I have a new tire buying strategy

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Isn't there a few different kinds of LTX's?

Sometimes I think you have try different kinds, occasionally buying the most expensive, and perhaps even the cheapest (or ok, almost cheapest), in order to find what works best. Otherwise you will have to rely on antedotal evidence which will always conflict. There's no end of people have have glowing reports of cheap stuff--and glaring reviews of the same. Same for the expensive stuff, and for everything between.
 
Everyone is different, hence there are a lot of choices. With all tires sold here DOT approved I support anyone's right to choose whatever tire they want.

Since I purchase multiple sets every year for business purposes, I have gone to Michelins LTX MS2's for our fleet trucks. They typically last up to THREE TIMES LONGER than almost every other brand we tried. Plus we rarely have to service them in any way.

Ben99GT, Overkill, Y_P_W, and others here have had similar experiences with Michelin. I'm still getting used to the outrageous performance of my new PSS's.

Everyone else can keep Wing Fong in business in China. They need the money...
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Everyone is different, hence there are a lot of choices. With all tires sold here DOT approved I support anyone's right to choose whatever tire they want.

Since I purchase multiple sets every year for business purposes, I have gone to Michelins LTX MS2's for our fleet trucks. They typically last up to THREE TIMES LONGER than almost every other brand we tried. Plus we rarely have to service them in any way.

Ben99GT, Overkill, Y_P_W, and others here have had similar experiences with Michelin. I'm still getting used to the outrageous performance of my new PSS's.

Everyone else can keep Wing Fong in business in China. They need the money...

I'm pretty much brand agnostic. Over more than 20 years, I've purchased tires from Yokohama, Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, and Dunlop. The brand of tire doesn't really matter to me so much as the model.

And sometimes I don't get the "one bad experience" that gets someone to say they'll never buy that brand again. Every manufacturer has its duds. I know in the hard drive business, there are customers who will say they won't get this brand again (ever) because they had a crash or they heard of a major recall. Well guess what? There are only 3 manufacturers left.

We have a lot of tools available now to research, and not just rely on a brand name. Back when I first bought a set of tires, there was an internet but there weren't a whole lot of people writing detailed reviews of tires. Tire Rack was still mostly operating off of a model where they had detailed price listings in the major auto magazines, and nearly all orders were made over the phone. Maybe back then a brand reputation was the best tool that anyone had, but these days the major manufacturers are consistently trying to trump each other with the next generation tire model.
 
Partly inspired by this thread I dig some digging yesterday when I used a free oil change coupon at a local tire shop.

The cheapest tire they had in 185/65R14 was the Finalist Sentinel UN-99, from the private label Del-Nat. Coulda had it installed for $245.26. The guy at the counter looked at me a little strange when I asked about the tire, but agreed to show me one, which he rolled out from the back of the shop.

Made in China; next to no siping; no treadwear warranty, as far as we could find. Once the guy realized I knew how to read a tire sidewall, he told me flat-out I did not want that tire, especially if I drove in winter. He pointed me to the Mastercraft MC-440 as a low-cost but decent alternative.

So be careful about buying the 'very' cheapest tires....plus consider that if you shop carefully online you can beat the install price quoted above and get Altimax RT43 or H727s, etc. Hmm.
 
Offhand, I do not care about winter performance...my Dakota gets dedicated winter tires, my Caddy gets parked for the winter.
 
Originally Posted By: faramir9
Partly inspired by this thread I dig some digging yesterday when I used a free oil change coupon at a local tire shop.

The cheapest tire they had in 185/65R14 was the Finalist Sentinel UN-99, from the private label Del-Nat. Coulda had it installed for $245.26. The guy at the counter looked at me a little strange when I asked about the tire, but agreed to show me one, which he rolled out from the back of the shop.

Made in China; next to no siping; no treadwear warranty, as far as we could find. Once the guy realized I knew how to read a tire sidewall, he told me flat-out I did not want that tire, especially if I drove in winter. He pointed me to the Mastercraft MC-440 as a low-cost but decent alternative.

So be careful about buying the 'very' cheapest tires....plus consider that if you shop carefully online you can beat the install price quoted above and get Altimax RT43 or H727s, etc. Hmm.


Above mentioned "Sentinel" tire...
41G4G3iLa8L._SY355_.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Isn't there a few different kinds of LTX's?


These were the LTX M/S. Had to pull them off at 40,000 miles, before I ended up wrecking the truck.

