Time for tires | Page 23 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Time for tires

Which to choose?


  • Total voters
    4
  • Poll closed .
Premier LTX!

Finally got rid of the original rubber at 66k. The LTXs are superior in every way.

If you need new rubber do not hesitate to buy these.
 



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Premier LTX!

Finally got rid of the original rubber at 66k. The LTXs are superior in every way.

If you need new rubber do not hesitate to buy these.

I'm about due for new tires at about the same mileage on originals. Premier LTX's will be going on my Ex. Michelin has a $70 MasterCard rebate now as well. Sounds like a perfect time for me.
 






I'm about due for new tires at about the same mileage on originals. Premier LTX's will be going on my Ex. Michelin has a $70 MasterCard rebate now as well. Sounds like a perfect time for me.
Excellent!

Sign up for the rebate on their website. Took less then 2 weeks to get my card in the mail.
 






If you are running the 18" wheels and are looking for something more A/T than the Michelin street tires, give these a try. I have them on my 2016. Good looking, quiet, and they have some off road traction where the Michelins did not. Rated for severe snow weather as well.

TerrainContact A/T - 245/60R18 105H | Continental
 






If you are running the 18" wheels and are looking for something more A/T than the Michelin street tires, give these a try. I have them on my 2016. Good looking, quiet, and they have some off road traction where the Michelins did not. Rated for severe snow weather as well.

TerrainContact A/T - 245/60R18 105H | Continental
It seems to be a well received tire looking at the reviews. Only drawback I see for those in areas of colder seasonal climates is that since it is not a Winter rated tire, the rubber compound will stiffen as the temperature drops. The rubber compound on Winter rated tires remains more flexible as temperatures fall below 44 F. So while snow traction might be very good, the traction on frozen roads will suffer. They are also available in the 20" size although not a direct size equivalent.

Peter
 






First time caller here...Like many of you found myself in need of new tires sooner than expected at 24k miles. I went with the Michelin Premier LTX based on positive reviews and what was in stock at the dealer. So far I’ve only driven about 30 miles but they seem super smooth and quiet compared to the Hankooks. I plan to rotate, balance, and align religiously to extend their life or at least qualify for warranty if they wear out prematurely. Also, I’ve attached a pic in case anyone cares to see what a mounted tire looks like. The install lube needs rinsing but they are good looking tires.

C6113BB0-B7A7-4E7E-BFF8-8B279EABD16B.jpeg
 






First time caller here...Like many of you found myself in need of new tires sooner than expected at 24k miles. I went with the Michelin Premier LTX based on positive reviews and what was in stock at the dealer. So far I’ve only driven about 30 miles but they seem super smooth and quiet compared to the Hankooks. I plan to rotate, balance, and align religiously to extend their life or at least qualify for warranty if they wear out prematurely. Also, I’ve attached a pic in case anyone cares to see what a mounted tire looks like. The install lube needs rinsing but they are good looking tires.
Welcome to the Forum.:wave:
I lease my vehicles and due to the low mileage I put on them will never have to buy a set of tires other than the dedicated Winter ones if I ever wear them out going from vehicle to vehicle.:)

Peter
 






The Michelins made my Sport a whole new vehicle. I liked them so much that I put them on my wife Mercedes and they are amazing on that truck too.
Which Michelins, Premier or Defender? Thanks
 






I just got the Premier LTX's installed today. I've only driven them less than 10 miles, so I don't have a good review yet.

One thing I can say is that the LTXs are not significantly quieter than the original Hankooks in a straight line. They are noticeably quieter in the turns though. That's not to say the LTX's are loud, just the Hankooks were still quiet.

Alignment was still very good also. One of the rear wheels got a little tweak to toe angle, but didn't need it.

The Hankooks wore well(65k miles and still had some life left in them).I rotated them every 10-15k miles(about every other oil change). Never had them rebalanced. If I lived in a southern state, I probably would have put another 10k on them. With snow inevitable, it was time to change them. I will say, snow traction was definitely not the best with the 'Kooks. I came from an AWD sedan with winter tires, so the Ex never felt as sure footed as that car, but it did seem worse than I expected.

I'm getting a $70 rebate from Michelin and another $50 gift card for the tire shop. My wife's car is due for some new tires.

I'll post another followup when I get some more miles on them and some snow driving.
 






