Tires!!!!! Firestone/Bridgestone chat

truckchic

Hi. Was wondering if anyone with a full size 4wd
pickup can recommend a good tire for my new 2001
GMC Sierra 4WD other than Firestone/Bridgestone
brand. I live in western subs of Chicago and would
like a good all year around tire - something good
on dry, wet, snow pavements.

My truck is due in the End of Oct 2000 and I'm
about 70% sure it will have firestone wilderness at
265/75R16 tires on them, unless GM makes a major
change away from this mfg. I'm looking for
something comparable so that I can swap them out as
soon as I take possession of the truck.

Thanks everyone
I'll keep you posted on my truck arrival!

truckchic

Thanks.

ryanbab

Oh they will come with firestones. I read a few wks ago that firestone was one of gm suppliers of the yr.

BCO has mentioned his bridgestone duelers are good tires. If you want a good tire and are willing to pay some money id look into some michelins.

Did they give you a build wk on your truck yet???

Ryan

jcmdie

My p265/75R16 tires will be replaced within a month. I will go with Michelin LT265/75R16 LTX A/T "C" load range. They're not cheap, but they are supposed to be good.

superjim2000

I highly recommend Michelins. I know someone who bought a new lincoln in '79 that weighed 4,000 pounds easy. It came with Michelins. They never rotated the tires or anything and the tires lasted 80,000 miles.

I replaced the tiger paws on my S10 with Michelins and they are great tires.

k0hb

Try to find some Pirelli Scorpion A/T's. You should be able to deal around $100 (+/-$10).

Hans

obyone

Michelin LTX M/S or A/T. End of subject.

tundradude

I have the Michelin LTX M/S and had the same in A/T on my last truck. Wonderful tires!

rogor2k

Don't know if this story has gone national yet or not. Investigative reporters at a Seattle TV station discovered that Ford is installing the recalled series Firestones as SPARES on their NEW Ranger pickups. The tires have the words "Temporary Use Only" stamped on them in very small letters that you could not even see in the dark or the rain. Ford defends the practice saying they are perfectly acceptable for use as spares. LOL!!

quadrunner500

Did you see the Bridgestone exec who stated, "making tires is not rocket science. That's why we give you a spare."

quadrunner500

And actually, I don't care how wimpy or insecure you are about tires, driving is inherently dangerous and has risks.

While I realize I can probably get replacements for my P265 16 inch Wilderness A/Ts, my current set is so good, I don't dare do anything to upset the smooth riding, vibration free performance of these. The next set might not be so fine.

Unfortunately, the problem of Firestone related highway rollover deaths is a unique problem of the Ford Explorer. Almost any other vehicle can cope with a blowout without the certainty of a rollover.

lariat4x4

Good thing Bridgestone/Firestone is not in the condom making business!

ryanbab

that would be scary

Ryan

truckchic

Thanks for all the advise. I will do some research into the Michelins. Production week on my truck is Oct 16th. So, I should have it the end of Oct. I am having them put running boards and splash guards on it before I take possession. (The count down is starting!) I can not wait! I'm like a kid before xmas!

Thanks again.
Truckchic

truckchic

Help please.....

My current truck is a Ford Ranger (small pickup) with Goodyear Wranger tires on it. The tires have served me well. No problems (knock on wood). Has anyone experienced the Goodyear Wrangers on full size pickup. I was considering them to replace the Firestone Wilderness AT's which are coming on my Sierra 4WD. (P265/75R16)

Can anyone help me understand the abbreviations below on tires. I'm not sure what I should stay away from when chosing a tire for 4 WD. Anything I should steer clear of? (I'm a TRUCKchic, but still a chick in some cases..(hehehe)

LT265/75R16 what is the LT Light Truck?
I know P = passenger
Main difference between the two? I'm not looking to go off-roading with it, but I do plan to use 4WD and driving in snow/rain,etc.

Thanks
truckchic

ryanbab

When i bought my truck i wanted to switch to goodyear AT/S. I was advised by many on here and also a tire dealer not to go with them because there had been vibration problems associated with those tires on the new silverados (4wd).

Also LT rated are better for hauling. Basically they are stronger.