This one:
mi_ltx_ms_owl_ci2_l.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
I refuse to buy Chinese tires altoghter and will pay more for US made vs Canada or anywhere else. I hate seeing abandoned manufacturing facilities across this great country!


......you've never owned Goodyear and or Firestone tires before, have you?
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: supton
Isn't there a few different kinds of LTX's?


These were the LTX M/S. Had to pull them off at 40,000 miles, before I ended up wrecking the truck.

This one:
mi_ltx_ms_owl_ci2_l.jpg



I know there is LTX M/S and then there is LTX M/S2. And then LTX A/S, LTX AT2 and LTX Winter. Tirerack seems to indicate decent reviews on M/S non-2.

But I'm not going to argue. We have the well-loved Primacy's on our Camry, and it's going to get RT43's next week. I have the LTX M/S2's on my truck, and while at the moment I think it's a nice all season perhaps once the tread wears down I'll dislike them. I didn't like them in snow though, unlike others here--I thought they simply lacked any and all traction, not worthy of the hype. And unless if I make my truck a daily driver then the LTX's were a lousy buy, as they'll age out on me. But I like them so far on the road, better than the Bridgestones it had before.

Just like there is no one vehicle for everyone there seems to be no one tire for everyone.

*

I've noticed my 3 year old enTyre's are simply scare in the wet now. Right at the wear bars, but during a heavy rain the other day I was able to spin a tire in 4th gear. Yesterday ABS kicked on in the rain too. I think the rubber got hard after a few years or something. I might just start pulling tires at 4/32's (sooner?) and CL what's left, let someone else deal with old tires.
 
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
I refuse to buy Chinese tires altoghter and will pay more for US made vs Canada or anywhere else. I hate seeing abandoned manufacturing facilities across this great country!


......you've never owned Goodyear and or Firestone tires before, have you?


Some of the best tires I have ever used were Firestones. (Those particular ones were made in Canada.)
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I know there is LTX M/S and then there is LTX M/S2. And then LTX A/S, LTX AT2 and LTX Winter. Tirerack seems to indicate decent reviews on M/S non-2.

But I'm not going to argue. We have the well-loved Primacy's on our Camry, and it's going to get RT43's next week. I have the LTX M/S2's on my truck, and while at the moment I think it's a nice all season perhaps once the tread wears down I'll dislike them. I didn't like them in snow though, unlike others here--I thought they simply lacked any and all traction, not worthy of the hype. And unless if I make my truck a daily driver then the LTX's were a lousy buy, as they'll age out on me. But I like them so far on the road, better than the Bridgestones it had before.

Just like there is no one vehicle for everyone there seems to be no one tire for everyone.


My neighbor went from the stock Bridgestone Dueler's on his Chevy Silverado. Just to note, these are a 400BB tire (B-rated tire as far as traction).

He installed a set of the LTX M/S-2's... and is really disappointed in the traction. And this is supposedly a 720AA tire (A-rated tire for traction).

Michelin needs to be investigated on their phony tire UTQG ratings.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
I refuse to buy Chinese tires altoghter and will pay more for US made vs Canada or anywhere else. I hate seeing abandoned manufacturing facilities across this great country!


......you've never owned Goodyear and or Firestone tires before, have you?


Some of the best tires I have ever used were Firestones. (Those particular ones were made in Canada.)

Firestone isn't really a manufacturer any more, but rather a brand name. It's really just Bridgestone.

And the name is kind of cute. The founder is Shōjirō Ishibashi. His family name Ishibashi literally means "stone bridge" in Japanese.
 
I'd still pick a tire that has good review regardless of whether you are looking for a 30k mile or a 80k mile (if this exist) tires. When in doubt, check the wet brake distance on tire rack and compare.
 
I rotate when I measure a front to back tread difference of ~ 1/16 inch. I buy 4 new tires,when close to the wear bars and keep one for a backup so I never spend the extra for the road hazard insurance. I use CU & Tire-Rack to narrow the search. In my SW FL, I look for good wet handling and hydroplaning resistance. Ed
 
On the LTX M/S2 I think the tread wear is really good. 20,000 miles and down to about 8/32nds. Does fine in the wet and light snow. Ive also used the LTX M/S and they did good as well. The main problem I had was with sidewall/ Tread that weather cracked after about 3 to 4 years and kept me from reaching high mileage. Other tires weather crack as well. Those that travel higher mileage per year should get a better return on their investment than I. These tires have given no balancing or ride issues.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi


I personally think there is no danger in using China tires, mostly a myth to justify expensive purchases.

