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Firestone Wilderness Tires
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Comments
bco
Thanks
Truckchic
bco
Bookitty
They seemed to be softer than almost any tires I have ever had before. My old Jeep's 235x75x15 Goodyear Wrangler GSA that I kept for some unknown reason is a much more solid tire than the Wilderness A/T's are. I guess this explains the odd "bobbing" ride it had. It might explain the other things these tires do too. The sidewalls are so thin, I can't see how they would ever last off road for long.
I bumped my fronts up to 38,and that seems about right. Handles very nice, much more "on tracks" than it used to be, and less bump steer on the crappy Toledo roads. Now if I can avoid hitting something in the road for a few years, it would be nice to have to buy tire(s) because they are worn out for once, not due to damage/vandalism.
Barry
additionally, i've posted the url for my picture trail album on here before. it's got pics of my new bridgestone dueler at's that i replaced the firestone wilderness tires with. i just changed the account name though, so anyone trying to access it won't be able to using the old url. it's now:
www.picturetrail.com/bco
ti also has other albums on westin nerfs, bilstein shocks, lube info, line-x utr spray-in, wade bed rail caps, lube info, and a general maintenance album for silverado z71s. if you stop in, sign my guest book and let me know what you think! thanks...
bco
Which would handle better with Firestones: the Pinto or the Corvair?
Just a question. I though they were basically the same tire.
Truckchic
looking to trade in my new P265/75R's as soon as I take possession of my new 2001 truck (should be end of Oct) so I may beable to swap them out at $0 cost. I keep you advised.
Here are some specs between the Wilderness AT and Dueler AT.
Wilderness AT
Treadwear 440
Traction B
Temp Resistance C <---minimum standard tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109
Dueler AT
Treadwear 300
Traction A
Temp Resistance B
The Duelers are suppose to provide better wet traction and that seemed to be true after some rain this week. I didn't seem to have the tires spinning when taking off from a stop. I think the more aggressive tread pattern will be better for the upcoming winter snows.
The dealer put in 50 psi in each and told me to adjust them as necessary for a better ride. So far they seem okay - I can feel the expansion joints in the road. IMO it rides like a truck.
I like the looks of the Duelers and feel better that they are LT tires instead of P rated. I know I feel safer even though there appeared to be nothing wrong with the Wilderness ATs. Just never trusted Firestone tires.
Phil
Dean
Phil
Who drove quickly, any which way
He had Firestone tires
And short-circuit wires
Which made for a really bad day!
Bookitty
Ad said Firestone was having a "BLOW OUT SALE"
The wilderness AT's are the crappiest tires I have ever seen! I was taking them to stack up in my garage after the change, and I can take and push the tread in about 1+1/2" with my thumbs!!I have a Goodyear 225x75x15 tire from my Jeep that I kept for some reason after I got rid of the Jeep. It's a step down from the top of the line. I can BARELY push the tread in at all. I don't remember any tires I ever patched/balanced or just threw into a pile that felt as flimsy as the Wilderness tires do. I'm glad I got rid of them, now if Fstone will recall them in 265x16 size, I can get them out of my garage!!And get money back into my pocket.
From what you have posted I would check out the Bridestone Dueler H/L D 683 - This information is from the tirerack site
The new Dueler H/L (D683) with UNI-T AQ is a Highway All-Season tire which provides the civilized highway luxury necessary to tame light trucks for the road. Whether in town or on the Interstate, Dueler H/L tires bring the qualities of passenger car comfort and a quiet ride to Sport Utility Vehicles and Pickups.
UNI-T AQ technology combines UNI-T technology with Extended Performance Optimization (EPO) which adds dual layer tread compounds which further resist the normal tread rubber hardening that can result from the heat of friction encountered during thousands of miles of use. As the tire wears, the special underlying high-grip rubber is exposed, helping offset the effects of wear on wet surface braking and handling. The ultimate result is that UNI-T AQ keeps wet performance up as the tread wears down.
