Best replacement tire for Yukon Envoy

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My brother-in-law is getting ready for new tires on his Envoy. It never goes off-road, but does see quite a lot of snow and ice in the winter, and sometimes has to navigate a muddy driveway or two.

It is often used for family trips, for transporting HS sports teams, and sometimes for hauling a load of rugby players and their equipment. So, a lot of highway miles, and with fuel prices where they are fuel economy has to be one of the considerations.

I believe his tire size is 245/65R17.

Any suggestions, including any outside-the-box suggestions?
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Cooper Discoverer HT.

Maybe not the best, but a good value.


You would have to recommend a brand that is not listed on Tirerack... so no review there. And no price comparison.
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
A friend just had (4) 265/70-16 installed for $140/tire at a local indy shop (last fall IIRC)


I think this Envoy still has the same tires that were on it when my sister and brother-in-law bought it used.

So he has no clue how expensive even "cheap" tires are today, especially big fat 17"ers. The last time he bought truck tires, it was many years ago for a Dodge Dakota.

I, on the other hand, have always had to pay $140-150 for new Michelins on my Golf; I tried cheaper tires one time and they did not work out so well,
 
Michelin LTX. One of the best all-around performing tires for the money.

If money is an issue, maybe the Firestone Destination LE. GM is using it as an OE tire on some models of light trucks.
 
Michelin Latitude Tour or Bridgestone Dueler HT Alenza if you have the $$$

Otherwise, I'd look at the Firestone Destination LE or the General Grabber HTS.
 
If you look at the Trailblazer/Envoy forums, I think you'll find that owners universally praise the OEM Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires that came on these from the factory. They're apparently long-wearing and handle good. They're expensive, but you usually get what you pay for. I have a set on our MDX in a similar size (P235/65R17) and love 'em.

If you look on Tire Rack, the Cross Terrain SUV gets fairly good reviews, which is rather uncommon for an OEM type tire. Look at the reviews tab and sort by vehicle type. Most reviews are very favorable.
 
I'd pick the LTX M/S2 or Latitude over the Cross Terrain. I was not impressed with the OE Cross Terrains on my previous Mariner compared to all the hype. I expected them to be a lot better. They were pretty good in the snow, but dry handling/tracking was barely average IMO.
 
Tornado Red,
A TOP rated tire for SUV's from Consumer Reports Magazine is the top rated General Grabber HTS. They have General's "ECO-Ride Technology which is a LRR rating and do many things well which is why it's their top rated SUV tire. And they're sold at The Tire Rack. I don't know if they are available in 245-65-17 but, you'll have to search.
 
friend recently put yokohamas on his tahoe. hated them above 50 mph.... floated and sloppy and didn't track straight. shop upped the psi to 50, and it was still bad. he gave up and spent the $ on michelins. I think the destination LEs or the bridgestone dueler HL would be a great choice, have owned both.
 
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If the Coopers are of interest, look at their new Discoverer A/T3
http://coopertires.com/html/products/tires_suv.aspx?page=discoverer_at_3

A friend has these on his SUV (the Dean version made by Cooper and sold by Les Schwab), and they did very well for him in last winter's snow as well as rain and dry.

You state that snow and mud are an important consideration, and some of the recommendations above don't meet that criteria for me. There are a few all-season tires with the winter snow rating, the snowflake on the mountain symbol on the sidewall, and those might be his best choice. My friend's tires have it, and people here might know of others.
 
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I'd pick the LTX M/S2 or Latitude over the Cross Terrain. I was not impressed with the OE Cross Terrains on my previous Mariner compared to all the hype. I expected them to be a lot better. They were pretty good in the snow, but dry handling/tracking was barely average IMO.


What size did you have them in on your Mariner? I just bought a CR-V, and it has the Cross Terrains in P225/65R17 size. This is an OEM size for Ford Escape (and I assume Mariner also). I would join you in saying I'm not all that impressed with these. They don't seem to ride well, and they can't have 15k miles on them (based on install date and service history on this car), and the tread life looks to be halved already. I will not put the Cross Terrains back on this car.
 
Liking the Yokohama Geolander H/T-S on my Tacoma. Never go off road, and the ride is smooth. Anecdotal reports here shows the treadwear excellent on the Geo H/T-S, and somewhat disappointing on the Gen Grabbers. Reasonably priced and currently a $40 rebate at DT Direct. Worth a look see, imo.

Money no object, Mich LTX M/S or Cross Terrain SUV.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I'd pick the LTX M/S2 or Latitude over the Cross Terrain. I was not impressed with the OE Cross Terrains on my previous Mariner compared to all the hype. I expected them to be a lot better. They were pretty good in the snow, but dry handling/tracking was barely average IMO.


What size did you have them in on your Mariner? I just bought a CR-V, and it has the Cross Terrains in P225/65R17 size. This is an OEM size for Ford Escape (and I assume Mariner also). I would join you in saying I'm not all that impressed with these. They don't seem to ride well, and they can't have 15k miles on them (based on install date and service history on this car), and the tread life looks to be halved already. I will not put the Cross Terrains back on this car.


Yes...Same size. It may have something to do with the fact they are OEM, and so narrow? It's not one of Ford's better ideas. The "optional" upsized 17" wheel/tire combo was narrower than the standard 235/70/16 size. The tires just looked (and felt) too narrow on a Mariner/Escape. Had I kept the vehicle long enough, I would have gone wider.
 
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Interestingly, this size is almost equivalent to the "larger" 235/65R17 that is on my much heavier Acura MDX. I don't think the 225s are too narrow for the Escape/Mariner, but interesting that the 16" option is at least nominally wider.

Size | Section Width | Diameter | Weight
225/65R17 | 9.0" on 6.5" | 28.5" | 29.23 lbs
235/65R17 | 9.0" on 6.5" | 28.9" | 28.92 lbs
245/65R17 | 9.4" on 6.5" | 29.6" | 31.72 lbs

Both of my vehicles have 17x6.5" wheels. The CR-V's tires are inflated to 30psi, and there's almost no sidewall sag. The MDX's tires are inflated to 32psi, and there's a moderate sidewall sag. Both inflation pressures are OEM recommendations.

As installed, the static diameter of both tires is nearly identical. The section width is identical. The weight is nearly identical, although the nominally smaller 225s apparently weigh slightly more than the 235s.

These two tires are extremely similar, and functionally equivalent in my opinion. Except that the 235s ride better and are quieter.
 
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