Another vote here for the DWS06: mine will be going on this week.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06

With just 22,000 miles on the OE Hankook's, I can't take the noise any more, so they are getting tossed. They were an awful tire anyway, but at least there are many more choices available now. Have the Continental Extreme Contact DW on my '03 Cobra and love them, so I know the Explorer will be happy with the similar set. Never have been a fan of Michelin: had the LTX on my previous Lincoln SUV and never liked them.
 






Another vote here for the DWS06: mine will be going on this week.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06

With just 22,000 miles on the OE Hankook's, I can't take the noise any more, so they are getting tossed. They were an awful tire anyway, but at least there are many more choices available now. Have the Continental Extreme Contact DW on my '03 Cobra and love them, so I know the Explorer will be happy with the similar set. Never have been a fan of Michelin: had the LTX on my previous Lincoln SUV and never liked them.
I have no experience with this tire so I checked them out on Tire Rack and read some of the more recent customer reviews. Although most were happy with it the main complaints were poor treadwear and noise. I also checked 1010tires.com and they showed snow performance as the lowest rating followed by treadwear and noise.

Peter
 






Take a look at the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus, I replaced my Hancooks with them, 70,000 mile tread wear warranty, much better traction.
TB
 






Ditto on the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus, I also replaced Hankooks last Oct. Great dry and wet traction. We haven't had any snow (still too warm) so I can't rate them on that, but tread depth is deeper than almost all others.
 






Which Michelins, Premier or Defender? Thanks

Any further feedback on Michelin Premiers vs. Defenders? Everything I'm reading about the Premiers suggest that people love the ride and performance, but they wear prematurely. I'm leaning towards the Defenders for this reason.

PS: I'm at 31.5K miles on the stock Hankooks and expect 5K or so before I need to replace.
 






Any further feedback on Michelin Premiers vs. Defenders? Everything I'm reading about the Premiers suggest that people love the ride and performance, but they wear prematurely. I'm leaning towards the Defenders for this reason.

PS: I'm at 31.5K miles on the stock Hankooks and expect 5K or so before I need to replace.

For me, the Hankook hydroplaned pretty much out of the box. We have some monsoon style rains so that is one thing I look for in a tire.

These are always YMMV discussions (since my wife drives slightly "aggressively") but I would not buy the LTX Premiers again (I have heard good things about defenders from in-laws for treadwear but higher on noise as they age out). On the LTX - Good traction (wet) but I would say they are at 50% @12K miles
 






I put the Bridgestone Dueler 422 ECOPIA thinking they would improve MPG's, well they didn't, my wife thinks they might be quieter. I would go with OEM tires if they were cheaper IMO, I didn't have any complaints about them. I have the 2liter ECOBoost engine and usually get 25 -26 mpg's on HWY.

Paul
 






Any further feedback on Michelin Premiers vs. Defenders? Everything I'm reading about the Premiers suggest that people love the ride and performance, but they wear prematurely. I'm leaning towards the Defenders for this reason.

PS: I'm at 31.5K miles on the stock Hankooks and expect 5K or so before I need to replace.
I have had Michelin premiers on a Mazda Cx-9 and the new Explorer sport. We get so much rain here that I gravitate towards tires that perform well in rain. I have not gone farther than 15k miles so I cannot give a mileage opinion, but what I have found is that in 25 years of living in Florida that the tires do not get the mileage the manufacturer suggests. I would say that the Hankooks would have lasted 25k-30k miles maximum if we hadn't had so many issues with them. I have found these latest Michelin premiers to be quiet and they handle the rain great and they will be the tire I get for the other 2 cars we have.
 






I put Goodyear Eagle Sport tires on last week since the factory tires started chipping and flaking. I have had no problems with them on dry roads or in heavy rain. They are quiet and ride much better than the Hankooks.
 






i just replaced my stock tires with 265/50/20... i noticed that the left side front and back tire pattern is facing forward while the right side front and back pattern is facing backwards.. is this a problem?? there is no "arrow" or "this side out" kind of remarks on the tire. But i have noticed that there is a lot of road noise after the tire change
 



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i just replaced my stock tires with 265/50/20... i noticed that the left side front and back tire pattern is facing forward while the right side front and back pattern is facing backwards.. is this a problem?? there is no "arrow" or "this side out" kind of remarks on the tire. But i have noticed that there is a lot of road noise after the tire change
What brand and model tires are they? If they are directional tires they should all be facing in the same direction. Asymmetrical tires will have the larger shoulder threads on the outside of each tire. The pattern would look like a mirror image if you are looking at the left and right tires.
 






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