Tires

clubberlang1

The subject sounds stupid to me, but I just got back from Discount Tire where the service guy I talked to suggested I buy the Kelly-made Pathfinder ATR P240/70 R15 Sport SUV tires for my 1995 4 wheel drive Blazer. I was planning on getting Michelin P235/75 R15 LTX MS. The price difference for all 4 tires installed is about $100 more for the Michelin's. Currently I have the original Michelin P235/70 R15 XW4's. Discount Tire, which I know is owned by Goodyear and thus connected to Kelly, was really high on these Pathfinder ATRs for the Blazer. Does anyone out there have experience or an opinion on these? I don't drive off road for the most part and really only put 8,000 miles a year on my truck. I'd like to save some money, but don't want to buy bad tires. I know Michelins are tough to beat.
Thanks alot, Paul

butch11

Some companies spiff their sales people to push specific products. Since the shop is owned by the manufacturer-I would say this is what you have encountered-the sales guy will make a few extra bucks on this sale. Check out www.tirerack.com I have always found their ratings to make sense. I also have heard Kelly is Goodyear's price line of tires.

At least check out another tire store.

div2

This one's easy; I would go with the Michelins if they were $200 more than the Kellys.

ccotenj

there's really no comparison here...

-Chris

silvercoupe

I'd go with the Michelins in a heartbeat!!!!

heavenbound

I have a set of national 4000's on my car. They have less than 25,000 miles and are 2 years old. They have hairline/spiderweb cracks running through them. Is this normal? Thanks!

terceltom1

Bought a new 2001 Toyota Corolla this week the tires are Goodyear Integrity P185/65R14. Some one told me to check the pressures after I brought the car home do to the fact that when the cars come from distro. centers they are sometimes over inflated to prevent flat spots on the car lots. Mine were at 44 p.s.i. Recomended pressure posted in the glovebox of the car is 30 p.s.i. Is this a good pressure or is this too low?

div2

Use the pressures on the glovebox placard.

dag23

Hi All,

Need to replace OEM General XP2000GT's on my Old's Silhoutte. First van owned and not sure what to replace with. The Generals were okay, but I am sure there might be better out there. Do like the Goodyear LS's on my newer Intrigue and see alot about X-Ones.

Unfortunately, my Michelin experience has only been with tiny Civic's - not quite applicable here.

Thanks for the Help

silvercoupe

If you plan on keeping the van very long, you may want to give the X-One's a try. I have them on a 97 Accord and they are great. Warranty is for 6 years and unlimited mileage.

heng

I have Goodyear LSs on a Gran Prix and Michelin X-ones on a Windstar. The LSs have 18000 miles and the X-ones have 22000. Guess which ones look in better shape (the X-ones). Consider that mini-vans also beat up their tires. The LSs have nothing over the X-ones in handling either.

marcy42

I read in the newspaper this week that Ford is considering removing Firestone tires from its original equipment supplier list. This is because of almost 200 accidents and 21 deaths this year. Apparently the tire tread separates at high speeds. Saw today that Sears may quit selling Firestone Tires. I have Firestone Wilderness tires on my 2000 Outback wagon with 18,000 miles. Think I should replace ASAP?

heng

Unless you want to discuss it through a lawyer or next of kin after it happens.

joe166

I disagree. It has been my experience that most of these scare campaigns are not all that accurate. I WOULD be very careful about tire pressure, check it carefully and regularly and look at the tires carefully to see if there are any cuts, tears or bruises. I would not go on looooooong trips or overload them until the full story comes out, but unless you are about to replace them anyway, I would wait. The reports that I have seen seem to always involve accidents on the interstate or turnpike. I doubt that any tire failure at city speeds would result in anything other than an inconvenience. On the other hand, you would be nuts to buy a new set right now until the questions which have been raised are answered.

vac23

would you rather wait for the full story & risk getting yourself kill? or would you rather be on the safe side & replace them. You can always hold on to the firestones & decide what to do with them when the "full" story comes out. tires are replaceable. Lives are not

joe166

For someone who is woefully ignorant or at least incapable of comprehending simple English you are certainly opinionated. Let me see? A choice between being killed and changing tires???? I'll have to think that one over. If that was the choice, the answer should be obvious even to you. However, if you actually read my post I do not advocate a disregard for life in that callous a fashion. I repeat-- At least until some more information comes out I would not take to the highway, I would check the pressure frequently, I would look for any obvious flaws and I would not heavily load the vehicle. I am unaware of even one of those failures that has occured in town or at low speeds. On the other hand, I have seen LOTS of scare tactics sent up the flagpole by the Academy of Trial Lawyers to see if they can get some momentum to permit someone who never checked their air pressure, never looked at a tire, never maintained their car, and had an accident recover lots of money which they will offer generously to share with their lawyer. I am still waiting for someone to reimburse those Audi owners whose cars became virtually worthless based on phantom sudden acceleration claims. And I am still waiting for someone to show me a car that will overpower it's brakes from a dead stop. I am not in control of anyone. If they want to swap tires, good for them. He asked a question, I answered it with my opinion. I thought I was entitled to it, but obviously, you think otherwise.

joeg26er

Anyone have extended experience with this tire?
How long can I expect them to last?

