Uncle Coot Wants YOU!!!!! well, your opinion

[obbop]

Dearly beloved, we are gathered together to assist the shanty-bound Old Coot in making a tire purchasing decision.

The decrepit old f@rt HAS spent considerable time peeking at a LOT of tire reviews, manufacturer sites, any and all sources offering good to bad to semi-lucid advice as to the best few tires to ponder before making a final decision.

Parameters are:

Chevy Silverado, 2004, long-bed 4X4, no off-roading....just street driving. No heavy hauling or towing. Used for non-winter driving, have snow tires for winter. Not a speed demon and do not revel in maximizing g-forces; horizontal or vertical.

Main desire is excellent wet road traction. Wanna' start and stop on those wet roads. Next is tread longevity. Yeah, the two are basically incompatible but wanna' do the best I can. Nudge goes towards wet weather traction.

245/75R/16 a fairly common size. I can check to see if thine recommendation comes in that size.

Even if you can't recommend a particular brand/model you may be able to recommend a brand that tends to build a quality tire.

Recommendations AGAINST certain brands/models can be helpful.

Here is a list of possibles garnered so far:

Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza
Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051
Goodyear Fortera TripleTred
Firestone Destination LE
Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO
Bridgestone Dueler APT III
Michelin Cross Terrain

Comments on the above are welcomed. Any advice, tips, hints, rumors and out-and-out libel cordially encouraged to assist this awesome endeavor.

 

[Auto-Union]

On our truck, I'm using a passenger tire. It's smaller than a Silverado though.

 

[tom slick]

I'm not much help but I have read good things about the yoko geolanders

 

[RedDart]

I have a friend who absolutely loves the Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO tires on his Chevy S10 ZR2. He says they are much grippier then the OEM BFGs that came on the truck. He has not had any problems with them. I on the other hand have had problems with the Bridgestones on my Impala (which were actually made in a Firestone plant). Yokomha seems to make a good tire as does Michelin. IMO stay away from the Firestones - bad juju there.

 

[Colt45ws]

A vote for the Goodyear Fortera TripleTreds

 

[alreadygone]

Don't see a problem with any on your list. Might add Cooper Discover HT. After selling them for several years I'v become a pretty big fan.

Bob

 

[CapriRacer]

obbop,

When you mentioned the tire size, you left off the letters in front of the size. These are important, particularly since there are some versions of your truck that came with "P"'s and some that came with "LT"'s.

DO NOT MIX THESE UP!!!

Tire Rack has the unfortunate practice of leaving these letters off!!! So you have to read into the descriptions to get the right ones.

 

[simple_gifts]

Might add Cooper Discover HT

x2!

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Here is what my family's trucks are running right now:

04 F350 has Firestone Destination LE's. Have run them 5K miles in snow, wet, etc this winter just fine. No complaints, but no long term results.

95 F350 has Walmart Liberator tires. Have run them 25K miles with no problems. Convenience of being able to get tires fixed/warranty issues resolved on weekends weights heavily for this truck.

Son runs Cooper Discoverers H/T on his Durango. Is on second set. First set got the 50K miles as advertised 4x4. Second set doing well. No issues with wet, dry or ice traction. Prefers them to the Goodyear OEMs.

Consider Hankook DytnaPro AT RF08 if it is still available. Good wet, snow and ice braking capability. Did well on Consumer Reports testing, almost as good as the Fortera. However, review is 2 yrs old.

Happy tire hunting!

 

[bretfraz]

I don't have direct experience with these tires but I know a bit about them from research and 2nd hand knowledge.

The Mich Cross Terrain is pretty much the standard for people who want their trucks and SUV to ride like a car. Very good all around traction, smooth ride, stays balanced, excellent quality, does everything well. About 40K is a reasonable treadlife expectancy (derived from friends who've owned this tire).

The Bridestone Alenza and the Goodyear Fortera are direct competitors to the Mich C/T. I've been told the B-stone gives a slightly smoother and quiter ride than th C/T while the Fortera provides very good all around traction. Any of these three will be excellent choices IMO.

The Yoko G051 would seem like a good value competitor to the Michelin but I know people who've switched to them and found the ride stiffer and noisier and overall traction and road feel not as good. It's a very good tire for the price but it doesn't have the overall performance of the Michelin.

I have Firestone's on my truck but not the Destination LE. I decided against them as I found they offered a very good, smooth ride but sacrificed some tread life and road handling. Having said that my Firestone dealer says they're the most popular truck tire they offer and customers rave about them, especially when priced against the Big 3 above.

Only thing I know about the B-stone AT Revo is a buddy of mine has a set on a 4WD Explorer and likes them well enough; decent in snow, good ride and all that, but is going back to Michelin when it's replacement time. I have no info on the B-stone APT.

Don't know if any of this helped or hurt, but I wish you luck on your tire choice. Frankly I think any of those tires would be a fine choice. It's just a matter of fine tuning your needs & wants and getting the best match.

