Laguna:
Your friend has two somewhat conflicting requirements for his tires. For the off-roading your friend is doing, I would not recommend any 'highway' truck tires. Truck tires with HT or HL in their designations are primarily designed for on-road use only. These tires are designed to please todays 'soft-road' SUV owners who want their truck to ride like a car.
For true off-road use, (like Engineer and Black Bear Passes near Durango and Telluride), get a dedicated off-road tire. BFG All-Terrains or Goodyear's Wrangler MT/R would be good choices.
If money is no object, use two sets of mounted tires. For everyday use mount the highway tires. When you are going to hit the trail, swap on the off-road tires.
Trashing a highway truck tire on a trail is a costly issue, but getting stranded up on the trail would be worse.
Goodyear Fortera HL tires.
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Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo's.
So far, they are easily the match, if not better in ALL categories compared with the (more highway tire) Michelin LTX's. I have a very long history with the Michelin LTX's (7 sets > 500,000 miles) on varies TLC's and could almost tell right away. But to be fair the verdict is out on treadlife. I am used to Michelins going anywhere from 60-95k.
I have not taken it off road yet but I have no doubt they will do double duty in this capacity with NO problems. The surprizing thing is the tread is very aggressive and it has not suffered any mpg penalty against the LTX's which are clearly not AT's.
[ February 14, 2005, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: ruking77 ]
Has anyone tried the Goodyear Fortera HL tires and if so are they a fairly quiet tire on paved roads?
I have a friend who is looking for new tires for his 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1/2 ton 4X4. He has ruined two Goodyear Wranglers S/T tires by going off road and is looking for a good quiet tire that he can take off road once in a while.
He was looking at the Cooper Discoverer H/T LT tires and someone told him he should look at the Goodyear Fortera HL and also the Yokohama Geoldander H/TS G053.
Has anyone tried either of these tires and would they be a good choice or does someone know of a better tire? Price is no object for this guy.
The Fortera HLs are Consumer Reports number 1 tire. If you actually listen to them. Go with the Revos, Firestone Destination ATs, or Kumho Road Venture AT 725 tires.
Define "off road" and "once in awhile"?
Are we talking maintained dirt roads or rough trails? Rocks or sand? Mud?
Your friend wants a magical tire, one that will run smooth and quiet for most of the driving then transform itself into a capable off-road tire when he hits the trails. He'll have to compromise somewhere. If his off-road adventures aren't too extreme and the truck sees pavement 90% of the time, something like a Michelin LTX M/S would be perfect. If he wants more off-road traction, the Bridgestone Dueler Revo A/T would work very well.
The Yoko HT/S G053 is really a commercial tire - all load ratings are E with this model. Yeah, its a tough tire but he'll feel the toughness every mile he drives. This tire would work well if he was driving a service truck weighing 10,000lbs or so. On a 1/2 ton pickup I'd say its overkill.
The Discoverer H/T is an all season truck tire. Not a lot different than the Goodyear Wrangler's he is using now. Who knows which one is more durable. If he likes Cooper then I'd suggest the Discoverer M+S or A/T as both would be better off-road choices.
Lots of tires to choose from here depending on what side of the on/off road compromise he falls on. Find out and let us know.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by bretfraz:
[QB] Define "off road" and "once in awhile"?
Are we talking maintained dirt roads or rough trails? Rocks or sand? Mud?
I guess I should have defined off road better. This guy is a retired cattle rancher and still likes to go out onto different ranches. There are shale roads and a lot of catus. The ranches are mostly flat lands but there are some steeper roads when you get up into the cedars.
He also likes to go into the mountains of Colorado where he runs into the same shale and a lot steeper roads and trails.
His problem is that the sharper shale rocks just break the tread part of his tire.
I have the Cooper Discoverer H/T tires on my truck and it rides very quiet and smooth but I have the P/metric tires. He was thinking about the same tires but in a LT series.
quote:------------------------------------------------- I believe the Geolander HT/S G0501 has two steel belts + only two polyester plies on the tread. The HT/S G053 has the two steel belts + 3 polyester plies. Like you said he will feel the rough ride but right now that is what he thinks he needs. If he does put a set of load range E tires on it I think he will trade the truck in this year insted of waiting untill next year but he will not listen.
