4x4 TIRES

[Porcupine]

Y'all know I have the 4x4 Exploder and it's my first 4x4. I bought it because I have always liked the Explorer, not to mention the V8

I have no intentions of actual off road use in the sense that some of you guys relate to. However, like Detroit and Minnisota we get our share of winter storms as well. The tires I have now are almost due for replacement in the sense of winter. I briefly looked at a couple of Firestone and Bridgestone tires today...briefly.

3 categories of concern would be
1) ride, 2) fuel economy, 3) traction and of course what type of traction rain, ice or snow.

I even thought about Blizzaks but they have a short life due to their soft compound. Th A+ in Snow and ice is not their forte.

For average city and highway driving what tires would you 4x4 drivers recommend?
I know that any tire I get will do the job but what job is it that I'm after, I'm not sure. Touring tires have generally turned me off due to their hard ride. While they delivery awesome tire longevity they give next to no traction of wet surfaces.

Correct me if I'm wrong and let's hear some opinions TIA

[danny]

bf goodrich has a good line of tires.

[Porcupine]

There's a lot of good brand names but I'm more concered about the TYPE of tire

[danny]

you should shop at a store that specializes in tires-the bf goodrich all terrain are good tires for all weather conditions and don't make much noise on dry highways at high speeds.

[justen]

Look for something that's a radial, good for all year round. I found also I don't like road noise. So instead of buying tires recommended for Suv/light truck, I buy passenger tires. They have a softer ride because the sidewalls don't have as thick of rubber. and They are usually nice and quiet and yet give plenty of traction. Also the downside of a passenger type tire is. The tire will squat a little more then a suv/light duty truck tire not by much. (also the weight rate is the same) But the advantage to that is a squatted tire is better stopping and better driving on ice and snow.

[KA9MOT]

All good advice. I say go with an A/T (all terain).

[vetteonr]

There's a lot of good brand names but I'm more concered about the TYPE of tireI'd go with a rubber one. :D

[duffy]

I'd go with a rubber one.
HA....HA....HA..... (You don't deserve any more than 3 ha's)

Do all your comparison shopping at "Tirerack.com"... look for any quality you want, and compare all the choices... it's easy after you get used to the web site. You have to try different menues to find the "comparison" chart.
Like Justen said, road noise is a big factor for me, that's why I bought light truck tires for my daughter's Wrangler...
1. road noise
2. hydroplaning resistance... another biggie for me
3. wear...?????
4. responsiveness
5. traction in the wet
6. traction in the dry
On the Riviera, I have Bridgestone Invictas (The cheaper model with a lot of features of the high-priced spread), and will never go back to B.F.G.
(I loved the radial T/A's)
They are M&S rated, but, we'll see during the first heavy snow.....aghhhh... the "S" word again.... :eek: :eek:

[schretter.works]

bf goodrich has a good line of tires.


I used the same tires brand on all of my trucks / 4x4.

They rock.

Great stopping power in the water

[Porcupine]

My Firstone dealer was pointing out a couple of good tires, One he said was used on the Lexus.
The Dueller turns out to be one of the choice tires. The new Duellers are unlike the previous generation Duellers.
I also tried Tirerack.com that Duffy suggested.

I'm considering a couple of different tires. Thanks so far for the suggestions.
CDN price will be approx $700 if I get the top end but the top end might be over kill. Of course everyone wants every feature a tire can deliver, ride, fuel economy and various types of handling.
I'll sacrifice fuel for ride but not sure whether ice or snow or rain takes top priority
Since I have a 4x4, snow isn't so high a priority, so it's down to ice and ride.

See? that wasn't so difficult...was it? I think I've solved my own problem. I should be a shrink.

[danny]

:eek: you're going to trust firestone? didn't they make the infamous wilderness tire for the exploder? :D

[KA9MOT]

you're going to trust firestone? didn't they make the infamous wilderness tire for the exploder? :D

Jeez...........I hope :D means this is a joke...............I can't stand another bogus media vs Ford (or Chebby for that matter) fiasco.

[danny]

Jeez...........I hope :D means this is a joke...............I can't stand another bogus media vs Ford (or Chebby for that matter) fiasco.

of course:D means joking.

[Porcupine]

Just like you guys said, it was a bogus issue to begin with.
Since when do lawyers know anything about tires?
Any vehicle will roll over with an underinflated tire. Ever watch the movies? :D

Some one here a while ago posted all the needed ingredients that are needed to allow a vehicle (not to mention Exploder) to make it roll over.

To paraphrase: The vehicle needs to drive at 80MPG, on a loose gravel road, while swerving from lane to lane, in underinflated tires.
I think the best testiment would be people that do offroading and/or rock climbing. If you need an answer you ask the pros, not he lawyers. Lawyers are only sales people. They sell an argument.

[schretter.works]

Firstone dealer ? No matter where you go it is always over prices and over all, all tires are the same.

But BFG rock. They are a status thing with truckers and 4x4's.

No matter what brand or where I would suggest road hazard coverage.
My 305X16X70 cost me $220.00 each.

I ran over a 1/2 bolt (The thread parts was 1/2 inch with 1 inch bolt head, length was 3 1/2 inches) and it stuck in my tire. I put the spare on and drove it to NTB and they ((replaced)) the tire not patch it with no questions.

BUT PLEASE, PLEASE NO SPINNERS !!!!. I know how you Canadian are... Ha Ha...

[danny]

i don't recall if bfg all terrains come in white walls-lol-you will probably have to settle for raised white letters :D

[Porcupine]

Firstone dealer ? No matter where you go it is always over prices and over all, all tires are the same.

But BFG rock. They are a status thing with truckers and 4x4's.

No matter what brand or where I would suggest road hazard coverage.
My 305X16X70 cost me $220.00 each.

I ran over a 1/2 bolt (The thread parts was 1/2 inch with 1 inch bolt head, length was 3 1/2 inches) and it stuck in my tire. I put the spare on and drove it to NTB and they ((replaced)) the tire not patch it with no questions.

BUT PLEASE, PLEASE NO SPINNERS !!!!. I know how you Canadian are... Ha Ha...


Good grief, what's this bit about spinners and Canadians? :D Only the teeny-boppers buy those and I've only seen maybe a 1/2 dozen here all summer. No one likes them here.

As far as status symbol for tires? I could care less about status, just a decent tire. I've had Duellers on my company truck. Because of the excessive use of the company truck, I found the Duellers to outlast and out perform most other tires. That may or may not be so for the 4x4, that's why the research.

BFGs, Dunlops Firstone and few others have great tires. I've never been a fan of Goodyears, but I'm sure they have equally as good a tire.

[schretter.works]

There is a 18 wheeler that drives through Irving about once a week and he has spinners on his wheels. Dumbest thing ever.

[thecarguy]

for most SUV owners I always recomend the michilen cross terrains. Its a great tire and youd be supprised how well it does off road (im talking rivaling BFG all terrain). Great ride on road without the noise that the BFG all terrain has.

For those of you that like the all terrain hurry up and buy a bunch...they are going to change them like they did the mud terrains.