How do they compare the the RE-71's?

I will be using them as a daily drive in my GS-R
in Florida. They need to be good in the rain too.

Thanks

butch11

At a very early age I had a blowout on a set of Firestone 500 tires that nearly killed me-when I finally got my wits about me-I vowed never never again would I ever buy a Firestone tire.

If i were you Marcy42, I would wait a bit and see if the dealers force Firestone to make adjustments for their wonderful tires. In the interim I would carefully look at the tires and inspect for any cracks and check the air pressure. Low air pressure=hot tires=potential tread seperation.

Check www.tirerack.com for recommendations on tires-this is an important decision that could affect your longevity.

spokane

Like Butch11, I was aware of many failures of the poorly-made Firestone radial passenger car tires in the 1970-1977 era and have since preferred other brands.

However, I agree with Joe166 and Butch11 on the current problem. With the existing evidence, I feel confident in a car equipped with Firestone tires if the pressure is maintained correctly, they are checked for flaws every few weeks, they are not overloaded nor are they driven too fast. Of course, these criteria should be followed with any tires.

vcjumper

The X-Ones will definitely give better rain and snow traction than the Eagles. I had X-Ones on my previous car and now I have an Intrigue with the LS tires.. I much preferred the X-Ones, similar dry traction, but the X-Ones are better in the wet and last longer.

div2

I have Scorpion A/Ts on my '93 Pathfinder SE and I initially shared your opinion of their wet weather performance. However,their wet capability improved dramatically when I lowered their cold pressures from 36 to 30 psi. FWIW, the placard says 26 psi but I had been using 36 psi as that had worked well with the Dunlop Sport Rover GTXs I had before the Pirellis. FWIW, the Dunlops lasted over 40K miles, which is pretty good for an SUV, IMO.

butch11

Bridgestone has scheduled a news conference today to announce a recall of the firestone AT, ATII and Wilderness AT tires. If you have the option, exchange your firestone for Bridgestone tires-all Bridgestones I have had were very good.

Hope the PR types at firestone/Bridgestone do the right thing. Just heard a news report that the death count is now at 45 and growing.

Bet the scummy trial lawyers are shaking with anticipation.

butch11

Sorry-these puppies are the ATX & ATXII. If any of you have friends driving SUV's and these friends are not well connected informationally, I would suggest letting them know about firestone's problems.

luvboxrs

Almost a year ago a good friend's son's wife and child were killed in a Ford Explorer Firestone tire blowout between LA and Las Vegas. I was an SUV owner at the time, and he came to me telling me if I had Firestone tires to take them off immediately....

Firestone denied for 7 years in the 70s there was anything wrong with their tire while fighting lawsuits with the government. In 1978 they were forced to recall 7.5 tires. During the investigation, Firestone's illegal political slush fund was discovered and it's chief financial officer was indicted and served prison time. reference: http://www.fac.org/publicat/headline/08.HTM

I personally would not buy Firestone tires or continue to drive on them if I owned a car with them...they still don't seem to have learned their lesson.

heng

The posts were not to argue about LS vs X-ones. The posts were about an owner of LS's who wished to replace them and wanted input on a suitable replacement. There were a couple of responses from people who had owned both LS and X-ones and therefore offered real life comparisons.

kmcgl

It seems like the tire recall applies only to certain models of Firestone tires. Does anybody know if those models are also sold with the Bridgestone label? If so, do they have different model names?

pblevine

I too have good friend who had a very serious accident in a Ford Explorer equipped with those Firestone tires. He and his wife were only going about 55mph on the New Jersey Turnpike when the left front tire 'went bang'! The SUV flipped twice. He thought it was caused by his tires but could not prove he had any defect. Their injuries were serious and they went through a long recovery period.

erikf2

I currently have Firestone Steeltex LT245/75R16E tires on my 3/4 ton pickup; I am thinking of replacing them with BFG All-Terrain T/A 265's when they wear out (or sooner, depending on what the final NHTSA reports shows).