Ryan

fbroom

Using your specs above (LT265/75R16), the specs mean the following:

LT = light truck (if you have a truck, use only LT rated tires and not P rated tires. LT tires are rated for heavier loads and also have more plys in the side walls for extra strength. Keep in mind that a truck weighs 1000 to 2500 lbs more than a passenger car, even empty. So even if you're not planning on doing any heavy hauling, you still need LT rated tires simply because of the weight of your ride.)

265 = tire width from sidewall to sidewall in millimeters. Higher number, wider tire.

75 = aspect ratio, this is stated as a percentage of the tire's heigth to its width. A higher number means a taller profile tire and a lower number means a shorter profile tire.

R = identifies the tire's type of ply construction. R means radial, D means diagonal bias, B means belted bias

16 = diameter of wheel rim in inches

One last note.... I see you have a 4WD. I would get an LT rated tire that also has an AT (all terrain) designation. AT's have a more aggressive tread pattern for better grip on poor surfaces (i.e., snow, mud, dirt, etc). IMHO, they also look much better on a 4WD than a standard LT rated tire.

Hope this helps.

hciaffa

Try going to www.tirerack.com, they have a large listing of tires and some of them have ratings from consumers on how well thy behave, (usually at the bottom of the listing). For rain and snow you usually don't have to buy an aggressive tire for a light truck. Check out the Michelin LTX M/S very good all around tire.

steve234

Truckchic, if you so not do any heavy hauling on a regular basis, stick with P rated tires. All pickups come standard with P tires. A lot of wannabe macho types think that they have to have LTs, but the fact is they are only making their trash hauler ride a lot harsher. If you go off road on a regular basis, haul a heavy trailer more than 10% of the time or frequently use a pickup for heavy loads, you might need LTs.

As far as GYs are concerned, every set of Goodyears that I have had on my pickup has gone over 50K miles. The Bridgestones LTs that I had only went 40K before becoming dangerous. I have had both the Lt and P GYs on my truck and found that the P tires acceptable for almost all duties. My trucks are used on the farm and to tow a 4500 lb boat, so I work them a lot. I have had a thousand pounds of bricks on the P tires and no problems. The main thing to pay attention to is inflation. If you are hauling heavy, keep the tires at a higher psi as recommended by the manual.

sfish

You say you'd rather have Michelin LTX tires. I put them on my '91 Explorer and they are wearing fast. Probably go only 40K and are very slippery pulling 5200# boat out at a moderately steep ramp/need 4WD to do it. Prior tires went 65K and 70 K. Never used 4wd with same boat and ramp and never used 4wd in 3 years as ski instructor. What kind? Firestone ATX always kept them at 35# worked good for me. I feel better with Michelins and isn't feeling better the most important thing? Goodyears had them on Caravans wore out in 35 K and ripped off everytime I had to deal with Goodyear. Their service writers are all on commission. So what if you don't need it. They recommended 6 of the last 2 brake jobs I needed.

obyone

do you have the LTX M/S or A/T? Makes a world of difference especially since you had the Firestone ATX.

steve234

If you are looking at good tires for off-road, I have heard good ratings on the BF Goodrich ATs and Kelly Springfields. One of the online tire dealers has an web site with testing results for different types of service. You might try to find it, I know they are in the Truckin Mag.

traction

From a 10/12 AP story that Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. "tested a tire model made for two Toyota vehicles after small cracks were found on the sidewalls, but both companies said Thursday that the problems appear to be only cosmetic."

They said that the " Dueler HT 689 model, size P265/70R16, was standard equipment on some of Toyota's full-sized Tundra pickup trucks and its new 2001 Sequoia sport utility vehicle until last month when the cracks were discovered."

truckchic

Ok, I have to put in my 5 cents worth. Now with the Dueler's having problems, I'm definatley steering clear of Bridgestone/Firestone for my new 2001 Sierra. I will gladly pay the extra $$$ for a different brand tire just to play it safe! The one thing I don't want to gamble on is my safety! and as of now - Bridgestone tires and Firestone tires are not safe!

Every day we hear another size/style which is having problems. Not Good Folks! I was going to switch the 265 tires which are supposed to be firestone wilderness at's which will arrive on my new sierra with Duelers, but now forget it!

Anyone agree?

I had to put my opinion in. I'm getting so frustrated with all this tire stuff.....why don't manufacturers just stop using these tires on their new 30-40K trucks until this is resolved? It don't make sense!