Not a myth!
depends on the chinese tires, if they are major brand made in china with quality control.. that's usually ok

if they are no name they can leave out crucial tire construction steps/ingredients.

note: these links are older and many of the newer chinese tires are "upgraded" to basically ok

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007...inancial-advice

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32899266/ns/business-autos/t/chinese-tires-its-buyer-beware/
 
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Originally Posted By: grampi
In the past when it was time to buy new tires I would find a set of all season tires that were either 80K or 100K mile rated and I would replace all 4 at one time. However, I have found over the years this may not be the best, or most economical way of replacing tires. It doesn't seem to matter what brand or model of tires I buy, I rarely have all 4 last the full mileage rating of the tires. One tire will either develop a thump, or a tire will blow, or something else happens where I have to replace at least one of the tires. So I have decided to go with a different strategy.

My new strategy is buying the least expensive tires I can find, which usually means tires that are 35K or 40K mile rated tires. It also includes replacing only the tires that need to be replaced. I'm tired of throwing away good tires that have several thousands of miles left on them just because I want a new set of tires. Like right now, I have two good tires on the rear of my car, but the fronts need to be replaced before winter, so that's what I'm gonna do. It also means I get new tires twice as often, which we all know how much nicer new tires ride as compared to tires that have started the hardening process after they get to be a year or two old. And when one of these tires goes bad they're only a $50 or $60 tire as opposed to a $100 or $120 80K or 100K rated tire.


Using this strategy, you can also save on rotating tires. No more need to do so to offset the difference in front/rear wearing.

I used to study tirerack reviews before purchasing tires and only getting well reviewed ones. I stopped doing this since I had well reviewed tires from Yokohama, Sumitomo, and Bridgestone that sucked big time in daily driving. The most recent example was a set of Sumitomo tires that was all worn out in 18,000 miles (with religious rotations and no alignment issues.

On the other hand, once I had a beater car that didn't pass inspection because of tires and I slapped the cheapest "metric import" tires I could find locally and it felt like a huge upgrade from the more expensive "performance" tires I had.

Now, I'm very sensitive to fuel economy and I wouldn't buy a no brand tire now knowing the rolling resistance numbers. Cheap high rolling resistance tire will cost you more in fuel than more expensive low rolling resistance tire.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04

My neighbor went from the stock Bridgestone Dueler's on his Chevy Silverado. Just to note, these are a 400BB tire (B-rated tire as far as traction).

He installed a set of the LTX M/S-2's... and is really disappointed in the traction. And this is supposedly a 720AA tire (A-rated tire for traction).

Michelin needs to be investigated on their phony tire UTQG ratings.


I don't dispute his experience, but I've got a set on my Pilot and if you go over to piloteers.org you will find the official Cult of the LTX MS/2.

They stick like glue.

As for the OP, I bought a used Corolla and the dealer put the cheapest set of tires on it he could find to get it Toyota Certified- Telestar Weatherizers. I was very disappointed in cornering and wet traction for the first 10K miles. Then near 15K miles I got totally sideways following a car at 15MPH through a sharp turn. (The car I was following had no problem!)

At 15K I replaced them with Michelins (there are other good choices). I have 55K on them now and they are still 3x the tire that the cheap Telestar's were.

So, no, unless you drive only on bright sunny days at less than 15MPH, I don't believe in buying the cheapest tires possible.
 
Nevermind the brand. It's just a matter of naming. Its always cost versus durability but every tire depreciates and its life span totally depends on how it is being used. Pressure always play a great part in keeping our tire great. Using my Mountaincrest Digital Tire Gauge, I usually make sure that my tire pressure is set in adequate but not too much amounts.
 
Originally Posted By: grampi
My new strategy is buying the least expensive tires I can find, which usually means tires that are 35K or 40K mile rated tires. It also includes replacing only the tires that need to be replaced.


I adopted the same strategy for cars I don't care about. But, you know what? I hate the way they drive with Chinese tires.... Especially in the rain.

But rather than use anecdotal and subjective evidence, I prefer instrumented testing. To that end, I own a G-Tech and can measure cornering power on my favorite off ramps. My Jaguar with the Michelin Primacy's was capable of 0.84G average on my local cloverleaf. The Chinese Hankooks are capable of 0.72G. But worse than that, the Hankook's brake at less than 1G. Where the Michelins would peak at 1.2G. The difference amounts to about 10MPH in cornering and about 50 feet in braking.
 
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