 

[Auto-Union]

With a lil direction from me, my cousin choose the Yokos for his Ranger. I hear nothing but horror stories about the Dueler, had them on the CRV. Read up at TR.

 

[GMGuy]

Quote:

---

When you mentioned the tire size, you left off the letters in front of the size. These are important, particularly since there are some versions of your truck that came with "P"'s and some that came with "LT"'s.

---

He is not hauling or towing, so its irrelevant whether he goes for a p-car tire or a truck tire. Why haul a heavier load range tire around when a lighter p-car tire will do.

FWIW, my Grand Marquis tips the scales at 4200 pounds... It came with P tires. My pickup truck tips the scales at ~4500 pounds. It came with LT tires... 300 pounds can be a single passenger in the Grand Marquis... Load it up with 4 big adults and it will tip the scales higher than my truck. So tell me why my truck should have LT tires when in reality my car should have them if you want to argue weights. =-)

The OP also only needs good wet, on-road tires, opens the door to a lot more choices if he wants to get away from a heavy lugged truck tire.

That said, I'd throw Michelin LTX M/S tires into the mix for consideration. Everyone I know with them is pleased with them in all weather conditions. I've had LTX A/T tires do a good job in the wet with no added noise over the OEM tires during the summer months.

Alex.

 

[occupant]

Goodyear Fortera TripleTred is at the top of Highway All-Seasons on TR's Survey Results. 9.0 out of 10.0 for wet traction. It is however, a $143 tire...

Yokohama Geolander G051's are rated 8.5 in wet and are an $83.00 tire.

BE CAREFUL if you go with Geolanders. There are no less than ten different Geolander models. Some are rated very high (G051, G033, G034, Y816). Some are rated very low (G046, G900, G035). Some are in the middle (G053, G031, G039). They all cost about the same, but be sure to get the good ones. The 51 is the best of them.

Michelin LTX tires are terrific. My mother-in-law has about 80,000 miles on her LTX's on a 2001 Silverado are they are just past half treadlife. Incredible considering her aggressive driving style.

You could also consider Highway Rib tires and get very long-lasting tread, quiet ride, but it will sacrifice wet traction. No reason why you can't see 200K out of a set of Michelin XPS's. Wet traction rated 7.7, which is not bad for a highway tire, especially compared to the other three tires rated (Bridgestone, Yokohama, and Michelin XCA).

 

[occupant]

I also want to throw in a recommendation for Maxxis tires, mostly because they survived every little bit of abuse I gave them in the Aerostar I had from fall 2004 to spring 2006. Those were MA-1 passenger car tires, size 215/70/14. They also make two conservative-looking highway tires. The UE-168 Bravo (highway rib) and the HT-750 Bravo (highway touring). Maxxis is better known for their sand and mud tires (Creepy Crawlies and Big Horns and such) but I was very pleased with the ones I had.

UE-168 http://www.maxxis.com/products/automotive/product_detail.asp?id=192&product_id=2631
HT-750 http://www.maxxis.com/products/automotive/product_detail.asp?id=187&product_id=2782

 

[CapriRacer]

Quote:

---

......He is not hauling or towing, so its irrelevant whether he goes for a p-car tire or a truck tire. Why haul a heavier load range tire around when a lighter p-car tire will do......

---

Well, the vehicle manufacturer seems to think otherwise. They specify LT tires for their heavier duty C/K 2500/3500.

Quote:

---

....FWIW, my Grand Marquis tips the scales at 4200 pounds... It came with P tires. My pickup truck tips the scales at ~4500 pounds. It came with LT tires... 300 pounds can be a single passenger in the Grand Marquis... Load it up with 4 big adults and it will tip the scales higher than my truck. So tell me why my truck should have LT tires when in reality my car should have them if you want to argue weights. =-)......

---

I think you'll find that the curb weight of a C / K 2500 / 3500 exceeds 5000 pounds, and it may even be approaching 6000. Add cargo and it easily gets to the point where weight capacity becomes an issue.

 

[alreadygone]

Betting OBBOP has enough sense to use proper load range (if anything I'd bet he'll be more likely toward overkill), even if others aren't that bright!

Bob

 

[obbop]

Howdy y'all,

Coot here, reading input and adding to knowledge base. Appreciate it.

Still researching.

Went to a couple more tire dealers. Noticed a lack of printed material touting the wonders of the various brands and models of tires. If I owned a firm selling tires or any other "higher end" item I would have info readily available, even if it was encased in plastic sheets meant only foe in-store reading.

Nebraska firms, I have noticed over the years, is bad about informing consumers about the products offered for sale. Electronics stores, appliances, cars, items tending to cost a few hundred to thousands of dollars, nary any information.

Yep, the car dealers will have the most basic brochures that convey little real info, consisting mistly of purdy' pictures but, any REAL useful data, statistics, etc. is a glaring omission.

