New Consumer Reports truck/SUV tire ratings

HardbodyLoyalist · Oct 4, 2004

Consumer reports has just published a new review of truck/SUV tires in their November issue.

I won't rehash the entire article here, but I will make a few points/observations:

22 tires were rated based on 9 performance categories: dry braking, wet braking, handling, hydroplaning, rolling resistance, snow traction, ice braking, ride and noise. The tires were tested on a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT 4X4.

Why CR decided to disregard tread life is baffling, and worth keeping in mind.

The top rated tire was the Goodyear Fortera HL. I, for one, found this surprising, as many people (and BITOG members) claim to have had bad experiences with various Goodyears. The Pirelli Scorpion STR A was second.

More surprising (for me, anyway) is how badly the Michelin tires fared. The XC LT4, LTX M/S and Cross Terrain were ranked 15, 17 and 19, respectively.

The worst tire on the list was the BFGoodrich Radial Long Trail T/A.

The cheapest tire on the list was the Kumho Road Venture HT at $65 for the P235/70R16, which ranked a respectable #11. Has anybody ever actually seen one of these in a store?

The highest rated all-terrain tire was the Hankook DynaPro AT RF08.

Comments?

Jelly · Oct 4, 2004

For 2003 Ford Explorer XLT 4X4:

All Season:
Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051
Kumho Venture HT
Firestone Destination LE

All-Terrain:
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo

Seth_TJ · Oct 4, 2004

A sweet mud tire is the BFG MT K/M in 33x10.50. The sidewall is somewhat sweet and if you are around a lot of rocks or things that can puncture you are better of with a GY MT/R or Swampers.

But I gotta tell you for $123 bucks a piece I have got almost 44k out of these tires so far and it looks like i'll get 50k. This is crazy for a mud tire. They handle great, ride great, quiet, work good in snow and wet and are great offroad.

They are sweet

Arup · Oct 4, 2004

Geolanders are fantastic, OEM on Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols in middle east where they perform with par excellence on the desert.

MarkC · Oct 4, 2004

Consumer Reports, nah nah nah.
I put Michelin CRoss Terrains on my Cherokee a couple of years ago and they're great for what they are. I paid $90 a piece for them at Discount Tire. They stick in the rain and ice way better than the Goodyears that I had on before. My Cherokee's a 5 speed and I was always unintentionally breaking the rear end loose when pulling away from stoplights and starting out uphill in the rain. The Michelins dealt with that, and I still have lots of tread left.

Roadking · Oct 4, 2004

I just put a set of Firestone Destination LE's on my 97' Explorer last week, great tire-good price! The ride is definitely smoother.

I replaced a set of BFG Radial Long Trails that held up great for 50K but lacked traction, wet or dry.

T-Keith · Oct 4, 2004

Consumer Reports.

lobo11 · Oct 4, 2004

If I recall correctly, that Kuhmo was rated well on the Tirerack web page.

Flimflam · Oct 4, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Seth_TJ:
A sweet mud tire is the BFG MT K/M in 33x10.50........ I have got almost 44k out of these tires so far and it looks like i'll get 50k. This is crazy for a mud tire.

They are sweet

BFG has got to be the best d@mn tire on this planet. Maybe the best in the whole Galaxy, period. I had BFG as OEM in a 1990 Suzuki Sidekick, at 68,000 miles, they still looked brand new. Shortly after, the truck got stolen. So I'll never know if they would have gone 100,000 miles. But the way they were wearing, I would not have been the slightest bit surprised if they had gone 100,000 miles.

My 1998 Suzuki Sidekick is due for complete tire set replacement in 1/2005. The OEM Uniroyals don't look too bad right now(47,300 miles), but there are little cracks appearing in the sidewalls. Plus, I am told it is a good idea to replace all tires at the 6-year mark. But I look forward to riding with BF Goodrich again.

TooManyWheels · Oct 4, 2004

I have the Bridgestone Duelers on my Tacoma and am extremely satisfied with them, and other owners are extremely pleased with the Yokohama Geolanders, neither of which were rated highly in this article.

