Firestone Destination LE3: Very disappointed in wet handling

W

wbwanzer

Joined
Mar 28, 2007
Messages
571
Location
York, Pa.
I've had the Destination LE3s for about a year and a half, putting approx. 17,000 miles on them on my Hyundai Santa Fe AWD. I'm a fairly gentle driver so the tires have worn evenly and look almost new. I had prioritized quietness and low weight when I got them, and they have been very quiet. After driving in the rain yesterday I realize I should have put some emphasis on wet traction and hydroplaning.

I live in Pennsylvania and obviously in a year and a half I have driven in the rain before, but what I experienced yesterday got me concerned. I was on a two lane 50 mph. road that was crowned in the middle so water was deeper on the curb side of the road. I wasn't speeding but the car was being pushed around by the water, which wasn't excessively deep. That happened a few times. Then later in the day when returning home it was barely raining but the road was wet. I went into a curve (again not exceeding the speed limit) and the front and rear slipped sideways a little. I really didn't like that.

Last night I consulted Tirerack's testing of that tire and found that it was not particularly good in the wet. I hate to get rid of tires with so much more wear left in them, but I'm seriously thinking of moving on to something else. I can afford another set of tires, so that's not a problem. I'll give it some more thought and research but I'm leaning toward the Continental EtremeContact DWS 06 Plus. I've had these tires before on other cars and liked them. Another choice would be the Continental TrueContact Tour 54. I have these on my wife's car and like them but I haven't driven them in a decent rain storm yet. I think both of those tires score better in the wet than the LE3s.

So that's my story. Any thoughts?
 
Strange, I have LE3 on both the Xterra (very twitchy, high torque, short wheelbase) and Frontier. They have been great in the rain which is why I chose them. According to the tire rack tests they were great in the rain? We get 3X the national average of rain here. It comes in bunches.

The Fronty has 60K miles on them and are still pretty good.

Honestly are you sure your issue was tires? I believe you, but its not the experience I am having?
 
Get rid of them, Many years ago I had a brand new set of Uniroyals on a pickup that almost caused me to hit the median barrier at speed on the PA Turnpike. Went home, went to a tire dealer, replaced them and never bought another Uniroyal tire again. Your safety and that of your family are too important to leave these on your vehicle.
 
The Michelin Crossclimate II'S are uniformly excellent, the Continental LX25'S are also outstanding and possibly a bit quieter. I've had both on Honda CRV AWD and was very pleased, the one with the Michelins was traded at 38k and still had 8/32" remaining.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Strange, I have LE3 on both the Xterra (very twitchy, high torque, short wheelbase) and Frontier. They have been great in the rain which is why I chose them. According to the tire rack tests they were great in the rain? We get 3X the national average of rain here. It comes in bunches.

The Fronty has 60K miles on them and are still pretty good.

Honestly are you sure your issue was tires? I believe you, but its not the experience I am having?
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I'll give it a little more time and hopefully some more rain driving. I'll see what happens. But to your point, I have not experienced this behavior before. The Santa Fe only has 37,000 miles so it's not like it's worn out.
 
wbwanzer said:
I'll give it a little more time and hopefully some more rain driving. I'll see what happens. But to your point, I have not experienced this behavior before. The Santa Fe only has 37,000 miles so it's not like it's worn out.
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I was thinking more road surface problem.

Maybe next rain if you can find a open parking lot you can see what it takes to get them to break free. Hopefully none of @shortyb friends are around. They will either issue tickets or demand to ride with you. Likely both. :ROFLMAO:
 
SC Maintenance said:
I was thinking more road surface problem.

Maybe next rain if you can find a open parking lot you can see what it takes to get them to break free. Hopefully none of @shortyb friends are around. They will either issue tickets or demand to ride with you. Likely both. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Maybe the road surface was the problem. I'll keep an eye on it.
I'm not in a hurry to spend more money on tires, but also don't want to slide off the side of the road when it's wet.
 
Are you running the recommended air pressures located on the inside of B pillar?
Are these light truck tires? Load range?
 
wbwanzer said:
I've had the Destination LE3s for about a year and a half, putting approx. 17,000 miles on them on my Hyundai Santa Fe AWD. I'm a fairly gentle driver so the tires have worn evenly and look almost new. I had prioritized quietness and low weight when I got them, and they have been very quiet. After driving in the rain yesterday I realize I should have put some emphasis on wet traction and hydroplaning.

I live in Pennsylvania and obviously in a year and a half I have driven in the rain before, but what I experienced yesterday got me concerned. I was on a two lane 50 mph. road that was crowned in the middle so water was deeper on the curb side of the road. I wasn't speeding but the car was being pushed around by the water, which wasn't excessively deep. That happened a few times. Then later in the day when returning home it was barely raining but the road was wet. I went into a curve (again not exceeding the speed limit) and the front and rear slipped sideways a little. I really didn't like that.