Maybe the retailers expect folks to use the Web, even those who shun the Web for various reasons (many older folks hereabouts stuck in the 8-track era).

Then, when discussing tires with tire store workers, I mention my need, an absolute requirement, that a hand-held torque wrench be used. I even mention I will pay a little extra to ENSURE that what I consider proper tightening technique be used: ie a three-stage tightening methos until final torque is reached.

I shudder inside when several of the grinning apes walk over to a mechanic's tool set and grab a socker used on an impact wrench and boast how it is used to reach a certain torque level and that they can hand torque after that.

What part of HAND TORQUE WRENCH ONLY do these simpletons fail to grasp?

Sigh... looks as if I will have to demand to be in visual range when the tire store lackeys perform their task or....

get the round rubbery things mounted and balanced then take them home and to the task myself.

America needs more "quality." There surely HAS to be enough folks that want a job performed properly rather than quickly........ and willing to pay a little more for that quality!!!!! What's 20 bux more with a multi-hundred bucks purchase knowing the task will be performed the way one wants, and know it's being done without having to stand there and glare?

The last time I had tires done I demanded hand torquing and was assured it would be done. Even slipped the one doing the work 5 bucks to do it. Hearing an impact wrench I peeked through the little window in the door leading to the work area where customers were not allowed. Yep, the doofus was hammering away with the impact wrench. Sigh.....

Anyway..... along with tire recommendations does anybody know of a chain/franchise that tends to cater to customers rather than ignoring them?

Okay, rant over. Thanks for the input so far. Will keep returning to assess new input!!!!!

 

[GMGuy]

Quote:

---

There surely HAS to be enough folks that want a job performed properly rather than quickly........ and willing to pay a little more for that quality!!!!! What's 20 bux more with a multi-hundred bucks purchase knowing the task will be performed the way one wants, and know it's being done without having to stand there and glare?

---

Its just luck of the draw when you go into a store. The vast majority of people just want 4 round tires when they buy tires. And preferably tires that are 'the cheapest you have'. Or, 'whats on sale today?'. They don't care about the important things behind most tire choices. Go ahead, try and sell people on the idea of winter tires where you work.

Alex.

 

[GMGuy]

Quote:

---

I think you'll find that the curb weight of a C / K 2500 / 3500 exceeds 5000 pounds, and it may even be approaching 6000. Add cargo and it easily gets to the point where weight capacity becomes an issue.

---

2004 Silverado 2500 extended cab 4x4 : 4930 curb weight.
From Here.

Did some other casual looking around, man, cars are getting HEAVY these days.

Anyway, looking at the tire rack for the lowest weight rating 245-75r16 (109S) and they are rated for 2271 pounds.
Load Range E tires are rated for 3042 pounds. Considerably more, but then, thats what the higher load ranges are for, more capacity, no one is arguing that.

If we take account 500 pounds of passengers, the truck comes in at ~5500 pounds (give it some extra for groceries).
Thats ~1375 pounds on each tire (given equal weight distribution--which I know isn;t the case).

With a 109S tire, that leaves 896 pounds per tire. Or ~1700 pounds of capacity to throw in the bed (assuming trucks are still front heavy).

So, going by the OP (light hauling or towing) a standard tire IS going to fall within its operating specs. Given the tires that are available in the size (primarily load range C, D, and E) the O/P is going to have plenty of capacity regardless of tire range selected. The only thing the OP has to do is be honest about his trucks usage with regards to hauling and towing and bump up to a C, D or E if necessary.

Alex.

 

[CapriRacer]

GMGuy,

I hope you realize the point of this discussion is understanding the way these things work. If we all share our experiences, we can gain an appreciation of the intracacies.

You should be aware that ALL GM C/ K 2500 / 3500's come from GM with LT metric tires. Their engineers have determined that this is appropriate for that vehicle. Since they are required by law to put the tire size and the inflation pressure on a certification label, they are keenly aware of the legal implications if they are wrong.

I don't know the entire process - some of it is unique to GM - but I am aware of some of the thinking that goes into selecting tire sizes. The maximum load carrying capacity of a tire is based on some pretty ideal situations. So derating the tire is commonly done when the tire size is selected for a vehicle.

In the case of a P metric tire used in a Light Truck application (defined as a truck, van, or trailer) the load rating is derated 10%. This is so old and well established that it is actually written as an addendum to the tire standards. (BTW, LT metric tires already have this factored in.)

Another one that I have come across is that tires handle more linearly if you stay away from the load limit of the tire. This means the emergency handling of a vehicle is more predictable if the tire is oversized.

It's also been found that the vibrations are reduced with using a larger tire.

These are just some of the rationale that is used to size tires on vehicles and they all start with the maximum load carrying capacity and go down from there. I'm not prepared to second guess the OEM's decision.