Truckchic

obyone

to go around. it would mean stopping production cause of lack of tires. And you know they are not going to stop production...so the Firestones continue to be installed.

superjim2000

Ford stopped the Explorer production for a while because of tires.

I have Michelins and yes they do cost more but you know the saying "you get what you pay for" And they tend to last a long time.

I have yet to meet someone who was not satisfied with Michelins. I have 20,000 miles on my Michelins and if you didnt know better you'd swear they were new, I bet I have well over 90% of the tread (depth) remaining.

PS Congrats on the new truck, chic.

truckchic

Hey, Superjim...

Thanks for the congrats. Does michilen make 265/75R16 tires? That's the size I got on the 2001 Sierra.....

I guess I'll have to check prices too on them.....after purchasing the truck, I won't have too much $$$ to play with.

Thanks for the info.

truckchic

ryanbab

DID YOUR TRUCK COME IN???

Ryan

ryanbab

go to http://www.tirerack.com

They have all kind=s of tiures check and see what sizes michelin has

Ryan

obyone

always either Jethro or Betsy the chimp...

silvercoupe

The only time I've seen this happen was when people ran over curbs and thru potholes with abandon. In other words, they were abused.

z71bill

The first tire that had the buldge - OK maybe I hit a pothole - but three tires!! They were defective plain and simple fact - Michelin replaced - no pro-rate they even covered the balancing. They would not replace the 4th tire even though I thought they should - so I paid for it myself - it was worth the $120 to not worry about tires.

I have purchased Michelin since (LT M&S) and plan to buy Michelin again when my Firestones wear out or blow up.

silvercoupe

and you still continue to buy Michelins? Makes no sense to me. By the way, I have never had a problem with a Michelin.

obyone

no problems ever with Michelins. Been using them since '74

z71bill

Yes - even though I had the problem I still bought Michelin again.

IMO it is not that a company has a problem - lets face it all companies make mistakes - it is how they handle the problem. If Michelin would have told me to shove it and not replaced the three bad tires - I would not have given them another chance.

silvercoupe

I have had bad experiences with Firestone and Goodyear because of Customer service by the dealer, not necessarily bad tires. So now I try to stick with Michelins if at all possible. Customer service has been good by their dealers in my area.

nrd525

I don't know how he did it, but a friend got 125,000+ (speedo died) one one set of Goodyear Wrangler Radials on his 84 K5 Blazer. He worked at a garage, and rotated his tires all the time, but still. He drives like a lunatic, so I really don't understand how the hell he did it. I saw the thing almost every day, and it never had new tires on it. They really looked bad when he got new tires.
I got about 70K on a set of Goodyear Wrangler GAs that came on my 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee. About 50k is the best I ever did before or since. I drive pretty aggressively.
I still have the spare from my Jeep, and all I can say is the Deathstone Wilderness tires I took off my Sierra are total trash in every way compared to the Goodyears, and I didn't like them much when I had them.
So far my Michelin ATX A/T's are great. If they last 50K, I wll be very happy. If they go 60+, I'll be overjoyed.

z71bill

Must have been worn down to the cord. I have replaced a set of tires with 30K miles because I damaged one tire beyond repair - wanted all 4 to match. Maybe a little strange - but tires don't cost that much and figured they would only last to 40K anyway.

nrd525

They weren't worn down to the cord, but they were pretty close to being bald. The sidewalls looked like they were going to fall apart, and that was what triggered him buying new ones. He sold it about a year later. He seems to like to run tires till he HAS to get new ones, NOW. He just bought a used F150, if it was my truck, I would get new tires, he thinks I'm insane. They have 38+K on them, and are cheap OEM Goodyears.

bco

i read earlier in the thread that someone recommended against LT rated tires if you don't haul/tow much. reason being: more plies in the tires equals a harsher ride. frankly, if you bought a 4wd pickup for it's smooth ride, you may have a problem. i got the LT rated tires on my '00 'rado because the P rated tires bowed out at the bottom even at proper inflation. i rode the P's for about 12k miles. i've had the LT's for the last 1500. i honestly cannot tell a difference in ride "harshness" between the two. but i CAN tell you there is a visible difference in what the tires look like when parked. the LT tires don't bow out much, if at all. i have mine inflated to 48 front, 45 rear. rides a little harsh, but i didn't buy a 4wd for the ride. i want my tires to last and wear evenly. sure, i could drop the pressure to 45/40 or 40/40, but it would probably look bad and wear unevenly. right after i got the LTs i went on eight hour round trip drive and the following weekend on a hour round trip drive. ride quality was fine. my opinion of course. i think 6 plies is much better than 4...

