normally like to run my tires for a softer ride. They were fine at that pressure.
 
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this winter tire. I will probably need it in the future but as of the moment I am using Michelin Xi3.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I liked the tires so much that I brought my wife's expedition in lasr week to get a set put on. It had 70k on the original set of hankooks and they were starting to lose traction in the snow.
 
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