Tire Talk - Michelin and Cooper

[rawhide]

I'm a Michelin fan boy as well. 90k+ miles from several sets. The last set i put on my f150 were about $1100. The only exception for me is the Michelins that came on my wife’s used low miles QX60. They didn't last 45K miles.

 

[dennishoddy]

I tried Coopers on a 2019 Tundra. They didn't wear well, but we sold the truck before the tires wore out getting a new 2020 F-250 with Michelin Defender 10 ply. We put 65,000 miles on those tires with probably 50,000 pulling a 14,000lb+ 5th wheel. They had another 5K on them, but changed them out before our last summer trip.
Definitely replaced them with Michelin Defenders.

 

[Sooner67]

Always good luck with Michelin my wife's car had about 65k on the last set. I just changed out my KO2s on the 4runner and put about 70k plus on those. Just put on a set of BFGoodrich Trail-Terrains will see how these last.

 

[SoonerP226]

Michelin defender LTX M/S

I need to correct myself—I also have the Defender LTX M/S, not the (oddly similarly named) LTX M/S.

 

[SoonerP226]

I'm a Michelin fan boy as well.

Oddly enough, I haven’t traditionally been loyal to any particular brand—on my previous car, I had Avons, Michelins, Bridgestones, and Continentals (I forget what the stock tires were, so there may be another brand that should be in that list), and my current car just went from Michelin to Pirelli. Keeping my truck shod in Michelins has been a significant deviation from the norm for me, which should tell you something about how much I like those tires.

 

[Hooper]

You can pretty much tell how good a tire is by what it costs.
You get what you pay for in most cases.

Every passenger car tire manufacturer has different levels of tires, they have them listed by mileage charts in most cases.
lowest grades usually are the 20-40 thousand mile tires
Top tier will be 60-80 thousand mile tires.

If you want you can find first responder tires that are manufactured by Goodyear and Michelin
there used to be a big difference in them. Not so much any more.

There are three codes on tires for Tread wear, Temperature Rating and Traction ratings.
Date code is also on a tire, shows week and year of manufacture date.

I always found Michelin to out perform in most cases, but they always cost a bit more.
Bridgestones have worked well for me also, a Michelin owned company.

Goodyear make great tires also, I just prefer Michelin, they seem to always out do Goodyear for me.

I always run slightly more air than they recommend also.
A well inflated tire will have less friction while rolling, you will lose some grip, but gain in tire wear and fuel consumption. Tire pressures probably affect how a tire wears and performs, about as much as anything.

If you want to check the difference in tire pressure and how much difference it can make, experiment with a set of bicycle tires. You will find it is much easier to peddle a bike with well inflated tires.
A Streetcar Racer can tell you about how tire pressure can affect car performance also.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

Every passenger car tire manufacturer has different levels of tires, they have them listed by mileage charts in most cases.
lowest grades usually are the 20-40 thousand mile tires
Top tier will be 60-80 thousand mile tires.

Bridgestones have worked well for me also, a Michelin owned company.

I always run slightly more air than they recommend also.
A well inflated tire will have less friction while rolling, you will lose some grip, but gain in tire wear and fuel consumption. Tire pressures probably affect how a tire wears and performs, about as much as anything.

The Bridgestones that came on my Ford Exploder rode so hard I nicknamed them Flintstones...
They're your tires so you can do whatever you want but overinflating will create an uneven wear pattern across the tread and make the ride uncomfortable. My suggestion is to follow the manufacturer's recommended pressures located on the front driver's door post.

 

[Tall]

I am finally going to change out the tires on my Tundra. Looking for a good all around highway tire, with minimal off road needs.

I was leaning heavily towards the Michelin LTX MS/2, but recently saw good things regarding the Cooper Endeavor Plus. Anybody have experience with the Cooper on a full size truck?

I really like the Michelin LTX on my wife’s AWD Pilot, but the price is OUCH. The Coopers are at a much better price point.

Thanks in advance.

The Michelin tires will be much quieter. Cheaper tires may last as long but they will be noisier. You pay for what you get.

 

[Hooper]

The Bridgestones that came on my Ford Exploder rode so hard I nicknamed them Flintstones...
They're your tires so you can do whatever you want but overinflating will create an uneven wear pattern across the tread and make the ride uncomfortable. My suggestion is to follow the manufacturer's recommended pressures located on the front driver's door post.

Right

I'm not talking about a huge amount of air.
I run about 35 lbs in a tire that the minimum is 32 lbs.
I always run in the top range of the tire pressure recommendations on the side of a tire. I also try and look at my tires often after driving for wear and inflation signs.

You can look at a tire color after a good drive and see if it is under or over inflated by the shade of the rubber.
Outside of tire is dark, it is underinflated, Center of tire is darker, overinflated. Cupping may need shocks or other parts, wear on one side of tire, out of alignment.
Sight may be a better indicator than a gauge in most cases.

If you can't see a difference, feel can tell you a lot. Rubbing your hand across the tire, can tell you a lot, especially on alignment.

Driving thru a dirt lot and looking at a tire will give a guy some indicators also with color change.

Certainly a lot of different tires and preferences out there.

I have heard them called flintstones also. I like a stiffer tire on my pickup, pretty much all I drive though.
If I had a Lincoln or Luxury car, a smooth ride would definitely be the goal.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

UPDATE: I ended up going with the Michelins and having Discount match Costo prices. (saved me a couple hundred)
It rides so much nicer and quieter. The only down side was they stripped a lug nut, so I have to take it in tomorrow to have that repaired and then also have an alignment done.
Thanks for all of the info and advice fellas.