new tires

i have a 1999 XLT, with 15' all season tires right now, i've been looking around and it seems like 95% of the 2nd generation explorers have the goodyear wrangler RT/S!, so i think im gonna go with those, i'm assuming they are good since like everyone has them? id like to hear some opnions on them road noise, tread life etc...another thing is that im thinking about going up a size to 16, but i have the 15 in rims, sugestions?

 

[96limitedX]

IMO the goodyear wrangler RT/S's are pure crap. we had them on my dads 97 v8 from the time we bought it untill about a month ago..about 4 years. and they where the biggest POS's we have used. they where loud,sucked in the rain...ice/snow was down right scary with them(we have studded snow tires..but we ended up having to make very few very short trips with the goodyears in snow...its not a very good thing) they where also very bad in mud..all in all there is much better tires out there..an for better prices.

i personaly like my cooper discoverer A/Ts..very very quiet,great in mud,rain,snow/ice..an they work great on dry road also..all in all they are a great tire..an the price is nice also.


if you want to get bigger tires a popular step up is to 31x10.50s..its what we have on both out Xs(mine and my dads) an i think its the perfect size for the X.

 

[konaboy]

What's making you think about going to 16" rims and tires? You'll notice a considerable price difference in tires alone! I had a camaro years ago with goodyear tires and was not impressed, they did'nt wear well at all, which has steered me away from them. Do you do any offroading or just highway and city driving? I just put on my second set of Cooper tires and got about 45K miles on the last ones. First set were the Discover AT's little more aggressive tread, this time went with the Discover HT (highway tire) and they ride so much quieter and smoother and only cost $89.95 a tire installed with free lifetime rotation and a 50K mile tread warranty. I don't do any offroading just driving in the snow when we get it so the All Terrain tires are'nt a necessity. Have you asked the guys at the local tire shops that carry a variety of manufacturers what their opinions are on the goodyear's vs other brands? Just a thought.

Kona

 

[Explodersport]

I got em on my 00 sport with the 16'' rims. Like the rims, but the tire prices are sending down to 15'' rims. Plus the tires are crap, they howl going down the road like no ones business. My friends super swampers are quieter than these. Rotated, still bad. If you got your heart set on it Ill sell you mine once I get new ones. ha, tires are free. haha.

 

[sn0border88]

go with procomp xterrains, they are a lil loud on the road, but kick ass on everything else. Its hard for me to do dougnuts, even on ice the sidewalls just bit in like mad. Never lost traction on ice, once ive fishtailed on wet roads but thats it. These tires almost make up for a locker in the rear.

 

[davidmmm69]

Go with what ever tire you like.
you will get 100 fferent opinions about what tires everyone likes...
I have had numerous tires in my years with vehicles.
And ok I will say that i have always come back to BF Goodrich tires.
have 2 sets right now...

 

[Lee S.]

Check tirerack.com for tire reviews and ratings. It seems I have heard more negatives than positives about the Goodyear's here and elsewhere. I just went for a set of 235/75/15 Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos (top rated at tirerack) and so far they are terrific.

Lee

 

[davidmmm69]

Bridgestone Dueler

Lee

that is what I just put on my 2002. Dueler HT.

 

[aldive]

i have a 1999 XLT, with 15' all season tires right now, i've been looking around and it seems like 95% of the 2nd generation explorers have the goodyear wrangler RT/S!, so i think im gonna go with those, i'm assuming they are good since like everyone has them? id like to hear some opnions on them road noise, tread life etc...another thing is that im thinking about going up a size to 16, but i have the 15 in rims, sugestions?

I have the Goodyear RT/S in 235r75 x 15 on my '99. I now have about 40k miles on them with no sighn of wear.

They ride good. No complaints. I run 40psig in them too.

Good luck .........

 

[dtl 2k2 sport]

except for aldive, and the other x owner who said go for what u want,, w/ all due respect to those 2, they are really bad tires, poorly rated, not good in the snow and slush, i had them on the 02 explorer and kept the air up exactly what i should of, they start to Feather, uneven wear on the tread, i've talked to major tire companies and they have told me that those are what comes stock but not the best at all, just a basic good looking tire, that will need to be replaced w/ something better w/ in a short time. Michellen which will cost ya, or bfgs longtrails are very good,, for a quite tire that will last a long time, bfg's of that model are made by michelln so you know the quality is good, but go for what u like still, just had to throw my 2cents into it.

 

[MartyD]

Let me throw in my 2 cents. I have had the Goodyear RT/S tires on my X for like 7 years. I USED to think they were good tires. The do ok on dry pavement and fair on unpaved roads. But after fish-tailing on the interstate in the rain at 55mph, almost to the point of being sideways on both sides, I lost my taste for them! I just bought new tires. I went with the BFG All Terrain KO's. I did the Tire Rack ratings search and they had helped me decide on those tires. I wanted the Revo's but couldn't find a dealer in my area that had a decent price on them. I also looked at, of all things, some Firestone tires, but just couldn't bring myself to do that. The KO's are just slightly louder than the Goodyears, but I expected them to be worse than they are, concidering the agressive tread patern. I went with the 31x10.5x15 size, and these particular tires because I want to be able to get my 4x4 Sport off road more.

 

[aldive]

I drive in the Florida rains with mine all the time and have never had a single problem.

If I have any complaint is that they ride harsh, but that could be related to the 40 psig inflation.

 

[Norad]

I'll agree with Lee that checking out tirerack is a good place to start when tire shopping because there are so many people's opinions in one location. I feel that going cheap on tires is about the stupidest thing that a person can do because tires are the only thing attaching the vehicle to the road. I have been running Michelin LTX 255/75/16 for the past 81,000 miles and they are buy far the best all around tire, I have owned Even in slightly deep snows in Maine they do their job sometimes a little better then I would hope. The only place that I feel that the LTX's are lacking is in their sidewall design. Even running at the max tire pressure, 35psi, there is still noticable side wall bulge which worries me when I head out into the wodds hunting fishing or whatever. All in all listen to people who have a similiar vehicle and possibly use it the same way that you are going to use your X. All the major name brand AT's are good tires and there will be people who consider them great and others who dislike them greatly. Just have fun shopping for tires