NEW ADOPTION!! & tire questions (1 Viewer)

[S. Mack]

After an unreasonably long gestation period, we are the proud parents of a '96, 80 series cruiser with 76k miles and “virgin” lockers. (Really, they weren't used at all!!)
We would never have been prepared for such a life commitment had we not had the tender counsel of you guys (Baby pics to come soon).


However, as with any new parents we have questions:

TIRES: The vehicle, believe it or not, is wearing its original Michelin LTX M/S 275/70R 16 tires. Still have some tread but have rotted.
We drove home today, 200 miles, and thought the highway ride was probably about as quiet & smooth with these tires as we would get. Is that true?

Don't need a tire that's more aggressive. Michelins were $179 each. Whoa! Is this the best out there?

We are mostly highway with beach and woods on the side. Lots of boat transport, etc., these days.

 

[alkaline747trio]

Bridgestone Duelers (SP?) or Revos seem to be the favorite all season/multi-terrain tire. They perform great on our Ford Explorer, and everyone here praises them too. Aired down they take on the sand with ease (NC OBX extreme soft sand) and don't mind taking fire roads, easy and tough trails all the same.

Glad to have you aboard. Welcome

 

[ace10]

you don't mention your location so i'm gonna give my blanket opinion on the LTX's...

they ride great. quiet, comfortable, extremely long wearing. a bit pricey but not when you amortize them over the life of the tire. they're available everywhere. in the wet i think that they're pretty okay.

the bad is that they suck in the snow. some will say different, but i can't think of a worse m&s tire for winter driving.

i find them to be an excellent tire for the sand. not too much tread to get you buried.

$0.02

 

[Mike S]

I am running Michelin Cross Terrains on my Ford Expedition. They are really streetable tires - factory siped - very nice ride.

I would not put them on my 80 because it needs to do more than the Ford.

M

 

[S. Mack]

tires & prices

you don't mention your location so i'm gonna give my blanket opinion on the LTX's...

We're in coastal Rhode Island -- does anybody know if $179 is a good, average or high price for LTX's?

Is that ballpark what we should expect to pay for good tires no matter who makes them?

 

[Mike S]

Check www.tirerack.com. Their prices are usually towards the low end.

M

 

[DaveyBoy]

We're in coastal Rhode Island -- does anybody know if $179 is a good, average or high price for LTX's?

Is that ballpark what we should expect to pay for good tires no matter who makes them?

Welcome.

I just put the Bridgestone Revos on mine and so far (beach/dirt road/road)
they are great. I'm near you and the cheapest I found was Town Fair Tire.
They have locations all around NE including RI.

 

[NorCalDoug]

check tires.com too.

I bought a set of Revos for the wife's 80. Great tire, IMO. Semi-aggressive tread and good on-road manners.

 

[Hants]

For a M/S tire (versus an A/T), I have Michelin Cross Terrains on our other SUV (Honda Pilot). We've put about 15K on them in a variety of conditions (highway, deep soft sand, snow and ice). I'm VERY happy with them -- great wear, quiet, great mileage, can't get them stuck.

I've intentionally parked in deep soft sand (trying to get stuck). Drove right out.

I've intentionally driven in relatively deep (for a mall SUV) snow. Virtually no slippage and great directional control.

On steep icy roads, they give much more traction and control than I expected.

They're not AT's and they don't have 3-ply sidewalls, but for primarily road use, I highly recommend them.

I purchased them at Discount Tire. They matched the best internet price I could find... I checked their website right before I went to get them installed, and found them on special for cheaper still. Manager didn't know about it, but when I had him pull up their site, he honored the price.

 

[Hants]

... and Welcome!

 

[Mars]

Welcome and congrats! I second the vote for the Bridgestone Revo's, and I wouldn't be afraid to bump up the size to a 285/75 either. Stretches out your gearing a bit at speed, and didn't impact my gas mileage much. Then you won't be 'forced' to pick up new tires 'if/when' you get the lift.



Mars

 

[KliersLC]

I like the Walmart liberator AT tires, They wear like iron and the are "adequate" on everything.

Flame away....

 

[DTAYLOR]

Nice!

Congrats, but I have some advice. Stop talking like a puss, or a giant beer can will drop on your head.

 

[Mike S]

Revos, I think, for me. Load range D, 285/75/R16. I have a quote of $916 for five tires, mounted and balanced. I am working on a better deal.

M

 

[ToyoLoyal]

I've bought from www.discounttiredirect.com Free Shipping, good prices.

$152 for the Michelins, to your door.

 

[mitchhonore]

I'll sell you some Mich Cross Terrains.

 

[tech_dog]

For on-road manners, quiet ride, and longevity, the OEM Mich LTX's are very good. If you want better off-road performance, then you compromise one or more of those factors.

If you don't need more agressive tires, as you state in your post, then I'd suggest ponying up for the LTX's. Recent studies have shown they last 76K+ miles.

Congrats!

 

[S. Mack]

Tires on

Thanks all, here's what we did:

- decided to go with the Michelin LTX M/S 275/70. That's what was on the car when we got it & they were the original tires with 77K on them.

If they hadn't been rotten, we would have kept them because they had plenty of tread left.

After shopping around our best deal was at Walmart.
$152 each which included mounting & balancing -- for $9 & change per tire you can get a lifetime rotation & rebalancing. I got them to throw that in.
Logically every 5-7K miles, however they told me I could rotate them whenever I like at any Walmart.
In addition, their warranty is strong & I've been told that they will honor it with a lot less hassle than Michelin does.

The tires are so well made that 2 have only a very small weight put on for balancing & the other 2 needed no weights at all.

We're enjoying the mudhead forum & its gnarly inhabitants. Lots of good info & humor.

- Steve & Hope