According to the BFG info for the All-Terrain T/A, the 265/75R16D tire has the same max. load at 60 psi as the 245/75R16E tire has at 80 psi. Since the 265 has a "D" ply rating, shouldn't it actually have a lower max. load? How can 60 psi carry the same load as 80 psi? Isn't a "D"-ply tire actually "weaker" than an "E"-ply tire?

Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions.

edwinfong

I was going by the tire shop at Costco and
noticed that they sell a brand "Kirkland" tire
which has a 80K mileage rating and costs about 2/3
as much as the Michelin X tire. The clerk said thet they were made by Uniroyal. Anybody out there
know any more about these Kirkland tires? Are they
good, bad or indifferent?

heng

Yes forget about the tread wear numbers. We were actually offering real miles comparisons between the two. My input was that the X-ones on a vehicle that obviously wears tires faster (min-van) had more tread left at more miles than a sedan with a superior suspension and LS's (Gran Prix).

rbrenton88

We have a 99 Mazda Millenia S with 17" Dunlops (the original tires). Recently, both front tires developed fairly large bulges in the sidewalls. Mazda refused to address the problem and claimed it was a result of hitting potholes. All they would do is rotate the tires so the bulged pair is now on the rear.
Have you seen this elsewhere?

butch11

Have you tried Dunlop-maybe you could get some money out of them. I would not drive on tires with sidewall bulges. Had one really bad blowout with firestone 500's and it nearly killed me-never again. I guess the Mazda dealer sees a tire problem and probably knows if you buy the farm because of the problem, he is probably in the clear.

Only had one set of Dunlops-they were junk-had to replace them because one of the belts was twisted-made the wheel bounce. Got nothing out of Dunlop. A friend had a belt seperation with a Dunlop-same story. Suggestion-check out www.tirerack.com for recommendations-look at the ratings by users for specific tires-they are right on in my opinion.

I have Michelin X-One's and really like them.

erikf2

Thanks for the info. Now for some more questions!

I'll be carrying a slide-in camper, so I definitely don't want to lose any carrying capacity. Since the 245's have the extra ply, are they "stronger"? Will the lower pressure on the 265's translate into a softer ride? How about the mileage trade-off for the 265's (larger contact patch means lower mpg, but larger diameter means higher mpg at the same rpm)? Finally, since I would have to re-program the engine computer and probably also have to buy new wheels, would the 265's actually be worth it?

spokane

You are considering the proper variables, Erikf2. The 265's may provide a slightly softer ride. I'm sure you have verified that the 265 mm width is OK for your chassis. The diameter difference, however, may be a reason to to stay with the 245's. This difference is 3.8% which translates to a 2.3 mph speedometer difference at 60 mph. Depending on factors such as your truck's gearing, load, and wind resistance from the camper, the change in tire size may decrease or may increase fuel economy. Your points regarding the ECM and possible replacement wheels are also important considerations. Finally, please note that the larger diameter tends to make the brakes less effective ...at a given hydraulic pressure the larger tire receives 3.8% less braking torque than would the standard tire.

tireguy

Alright, alright... I guess I'll have to come out of hibernation to answer a few questions. Life as a Marine Lieutenant doesn't allow much time for chatting on Edumnds.
Rbrenton88, I'd have to see the tires to make an accurate assesment, but bulges are ususally related to broken or separated sidewall plies. If this is due to an impact, with your low profile tires, there will almost certainly be some damage to the rim at the same position. If you see no scuffing on the edge of the rim, it is probably a defect. If the bumps are actually undulations (inward bumps), they're most likely okay to drive on. I bet this is what you have, since I can't imagine an ASE certified mechanic at the dealership would allow a customer to drive on defective tires. This is more common among cheap tire companies such as General who use a segmented mold process which overlaps the sidewall at the bonding point. This is the strongest point of the tire (according to them). If the sidewall has separated (also common with Generals), a bubble will develop between the sidewall plies. You can check for this by fully deflating the tire. If it is a s/w separation, the bubble will remain in the absence of pressure.
No one will help you. Mazda isn't responsible for consumable items (brakes, tires, clutch, etc.), no matter how quickly they go bad. Dunlop won't help you, either, since you didn't buy the tires from them--your car just happened to come along wearing their product. If this were to happen to tires you had purchased from a retailer or discounter, you would be covered, but OE tires are covered by no warranties.
Honestly, no matter what the cause of the anomaly, it is less than wise to drive on tires which are suspected of being defective. My usual, heavily biased (for a reason) advice: buy Michelins. Get a pair (or better still, a set) of Michelins in the proper size and speed rating, and you will have no worries. Also, your vehicle will drive better than you ever imagined it could. Remember, you get what you pay for. There is a reason their tires cost 50% more than most of the competitions'. Also, they are unmatched in quality on this planet. If someone tries to sell you a more expensive tire than the Michelin, you are being taken for a ride. There is not a tire made which rivals the performance or luxury of their high end tires; and there are absolutely none better.
Chris