If your evaluation criteria and weighting proportions happen to correspond with CU's, then their evaluations are helpful. However, they seldom seem to line up with mine, so these days I put more faith in personal experiences from message boards than in CU tests.

[ October 05, 2004, 09:54 AM: Message edited by: TooManyWheels ]

Jelly · Oct 5, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by tom slick:
I really like my Goodyear MT/R tires. they replaced yokohama geolander MT's. the GY's are quieter and the sidewalls are much tougher. they are alot heavier too.
then again for 99% of all trucks this is more tire then they will ever need.

Have you tried the Firestone Destination M/T's?

They're my favorite M/T tire!

HardbodyLoyalist · Oct 5, 2004

If your evaluation criteria and weighting proportions happen to correspond with CU's, then their evaluations are helpful. However, they seldom seem to line up with mine, so these days I put more faith in personal experiences from message boards than in CU tests.
----------------------

If agree. I was just throwing this information out there to stir up some debate.

I currently run the XC LT4's on my truck. The traction is average (at best), but the tread life has been nothing short of phenomenal.

I previously ran Pirelli Scorpions. They gripped something fierce, but were shot in less than 30k miles.

jeepzj · Oct 5, 2004

I have a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo and am looking to buy new all-season tires. Anyone using the Firestone Destination LE or the Bridgestone Dueler H\L? If so, what's your opinion of ride quality (soft? harsh?), treadwear, tire noise and wet\snow traction?

Thanks!

1sttruck · Oct 5, 2004

I like looking at 1010 and Tirerack but wonder about shills who are dry labbing the results. The Michelins seem to get marks for mileage, but it's at the expense of traction in some situations. Having a 3/4 ton truck I've noticed that one needs to pay attention to what vehicle was used and how it's used for evaluation, as results can vary a lot when towing, hauling loads, and such. As a result the report from CR is useless for my needs.

I've also noticed that 'good ice traction' can be misleading unless the tires are also tested at temps close to freezing, as I've seen 4wd vehicles with popular, well regarded A/T tires with severe snow ratings stall and slide backwards on hills in such conditions.

tom slick · Oct 5, 2004

I really like my Goodyear MT/R tires. they replaced yokohama geolander MT's. the GY's are quieter and the sidewalls are much tougher. they are alot heavier too.
then again for 99% of all trucks this is more tire then they will ever need.

labman · Oct 5, 2004

I have always assumed their data was reliable, but have dissed their recommendations ever since they bashed radials in 1966. These days, I don't know if I should trust anybody about anything.

crossbow · Oct 5, 2004

Biggest problem with consumer reports, is they tend to leave out all the tire companies which don't advertise all to **** , or magically donate their products for review.

Like Toyo, Falken, Kuhmo, etc. You know, all the tires that are firmly embedded in the actual racing scene. Generally when one of them "does" show up for a review, they're usually at the top, or at least in the top 3..just doesn't happen often cause most reviewers won't review a product unless they get

1) Money to review it
2) Free products.

Which of course the big boys can do, while the smaller ones just function on word of mouth.

XS650 · Oct 5, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by crossbow:
Biggest problem with consumer reports, is they tend to leave out all the tire companies which don't advertise all to **** , or magically donate their products for review.

CR doesn't accept advertising and they say they annomously buy the products they test. Do you have other information?

edwardh1 · Oct 6, 2004

he is probably mixing CR up with consumers guide or good housekeeping both of which are useless.

I like CR ratings

JeepZJ4.0 · Oct 6, 2004

The Fortera is a very very good tire. I would consider it but would rather get an all-terrain tire since they grip better.

The General Grabber AT2 is a very good tire. We were talking about it earlier on JU and said that it has a similar tread design to the BFG A/T KO, weighs less, stronger and cheaper. On and off the road, it is quiet and grippy...

http://www.generaltire.com/generato.../extreme_traction/grabber_at2/benefit_en.html

EDIT: The Grabber AT2 is also rated for severe weather situations. ("snowflake approved")

New Consumer Reports truck/SUV tire ratings

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