Time for new tires Suggestions? - Diesel Forum

LindaC · 08-19-2005, 08:23 AM

I have a 2003 Ford E-350 Diesel van with 50K on it. My tires need to be replaced soon. I was going to replace them with the same tire that it came with, Goodyear Wrangler 245/75R16 E, but when I went to tirerack and started comparing tires I had some doubts. Some people love them some people hate them so now I am confused [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]
I really haven't had any problems with these tires except now they are getting a little too noisy, plus this is my first big van and I have nothing to compare them too.

Safety, reliability, and good gas milage are my top prioities. Which tire would you recommend?

msnunes · 08-19-2005, 10:38 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I have a 2003 Ford E-350 Diesel van with 50K on it. My tires need to be replaced soon. I was going to replace them with the same tire that it came with, Goodyear Wrangler 245/75R16 E, but when I went to tirerack and started comparing tires I had some doubts. Some people love them some people hate them so now I am confused [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]
I really haven't had any problems with these tires except now they are getting a little too noisy, plus this is my first big van and I have nothing to compare them too.

Safety, reliability, and good gas milage are my top prioities. Which tire would you recommend?

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine came with those stock, and I found them to ride really hard, once I changed them to something else. I also noticed that they tended to have crappy traction on wet roads.

I've been a Michelin fan for some time, and now have the X...LT...M/S... whatever it's called. They ride much smoother and get better traction. Also went one size up, when getting wider wheels.

roaddog · 08-19-2005, 09:35 PM

Michelins ... you won't regret it.

dmon · 08-19-2005, 10:12 PM

I just bouught my second set of Michelin Ltx m/s. I went 60,000 on the last set. They are much better in the rain and snow than the wrangler ht's that were on my van. The only downside is the price.

ddog · 08-20-2005, 08:01 AM

Michelins are what I have and I like them. The dealer where I bought my van put them on. I have put 20,000 miles on them so far and the 60,000 miles above seems reasonable. If you have a Sam's Club, they have a pretty good price on the Michelins. Downside to Sam's is if you let yor membership expire, they don't honor their road hazard or free rotation policy anymore. If you travel alot you may be better off paying a few extra dollars at a tire dealer where you can get service anywhere. Since this is your first big van, whatever you decide for tires I have one word for you ROTATE. Rotate tires whenever you change the oil, which on the diesel van is every 5000 miles. Also I recommend running minimum 65psi in the front tires. This is my second E350 and the factory recomendation for the front is too low in my opinion and contributes to premature scrubbing and wear on the front tires. Also upping the air pressure will help some with fuel economy.

ddog

LindaC · 08-20-2005, 09:48 AM

If I go with the 265's instead of the 245's, how will that affect my miles per gallon?

I rotated every 5K but I still ended up with uneven wear on the tires. I'll try the 65psi on the front. What psi do you recommend for the back tires.

Alaskapsdvan · 08-20-2005, 04:22 PM

I am running the toyo open country ,,,,,,, 265/75/16 on mine,, and getting 15-17mpg........ but it is summer here in alaska,,,,, this winter I should be back down to the 13-15 range..... been running the 265 on the van from when I got it in 4/03 and been in that range for mpg ......

Larry M · 08-20-2005, 05:46 PM

Linda,

I just had to replace my GY Wrangler HTs with only 47K on them and they were wearing great (I would estimate I should have gotten close to 80K out of them). I had to replace my GYs because there were developing some cracking and bulging near the bead area and I run my tires towing right around 2800 lbs on the rears so they are loaded up. I looked at Michelins, but went with the Cooper Discoverer A/T tires which got good recommendations here mileage from a lot of the F-series folks, traction and road noise wise. I never had any traction issues with the GYs, but the Coopers do have a more aggressive tread and I just returned from a 2200 mile trip on the Coopers with almost 1700 of that towing and was please up to this point with my choice and I only paid around $535 for four out the door vs. almost $700+ a set of Michelins would have set me back. The only downside thus far with the Coopers is that towing it seems I'm picking up a few more rocks to throw loose (mostly from the gravel KOAs that we stay in on the road), but that's a minor annoyance and gives me something to do at the "pit stops" for the wife with my trusty screwdriver. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I went with the stock sized 245R75x16s since I use my Van mostly for towing and didn't want anything larger.