tireguy

Okay guys, you're putting way too much thought into this. Just about every domestic light truck made in the past 20 years was built fully capable of handling larger tires. Some, such as late-model Ford 4x4s can go from a 235/75R16 all the way up to a 265/75R16, or larger (if you're willing to really push the envelope) on the stock rims. ABS will not be affected. Yes, it takes a little more grip to stop a 33" tire compared to a 31" tire. It also takes a bit more to stop a truck pulling an 8,000# trailer compared to an empty truck. Trucks are built to be abused. They can take it. FORGET ABOUT MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR ECM. It is ridiculous to even consider such a thing unless you're planning on competing on the Monster Truck circuit. Yes, parameters are stored which relate to the geometry of the vehicle, but this is completely unnecessary. You might save a half-a-mile to the gallon by going through with this very expensive procedure.
As long as your truck has a gear ratio of 3.73 or higher, you'll experience no reduced acceleration or other evil things by going from a 245 to a 265. If you have 4.11s you're golden. The 265/75R16 is about an inch taller than the 245/75R16. The size is 20mm wider, but individual tires vary in contact patch with. Going from a Steeltex to an All-Terrain TA KO (excellent choice, by the way) will probably be slightly more than 20mm.
Load ranges are not consistent from size to size. Two factors determine load capacity: construction and size. The tighter a tire can hold its air, the better. The more air it can hold, the better. Two tires of the same rating but different sizes will have different numerical ratings. Next time you're at a tire store, compare sidewall ratings of an LT235/75R15 LRC to an LT265/75R16 LRC and you'll see what I mean (sorry, I forget the exact numbers).
Theoretically, a LRD tire carries an 8-ply rating. A LRE tire carries a 10 ply rating. Do any D tires have 8 plies? No. Do any E tires have 10 plies? No. Most truck tires, whether C, D, or E, are constructed of six plies (4 tread, 2 sidewall). Only Michelins have an extra steel belt in the tread on D and E tires, making them true 7 ply tires. The BFG ATs have an extra sidewall ply, making them true 7 ply tires (or you could even say 8, since they wrap around completely), but still carrying only two steel belts. There are actually cheap E tires (Firestone, General) of 6 true plies which are rated higer than the D Michelins with 7 plies. Which do you think are stonger? The truth is, the ratings are b/s. Check out the construction on the sidewall markings. A 3/4 ton truck which calls for E range 245s can easily get away with 265/75R16s LRD, and whether it's a Ford, Chevy or Dodge, they will fit on the stock rims as narrow as 6.5 inches.
Gas mileage and ride comfort will be affected by tire pressure. The higher the load range, the more latitude. D tires go up to 65, but E tires go up to 80psi.
Hope that helps.
Chris

pocahontas

Since a number of Firestone topics are cropping up around Town Hall, I thought it would be a good idea to create a general Firestone Recall topic in the Maintenance and Repair conference.

For those interested, here's the direct link to Maintenance & Repair Topic 1579, Firestone Tire Recall: Are mine a problem?

Drive safely everyone.

Pocahontas
Town Hall Roving Host

pat455

Welcome back! :-)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

erikf2

Well, thanks a lot, tireguy! After going back and reading some of your other posts, now you've got me thinking about the Michelin LTX A/T as well! What's that saying about too much knowledge? ;-)

pblevine

'Guess you go through all that Marine training OK. 'Hope you'll still be able to contribute to this forum. Welcome Back!

hotch36

I have a set of the Remington XT-120 HR tires and they are basically the Dunlop D60 A2. Does anyone have any experience with these tires (rain, snow, etc.)? I also just found out that Dunlop has elected to discontinue producing them. The tires don't seem to be too bad for my Infiniti, but the tire shop salesman swore by these, stating it was a better value than the Toyo Proxes H4's I was considering. Just wondering if in the end I made the right choice. Any feedback? Am I doing an injustice to this car by these Remingtons? Thanks.

