Tires

[andrewzx92000]

Hi Guys. I am about to take off my Goodyear tires and I am wanting some feedback on the changes you noticed when you put Michelin LTX E rated on in their place.
Did you notice and increase in road noise?
Did ride improve?
Did direction stability get better or worse or the same.
This would help me if you would reply if you have done the Goodyear, Michelin change over.
Thanks, Andrew.

[cdnsarguy]

I went from Goodyears to Michelin LTX, at first I thought they were a little noisy but a softer ride. We get some cold temps up here but I never skated around with any other brand like I did with LTXs last winter. I mean winter driving has a whole new meaning now, I have to fight to keep it on the road in snow and ice situations, braking was a real thrill too. Costco and cost was the only reason I changed, it is hard to find tire shops which give road hazard, rotation and balance etc for free.

[toalpi]

Lets make sure everyone is on the same page, or tires. The vans have been coming with Goodyear HT tires for a long time. Michelin has a few different LTX tires, M/S, AT,and AS. The M/S goes by a few different names when you buy it at some places like Sears, Walmart, BJ's or other chain outlets. I believe the LTX M/S is the best all around all season tire made. They will cost more. The HT's are not good in the rain and are terrible in the snow.

[E350PSD]

Take a tape measure with you and measure your new choices. Although the tire manufacturers put the same number on the sidewall, LT245/75R16 E, the actual dimension vary considerably. The Wrangler HT has the widest tread around at about 8”. Most of the other manufacturers may have a similar section width, but the tread width comes in around 7”. Also, the diameter varies too.

I settled on Cooper Discovery AT because the actual dimensions were close to the Wrangler HT, and the price was reasonable at $100 each installed. Yeah I know, one is a highway tire and the other an all terrain, but the Wrangler really doesn’t fit the highway mold. The AT is only slightly more aggressive than the Wrangler HT.

After 1000 or so miles I can’t tell any difference in road noise or handling. I do get better traction on the launch ramp and muddy roads. I won’t know about snow until winder comes along.

Anyway, I’m happy with the Cooper Discovery AT.

[Alaskapsdvan]

Thought that you might like this bit of information, back in March I put on the E350 gas van that I had a full set of All Terrain Radial Avon's, they are the 265/75R16 load E (M+S), I did get to drive them in some snow before the winter was over, and so far this summer in some rain, and they make the van fell better in the curves around here, they have done well on the unpaved roads that we have around here as well.

[Yardbrew]

Have 40K on my Goodyear HT's that came on the van. I sure hope to get another 15K out of them........

Just rotated today and darned if I didn't twist off a stud on the back wheel drivers side. The nut came loose about a turn and a half and then froze up tighter than anything. When I applied the torque to get the nut off, the stud twisted off right at the base of the nut........ [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Sooooo, it will be a call to the dealer tomorrow to find out what to do.

Yardbrew

[E350PSD]

Yardbrew,

Studs breaking off the hub are a common problem on boat trailers. I learned a long time ago to use some <font color="blue">Zinc anti-seize compound </font> on them. I now also use it on all my studs both for anti-seize protection and more consistent torque values.

Also, avoid using an impact wrench. I torque'em both on and off with a stepped sequence.

[Kenworth]

I'am not completely sold on Michelins hype on how good the LTX are and for the price of them I think I would go with Bridgestone M773s or if you not in snowy areas the R237s both good tough tires.

The other good one is the Bridgestone D611s if you want to run the 235s I had these on my other F-Superduty as steers worked fine but they did wear fast. I didn't have any complaints about the front end breaking loose and they tracked pretty good but like I said they wore pretty quick but then again our highway is loaded full of S curves and a heavy truck takes its toll.

KW

[McRat]

I've got over 60,000 mi on my E rated Big 0's on my E-350. Cheap and durable.