[shovelhd]

I've had three flat tires in 11,000 miles. The last one was a B-grade nightmare scenario. In heavy traffic, towing a trailer, with only the silly spare. A-grade would have been having the trailer loaded and no spare at all.

Are these tires up to the task of truck duty, or do I just have bad luck?

P.S. Kudos to the Mass State Police for keeping me from getting killed while I changed this out.

 

[Ultra-HOG]

Any idea what caused the flats? I think that I am hearing some good advice from you about getting a full size spare. I don't tow frequently but when I do I hate the thought of being unprepared.

 

[shovelhd]

Right front: (1) glass, (2) stainless body screw
Right rear: unknown, looks like a nail

I ordered two new tires, one to replace the one with two plugs, and the other to replace the right rear, which was internally shredded after driving 200 yards pulling the trailer over to the breakdown lane. It went down really fast. The TPMS light came on, and 30 seconds later it was flat. The one with two plugs will become the full sized spare.

 

[Webwader]

It sounds like you have just had a run of bad luck since all the failures have been from external sources. Plus I noticed that you didn't win the lottery.

 

[swampler]

Sounds like bad luck to me. The Michelin LTX are good tires. I had them over 50,000 miles on my old F150 and never had any trouble from them.

 

[shovelhd]

Did you put them on your F-150 or did Ford? If they were factory, then that says a lot.

 

[swampler]

Did you put them on your F-150 or did Ford? If they were factory, then that says a lot.

I did. They came with some junk Goodyears that only lasted about 30k.

 

[HEY RIDGELINE!]

I found a roofing nail on my front left. I traded it in for a plug.

 

[5S Dude]

Hey shovelhd, Really glad to see you back!! I think there are a few wheels and tires listed on the trading post.

Ron

 

[Outfitter]

I have done a lot of offroading on rocks that have chewed up a lot of tires on my previous vehicles including Goodyears A/T's and the worst by far were Firestones A/T's. I finally went with Bridgestone A/T's with the tougher sidewalls and never had a problem with them.
So far the OEM Michelins have done fine with only one very small and shallow cut in the sidewall that I notice while washing it.
I do have concerns about flats (with all the cactus and thorns we have here in Texas) since I read in the manuel that products like Fix a Flat will ruin the sensors in the wheels. I really should look at getting a regular tire as a spare before the need arises.

 

[o.c.ridge]

I have not had any problems with the Michelins.
I have had some bad luck a few years back when I ran my tires a little lower on pressure. It may have just been a coincidence but I got several flats with the lower pressure.

I now run my Ridge at 35psi and it rides and handles fine,

Tom

 

[VegasRidge]

Found a pop rivet in the sidewall cant be fixed $194 to replace at Discount tire

 

[o.c.ridge]

Found a pop rivet in the sidewall cant be fixed $194 to replace at Discount tire

Check out costco, might be cheaper,

Tom

 

[Outfitter]

Has anybody had any issues with damage to the sidewalls, either from on road or offroad use?
So far, mine have not had any issues but I am still concerned that we cannot use any of the flat repair in a can quick fixes without having to replace the TPMS sensor.

 

[swampler]

Has anybody had any issues with damage to the sidewalls, either from on road or offroad use?
So far, mine have not had any issues but I am still concerned that we cannot use any of the flat repair in a can quick fixes without having to replace the TPMS sensor.

I put over 50k miles on the same tire (different size) on my F150, and now 14,200+ miles on the RL without ever having a problem with the sidewall...all street driving. I did have a patch or two from running over nails, but that's it.

 

[captmiddy]

18 years of driving, I have only had 1 flat tire from either on-road or off-road driving. This is through 6 separate cars owned in that period and several sets of tires. The one flat was caused by a nail on the road sticking up through a board that fell off a truck. That was fixed with a plug and I didn't have any problems with that and never replaced that plug, although I did eventually replace the tire some 20k miles later.

I haven't actually been off-road in my Ridgeline yet, so I can't say anything there but in the 5k miles on it so far I haven't had an issue with the truck.

What type of issue are you worried about?

 

[Webwader]

I wouldn't put Flat In A Can in any tire. It can puddle and then throw the tire out of balance and when you do go to fix the tire properly, your tire dealer is going to hate you for the mess you created in the area you want him to fix.

 

[shovelhd]

Be careful with the Costco Michelins. They sell Load Range C tires along side of the Load Range B tires. Load Range C tires on a Ridgeline will make it ride like an F-150 with cement filled tires.

I replaced the two Michelins today at Tire Warehouse. Just a few bucks over $400 for the pair, including M&B and insurance. I saved the tire with one plug for a full sized spare, and I have a line on a factory wheel.

 

[Outfitter]

18 years of driving, I have only had 1 flat tire from either on-road or off-road driving. This is through 6 separate cars owned in that period and several sets of tires. The one flat was caused by a nail on the road sticking up through a board that fell off a truck. That was fixed with a plug and I didn't have any problems with that and never replaced that plug, although I did eventually replace the tire some 20k miles later.

I haven't actually been off-road in my Ridgeline yet, so I can't say anything there but in the 5k miles on it so far I haven't had an issue with the truck.

What type of issue are you worried about?

I am mostly concerned with rock cuts to the sidewalls, so far they seem to be very durable. I have had previous tires that I swear you could cut with a fingernail.
Nails, screws and road debris are just part of life and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[Outfitter]

I wouldn't put Flat In A Can in any tire. It can puddle and then throw the tire out of balance and when you do go to fix the tire properly, your tire dealer is going to hate you for the mess you created in the area you want him to fix.

Normally I would not either but sometimes you can find yourself in a tricky position offroad where you just need to get to a safer or more level place to be able to change a tire. We have cactus and mesquite thorns galor where I travel and they can really do a number on some OEM tires.