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View Full Version : Need new tires and need advice



Think
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 12:21 PM
I currently have these tires: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?code=yes&KEYWORD=tires.jsp_BFGoodrich_All-Terrain_T%2FA_KO_Tire&partnum=865R8ATAKO&GCID=C13674x012-tire&tireModel=All-Terrain+T%2FA+KO&tireMake=BFGoodrich&

In the 25k-ish or so miles I've had my truck (2004 F150 Lariat Supercrew 4x4), I've experienced some pretty severe cupping to where the tires go out of of balance and the wheels go out of alignment every 3k-ish miles. It also makes for a very choppy ride.

Looking for a tire that will last me a little while and that will be good in the snow. Should I stick with the BFG's or go a different route?

supertune
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 12:36 PM
i run the nitto terra grapplers on one of my trucks and i have 35k on them and have only lost 3/32nds of tread i also keep alignment up once a year and new shocks every 60k i have had NO probs with the nittos snow traction is one of the best i have ever had plus not to bad on hwy. no warranty is the only down side

asp_125
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 12:41 PM
First thing I'd do is check alignment and wheel bearing play, before you cup another set of tires.

Think
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 02:25 PM
i run the nitto terra grapplers on one of my trucks and i have 35k on them and have only lost 3/32nds of tread i also keep alignment up once a year and new shocks every 60k i have had NO probs with the nittos snow traction is one of the best i have ever had plus not to bad on hwy. no warranty is the only down side
Thanks, I'll check those out. The no warranty makes me a little sketchy buying something like that though. I will be doing a lot of highway driving in the next 2 months as I'll be driving from AL to MD and back for Christmas and then in January I move from AL back to CO.

First thing I'd do is check alignment and wheel bearing play, before you cup another set of tires.
I've got a mechanic down here who I trust so I'll have them check that whenever I get the new tires.

salsashark
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 02:35 PM
Personally, I wouldn't put another set of BFGs on any vehicle I own. I had them on my TJ and hated them. The biggest problem I had is that the tread pattern made them very difficult to clear. This really sucks when moving slowly on snow/ice. The tire treads filled in and provide no traction. This really sucked when stuck in traffic and I couldn't get up enough speed to throw the snow off of the tires.

I've got a set off Procomp Xtreme All Terrains (http://www.4wheelparts.com/Tires/LT305-65R17-Radial-Xtreme-A-T-Tire-by-Pro-Comp.aspx?t_c=13&t_s=157&t_pt=100809&t_pl=3360&t_pn=PCT57305) on my Dodge Ram now. I've put around 40K on them and they should be good for another 10-15K. Primarily used for in-climate driving, and dirt driving while towing popup to go camping. They've gotten substantially more expensive since I bought them, but they've been really great tires. As the treads have worn down, they have gotten substantially noisier. I hadn't noticed until I got my mustang. Then, when I drive the truck, I'm blown away at how noisy they are. I wouldn't want to take them on a road trip. My next set of tires will most likely be narrower and quieter!

Also, agreed on checking alignment and tire pressures before blowing the money on new shoes.

Think
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 02:49 PM
Personally, I wouldn't put another set of BFGs on any vehicle I own. I had them on my TJ and hated them. The biggest problem I had is that the tread pattern made them very difficult to clear. This really sucks when moving slowly on snow/ice. The tire treads filled in and provide no traction. This really sucked when stuck in traffic and I couldn't get up enough speed to throw the snow off of the tires.

I've got a set off Procomp Xtreme All Terrains (http://www.4wheelparts.com/Tires/LT305-65R17-Radial-Xtreme-A-T-Tire-by-Pro-Comp.aspx?t_c=13&t_s=157&t_pt=100809&t_pl=3360&t_pn=PCT57305) on my Dodge Ram now. I've put around 40K on them and they should be good for another 10-15K. Primarily used for in-climate driving, and dirt driving while towing popup to go camping. They've gotten substantially more expensive since I bought them, but they've been really great tires. As the treads have worn down, they have gotten substantially noisier. I hadn't noticed until I got my mustang. Then, when I drive the truck, I'm blown away at how noisy they are. I wouldn't want to take them on a road trip. My next set of tires will most likely be narrower and quieter!

Also, agreed on checking alignment and tire pressures before blowing the money on new shoes.
Yeah, those are way too expensive for my budget. Trying to keep it under $300 per.

Also, the tires are done. I need new ones. I get them aligned and balanced at every oil change which I do every 3-5k miles. They are badly cupped and don't have a lot of life left in them.

supertune
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 02:55 PM
if budget is a thing on this try pep boys there house brands are not bad. i used the HT's they have and not bad on price ....... be picky on the one you go to the only one i trust is the one off of wads and belv. down in littleton. talk to adam he is the store manager and a good friend. they can get any brand and will try to atleast match any price

Airreed
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 03:04 PM
I run the Nitto Terra Graplers on my '11 F150 SuperCrew and like SuperTune stated they wear very slow!!!!

