AT Tires on the Highway

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SZR48207

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Perhaps someone here can set me straight. What is the general expectation when using AT tires (with M+S designation) on the highway? Should I be expecting a smooth ride like on a Highway tire?

I bought some Firestone Destination ATs based on the very good reviews on Tire Rack (from a local place, though, not TR) and they seem to be quite jarring on the interstate. I've had the balance checked 3 times, with the last time being a road-force check. The tires are pretty smooth around the city. My previous tires were Kumho Road Venture HTs, which rode extremely smooth, but were a serious hazard in snow/ice/mud.

I guess I should also mention that I put some new shocks on before getting the new tires, so I'm having some difficulty knowing which one is at fault? The shocks are Monroe Reflex.

Thanks.
 
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Tire pressure at what?

Are the tires "P" or "LT"? Is this the same as the Kumhos were?

What size tire, on what vehicle?
 
2002 F150 reg cab short bed.

Kumhos - P metric, SL rated, max psi of 35 w/ size = 235/70/16. Tires were kept at 32psi for entire life and tread wore evenly

Firestones - P metric, SL rated, max psi of 44 w/ size = 255/70/16. Tires are currently set to 32 PSI cold.

To explain the difference in size, I purchased the smaller Kumhos back a few years ago when I was strapped for cash and the original tires on the truck were near bald. Both 235/70/16 and 255/70/16 are acceptable sizes for this truck (mine is just spec'd for 255s from the factory because it has the "sport package".
 
AT's are not the same as HT's. You will hear a bit more road noise(more so with tire wear) and might(maybe) notice an MPG decrease(maybe) not as much as an MT though.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
All sounds OK so far.

What does Ford recommend for inflation on the sticker on the door frame?


30PSI front, 32PSI rear. I have been wondering if I should go with maybe 28-30 all around since I believe the Ford recommendations are for gas mileage/load hauling?
 
Try the 30/32 and see what happens.

I think you may be seeing the results of the two changes here.

The A/T tire is probably stiffer than the H/T's that you did have... and the new shocks are doing a little more work as well.

I know that when I went from a set of junk Uniroyal Laredo tires to my current Michelin LTX's... it was a huge difference. The Laredo tires felt like they were full of pudding, no matter what air pressure was in them. Likely from a flimsy sidewall design.

The Firestone A/T's are probably just a little stiffer than you've been used to.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Try the 30/32 and see what happens.

I think you may be seeing the results of the two changes here.

The A/T tire is probably stiffer than the H/T's that you did have... and the new shocks are doing a little more work as well.

I know that when I went from a set of junk Uniroyal Laredo tires to my current Michelin LTX's... it was a huge difference. The Laredo tires felt like they were full of pudding, no matter what air pressure was in them. Likely from a flimsy sidewall design.

The Firestone A/T's are probably just a little stiffer than you've been used to.


Ah, thanks. I guess I just need to get used to them. I'm hoping as they wear down some, they'll round out a bit and maybe another tire balance in 5-10K miles will help.
 
Couple of things:

Try lowering the tire pressure just a few psi. The larger tire likely has a slightly higher load capacity, and thus at the same psi will feel a bit rougher.

2nd, the AT tire may very well have a tougher sidewall, and thus a rougher ride.

Last, it may be the shocks. I have the Reflex shocks on all three of my vehicles. I like them on my F150 and Explorer, but not so much on the Jeep Cherokee. The ride is a bit too rough on the freeway compared to the shocks they replaced. You may want to check out the Sensa-Tracs for a softer ride...
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
You didn't mention that before.... do you suspect that they're out of round?


Hard to say. Some times the ride is horrible when driving through the city, but I'll turn the corner and all of a sudden it rides perfectly smooth.
 
To add to the good comments, the larger casing needs more weight to be as flexible and forgiving as the smaller size you replaced, so I would leave the front at 30psi, but drop the rear to 27-28psi, the rear weighs less than the front. I'm sure the sidewall is heavier too, which is good for load obviously but not for ride with no load. I had a '97 F150 supercab short box 4x4 in the fleet, when it was mine I had the 255/70's in the winter, P rated, I ran 32/27-28psi fr/rr, had a great footprint and perfect wear. 27-28psi rr, 30 fr, and see what happens.
 
Originally Posted By: CrazyMike
To add to the good comments, the larger casing needs more weight to be as flexible and forgiving as the smaller size you replaced, so I would leave the front at 30psi, but drop the rear to 27-28psi, the rear weighs less than the front. I'm sure the sidewall is heavier too, which is good for load obviously but not for ride with no load. I had a '97 F150 supercab short box 4x4 in the fleet, when it was mine I had the 255/70's in the winter, P rated, I ran 32/27-28psi fr/rr, had a great footprint and perfect wear. 27-28psi rr, 30 fr, and see what happens.



Awesome. Great advice. I'm hoping that 28 will make the back end less bumpy. I would still want some firmness on the front tires for steering and due to the weight of the engine.
 
I ran Dest ATs on a Mariner (went from OEM Contitracs). I didn't notice a diminish in ride at all. I did notice a decrease in MPG, but it was welcomed compared to the (other) horrible characteristics of the OEM Continentals.
 
Been running Destination A/T tires on my Liberty since October of 2009.

I chose the Destination A/Ts primarily because they are one of the highest rated A/T tires on tirerack and because they are legal for winter use up here in Quebec. So I only need 1 set for year round use. Gotta say, so far so good. No complaints.

I haven't noticed any highway noise with em.
 
Good deal for you. That's about the first of such complaint I've read on the Dest ATs. I wouldn't think you would need dedicated snows in OK. I know you had a bad winter -- as we did also. About 4 sand bags will do wonders. Both my vehicles are rwd, and I survived last winter. If you don't have traction control, that could be a different story.
 
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
Good deal for you. That's about the first of such complaint I've read on the Dest ATs. I wouldn't think you would need dedicated snows in OK. I know you had a bad winter -- as we did also. About 4 sand bags will do wonders. Both my vehicles are rwd, and I survived last winter. If you don't have traction control, that could be a different story.


No traction control! LOL

Just a plain jane 2WD F150 w/ open diff rear axle. I will definitely get some sand bags when November rolls around.
 
I went from Destination HTs (225/70R15) to Destination ATs (235/75R15). I didn't notice any change in how the truck rides, but then again I went to a larger tire, and Rangers ride like ox carts anyway. I keep mine at 33 PSI all around.
 
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