Last night I consulted Tirerack's testing of that tire and found that it was not particularly good in the wet. I hate to get rid of tires with so much more wear left in them, but I'm seriously thinking of moving on to something else. I can afford another set of tires, so that's not a problem. I'll give it some more thought and research but I'm leaning toward the Continental EtremeContact DWS 06 Plus. I've had these tires before on other cars and liked them. Another choice would be the Continental TrueContact Tour 54. I have these on my wife's car and like them but I haven't driven them in a decent rain storm yet. I think both of those tires score better in the wet than the LE3s.

So that's my story. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Hard to tell If it's the road, the tires, or you from your description.

Barely raining and the road just wet is the worst for oil thats sitting on the road not washed off - as a motorcyclist thats when you have to be the most careful.

Sounds like you were going fast enough to at least start hydroplaning at some point. It doesn't take much.
If wet is your priority then biasing your purchase reward that make sense.

I was happy with my set in all seasons, but getting a fresh set and offloading your used set for a few bucks might give you the peace of mind you seek.
 
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Deep water evacuation and wet grip are two different things, and some road surfaces are just more slippery than others, if you haven't been on that road before?
That said, the tires could be just starting to lose wet grip, but in under 2 years would be pretty unusual.
CR has them 4/5 for hydroplaning, which is the same as the CC2(I'm surprised its not 5/5) and as good as a AS tire gets, but only 3/5 for wet braking where many have 4/5.
The CC2, Michelin Primacy Tour A/S, Vredestein HiTrac, all get 4/5 for wet braking and hydroplaning.
To get a step above those you need to get a UHP summer or all-season tire like a Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 plus. Those have a 5/5 for hydroplaning, and a AA UTGQ wet grip rating, while still testing better than the LE3's for winter test scores.

It might seem kind of odd to consider a UHP AS tire for a Santa Fe, but they do work better in every condition but winter than a AS touring tire, and you get a bit of a confidence boost when your vehicle has better grip than most cars on the road.
 
IndyIan said:
Deep water evacuation and wet grip are two different things, and some road surfaces are just more slippery than others, if you haven't been on that road before?
That said, the tires could be just starting to lose wet grip, but in under 2 years would be pretty unusual.
CR has them 4/5 for hydroplaning, which is the same as the CC2(I'm surprised its not 5/5) and as good as a AS tire gets, but only 3/5 for wet braking where many have 4/5.
The CC2, Michelin Primacy Tour A/S, Vredestein HiTrac, all get 4/5 for wet braking and hydroplaning.
To get a step above those you need to get a UHP summer or all-season tire like a Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 plus. Those have a 5/5 for hydroplaning, and a AA UTGQ wet grip rating, while still testing better than the LE3's for winter test scores.

It might seem kind of odd to consider a UHP AS tire for a Santa Fe, but they do work better in every condition but winter than a AS touring tire, and you get a bit of a confidence boost when your vehicle has better grip than most cars on the road.
Click to expand...
I am considering the ExtremeContact DWS 06 plus if I bail on the LE3s.
 
wbwanzer said:
I am considering the ExtremeContact DWS 06 plus if I bail on the LE3s.
Click to expand...
Oops I did read that! I have a goldfish memory sometimes. They seem like a great high grip option with only a bit less mileage warranty.
It is interesting that a canadian tire Hydra Edge is a rebranded Sailun UHP AS tire, with some more generic 5 rib tread pattern, and their selling it as an AS tire that is exceptional in the wet.
I stumbled into a nice used set for my Impreza and its a nice feeling to have tire like that on a car again, they will hydroplane in deep enough water of course, but having the extra absolute wet grip, plus more progressive break away characteristics is nice.
 
Bridgestone did say the Firestone LE3 was engineered with 3D full-depth (Michelin-style) sipes, which should help with the rain and light snow. Else, it hasn’t changed much since the original LE/LE2. It is one of of their best sellers(and a popular OEM tire with Toyota, Honda and Mopar using them), but a neighbor asked me which tire I would choose between those and the BFG Advantage Control - she was looking at getting them at Costco. I steered her towards the BFGs compared on TireRack testing/reviews and pricing. Michelin was out of the question given how little she drives this car(Subaru Ascent) and how much a set of CC2s/X Tour 2s would cost($850-950 before tax).
 
I had LE2 and they lost wet grip around 20k miles. LE3 is supposed to have addressed just that. But IME Bridgestone tires do not lead the pack in wet traction as they tend to bias towards longevity. I say that as a general fan - as they are imo one of the best-manufactured brands out there.

It will be hard to beat the Michelin CC2 for wet. They do make a little noise and some report mpg loss.

Continental does something with their rubber that excels in rain. I’ve had two sets of their TerrainContact AT in RWD pickups and they were the best I’ve used, and were quiet and could tow a load without issue. For a Santa Fe you will have more choices available than just truck tires. The continental all weather tire is getting great ratings, as well as several other options now including Nokian and potentially the Nitto/toyo twins.

Ps. The DWS06+, if you are interested in it, should be considered. Good tire. Cult following.
 
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