New tire advice

[VinnyBags]

I have a 2002 Explorer running 235/70/16 tires. I am looking for new tires and I have narrowed it down to 2 tires. The General Grabber HTS or the Cooper Adventurer AT. Does anyone have any experience with there 2 tires? Can anyone offer any advice or experiences.

 

[ROBinGa]

Bought the General Grabber tires for our Explorer last time at Discount Tire. Extremely satisfied with the way they look, ride, and the wear we have gotten from them. I had never used General before on any vehicle and am pleasantly surprised. The tires we have had on the explorer were original Goodrich factory, bought those again, then Yokohama which were incredibly rough riding and most expensive tire I ever bought , then Kuhmos which I liked but they were not available when time came to buy this time, so we got the Generals and extremely pleased.

 

[03Explo20]

Bought Goodyear Wrangler Trailmarks from Wal-Mart a few months back and have been extremely satisfied with the overall performance of the tire. I was hesitant about buying tires at Wal-Mart but the price was just too good to pass up. They actually did a great job at mounting and balancing also. Of course you'll need to get an alignment afterwards.

Had Pirelli Scorpions on prior to these and only got 15k out of them! These AWD Explos are really hard on tires.

 

[VinnyBags]

Thanks...
I have heard nothing but good reviews over the General Grabber HTS so I am leaning heavily towards those. I only do highway driving and in town so I wanted a good all around tire that is good in rain and especially snow and is fairly smooth.

I was thinking of the Adventurer AT which from what I read is comparable to the Cooper Discovere AT2 but the adventurer is made specifically for sale via pep boys. It's marketed at a AT/HT hybrid and has also god reviews

 

[Number4]

General Tires used to have a bad belt separation issue. Perhaps it's been fixed and may not have been across the line.
I like Cooper tires. They are a in-between the traction of BFG and the tread wear of Michelin. Problem is, I could never locate a good tire chain that sold them. Manny Moe and Jack does, but good luck getting them rotated and balanced timely.

 

[VinnyBags]

If i did buy the coopers from Pep Boys or any tire for that matter I would take them to my mechanic. he is very reasonable and trustworthy.

 

[68Restoman]

I'm running the Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor, great tires and incredibly quiet considering the lugs on them...

 

[NJExplorerFan]

I bought the General Grabber tires in Summer 2011 and even then all my research said they were good tires. I've had them on my Explorer for close to 3 years now and no issues - they're quiet and wear nicely, although I wish they had a little more grip in the snow. They were really put to the test this past winter but perhaps any all-season tire must evenly cater to all weather conditions unless you buy a specific snow tire. For all-season performance, they can't be beat for the price.

 

[gtyates]

I had a set of the Grabber HTS on my Sport Trac and hated them!! Never did ride great and I thought they were a bit noisy. And General's warranty is not great, as they will only replace with their brand of tire, no refund or other adjustment. Mine were worn out by 20k and I maintain my truck religiously!! I have Bridgestone Dueller H/L Allenza's on my Sport Trac (so far a year and can barely tell any treadwear) and late last summer we put set of the Allenza's on my wife's '04 Explorer 4x4 and am very pleased with them. We got some snow in TN this winter and the Allenza's did very well. Also had 2 ice storms and I did not have any issues driving around with these tires and the 4x4 engaged. Bottom line for me is, those General's were my first, and now last, time to own that brand..

 

[Number4]

Here is a test any if you can do. Take the tires your interested in, roll them one at a time (not four of the same, just one per brand) down an open isle. Good tires will roll strait and true then fall. Crappy tires will wobble immediately and fall sooner. This won't help with tread wear necessarily, but will show you which ones are more evenly constructed.

 

[VinnyBags]

thank you everyone for all the input. It has been extreamly helpful. I think ill give the Generals a try, for the price I think its worth a try. I will just make sure that the D.O.T. date is no older then 2 years.

However...What is everyone opinion on the 'Road Hazzard" insurance? Is it really worth it?

 

[Number4]

If the tire is $100 or over it is.

 

[turborich]

Best advice I can give is to purchase your tires from Discount Tire / America's Tire. Buy the very affordable warranty certificates. They have the best warranty in the business!

 

[D Hook]

I've had the Grabbers for about 4 years now and have been very satisfied.

 

[VinnyBags]

A quick Update.

I bought the General Grabber HTS (235/70/16) and so far I am very satisfied. Can anyone tell me what the best tire pressure should be. The side wall max is 44 psi but manufacturer recommends 35 psi rear / 30 psi front. What is the best tire pressure to keep them at. I usually keep all for at the same psi. I usually look at the max then bring is down my 4 - 5 psi.

Any recommendations on the best tire pressure for fuel economy and ride?

 

[gtyates]

I run mine @35 front and rear on the '04 Explorer. I am willing to sacrifice a little ride comfort for added handling. On my Sport Track I run 33 front and 35 rear which seems to give me the best combo
of ride and handling. FYI.

 

[Number4]

The inflation recommendation printed on the car is directed at the quality of the ride. Least amount of bumps. It is not set for tire wear. For me, I'd never go under 35 psi (cold) on any car. Hondas go as low as 24, or used to. The tire can officially come off the rim around 20 psi.
I like MPG's and long tire life. I run my 04 ex at 40 psi. And either have the shop put it there during rotations or do it myself at home if they won't. You will feel more bumps. Just don't go over the tire limits and know that you gain about 4 psi more when the air in the tires gets hot.

 

[pet575]

Late to the party but I've also had the Generals and they were a great tire. Got the best tread life out of them than any other tire I've ever run.

I kept them at 37-38 lbs.

 

[erichca07]

Tires

I also have the General Tire, Model is the Grabber AT2 Studdable. Size 265/70R15 or 31"x10.5" on stock rims, on a stock vehicle and they are great, much quieter and smoother than the BF Goodwrench and I also purchased them from Discount Tires in SoCal and they match online prices from TireRack.com, so I only had to pay $480.

I keep them about 35-37 PSI and get great results for tread ware and gas mileage, plus they do great off-road and in the sand.

Also a here is a cool link I found that can be added to the size chart on this forum.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/tire-hits-or-fits.htm

 

[erichca07]

Tire Reviews

Here is a link for tire reviews (I know there are more sites but this one by far is the most detailed and has the largest amount of reviews that I have found)

http://www.offroaders.com/reviewbox/showcat.php?cat=4