Firestone Destination AT or LE which one is better

2006 Explorer needs new tires. Looking at Firestone Destination AT or LE. which tire would be better? Live in Michigan so we get snow and ice. Do 90% highway driving 10% off road. Or is their a different tire I should look at.

Thanks

 

[JT'sDad]

I put the Firestone Destination A/T on my wife's 2003 Explorer this fall. Love them.
Excellent on pavement, but good in the snow too. I wish I could afford to put another set on my 2001 Sport Trac.

 

[MNgopher]

The LE's stink on ice, snowpack, and slush. They are fine in fresh snow, dry, rain, etc... They were so bad in the snow, I ended up getting a set of dedicated snows this year. Treadwear has stuck too - will not get anywhere near 60,000.

 

[CDW6212R]

I had the AT's on my 99 truck until the tread wore out(one year). The LE is all they had in stock to replace them. The LE's wore out much faster and had less grip. The AT has deeper tread and will be much better for off road or snow etc.

I tried to go to Firestone's again, price and reviews, warantee etc. I wasted the money and time, plus the Firestone store did not want to warantee the AT's. I suggest going with a more well known off road or winter tire, even a little more money is worth it. Regards,

 

[Divemaster191307]

After these last 2 snow storms we got here (Washington, DC suburbs), I have to say: I LOVE my A/Ts. I've got 265s so you do feel a little more resistance when driving through slush, but no problem whatsoever with grip!

 

[jrford]

welcome michigander . ..just another idea.

Can't comment on Firestones, almost got the AT's, but i was concerned how long they would last. . . .so i went with Michelins LTX A/T2, and i can now report great snow traction, great in the rain, dirt, two tracks. They ride on the soft side and some slight noise. Based on the last set i had on my heep they lasted over 70k miles and still had 4/32 tread left, but due to a bad ball joint (one tire was cupped) and two others had bead leaks (corrosion on the alum rim) i had to replace them. With 160k on the clock and 12 years old truck went the cheapest route i could find.


But i did buy them for the Ford (@60k), which should last the life of the truck.

 

[Bill MacLeod]

The LE's stink on ice, snowpack, and slush. They are fine in fresh snow, dry, rain, etc... They were so bad in the snow, I ended up getting a set of dedicated snows this year. Treadwear has stuck too - will not get anywhere near 60,000.

I just had a 2nd set of LE's put on my 99. Got 67,000 on the first set. Never had a traction problem, thats what the 4x4 is for. So my mileage differs.

 

[MNgopher]

I agree, your experience may vary. To put things in perspective, I have a '97 Explorer, now with dedicated winter tires and the Destination LE's for the rest of the year, a Jeep Cherokee with Bridgestone Dueler AT D695's, an F150 with Bridgestone Dueler AT REVO's, and at work I drive an 2004 Explorer with a set of Michelins on it and an F150 with Firestone Destination AT's on it.

Hands down, the Destination LE's were the worst of the bunch in snow, packed snow, or ice. They are also noiser than any of the AT's now that they have wear on them. Tirerack reviews bear this out as well. After just over 16,000 miles, these are worn down to 7/32 of tread, started with 12/32. Rotated avery 5,000 miles at oil changes. At this rate, they'll be toast by 32,000 miles. Not good for a supposed 60,000 mile tire.

After putting Snow tires on it, (Hankook Winter I-Pike 409's) the Explorer drives like its on rails in the snow. No longer my least favorite car to drive in the winter!

If it were me, I'd go with the AT's and forget about the LE's.

 

[CDW6212R]

I would not buy either, actually I didn't. I bought the General tire that is rated much higher than the Firestones. They aren't as great as the reviews claim, but then again I don't drive like a little old lady. If I get 30k plus miles from tires, they are fairly good. I care more about handling, in the dry and the rain, than tire wear.

 

[Divemaster191307]

... the Firestone store did not want to warantee the AT's. ...

I'm not sure I understand that part. Their site shows a 50K miles warranty on the A/T.

 

[CDW6212R]

Just like most stores they do their best to suggest that you did something wrong. I do my own work, when I asked about the warantee they said the tires hadn't been rotated. That's when I had to pull out my records to show my work, plus mention the person by name who sold them to begin with. After a phone call to another manager, they gave me the new LE's for half price.

We did not talk much, he could tell that I was very irked that he suggested I hadn't rotated the tires. He called his boss, I got the tires and I have not gone back.

Be very wary of tire dealers, they are in business to get your money in any way that they can get away with. Regards,

 

[Divemaster191307]

Just like most stores they do their best to suggest that you did something wrong...

I see; I was afraid there was something more sinister than the standard treatment. Thanks.