Originally posted by bretfraz: The Yoko HT/S G053 is really a commercial tire - all load ratings are E with this model. Yeah, its a tough tire but he'll feel the toughness every mile he drives. This tire would work well if he was driving a service truck weighing 10,000lbs or so. On a 1/2 ton pickup I'd say its overkill.[/QB]
I have the Goodyear HL Fortera tires and I give 2 thumbs up to them. I would rate them a superb highway tire with low noise and they do well in challenging situations such as snow and rain.
As for offroading, I would suggest that between a moderate and challenging rated trail that you might consider renting a jeep for the day. No need to put wear and tear on your vehicle with offroading unless you absolutely have to do so.
For trails rated 2WD easy, 4WD easy, Easy +, and moderate the Fortera would "probably" meet your needs nicely. When you start getting into challenging, hard, and extreme rated trails then the Fortera is not your cup of tea.
Overall, Ive never seen a bad review on Fortera tires or heard a negative comment about them. I will say that these tires are very picky about being balanced, rotated, and run at correct inflation. They wear fast if you dont take care of them. The cavaet about the Forteras is that to maximize their potential you have to take care of them and keep the air pressure at recommended levels and make sure they are balanced.
IMO, the Fortera tires are stunningly capable of excellence and Id recommend them heartily.
Happy Motoring All,
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Bugshu
Bugshuquote:Thanks for the additional info
Originally posted by 74 Laguna: [QUOTE]Originally posted by bretfraz: [QB] Define "off road" and "once in awhile"? Are we talking maintained dirt roads or rough trails? Rocks or sand? Mud? I guess I should have defined off road better. This guy is a retired cattle rancher and still likes to go out onto different ranches. There are shale roads and a lot of catus. The ranches are mostly flat lands but there are some steeper roads when you get up into the cedars. He also likes to go into the mountains of Colorado where he runs into the same shale and a lot steeper roads and trails. His problem is that the sharper shale rocks just break the tread part of his tire. I have the Cooper Discoverer H/T tires on my truck and it rides very quiet and smooth but I have the P/metric tires. He was thinking about the same tires but in a LT series.
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Do you think he'd be against running something like the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO? This tire would be durable enough to deal with the rocky trails he drives on, especially when things get steep, but he'll give up some on-road comfort. I'm concerned that the Yoko's won't give him the off-road traction he needs nor the on-road comfort he wants. Then again, I don't drive the way he does so I can't say for sure.
Anyway, good luck with the tire choice. Hopefully whatever he buys will perform the way he wants then to.Hmm... the Fortera is a good tire and may be durable enough but to be safe, I would run som A/T tires. Cooper Discoverer A/Ts are a great tire. I wouldn't use the Yokohama tires. I have the GO51 version and I popped on hitting a curb. Different tire in terms of strength but I doubt I'll be buying another Yokohama tire.
This person I was speaking of went with the Summit Cascade tires. The tread looks a lot like the Michelin Cross Terrain tire and is very quiet on paved roads.
I have another question. Has anyone tried both the Michelin Cross Terrain and the Michelin LTX M/S and if so which one will give the softest and quietest ride?
I am wanting a new set of tires for our Silverado, tire size 265/75/16. We never take it off road and do not haul anything heavy, just a little lumber once in a while.
I was told about the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza but I do not think we will go Bridgestone again, we had bad luck the the Dueler H/L tires before.
Could anyone tell me which Michelin would give the smoothest and quietst ride?
Thanks
The Michelin LTX M/S is the #1 selling light truck tire in the US. From personal experience, the LTX M/S is excellent in sand at the coast when surf fishing, and excellent during the winter during our snow and ice season.
quote:The Cross Terrain will be smoother and quieter than any version of the LTX, but, you roll the dice as far as treadwear is concerned. Many people get excellent mileage out of their Cross-T's, however, many people also report terrible mileage with them. My neighbor is still running strong at 40000+ miles on his, I hit the wear bars at 19000 miles. Both vehicles are first generation body style Expeditions. Go figure...
Could anyone tell me which Michelin would give the smoothest and quietst ride?
I would go with the Michelin LTX M/S.
I had a friend with a 1998 Chevy C1500 with a set of them. He drove about 30k miles a year.
He swore by them. They were great on the highway, and the beach. Low wear, great dry and wet straight and lateral traction. Low Low noise.
74laguna, I would have them rotated and balanced at least every 5-7k miles, if the shop you buy them from offers free rotations and balance.
I want a set of 265/70r16 LTX M/S's for my '00 Silverado b/c the OEM General's are freaking horrible.
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