div2

Assuming that the Remingtons REALLY ARE D60A2s(I have found that off-brand tire dealers will claim anything to sell a tire), AND that the I30 calls for H rated tires, you made a good choice. I ran them on my wife's Volvo 744T and on my T-Bird Turbo beater. Wet and dry grip was very good. They are OK on snow, but not as good as a dedicated winter tire. I have had very good results with Dunlop tires in general, having used the Sport Rover GTX on my Pathfinder SE and the D40M2 on my 318ti Club Sport toy/track car.

depawl

I have a '98 GMC Jimmy that I've owned for about 6 months. I've had a constant problem with air slowly leaking out of the (Michelin) tires. I've had it back to 2 different dealers at least half a dozen times, they remove the tires from the (alloy) wheels, reseal the bead, they're ok for a couple weeks and then start leaking again. One dealer relplaced one of the tires but it made no difference. Someone told me that there was a problem with the alloy in these wheels, that they corrode and cause leaking problems. Any one have any information on this?

div2

Sometimes an alloy wheel can have a porous area that will cause a slow leak. I believe some companies used to sell an aerosol product that you sprayed onto the wheel to seal it prior to mounting the tire. I'm assuming that you have eliminated the valve stems as a possible culprit.

heng

Yeah - I had the same problem with alloy wheels on a'90 Taurus. Drove me nuts. I believe the real (expensive) solution is to have the wheels refurbished. That is chemically cleaned and recoated. The tranny went and I junked the car. That is how I solved my problem.

bkebbe

Our New Solara Convertible Shook and Vibrated so bad we were ready to go LEMON LAW.

Then finally, the Toyota Zone Man gave us his Michelin MXv4 Energy tires to replace the Potenza RE92 Bridgestones. That fixed it all. this was after 5 different Tire work visits. Enough Said?

jhmrly

I've had many cars over the years.Bought many tires for those cars.Everything from MGB's to Blazers to mostly VW's in the last 15 yrs. The most expensive was the worst(Michelin). Also tried (DUNLOP D60A2). Excellent tire in the rain, But soft& lasted 30000 mi.Currently using FIRESTONE uni T.on smaller car. Well pleased in the rain!!! And REMMINGTON XT-120 on a 96 GOLF. Paid on $50.00 per tire inst&bal.Excellent,EXCELLENT tire for the money.They've been around for years.It's just a small name made by the big guys for a good price. Hope this helps some one.

tireguy

The first step in dealing with your problem is to find the point of leakage. This job requires a highly advanced locating device seen in every well-equipped, state of the art tire center: a spray bottle filled with soapy water.
Whenever tracing a leak, you must follow a systematic process.
1) Remove the inflation caps and spray in and around the valve stems.
2) Though an unlikely cause in your case, inspect the tread for injuries (either the object still piercing the tread, or a cut left from debris which punctured the casing). Spray any areas which you suspect may be the cause.
3) Spray around the bead surface of the inner rim and the outer rim. It may be necessary to dismount the wheel and lay it flat on the floor. It may take a few minutes for fine bubbles to develop in the case of an improper bead-rim seal. PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE AREA NEAR THE WHEEL WEIGHTS. The clip often interferes with the perfect match of the two contours, especially with Michelins, which fit tighter than most. Use of improper weights will often cause leakage here (your vehicle requires MC weights).
4) If nothing is detected, the rim itself may be leaking at the bond/weld points--very rare.
The best way to find a leak is to fully submerge a wheel in a dunker (if you have something large enough).
The problem: Alloy wheels often corrode at the bead surface, causing a white, powdery residue to accumulate, which will not allow the smooth bead of the tire to seal properly with common installing lubricant.
The solution: Usually a light brushing will remove the corrosion and allow a good seal. The best way to deal with this is to have the wheels reconditioned $$$. The most common solution (if brushing doesn't work) is to paint the bead surface of the rim with a tire sealant (similar to windshield sealant) prior to installing the tire. This takes a little time, but WILL SEAL THE BEAD 100% OF THE TIME if done properly. However, when the next set of tires are installed, it will have to be removed and redone (not a big deal unless it's neglected) or you will encounter the same problems.
Find the leak yourself, first. Then get help.
Chris

raychuang00

I've heard a lot of not so great comments about Yokohama's Avid H4 and T4 tires.

Is it because of the tread design, the tire doesn't handle reasonably well in both dry and wet conditions?

(Anyway, on my Civic HX CVT coupe my next set of tires will either be Bridgestone RE92 or Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloces.)

pocahontas

From Edmund's editorials, here's an informative article about wheels and tires: A Look at Your One Vital Link to the Road, by Miles Cook.


Happy Motoring. ;-)

Pocahontas,
Town Hall Roving Host