Michelin or Firestone

[stchman]

Originally Posted By: 03tacoma
Looking at either the Bridgestone - Dueler H/L Alenza or Michelin - X Radial LT2 in 265/70R16

Experience, thoughts, opinions on either of these tires or brands would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


I have Dueler H/L Alenzas on my Silverado and they ride real smooth. Michelin is just too overpriced IMO.

 

[HerrStig]

Bridgestone is now reported to be bigger than Michelin, for what it's worth.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Bridgestone is now reported to be bigger than Michelin, for what it's worth.

 

[69GTX]

I've had two sets of Michelins. Not great and not bad. Have never gotten more than 50K-65K out of any tire I buy (typically a solid brand name with a rating of approx 400 AAA or AAB. I'd have to say the Michelin is usually the better tire vs. Bridgestone/Firestone. But, you will always find some that will outperform or under-perform. A lot of that is on driving style and maintenance. The rest is the luck of the draw on how it was built (QC and materials). If only $10-30/tire diff I'd probably go with the Michelin. The LTX is rated at 720 AA. Nice. If the Michelin Pilots were priced like these LTX M/S2 I'd have a set on my '99 now. But those run $300/tire.

The Tire Rack survey ratings on the LTX M/S2 are high vs. competitors. In light of other people's personal favorites, I'd always lean towards what millions of miles of driver's surveys have to say about it...as well as performance test driver's opinions. At least that's puts the odds a little more in your favor.

Tire Rack survey

 

[gallydif]

Bmw or mercedes. To me michelin is overpriced. Don't get me wrong they are great tires though. To me it would come down to pricing while factoring in the warranty miles. That said, can't go wrong with either.

 

[DuckRyder]

For 12.00 per tire? Michelin without question.

Though I might seek out a non-discount chain version it may or may not be the same as a regular tire.

FWIW BJ's carries Michelin and BFG and seems to have the "regular versions".

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Bridgestone is now reported to be bigger than Michelin, for what it's worth.

And Lego is larger than both!

 

[meep]

I've had three sets of alenza's on different cars... an older CRV, a 2001 T&C and a 97 pathfinder (that was a dueler HL - which is what became the alenza). They were great tires, lasted a long, long time, were quiet, had excellent braking in the rain, and did not get noisy as they aged. For a highway / touring tire, they are hard to beat.

IME they tend to rider "heavier" than michelins. meaning they have just a little more give in them and are not as /immediate/ (like *right now* - immediate) in steering response but also are not as rumbly of pea gravel, street cracks, and are not as upset by small cracks and debris in the road. They still track spot on, don't drift, and corner predictably, they just feel like heavier rubber whereas michelins have more direct feel, like almost "wooden" in feel. Both have their place, depends on what you like.

I rarely end up buying Michelin though I usually do compare to them. I've never been disappointed after doing my homework.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Bridgestone is now reported to be bigger than Michelin, for what it's worth.


Bridgestone and firestone sell well, and Ive been happy with the bridgestone tires Ive owned.

Its just that here, LTX MS is top of class, hands down.

Also the tires I enjoyed using from bridgestone have now been outsourced to the third world (Mexico) so I won't buy them.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Bridgestone is now reported to be bigger than Michelin, for what it's worth.


They are very close in size and revenue. Michelin employs around 111,000 people and has a 24.4 billion dollar revenue, Bridgestone employs more people at 140,000 but revenue is close at 25 billion.

I'm not sure why that's significant though? Mobil is bigger than BP, what's that mean to us as end users? They are both gigantic companies, just like Michelin and Bridgestone.

 

[hattaresguy]

I went threw this on my last truck and replaced my worn out set of Michelins with Bridgestones.

The truck drove about the same, traction seemed about the same, the only difference was my wallet weighed a bit more with an extra $300 in it.

My LTX MS2's were great tires they are just to expensive and the sidewalls cracked in 3 years. When it came time to replace them a new set was right at $1k, and the Bridgestones were about $700.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Bridgestone is now reported to be bigger than Michelin, for what it's worth.


They are very close in size and revenue. Michelin employs around 111,000 people and has a 24.4 billion dollar revenue, Bridgestone employs more people at 140,000 but revenue is close at 25 billion.

I'm not sure why that's significant though? Mobil is bigger than BP, what's that mean to us as end users? They are both gigantic companies, just like Michelin and Bridgestone.
When a company stumbles, it usually looses market share. It's an indication that Bridgestone quality has kept them close to the top of the heap against another tire company with a great reputation. I bought a lot of Pirelli tires at one time, but it seems they have slipped a bit in selection and price. Of course despite my observations, I'm going with Yokohama and Contis right now. Conti has, it seems, been making inroads.

 

[OVERKILL]

OK, thanks for explaining your reason for bringing it up. I don't think either company is slipping, both are making good tires and have a large share of the OEM market.

Michelin has some really stand-out products like the LTX M/S2, the Pilot Super Sport and the Pilot A/S3. But they also have some pretty mediocre offerings as well. I'd imagine the same is the case at Bridgestone.

 

[69GTX]

Also compare any coupons being offered by Michelin vs. Bridgestone. Michelin offers the $70 rebate several times per year. If you had to get them right now, the available coupon might be final factor.

 

[badtlc]

I'd go with Bridgestone/Firestone because they make better tires.

 

[hattaresguy]

If I was buying tires for a high end car and need every ounce of performance they can offer I wouldn't care about price and would probably get Michelins.


But a pickup truck is a long way from a Z06 Corvette, I don't need 10/10's of grip to tool around town and pick up coffee for the guys. In this category I have found a number of less expensive options that work just fine.