Need new tires - thoughts?

[cdepuydt]

Originally Posted by IanRTL

Ok, all, I'm really on the fence about the tires I want to get - still. We had some pretty deep snow and some freezing rain happen over the holiday break. Luckily, I didn't have to drive much, but when I did, it wasn't fun. My current tires do have a sliver of tread left, but I have come to the realization that they just aren't safe at all in winter weather. Most of which tire I choose is going to depend on what my tire shop says about the warranty. I only have 2 years and 35k miles on these tires and the warranty is 6 years or 45k miles. If they are fully or even partly warrantied, and I have to get the same brand/type of tire, I will likely just do that. They performed great for about the first 20k miles. They just didn't last too long. However, if the tire shop allows me to get any other brand of tire and just take a certain percentage off of them, I'll do that.

So here are my thoughts now: I don't want a tire that is going to be noisy or hurt my gas mileage due to higher rolling resistance, however I do want something that is good in the snow. So, I've been considering highway tires and A/T tires. The ones that have caught my attention are the Kumho Road Venture KL61's and KL51's. The 61 is a GREAT looking on/off road tire that has been said to have good highway road manners. The 51 is a highway tire that has great treadwear rating and are inexpensive. In addition, I'm looking at the Yokohama Geolander A/T-S. Price is good and ratings are good as well. Plus, it comes with 13/32" of tread to start - an extra 32nd. Lastly, I think the Cooper Discoverer HTP's look like a good option, too. Great reviews and specs for the price.

In the spring, my wife and I will be moving closer to my office, so my commute will be cut from 25 miles to about 5 miles. I can put up with some noise for that distance, but I don't want a ridiculous, annoying hum on the highway when we take the truck on a trip. I also don't want to lose 2-3mpg just due to rolling resistance increasing. Anyone have any experience with these tires or have any suggestions for other ones? I'm going to the tire shop on Friday to discuss my options.

Ian, I just had a set of Kumho KL61's installed on my truck in Oct. and I am very happy with them. I wanted a tire that had a little more agressive tread on them, than the LTX M/S, and one that was snow rated (the snowflake symbol), but one that was not so noisy as I couldn't hear the radio at "normal" volume.

I did a lot of research and it basically came down to either the Cooper Discoverer AT's or the KL61's. After going back and forth I ended up going with the KL61's, as they were rated a tad quieter on dry pavement than the Coopers on the Consumer Report web page (I think the KL61's were the 2nd highest rated A/T tire after the Coopers.).

I've put about 3500 miles on them, driven through downpours, ice/slush/snow, and dry pavement and, I can honestly say, I am very happy with them. They are just as quiet as the LTX M/S, but heads and shoulders above the LTX's on snow/slush/ice.

We just got 18" of heavy/wet snow, and then it got very cold, so I had the opportunity to test the KL61's in all the forms of snow that was on the roads. They were excellent in slush...I didn't feel as if the slush was going to pull me this way or that. When the roads were just pretty much snow covered, from a dead stop, I stomped on the gas pretty good...not all the way to the floor, but probably 1/2 throttle, and the tires barely spun. On snow packed/icy areas, namely by stop signs, the truck stopped very quickly and, when taking off, the tires barely spun.

Again, overall I am very pleased with the Kumho KL61's I got in Oct., and would highly recommend them. They are great in adverse road conditions and are very quiet on dry pavement. Plus, they were about $60 a tire cheaper than the LTX M/S's when I bought them. Nice to be able to save close to $250 vs. the Michelins.

Anyway, hope that helps, and good luck with your tire purchase.

[Redridercr250r]

Originally Posted by IanRTL

Here is some back story: I have had a set of General Grabber HTS's for the last two years and about 34k miles. I have rotated them every 8-10k miles, kept pressure even and checked it often, kept the truck in alignment and all that jazz. They have worn a lot faster than I would like and currently have about 4-5/32nds left on all four. I'm very worried that there isn't enough meat left on them to get me through the winter. Am I over-thinking this? Is that amount of tread still safe for snow driving? Beyond that, no matter what I do, they've become very loud. One or both of the front tires has a very annoying wobbling noise that hasn't gone away even after a rebalance. There is a 6-year/45k mile warranty on the tires, BUT I would have to replace these with another set of General tires. I'm not about to do that.

My tire shop has always been very good to me, so I'm sure they'll work something out. I'm looking for some recommendations before I talk to them, though. I do all easy miles on two-lane roads and highways - just your basic commuting. I never go off road, so I have no need for A/T tires. My main concern with tires is their noise level, their longevity and their price. Any decent set of all-seasons will perform well enough in snow and other forms of inclement weather, so I'm ok with that. I'm not about to drop $160+ per tire, but I don't want to get the cheapest ones out there, either. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I also have a set of grabber hts tires on my RL. Same thing, wore out way way too fast. I'm going to replace them with a set of ltx ms and never look back.

[speedlever]

And that's the thing. So many tires look to have promise.. and seem to work well for the first year and 15k miles or so. But what tire seems to maintain traction and a good, quiet ride for most of its life?

Does the LTX M/S tire reign as champ? And this is a tire that starts out at 11/32 tread depth new.

I would be tempted to look at the Michelin AT/2 tire as well. It has 14/32 tread depth. Then I read a few comments by Kodiak on the OEM tires:
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...&postcount=583
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...&postcount=596

I still think for most purposes, the OEM LTX M/S is going to be hard to beat.