 

[skibum]

I have two Explorers and have run most of the tires noted. The Michelins made my 93 feel like it was loose in the steering, but they lasted forever. Just to soft in the sidewalls for my taste. The Firestone Destinations rode stiff on the 93 and developed a thud by 10K miles and had to be replaced. The snow traction seemed good. The Goodyear Tripple tread Forteras are near perfect except they wear out by 30K miles. Good looking, best handling, traction and ride on the 2002. Bridgestone Alenza -worn by 17K miles, handle soft in the sidewalls, cold spot, poor traction. I am now riding on General Grabber HTS on both vehicles. Good snow traction, pretty good handling, quiet, pretty smooth ride. Very competent tire overall and a low price. Not that many miles logged, so we will see what the long term goes and wear factors are as they get older. This is the highest rated SUV tire by CR, tirerack, and 4-wheel magazine rated it high for snow traction. Might be a bit overrated, but overall...nice tires.

 

[bisjoe]

I have the ATs on my Ranger and love them. They are so much better on wet pavement than the Wranglers that came on it there's no comparison, and sturdy enough for light rock crawling. They do make drop the gas mileage by 1 or so but well worth it to not spin the rears every time I turn a corner in the rain or on frost.

My wife has the LE on her Liberty. They are quieter and do not affect her mileage compared to the Wranglers that were on it, but handling is nice and smooth as she likes it.

We got both sets in September but no snow this year, a little frost and ice is all, and both did great. The ATs are rated #2 by TireRack, but even so there will always be people that have better or worse luck with any particular tire. I had a 1996 Explorer and lover the BFG Long Trail TAs but then they changed them into touring tires and I like a little beefier tire on my truck.

 

[hms79]

Hey all, this will be my first post.

I have had nothing but bad luck with any kind of Firestone tire. They wear out much faster than advertised, and ride like crap. If it were me I'd go with a BF Goodrich or Michelin tire. Having had both of these brands on either my F-150, or my previous Ranger, they ride like a dream and the Michelin's went well over 70,000. The BF's, I am still running. Just bought my 1998 Explorer Sport, and it has a cruddy set of Goodyear Wranglers. My parents also have a 1998 Sport with Michelins and they are wonderful in the snow. Just my 2 cents.....

 

[ExplorerMomof4]

Today I am replacing my Destination LE's for Bridgestone Dueler A/T's. What does Revo 2 mean? I keep seeing that attached to the end.

 

[MNgopher]

That is the actual version of the Dueler AT you are getting. My F150 has the previous version, the Dueler AT REVO (D694). It has been repalced by the Dueler AT REVO 2. If you look over at Tirerack for a 235/75/15, you'll see a Dueler AT Revo, a Dueler AT Revo 2, anda Dueler AT D695. All three have different tread. The Dueler AT REVO 2 is the premium all terrain tire from bridgestone. The D695 is a budget line.

 

[jdevaney]

I have 40.000 on my Destination LE's which I put on my 2010 Explorer 2 and 1/2 years ago and still have good enough tread that my son wants them for his F150. Because I want to be sure I have good traction out here in the country I am going to try a set of A/T's this time. If they are half as good as my LE's have been I will be happy I think. Tire Rack had them on sale so I think it will be a good buy.

 

[skibum]

Firestone LE2

I have 40.000 on my Destination LE's which I put on my 2010 Explorer 2 and 1/2 years ago and still have good enough tread that my son wants them for his F150. Because I want to be sure I have good traction out here in the country I am going to try a set of A/T's this time. If they are half as good as my LE's have been I will be happy I think. Tire Rack had them on sale so I think it will be a good buy.

This is an old thread. I ran through General HTS Grabbers since and then went back to Firestone. Have LE2s on two Explorers now. 93 and 2002 models. Both handle well, ride quite well and have good traction and durability so far. Only about 10k and 15k miles on these LE2s so far, but so far quite good. I have driven 400,000 plus miles between the two Explorers on numerous tires and so far these rate high. If they wear longer than the others and continue to perform at this rate, they may be the best over the Michellin LTX, Bridgestone Alenza, General and Yokohoma tires I have tried over the years! The Gemeral Grabber HTS are very good performers but don't last but 17 miles on either vehicle. These LE2s will be the winner if they just last a reasonable amount of miles.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

My '02 Sport Trac had LE 2s on it when I bought it Christmas Eve 2012. They were fine except on packed snow/ice. Could not stop or steer. Even through several inches of fresh snow, they were fine, but it was an entirely different story once the snow plow went through. To be fair, I have no idea how old those tires were, and I think the newer ones have a slightly different tread design.

My '01 Sport Trac has the Destination A/Ts, also on it when I bought it. This truck was purchased so my wife had something with 4WD when it snows, so I haven't driven it in the snow enough to know how they perform. Neither my wife or daughter have complained at all though. Although they have a more aggressive tread design, they are very quiet on dry roads. I haven't owned it long enough to speak to tread life, but based on the past 22 months I'd buy another set.