Michelins are a great tire, but you might want to look at the Coopers which also seem to be a great tire for quite a bit less.

I'm back now and need to air way down to see how they ride inflated for an unloaded conditon. For me that will be around 40 to 45 in the front and 50 to 55 in the rear since unloaded I'm still close to 8,000 for my Van.

Larry

e444 · 08-20-2005, 08:22 PM

i have about 10,000 on my coopers 256/75/16 so far so good with the wrangler ht,s my van would get stuck in its own shadow

toalpi · 08-20-2005, 11:24 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I looked at Michelins, but went with the Cooper Discoverer A/T tires which got good recommendations here mileage from a lot of the F-series folks, traction and road noise wise. I never had any traction issues with the GYs, but the Coopers do have a more aggressive tread and I just returned from a 2200 mile trip on the Coopers with almost 1700 of that towing and was please up to this point with my choice and I only paid around $535 for four out the door vs. almost $700+ a set of Michelins would have set me back. The only downside thus far with the Coopers is that towing it seems I'm picking up a few more rocks to throw loose (mostly from the gravel KOAs that we stay in on the road), but that's a minor annoyance and gives me something to do at the "pit stops" for the wife with my trusty screwdriver. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Michelins are a great tire, but you might want to look at the Coopers which also seem to be a great tire for quite a bit less.

I'm back now and need to air way down to see how they ride inflated for an unloaded conditon. For me that will be around 40 to 45 in the front and 50 to 55 in the rear since unloaded I'm still close to 8,000 for my Van.

Larry

[/ QUOTE ] Larry, You were looking at the Cooper ATR not the AT. Are you a Yankee. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Almost every tire that is rated M/S is going to pick up more rocks than the goodyear HTs did. That ATR looks like it would be a good choice for many people. I'm currently running two different tires on my work van that were put on at the same time and have been rotated front to back. Michelin LTX M/S and Bridgestone Dueler AT REVO. The Bridgestone REVOs probably look way too agressive for the average road going van, but I am finding that they have better traction in the rain and any snow or grass or offroad condition than the Michelin LTX M/S. On dry roads I have not been able to detect a difference. The Michelins are wearing better. So you clearly can't have really good traction under all conditions AND long life. Both of these tires are in the higher price range.

Larry M · 08-21-2005, 05:27 AM

Good catch and you're exactly correct I have the Discoverer ATR [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

I also considered the Revos, but I decided to replace my GYs like on the Thur before we left the next Mon and couldn't get the Revos locally in time. When I aired up for towing is when they developed the slight bulging next to the wheel so I was under a time crunch to get safe tires on the Van. I think with my useage time and just general deterioration vs. mileage will be the determining factor on tire replacement for me. Unless we take a monster trip like the 11,000 mile one in 2004 I probably don't put more than 8,000 to 10,000 miles a year on my Van.

Larry

ddog · 08-22-2005, 06:32 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'm back now and need to air way down to see how they ride inflated for an unloaded conditon. For me that will be around 40 to 45 in the front and 50 to 55 in the rear since unloaded I'm still close to 8,000 for my Van.