There may be some bargains out there and I applaud efforts to find them. But in the end, is this another case of you get what you pay for?

Until proven otherwise, I believe it is.

[IanRTL]

Originally Posted by cdepuydt

Ian, I just had a set of Kumho KL61's installed on my truck in Oct. and I am very happy with them. I wanted a tire that had a little more agressive tread on them, than the LTX M/S, and one that was snow rated (the snowflake symbol), but one that was not so noisy as I couldn't hear the radio at "normal" volume.

I did a lot of research and it basically came down to either the Cooper Discoverer AT's or the KL61's. After going back and forth I ended up going with the KL61's, as they were rated a tad quieter on dry pavement than the Coopers on the Consumer Report web page (I think the KL61's were the 2nd highest rated A/T tire after the Coopers.).

I've put about 3500 miles on them, driven through downpours, ice/slush/snow, and dry pavement and, I can honestly say, I am very happy with them. They are just as quiet as the LTX M/S, but heads and shoulders above the LTX's on snow/slush/ice.

We just got 18" of heavy/wet snow, and then it got very cold, so I had the opportunity to test the KL61's in all the forms of snow that was on the roads. They were excellent in slush...I didn't feel as if the slush was going to pull me this way or that. When the roads were just pretty much snow covered, from a dead stop, I stomped on the gas pretty good...not all the way to the floor, but probably 1/2 throttle, and the tires barely spun. On snow packed/icy areas, namely by stop signs, the truck stopped very quickly and, when taking off, the tires barely spun.

Again, overall I am very pleased with the Kumho KL61's I got in Oct., and would highly recommend them. They are great in adverse road conditions and are very quiet on dry pavement. Plus, they were about $60 a tire cheaper than the LTX M/S's when I bought them. Nice to be able to save close to $250 vs. the Michelins.

Anyway, hope that helps, and good luck with your tire purchase.

I knew someone had gotten the KL61's, but I couldn't remember who it was. Thanks for reminding me! I am leaning towards them as well. The Geolander A/T-S gets great reviews all over the place, too, but some have said they do get louder as they wear. Have you noticed any hit to your fuel mileage with them? My tire shop is a certified dealer for Yokohama and Cooper. I have no doubt they can get the Kumho's if I really want them. Ugh. This sucks. I wish it were easier, but I want to make sure I get the best tire I can for the price. The stock Michelins are over $200 each and I have a hard time believing these other ones that are $140-160 aren't good, too. Then again, I paid $160 each for the General HTS on there now, and they're just not great.

[feetdry]

Originally Posted by speedlever

And that's the thing. So many tires look to have promise.. and seem to work well for the first year and 15k miles or so. But what tire seems to maintain traction and a good, quiet ride for most of its life?

Does the LTX M/S tire reign as champ? And this is a tire that starts out at 11/32 tread depth new.

I would be tempted to look at the Michelin AT/2 tire as well. It has 14/32 tread depth. Then I read a few comments by Kodiak on the OEM tires:
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...&postcount=583
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/f...&postcount=596

I still think for most purposes, the OEM LTX M/S is going to be hard to beat.

There may be some bargains out there and I applaud efforts to find them. But in the end, is this another case of you get what you pay for?

Until proven otherwise, I believe it is.

Then, for me at least, driving 35-40 thousand each year, my tire dealer network is one of the most important things for me. It is the only reason I'm not wearing the LTX M/S now. Les Schwab doesn't do Michelin. So far I've been more than pleased with the TOYO Open Country's I use in summer and the Toyo Observe's I am riding on now. They make my Ridge a "cat" in the winter.

[speedlever]

That's good info feetdry. How many miles are you getting on those Toyos? Are the Open Country tires comparable to the LTX MS in terms of long wear, quiet ride, and good traction?

I notice on one site, the Toyos are $187 each. The tread design makes me think it more closely competes with the Michelin Latitude tire.

The MS are $194 and the AT/2 is $193. The savings are not enough to justify a change from OEM unless there are other good reasons to switch.

[IanRTL]

Figured I'd give an update. I took my truck to my tire shop yesterday. The guy I always deal with said, "yeah, we can warranty those. They sure did wear pretty fast." He was going to call the manufacturer and see what exactly the warranty will cover. I don't have to get another set of the Generals, which means I'm clear to get whatever I want for a replacement. Strangely enough, I went to lunch with a buddy of mine on Thursday who has a 2009 Pilot. He has a set of the Yokohama Geolander A/T-S on it. He said he had about 40k miles on them and they still had well over half the tread left. The ride was smooth, yet compliant and the tires were very quiet. I was sort of leaning towards these anyways, but that experience has pushed me towards them. I'll update again when I hear from my tire guy on Monday.

[DrZew]

I have the Toyo open ctry. AT and they wear real fast..Not good

[eddiechip]

I am looking at the Michelin LTX A/T 2, they are 3 dollars cheaper a tire on tire rack than the MS. I have narrowed the field down to the Kuhmos and the Michs. The Kuhmos are about $40 cheaper per tire but from the reviews I've read, they don't last near as long as the Michelins. this is quite frustrating.

[speedlever]

It's tough to have choices, isn't it?

Those Michelin A/T 2s caught my eye as well... just wasn't sure about the noise... if any.