Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus-Review

[Indydriver]

As the name suggests, this tire is a revised Alenza design touted by Bridgestone as their best SUV tire. They back that up with an 80,000 mile warranty.

I purchased a used 2007 Tahoe LT last August and it needed tires so I gave these a try. So, they've been on for 8 months and 6,000 miles. Drove them all winter in up to 8" of snow and -10F temps and they've worked just fine. Of course you don't push a vehicle like this hard in the turns but it gives predictable understeer if pushed too hard

Drove it on a 2400 mile spring break trip to FL and they are very smooth and quiet on the highway. They have held air pressure spot on since they were installed. Nice tire for these big, heavy SUVs.

 

[rhhsiao]

Have you had to purchase SUV/light truck tires previously? I'm curious how these perform relative to, say, the Michelin LTX MS2s?

 

[stranger706]

Good to hear the 2nd generation is holding up to the original.

We put 65,000 miles on a set of the original version on a Ford Explorer and they were not even half worn yet. Never needed to be rebalanced and held air pressure seemingly forever.

Smooth, quiet, safe predictable tire.

 

[Indydriver]

No, this is my first truck-based SUV.

 

[The_Captain]

I put a set of these on after the Goodyear Wranglers had to be replaced at 25,000 miles. I got them at Costco with free nitrogen fill and rotations. I have had them on for about 11,000 miles now and I am really pleased. Great tire!

 

[CKN]

rhhsiao
Hail to the Mighty Michelin Gods!

 

[wirelessF]

Nice to read an initial tire review. Time will tell if the tires hold up to their promise since they are still fresh.

Other than the 80,000mi warranty and LRR status I think there is visually no difference. Unless someone did long term reviews on these two tires on MPG and lifetime improvement. I have 265/70R16 Bridgestone Alenzas on my 02 Silverado 2wd and I am definitely impressed with these tires (first and only pickup to use crossover/suv tires) and will go with the Alenza Plus when it's time for.

 

[rhhsiao]

Originally Posted By: CKN
rhhsiao
Hail to the Mighty Michelin Gods!


Ha, no offense to Michelin because these tires are amazing on my '01 Tundra (wear like iron, smooth, and quiet). However, I made the purchase without doing much research about alternatives since I just went to Costco and asked for the best light truck tire. Total came to over $900 at the time. I've since tried Cooper tires on the GF's CR-V and think they're great for the price. If I can get a similar performing tire as the Michelin from a different brand, say 80-90% of the performance, for a fraction of the cost, why not?

 

[aquartlow]

I have had Michelin LTX's and the LTX MS2's on my wife's Sequoia, both were very good but expensive tires. I realize quality and piece of mind are worth more than saving a few dollars when your family is involved in a tire choice. Needing a new set of tires, I did some searching online and found great reviews on the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza Plus's, so I purchased a set of P245/75/16's(same size as the LTX MS2's I replaced). I got them mounted, balanced with full road hazard, lifetime rotation and lifetime re-balancing for $529.71 from my local Firestone. I liked/loved the Michelin's but got tired of such an expensive tire developing sidewall and tread cracking, within 3 years of purchase at less than 36K miles. I really can't fault the Michelin's other than the cracking issues, treadwear and staying balanced was their strong point. I purchased a tire with a good pedigree, a longer tread wear warranty and saved more than $200 on the set over the Michelins. I figured it was a win-win, but only time will tell.