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Noisy Tires 26k miles

XLT16

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Ontario
Year, Model & Trim Level
2016 Explorer XLT
I noticed after my last rotation the rears (which were on the front) are very noisy now, anyone else having issues with noisy tires after so few miles. The tires have been rotated every 6-7k miles, didn't seem to help. This last time on smooth pavement you can really hear them, rougher roads the road noise covers it up. I understand some have had issue with original tires actually chipping off, tread cracks and blowing out sidewalls. Mine actually look in decent shape probably another 5-8k miles of tread life left , will look to replace them though this spring. Ran into this with previous vehicles couple of times in the 90's, thought tires had improved since, been awhile though. Makes rotating them seem a waste of time. Wondered if others had seen the same problem around this mileage, 2016 with 26k miles. These are the 255/50R20 Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 original equipment tires.
 



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I have those same tires and although the mileage on them is considerably less, I have not heard any unusual noise from them after a rotation.

Peter
 






My OEM Hankooks were almost worn out at less than 11,000 miles so I had to replace them, count yourself lucky they are only making a little noise at 26,000 miles.
BTW, there is a big thread about those tires here:
Treadwear Issue with Ventus S1 Noble 2 Hankooks
 






Thanks for that thread ! I noticed a whack of complaints on these tires from reviews at Tire Rack specifically from Explorer owners. I did have a car back in the 90's with OEM tires that after 12k miles switched them front to back and had to put them back on the front they were so noisy. I don't see any particular edge wear on these so not an alignment issue, I don't drive this vehicle hard, got a 'Vette in the garage for that. Typically I run 38-40lbs of air in them, most mileage is highway. Given the complaints I read I would say there is a compound issue with these tires. The wear bars indicate I have a little way to go so I can wait until spring, were in Florida for the winter so snow is not an issue. I put Continentals on my previous Acadia as a replacement, very happy with those , going to go with them in the spring on the Explorer. I did find this on YouTube regarding noisy tire complaints with Ford OEM tires and by coincidence this mechanic says it happens between right around 20->30k miles, right where I am at. It's funny with OEM equipment, I find the brakes last longer than replacement parts typically while the tires never seem to get anywhere near their rated mileage before having to be replaced.

 






From what I've seen, it looks like the 2020 Explorer will also come with Hankooks although not the current ones. They appear to be Hankook Kinergy GT (H436).

Peter
 






On my factory Hankook they got noisier as it wore down. I rotated mine at 9000 mile intervals. I had the chunking /chipping on the treads and they were worn out at 28000 miles. I replaced with Michelin Defenders which I picked over the Michelin Premier because of the tread design and slightly longer warrant mileage. Some say the Premiers were slightly quieter than Defender but I haven't verified. I can say the Defenders are quieter than the Hankooks. I now have 10000 miles on the Defenders and they look like new.

I had Continentals on my 08 Ranger and was very happy with the ride and wear. I haven't spoke to anyone that had Continentals on 5th gen Explorers.
 






On my factory Hankook they got noisier as it wore down. ...............
I've read similar posts from members here. I can't verify that. Mine always have low mileage on them because of Winter tire usage and the little amount that I drive. The only time I get new tires is when I start another lease.:)

Peter
 






I don't drive this vehicle hard, got a 'Vette in the garage for that.
Me too, a C6 Coupe, lotsa fun... :chug:

On my factory Hankook they got noisier as it wore down. I rotated mine at 9000 mile intervals. I had the chunking /chipping on the treads and they were worn out at 28000 miles. I replaced with Michelin Defenders which I picked over the Michelin Premier because of the tread design and slightly longer warrant mileage. Some say the Premiers were slightly quieter than Defender but I haven't verified. I can say the Defenders are quieter than the Hankooks. I now have 10000 miles on the Defenders and they look like new.
I have the 20" Michelin Defender LTX's on my Explorer with 18k miles on them and show little wear, they ride much better than the Hankook tires ever did.
The Toyota Venza I just sold had 20" Michelin Premier's. I didn't exactly like the ride with the Premiers' because they were a stiff ride with the recommended PSI and going lower made the handling worse.

I do run the Defender LTX's at 38 PSI instead of the recommended 35 PSI and prefer them to the Premier.
 






Thankfully our 2017 XLT Explorer has the standard 18" wheels with Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires. With the bad roads here in NJ the 18" tires have more bad road flexibility than the 20" wheels and tires. At 36,000 miles the tires are wearing great, There is plenty of tread left and the tread wear is even. The ride is ever so smooth, they work real well in the snow, rain and dry conditions. I really like these tires. Maybe by rotating them every ~7,000 miles as per the owners manual where the rears get crossed to the fronts and the fronts go directly to the rear WITHOUT CROSSING them helps with the wear of the tires. Most shops will "rotate" the tires by just moving the front to the back and vice a versa on the same sides, which is wrong. When we eventually need new tires I'll definitely look to replace them with the same Michelins, if they still have them. Also I've never had to re balance them, it's still the same as they came from the factory.

