Truck tire purchase help

[otisrider]

OK - what are the big things I need to worry about when shopping for truck tires (1994 F250)?

I know I need Load E - what else?

Thanks

[Evalee Hunter]

OK, I don't know much about truck tire purchase but I'll bump you up & get you started.

One thing you are going to have to think about is tread - highway tread, off road tread, somewhere in between? Another thing is, do you want a road hazard warranty?

Price is not the only thing in buying tires - you need to consider tread wear mileage estimates (guarantees). It might be cheaper (per mile) to buy something expected to last a long time, rather than the cheapest available tire.

You can look at the sidewalls of display tires for info. Haven't bought tires in a couple of years, but you used to be able to see three things embossed on the tire somewhere close to the bead - a treadwear number (100 is average, higher number is better, lower number is worse); a traction rating (A is better than B which is better than C); & a speed rating, again A, B, C, which tried to show how the tire would hold up to heat from driving long distances at high speeds. You didn't used to be able to get the highest rating in all categories because rubber that was hard enough for a high treadwear didn't tend to be so good for traction & so on. I'm sure the tire companies have worked on improving these things so maybe it's different now. You have to think of your most frequent uses to decide what is most important to you.

Once you decide on the tires you want to buy, realize you will have to pay for mounting & balancing as well as new valve stems & the road hazard warranty if you want it (I always buy it). Also, you might find out if they will give you some other stuff such as lifetime (of tires) rotation (if the tire store is close enough that you would go there for rotations). What the extras cost & what they will throw in over the lifetime of the tires is going to influence your decision when combined with the initial price - the total is what you need to look at.

Once the tires are on your truck, BEFORE YOU DRIVE AWAY, this is very important, you must squat down in the parking lot & inspect each tire! Several times in my life, I have found that they mounted one tire that didn't match the others or that they had mis-stated the specifics of the tire (such as the number of plies in the sidewall). If I find anything questionable, I march right back in & get someone to come look at the tire. I want what I paid for!! You may be able to find each tire's serial number to compare to your road hazard warranty to make sure they covered the actual tires they sold you. The numbers need to match.

Now, someone who knows the real stuff can come on & correct me.

[alabama]

I am interested in this, too. I have Michelin LTX M/S load E (LT 235/85/R16) tires on my truck. They are great for the road but if I get in grass that is even slightly damp, I'll spin. I need something that does a little better on grass. I don't drive off road often, but every once in a while trailering to trail ride or go to shows, I have to park on the grass and I need a better tire.

[Rabbit351w]

check the manufacture date as well. Often tires sit at the dealer for a long while and rubber does break down.

[santa ana]

If you haul with your truck, you need to look for an LT tire. But, if you only pull a smaller trailer....its not a necessity. There is a significant increase in price when moving to an LT as well.

I only have a Chevy 1500, which is a half ton and I don't necessarily need an LT rating because I would outweigh the truck before I would outweigh the tire.

Just discuss it with your tire guy and let him know what you will be using the truck for and they should point you in the right direction.

As far as tread type goes...I've always been very happy with General tires. They (in my experience) have outlasted other brands and I like the open tread...it makes for more traction.

[Tiffani B]

I just went through this last month, having to replace all the tires on my truck. I ended up choosing the BF Goodrich All Terrain tire. It was recommended to me by several folks who haul horses for a living. Somewhere I had found a chart that compared several Load Range E tires (tread life, traction (wet and dry), stability, etc) and it was one of the highest rated ones for hauling. Strangely enough, on Consumer Reports, it was one of the lowest rated (the Load Range D version was what they were comparing, and I'm assuming the list was not ranked by people who haul for a living?). Who knows... :confused:

Anyways, I used this site (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=46) to learn about tires.

I ended up buying them from Sam's Club. They had the best price around and a good installation/warranty package.

[goodhors]

You might want to get your truck aligned, steering parts checked out, replaced if needed, before buying the new tires.

Spending for the tires, then putting them on a vehicle that is worn in the steering areas, will NOT add to tire life.

We are real lucky to have a tire store here, that has been in business for over 40 years. Gives great service, stands behind their products. We get all our tires there, they listen and recommend the correct tire for what we need from that truck or trailer tire.

Going to Discount Tire Ray, is not going to be the best deal in the long run. Those folks come and go, don't always know what they are talking about in larger trucks and their tire needs.