Also, they come with a 50k mile warranty (check the discount tires website).

longrider
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 03:09 PM
I really think your cupping problem is something with the truck as I have ran several sets of those tires with no issues like you are describing. The truck is a 99 F250 SD so other than solid axle vs IFS there is not a whole lot of difference. My experience has obviously been good since I bought them again, I usually get about 40k out of a set

salsashark
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 03:11 PM
Yeah, those are way too expensive for my budget. Trying to keep it under $300 per.

Also, the tires are done. I need new ones. I get them aligned and balanced at every oil change which I do every 3-5k miles. They are badly cupped and don't have a lot of life left in them.

I rotate my tires twice a year. I had Discount Tires take care of it last month and I was talking with the gen manager while waiting. They have several tires, all in the 200'sh range that fit the bill as well.

When I bought the procomps, I put 4 wheels & tires on my truck for $1100 total. I wouldn't spend that for just tires.

Toner
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 03:40 PM
I really think your cupping problem is something with the truck as I have ran several sets of those tires with no issues like you are describing. The truck is a 99 F250 SD so other than solid axle vs IFS there is not a whole lot of difference. My experience has obviously been good since I bought them again, I usually get about 40k out of a set

Have to agree with longrider here...I'm on my third set and granted, my ranger is lighter, but I'm getting somwhere around 85,000 miles out of each set. Rotated & balanced every other oil change, and no cupping to speak of.

JKOL
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 04:37 PM
I never had any problems with the BFG Mud Terrains I had in the past, so like asp 125 said, make sure your truck is good before you ruin another set of tires.

Nitto Terragrapplers aren't the most affordable, but everyone I know that has them, loves them. I have also heard great reviews on the Goodyear Duratracks and Hankook Dynapro. Both offer solid all-terrain performance without the cost of the Nitto's, plus they have an agressive tread pattern that looks much better on a truck than the "big car tires" you see on some newer Chevys and Dodges.

cbrjohnny
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 05:37 PM
have your ball joints checked. bfg= meh... i think you can spend your money better.

i see ford's with bad ball joints all the time in my shop. you can check them yourself by jacking up under the lower control arm, get the tire a inch or two offf the ground. with a pry bar, pry between the tire and the ground lifting the wheel assembly and look for movement in the ball jnt. upper and lower. this will cause your tires to wear/cup. also you may want to have positive camber set as apposed to negitive. this will give you longer tire life. ie neg. camber= / \ pos. camber= \ /

gl!

cbrjohnny
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 05:38 PM
what size tires are you looking for? 6 or 10 ply? maybe i can hook you up.

age315
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 08:58 PM
I've got an 06 wrangler LJ with 33 12.50 duratracs and i love them so far. I've got about 15k on them and they are wearing good but i rotate them every 3000 mi. I paid for it so why not. They've been good to me so far and plenty of tread left even after wheeling. I am going to get these again when they wear out. Just my 2 cents.

Wrider
Thu Dec 1st, 2011, 10:13 PM
I may be one of the few recommending them, but I'm running retreads from TreadWright on my Dakota and they're doing extremely well. They're wearing slowly, and have been from crawling through 2 feet of snow to doing triple digits in the span of a few hours without a problem. They're also cheap. I got 5 shipped to my door for under 800. One had a hop in it, so I emailed them, the next email was asking me for my order number, and the one after that was a shipping confirmation headed to my door. No questions, no bullshit.

Think
Fri Dec 2nd, 2011, 11:34 AM
Alright I'm confused. The tires I'm currently running are the ones that I linked in the original post. However, tirerack says the OEM tires are either 265/60-18 or 275/65-18 and mine are 285/65-18.

salsashark
Fri Dec 2nd, 2011, 11:49 AM
menial difference. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

But in case you're curious:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Tire_code_-_en.svg/780px-Tire_code_-_en.svg.png

Think
Fri Dec 2nd, 2011, 12:51 PM
So I can run the 275 without any issues?

Wrider
Fri Dec 2nd, 2011, 03:22 PM
If you're running your 285s without a problem, the 275 will fit with even more room to spare between the tire and the fender.

Think
Sat Dec 3rd, 2011, 01:05 PM
Anyone hear anything about these? Looks like they've got good reviews and they're in my price range.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+AT%2FS&partnum=765R8WRATSOWL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2004&autoModel=F150%20LariatSupCrw4wd&autoModClar=

Think
Mon Dec 5th, 2011, 11:23 AM
Did some more research and ended up ordering Michelin LTX M/S2's. Apparently they're good highway and snow tires so I guess I'll just have to see.