Whimsey
 






I have Michelins on my C7 'Vette, stick to the road like glue, good tires, although admittedly I only drive it in the summer on nice days - not a real test of tire quality. I'm a little disappointed in the Explorer's but fact is I do have 26k miles on them, I might be able to squeeze 35k out of them but not willing to take that risk, don't want to listen to the noise the backs generate now either. We drive back and forth to Florida every year from Ontario, need something I feel is dependable. After all the negative reviews I have read not sure that is the case, opened my eyes up on this brand. Surprised me when I looked around at Tire Rack and the other threads how many issues folks have had with the Hankook's on the Explorers. You think after the Firestone issue that Ford had they would be really sensitive to anything to do with tires. Sounds like a lot of warranty claims on these tires left people with a bad opinion of Ford as well, didn't like how it was handled.
 






If I recall correctly, I thought there was a bulletin where Ford would assist with warranty thru Hankook because of premature wear. But the catch was the replacement had to be Hankook. I choose not to pursue I did not want to ride on the Hankook merry-go-round and got the Defenders instead. I read here that some members were able to get other brands and paid the cost difference.
 






..........Most shops will "rotate" the tires by just moving the front to the back and vice a versa on the same sides, which is wrong. When we eventually need new tires I'll definitely look to replace them with the same Michelins, if they still have them. Also I've never had to re balance them, it's still the same as they came from the factory.

Whimsey
I personally insist that they rotate mine front to back and back to front and not to cross. I guess that is a carry-over from when radials were first introduced and there were issues with crossing them and running them in the opposite direction that was used to 'break them in'. Lots of issues with belt separation blamed on that.

Peter
 






If I recall correctly, I thought there was a bulletin where Ford would assist with warranty thru Hankook because of premature wear. But the catch was the replacement had to be Hankook. I choose not to pursue I did not want to ride on the Hankook merry-go-round and got the Defenders instead. I read here that some members were able to get other brands and paid the cost difference.

My OEM were worn at ~18k mile and they gave me $130 credit per tire towards any other tire I wanted.
 






How is I knew as soon as I read the thread title I figured it was Hankook's? If you got 26K out of them that seems to be a fairly common wear point. some less but generally not a whole lot more. I hate to say it but the Hankook's appear to be junk at least on the Explorer, Shame on Ford for keeping them but probably still better than Fire Stone's…….Too soon? Call it a lesson learned and replace with Bridgestone's or Michelin's.

Might I recommend Bridgestone Duelers or Michelin Defenders? I went with Bridgestone's mainly due to excessive back order on the Michelin's. After about a 3500 mile road trip with dry, and wet roads I can give me endorsement to the Bridgestone's. I have been totally Michelin before based on previous good results and would have gotten them now but with the major backorder I went with Bridgestone's.
 






Thanks Stephen , never considered Bridgestone before, I will take a look at them. Others have recommended the Defenders.
 






Have you read this thread? Time for tires
BTW, I believe the Aviator is coming out with Continentals.

Peter
 






XLT....No sweat that is what we are here for is to help each other out. Also once more If the Defenders were i it on such back order I probably would have given them a chance based on previous experience with my 03 Dodge Durango. I believe that the vehicle before the Durango....98 Jeep Cherokee....the regular not the grand. I am about 99% sure they had Duelers and got very good, handling, wet, slippery (Indianapolis at the time with a full four seasons. The recommendation for the Duelers came from our own gregg9933. Much the same way that the Explorer came into my driveway in the first place.


NOTE: Use caution on those Lifetime Rotation deals. A lot of places will rotate for the service life of the tires...... but......Wait for it.

The lifetime rotation may or may NOT include spin balancing which to me is part of the rotation process for a starting point of future wear. Make sure they include Rotation AND Balance in the package. Costco does both but pay attention to the fine print.

Another part of the treadwear warranty is some vendors won’t rotate or balance after the service life even if there is plenty of tread. They claim liability but to me sounds hokey. Basically what they are saying is you as a responsible owner/driver are being Penalized for maintaining vehicle and tires in good order with proper rotation/balance schedule. WalMart was that way a few years ago. They might have changed but I stopped buying tires from them based on that scenario. Hopefully they changed for the better but be ready to put up a fight.
 






An important note - it is the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza that Mr. Cannon is referring to. Dueler is a fairly common tire reference in the Bridgestone line up, there are a number of model variations.


Greg9933
 






Thanks Baxman!,


For those considering new shoes for the Explorer check the build date of the tires hopefully you won’t get a set that has been sitting around in a warehouse for a few months or more.

The build date is a four digit code for week of manufacturing. Example 3218. That batch of tires was built in the 32nd week of 2018 just figure 224 days from January 1st. Which should be sometime early to mid August. They don’t specify a exact date just the week code. In my case a total random luck at work. Tires had a 3218 build date purchased Explorer around the 34-35th week. Tires were purchased, delivered and installed around 45ish week (Eary November).

For those of you considering the Bridgestone Duelers the production code at least for mine was literally right on the outside of the tire. The code to look for is a four digit code directly inder the “S” in Bridgestone. You want that number to be as close to the purchase/install date as possible.

This week may not be a good example with part of the week in last years count but fast forward to end of March. That should be around the 12-13th week. Tough to do unless you have an in with the tire installer. Most just get picked as orders come in and you get a random batch of tires. If unable to get the newest batch check very carefully and make sure that all four tires are the same batch.
 



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We have the 18's that came with the Michelins. 60k on them and plan to get 1 more summer out of them. I know a lot of people putting the Hankooks on, mainly because of price, sounds like I will continue to stay away from them. good luck
 






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