Personally, the only time we had Michelins, they blew out. Trailer had sat in the barn a year before purchase, no sun damage. Tires were then 2years old, had not even driven off those rubber bumps on the treads! We blew a tire EACH time we took that trailer down the road. It was awful. Talking to other Michelin owners, those tires seem to have a predetermined lifespan. They will last for X amount of TIME. Doesn't matter if you use them or not, they will go bad at that time when lifespan ends. Driven daily or parked, they still last that timespan, no more. I won't have another Michelin.

We pulled off the rest of the tires after 4 blowouts. This was a big trailer, 8 dual wheels, had them replaced. The suspense of WAITING for the next blowout was KILLING us. Not worth the headache, and stopping on the Expressway with a full load of horses, to change the tire.

[Evalee Hunter]

check the manufacture date as well. Often tires sit at the dealer for a long while and rubber does break down.

Important point which I forgot to mention. Tires can look perfect & still be dry rotted. It is very important to have tires that were manufactured within the last year or so. You can find sites on the internet which will tell you how to read the date code embossed into the rubber of the tire sidewall. You can then refuse to buy tires that are too old.

If you haul with your truck, you need to look for an LT tire. But, if you only pull a smaller trailer....its not a necessity. There is a significant increase in price when moving to an LT as well. . . . As far as tread type goes...I've always been very happy with General tires. They (in my experience) have outlasted other brands and I like the open tread...it makes for more traction.

The original poster has a 250/2500. I think they probably need to go for a light truck tire. You have a 150/1500 which is a different ball of wax.

You can get pretty much any tread pattern designed for any surface on any brand of tire.

You might want to get your truck aligned, steering parts checked out, replaced if needed, before buying the new tires.

Spending for the tires, then putting them on a vehicle that is worn in the steering areas, will NOT add to tire life. . . . Personally, the only time we had Michelins, they blew out. Trailer had sat in the barn a year before purchase, no sun damage. Tires were then 2years old, had not even driven off those rubber bumps on the treads! We blew a tire EACH time we took that trailer down the road. It was awful. Talking to other Michelin owners, those tires seem to have a predetermined lifespan. They will last for X amount of TIME. Doesn't matter if you use them or not, they will go bad at that time when lifespan ends. Driven daily or parked, they still last that timespan, no more. I won't have another Michelin. . . .

I have been told in the past that alignment MUST be done AFTER the new tires are installed. However, steering parts, ball joints, shocks or anything else needing replacement must be done BEFORE the new tires are installed. If the tires start to wear "incorrectly" they will continue to wear unevenly after you correct the problem.

Sun is not the only thing that "ages" tires/rubber - so do various gasses in the air (including oxygen & ozone). ALL tires age & have a rather "predetermined" life span, not just Michelins. It may be that M's have a formula for their tire rubber which is more sensitive to aging factors, but all tires age whether driven or not.

It may be that the tires that were sold to you were already several years old (several years since manufacture) when you bought them. You CAN learn to read the manufacture date imprinted in the tire rubber & refuse to buy any tires that are several years old.

[otisrider]

Thanks everyone - tons of useful info. I just realized that the tires the truck came with (used, over 100K) aren't either of the two options that Tirerack indicates were original on the truck. I assume that I should purchase to match OEM right?

[rooroo8]

I asked my husband about this (he is waaaay into tires, more than a person should really be) - it all really depends on what you are doing with this truck - are you hauling a big heavy horse trailer? It comes down to weight of your truck and the weight of what you are hauling (if you are pulling a trailer).

We have bought tires at TireRack (ok, we have been there, I told you he was really into tires), they are great and are probably your best resource. You do need to very clear with them to tell them exactly what you are going to do with the truck, so they can get you the exact tire for your needs. Suggest you ask for someone at TireRack who is familiar with tow vehicles.

Sticking with OEM may not necessarily be your best choice.

Hubby's opinion regarding brands are Michelin, BF Goodrich and the new Goodyear Silent Armours which I guess is what we just put on our F250 (we pull a 10,000 pound gooseneck).

[Tiffani B]

I almost got the Silent Armors. Those looked like great tires, too.

[Holly Jeanne]

I read this thread with interest and am now trying to decide what to purchase for my truck. I have a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 4 wheel drive short bed (if that matters). I haul a two horse gooseneck with a side ramp. I drive the truck once a week just to keep it going and I haul maybe once or twice a month, usually locally but sometimes to the next state.

My mechanic suggested michelins so I started out pricing them. He recommended a 265 size (load range E). (245 Michelins came on the truck). So far, I've called two dealers in town and both suggested the LTX M/S for $210. Ouch!! I asked one dealer about 245's and he gave me a price on a BF Goodrich all terrain for $190.