bco

jcmdie

I believe that the recommended pressures on my 1500 is 35/35. I'm on the end of my tires life but I always put in closer to max allowed on the tire (44 on the P tires), so I'm at 42 psi. My next tires will be the LT tires which I thought had a max pressure of 50. I have a recommended pressure of 35 and a max of 50 or higher, could be a tough one to split. How did you come up with 48/45 on yours.

bco

The B-stone Dueler LT's have a max cold rating of 50. I go 48 in front because that's where all the weight is. 45 in back because, via trial and error, that's what felt good. With all this crap about underinflated tires, I'll keep mine good and high. Like I said, the ride is obviously going to be harsher than say, 45/40 or so...but I don't find it to be too harsh. Bottom line, it's comfy and I have what appears to be a good consistent contact patch on the road.

bco

newgrad

Hello...Does anyone have a 2000 4Runner (or
earlier or another type of SUV) with Bridgestone Dueler H/T Tires (P265 70 R16)? These tires would be part of the Toyota Sport
Package. Anyways, I was reading an article in my
local newspaper and it stated that Toyota had
found "small cracks" in these exact model of tires which they were placing on new Tundras and Sequoias...I called Toyota and they said I shouldn't be concerned because this only affects those other vehicles...still with everything that has been going on with Bridgestone and Firestone, it has me worried. What should I do?

Thanks...

bco

uh...get your tires inspected and declared safe (in writing if at all possible) by your local bridgestone dealer. other than that, keep them properly inflated and inspect them yourself for cracks. i check mine every week or so.

bco

rrichf1

It's not the engineers that figure out what the truck tire presures should be, it's the lawyers!

It's like this, load the truck to GVWR. Weigh each axle. Go to the tire manufacture's tire inflation specifications and match weight on each wheel to inflation pressure.

Now the truck is not normally loaded to GVWR so if you follow the manufacturer's lawyer's recommendation the ride will be harsh and the rear will bounce.

Rich

jcmdie

The 48/45 pressures were being used on LT tires not P tires. The P tires have a max of 44 psi while the LT has a max of 50 psi. On my P tires I have been using 40-42 psi even though the vehicle manufacturer recommends 35. My tires have 42,000 miles on them have even wear and are due for replacement because winter is around the corner. I probably could get an easy 8,000 more miles on them if it were spring or summer. I too think that 48/45 is a little high but I don't have my LT's yet so I don't know.

bco

jcmdie is right...i'm riding lt rated tires. and frankly...after what ford engineers (read: ride quality control officers) decided about good pressure in their explorers, i'll go with my own opinion. the chalk method IS a good idea and i agree with everything else you said. i'll try that out and see what happens...

bco

quadrunner500

I agree with Bill's method. I run only 28 psi in my P265 Wilderness A/Ts, and have beautiful, even wear on all four. I don't care what the safetycrat weenies are worried about. Excessive pressures are dangerous too, especially under slick conditions. A spin on snow or ice from an overinflated tire seems more likely than a high speed blowout. (Besides, I've seen how those Explorer owners drive!)

jcmdie

I run under max psi but close because the load capacity is greater with the higher pressure and my loads can push a 1/2 ton trucks'limit and I don't like changing pressures to suit. I just set them up for the truck as if it were to be loaded up and take the harsher ride when its not.

z71bill

I have the Wilderness 265's - When I took delivery all 4 were set at 40 psi. I thought the ride was good so I ran them that way for about 3000 miles. The rear tires started wearing in the middle. I reduced to 36 front and 30 rear, rotated the tires and so far - no problem with rear tires wearing in the middle. Since all the problems came out about Firestone I raised the rears up to 32. When I change tires will go with the LT's, but will keep the psi the same as with the P (as in Pos) Firestones.

pocahontas

For more information on this subject, some of you may also be interested in our Maintenance & Repair, Firestone tire & recall topic. Drive safely everyone. ;-)

Pocahontas,
Edmunds.com/Roving Host

jcmdie

It's my opinion that the vehicle manufacturer will always recommend a tire pressure that is on the low side because they want to impress you with how well a vehicle rides (as in soft). I would never run under the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, thats a minimum.