We were provided the opportunity to experience the Dueler H/L D680s UNI-T AQ technology first hand at a Bridgestone event conducted at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, AZ on February 17, 1999. Bridgestone provided Nissan Pathfinders equipped with either the new Dueler H/L D683 or the current Dueler H/T D689. While the Dueler H/T D689 has repeatedly proven itself to offer good ride quality and acceptable noise levels, at full tread depth on the road, the new Dueler H/L matched the Dueler H/T's ride qualities while being noticeably quieter on all of the road surfaces encountered. On the wet track, with both tires at half tread depth, the new Dueler H/L D683 performed noticeably better than the earlier Dueler H/T D689 by providing more traction, control and confidence.
The new Dueler H/L D683 tires are available in 70- and 75-series profile sizes to fit 15" and 16" diameter wheels, and feature S-speed ratings. Dueler H/L D683 Highway All-Season light truck tires are designed to fit many sport utility vehicles and pickups. The new Dueler H/L D683...Civilized Highway Luxury.
Make Bridgestone change your A/T tires for the H/L 683's - Make the deal before your trip- I like the looks and ride of a good LT A/T tire - too bad I got stuck with these Firestone wilderness tires.
[I wonder about miles] to test drive the tires. If you are not completely satisfied they will refund your $$$! I wonder if that is my out to get a set of Michelins!
I wouldn't worry about the "D" range on the replacements for the deathstone 265x75R16 tires. The "D" range has a maximum of 3000 pounds with proper inflation and the deathstone "E" range has a maximum of 3415 pounds with proper inflation.
Empty your 350 probably has close to 4250 pounds on the front axle and close to 3250 on the rear. Just on the basis of tire capacity alone, you can carry 4500 pounds. That load is above your GVWR, so there's nothing to worry about with the "D" rating tires. If you're really concerned about it, you can replace the 265s with 235x85R16 as these tires are the same diameter as the 265s you now have. The 235s are the "Normal" tire for your truck and the 265s are an upgrade.
I just replaced my 265 deathstones (on my similar F250) with the GY "D" lad range tires.
Rich
but haven't received much of a response, so I'd
like to post here and get opinions from anyone who
reads this:
I have a '97 Chevy Silverado pick-up equipped with
Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP, P235-75-R15.
I have had the truck a little over 3 years now
with just over 36K miles on it. Tires are riding
good and tread still looks good. I figure they
will be do for replacement next year. My thought
is to go ahead and buy three more of the same type
and use the full size spare for the 4th tire. In
light of all the information that has been provided
in the media lately on tires due to the Firestone
incident, I read somewhere that a normal tire will
start to break down after three years. I also know
from past experience (my father) that when he went
to replace a tire that was seven years old on a
car he barely drove, the tire nearly fell apart
when the mechanic took it off the rim due to dry
rot. Can anyone provide an opinion on using a
brand new four year old spare for the 4th tire, or
has anyone out there done it and what were your
results? Thanks for any and all opinions!
Barry
http://www.consumerreports.org/Special/ConsumerInterest/Reports/0011tir0.htm
Phil
Why do they even bother "reporting" on computers?? It's pitiful...
rcoos
rcoos- I had really wanted M/S instead of A/Ts (for noise),but couldn't find four in the right size anywhere around in stock, except (of course) the biggest rip off joint in town! They wanted $162 bucks each for them, I got my A/Ts at Sam's club for $136 with a $24 dollar rebate on the set of four tires. The noise from the A/Ts isn't bad at all, just different pitch than the Deathstones had.
I'm still messing around with tire pressure. Right now I'm running 32 in the back, and 34 in front. I'm guessing this is pretty close to what I will stick with. At 35 in the back, they were showing signs of overinflation. I've been dropping back pressure since I got them. If you can get the M/S, take 'em, but if the A/T is the only pick, don't worry about it, they are BOTH great tires.
p245's which are small for a 4X! I have 4,600K miles on my truck now, and no problems with the tires yet! time will only tell!
I'm assuming that you really meant 3415 and not 6415, per wheel of course. The problem with all of these gross weight numbers that there are two limitation that MUST be met. The first is the gross axle weight rating which you correctly mentioned. The second is the gross vehicle weight rating. The problem is that a diesel in either a 250 or 350 has over 4000 pounds on the front axle. (Assume 4K even for this discussion.) If you put the full 6815 pounds on the rear axle you have exceeded the GVWR of the truck by 800 pounds. (Assuming 10K GVWR) I really believe that the "D" load range tires would be sufficient for your 350.
Rich
After xmas (ill be working and making some good money) im going with LT285 BFG's