My mechanic says he can see about getting me his price and then he could put them on. Don't know whether that's worth it though if the tire Co provides free mounting and balancing and free rotation for life.

So, what do you guys think? Shall I suck it up and get the 265 for $210, the 245 Goodrich for $190? Should I keep pricing? Have my mechanic try for a better price and then see what he would charge to put them on? Other suggestions? Man! Who knew buying a tire could be so complicated! :eek:

[goodhors]

After our bad experiences with the Michelins, our friend's bad experiences with Michelins, along with MANY stories on the Michelins, I would go with the Goodrich tires. I trust the folks relating the stories, they have used a variety of tires, are professional drivers. Tires were on both trucks and cars, with little or lots of use. Michelins have just been bad for these folks. They paid lots for the tires, expected much better wear from them, tires just committed suicide when "their time came", though they were not old or worn badly.

My Goodrich tires have given great service, lasted well with much use. Other brands did well too. I almost never wear out a trailer tire on the tread, they do the miles just fine. It is just the sidewalls that get old, with years of being on the trailer.

Save your best older tire, use it for the spare if it passes inspection by your tire person. Perhaps your present spare, if not used much, with good sidewalls, could be put under the trailer now, so you would only need 3 new tires. Always seems like a waste of money to buy a new spare, then just cook it while hanging on the trailer side, never get any use from it.

We keep the best of the old tires for the new spare. I usually will have a flat or two between tire purchases, hit a nail, so spare does get used in those years between purchases, to keep it dependable. Sometimes that flat tire gets too ripped up while I am driving, don't feel the flat, to be repaired, so I will have a new tire among the older purchases. The tire guys are very dependable, say if tire does not need replacing in the set.

[Holly Jeanne]

My truck came with 245/75-16 tires. My mechanic suggests 265/75-16 tires which resources say is an alternative. My stupid ? is will this raise the truck up any more? It's already tough to get it under my gooseneck hitch. :eek: Any other pros or cons to moving up in size.

[feather river]

Go to

http://www.tirerack.com/

if you have an F250, you have a 3/4 ton. You need an LT tire E rated. Call them up and give them the year of truck, size recommended by Ford [should be on a sticker on your driver door, tell them where you are going to be driving--off road, gravel roads, freeway, whatever. Their prices are the best and they can recommend the right tire for you. Also on their website you can compare for yourself the different brands and things like wet handling, snow, etc.

[feather river]

My truck came with 245/75-16 tires. My mechanic suggests 265/75-16 tires which resources say is an alternative. My stupid ? is will this raise the truck up any more? It's already tough to get it under my gooseneck hitch. :eek: Any other pros or cons to moving up in size.

265cm is wider, not taller. need to check wheel well clearance. go onto tirerack.com and put in your info, it will give you the OE sizes, plus any alternatives recommended by the manufacturer.

[Evalee Hunter]

265cm is wider, not taller. need to check wheel well clearance. go onto tirerack.com and put in your info, it will give you the OE sizes, plus any alternatives recommended by the manufacturer.

While the 265 IS width (as you say), the tire is also slightly taller because the "75" part of the size tells the "profile" which is sort of the ratio between width & height - if it is wider, it is also taller to keep the proportion.

[NoDQhere]

How are Hercules tires? We are getting ready to put new tires on our truck as well. A 3/4 ton Dodge Diesel that we pull a 5 horse head to head trailer with. Our dealer is recommending Hercules tires, which he sells.

[tobruk]

We get around 50000 per set with Firestones, and we haul a lot.

[Tom King]

The tires on my dually weren't what I would have gone out and bought if I had shopped for them but the story is not worth telling how I ended up with them but anyway........

I have a set of made for Sears Michelins that have 84,000 miles on them and look like they are good for another 10 or 15,000. I'm buying another set when these need to be replaced. They've hauled a lot of weight as well as lasted and ride smooth and not too loud for the xc tread.

[feather river]

Thanks everyone - tons of useful info. I just realized that the tires the truck came with (used, over 100K) aren't either of the two options that Tirerack indicates were original on the truck. I assume that I should purchase to match OEM right?

always best to match OE tire size for your vehicle. suspension, etc. has been set up for that tire size. brand of tire is like picking out a horse. ask 10 people and you will probably get a dozen opinions. Tirerack can advise you. you will also need to conside type of tread based on where you live/will be driving. I always go with the highway all season tread for hauling. much quieter and the most mileage. and I stick to major brands.