[/ QUOTE ]

Larry,(and Linda where applicable)
Keep a close eye on the front tires running those pressures. I know your no stranger to Ford Vans but I'll offer this up for thought.I haven't seen the Cooper tire your running but I assume its a block style tread as opposed to the ribbed style tread the Goodyears have. The block style tread will tend to squirm more at lower pressures, particularly in around driving if you do much of that, which can cause some scrub wear and cupping. A little back ground,when I got my 93 E-350 the tires were cupped horribly,looked at the receipts(from the original owner) and they had less than 10,000 miles.There were also some small cracks near the tread cap at the sidewall. Got them replaced, warranty no pro rate, front end inspection all ok. Replaced the shocks(for GP) and ran door jam pressures in the front tires 45psi and 65(80 recommended) in rear.Started seeing wear in the front, not uneven,but scrubbing,feathering,etc after about 3,000 miles. Back for another front end inspection,all still good, got some of the "all Fords do that", etc. Got to thinking about the weight of the motor,etc and figured more air in the front can't be a bad thing.And more air cured the problem.Put 30,000 plus miles on those tires and they were looking like they would make 60000,before pending trans and A/C troubles convinced me I needed a payment and traded on the van in sig. That van had cupped GY HT's on it on the dealer lot, Got new Michelins out of the dealer, and have been running 65-70 front and 70-75 rear with good wear.Daily driver,Tow a boat on weekends, gets loaded with people and dog on trips, don't generally adjust up-down for loads except for rear to 80 max if its boat,dog, people and gear. Anecdotal evidence I know, some will disagree, your results may vary.

Derrek

Yardbrew · 08-22-2005, 06:33 PM

I got 60K out of the OEM Wrangler HT's that came on my van. I replaced them with 245 Goodyear Wrangler RT/S load range E.

I have always run 80lbs in my tires and am not able to tell if the ride is better or worse. Either I am pulling a heavy load or riding empty...no in between.

The RT/S does seem to have a bit better traction and I am told that they will do better on wet surfaces.

So far, I've only gotten about 8K on the new tires and cannot comment on the wear. I try to rotate all 5 about every 10K.

There is no free lunch, the tire manufacturers put a different rubber in the highway tires from the mud and snow tires. The softer rubber won't get as many miles before the wear out.

The main thing, in my opinion, is to keep the tires in perfect balance and alignment as much as possible.

I chose my tires because Tire Rack didn't have the Wrangler HT's when I bought new tires. Since most of my driving is on dry pavement, I would have gotten the HT's (a highway tire) if they were available

I rotate my own tires and do not allow an air impact wrench to touch my truck. That probably speaks more to break pad wear than tire wear but it doesn't hurt.

The great price that Sam's Club has on Michelins is certainly a positive thing......and tempting.

Yardbrew

Larry M · 08-22-2005, 06:53 PM

Derrek,

Thanks for the heads up and I'll keep a close watch on them, I now have around 1700 mi towing and 500 freeway with them aired up at 65 front and 75 rear. I imagine I could just air them up some maybe like 55 to 60 front and 65 to 70 rear since unless something changes it looks like my tire replacement might be based more on the physical condition of the tire and not mileage. I didn't notice quite the non towing rough ride with these Coopers that I did with my GYs and that might be from the difference in the hwy rib style to the more traditional A/T type block style tread. <font color="red"> HERE</font> is a pic of the Coopers I'm now running.

The only other experiences I've had with a block style tread tire was I ran Dunlop Radial Rovers on my last Van for 8 or so years, but their tread was a little less aggressive than the Cooper Discoverer ATR.

Larry

bork · 08-22-2005, 07:53 PM

I called michelin about rumor that they made Liberators for wal-mart and tech-rep said they do in fact make that tire . So I am trying them now.(inexpensive) At first I didn't like handling. They made van feel top heavy and always steering to correct wandering.(like driving in a strong cross wind). I complained and they said to let them wear in . Now with about 3,000 on them they are a little better but now I will try a little more air up front too. In my old maxi van (dodge) I always ran higher pressure up front to counter sway wear,with good results. Many walmarts around for warrentee issues and they will probably let me upgrade to michelins if I b*tch. Tech rep for mich said walmart could order in the ribbed (I believe XPS) version which is all steel & no nylon. anyone else use these? I used to use them on a work truck because they are made to be retreaded a few times, which I did with great success. But using only the Bandage capping proccess.