No LT installation at Costco

[socalexplorer]

So I just came back from Costco an I was checking out some Bridgestone Duellers. I have some problems w/ my BFGs(see previous post). The guy working the counter told me that Costco tire shops would not install LT rated tires (6 ply) on Explorers only passenger tires (4 ply). What is this about?

Rico

 

[flyguy]

Sounds lame to me.

 

[98 Xplorer]

Rico,
I would have spoken to the Manager. I have never heard of a retailer refusing to install a truck type tire on a truck. I think you ran into a counter person who has very little knowledge of an Xplorer. It is a truck, not a glorified station wagon!!!!! I cannot stand to see this written in articles by the journalist, they should stick to writing articles that they have knowledge of or change careers. The Xplorer is a Truck!!!!

That is something that strikes a nerve in me can you tell,

Alan
98 Xplorer

 

[socalexplorer]

Alan I can't agree with you more. I don't what the deal is there. I don't know if someone somewhere told these people not to install LT tires and only Passenger tires. Is this nation wide or what? I am just going to go somewhere else tomorrow. So I get in the dirt about once a month on some fire roads. My suspension is not modified (94xt 4x4)- any suggestions on tires. My BFG 31x10.5xr15 developed bulges between the tread- and there is heck of a lot of tread left on three out of the 4 tires. This disturbs me- I am beginnng to question the quality of the BFG brand as well.

Open to suggestions
Rico

 

[Bartman]

Rico,

I have spent the last week trying to get my Firestones replaced. I also had two dealers strongly discourage me from the BFG T/A KO's. Same reason: Explorer can't handle the 6 ply tread, they will vibrate and nothing the dealer can do about it, LT tires too rough, etc. I told them I wanted to do off-roading and they suggest Michelin M/S tires?! Since I don't have a lot of tires to choose from in my size (255/70R16), I finally decided to get something else (Big O Big Foot ATs). Maybe when the truck is older I'll get bold and go for the BFG's. I've heard nothing but good things about them here and on other sites. Good Luck.

P.S. I have 4 Wilderness ATs for sale (cheap!). Only 5K miles on them.

 

[MikeP]

Rico
Costco has some "bogus" information, supposedly from Ford, that truck tires are not to be put on Ford Explorers. I ran into this when I wanted to get Costco to install Michelin LTX-MS tires (these are not truck tires) on my 91 Explorer a year ago, and Costco said that Ford stuff said no. Ford or someone was confused and thought the LTX-MS Michelins were the truck tires. I eventually tracked down the correct info, showed it to Costco, and got the Michelin LTX M/S installed on two wheels. Now that information is coming out about Ford explorer problems with the suspensions and Ford specifying tire pressures of 26 psig so as to reduce risk of rollovers, this Costco refusal to put the 6 ply truck tires on the Ford Explorers probably has to do with liability issues (perhaps something like Ford telling Costco not to install certain tires and saying that if they do so, Costco is liable, not Ford). By the way, the Costco guys I was talking to said they were installing light truck tires (6 ply) on Ford Explorers (this was a year ago). The situation is confusing. And Ford appears to be more interested in covering their butt than in getting out true and accurate information! But that is typical mode of operation in large corporations and is the result of their legal advice. And corporate attorneys carry a lot of weight in these type of matters. Mike in Seattle, 91 XLT 4x4

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by socalexplorer
Alan I can't agree with you more. I don't what the deal is there. I don't know if someone somewhere told these people not to install LT tires and only Passenger tires. Is this nation wide or what? I am just going to go somewhere else tomorrow. So I get in the dirt about once a month on some fire roads. My suspension is not modified (94xt 4x4)- any suggestions on tires. My BFG 31x10.5xr15 developed bulges between the tread- and there is heck of a lot of tread left on three out of the 4 tires. This disturbs me- I am beginnng to question the quality of the BFG brand as well.

Open to suggestions
Rico

Yes, it is nationwide. Ford sent a letter to Costco (and supposedly many other places) advising them that they are not allowed to put on LT rated tires on the Ford Explorer. I ran into it here in Mesa, AZ a few months ago even though I read about it several months before. The Tire Manager did say he would mount them on my rims if I brough them in, but he wouldn't mount my tires on my Explorer. I left after we got into an argument about my 255 70R16 Wilderness ATs that my Explorer came with. He insisted up and down that Ford never put that size on an Explorer so he couldn't sell me that size. He could only sell me the tires that his book showed which incorrectly listed a 255 70R15 as an optional tire. That size was not offered, but his book was written by a higher authority than me. If I wanted him to mount tires, I would have to come back with 15" rims and then he would mount a 235 75R15 on my Explorer. He swore that in the 15 years he has been in the tire business, he has never seen an Explorer with 255 70R16s. I went to Discount Tire that had no problem mounting and selling me anything I wanted.

 

[DC]

I went to BJs wholesaler to get the BFGs and they told me I should not put them on my explorer because they were LT tires. So maybe ford did send a memo out. I ended up buying the LTX AT,(Passenger rated) but I have not mounted them yet.

 

[Rod Bivens]

Big-O's are great

I don't know anything about not installing LT on an explorer, but can boast about the Big O tires.

I had some 31x10.50x15 Big-O AT's on my Ranger for 45,000 miles with no problems. They are a great tire for mild off roading and work great on the road.

They still had some tread on them when I traded them in (Big-O gave me $100 for my nearly wore out tires) for some of their XTs. The XTs are great also. A lot more agressive, but are supposed to last 40 to 50 thousand miles. The XTs are a great compromise for street, dirt, mud, and snow. They seem to flex well on the rocks also. I haven't had a chance to try them on the sand yet, but they are 33x12.50s, so I think the flotation should be great.

Rod

 

[flyguy]

BJ's???? Wholesale!!!? Just point me in the right direction!!!! hehe....

anyways... I dont know what they are thinking... Now the 94 and earlier... thats a truck...I dont know about the newer ones though... seems kinda wimpy to me. hehe

nick

 

[RandyM]

Recent COSTCO Experience

I visited the local Costco tire center 2 weeks ago to inquire into the BFG Long Trail or AT KO tires and when queried as to the size I wanted to order I told them LT235/75/15. The tire manager wrote the order up without delay and told me it would take 2 weeks or so to get the tires in. He couldn't get the AT KO, only the Long Trails at $79 (P size) or $89 (LT). This was a reversal of their previous policy in which they had always told me they would not sell me LT tires for a 99 Explorer. Go figure! Long standing policy there says no LT tires sold for Explorers, then the Firestone issue and suddenly they are willing to sell and install LT tires on the Explorer. I ended up going to Discount Tire and getting the AT KOs at $95. COSTCO is losing alot of revenue and customers due to their confusion.

 

[kilroy]

I need LT's

I was TOLD to use LT tires on my Explorer because of the heavy trailer I pull, and that was by a Firestone tire dealer. The maximum weight that is rated on P tires is 8000 pounds, My truck/trailer combo exceeds that by 1500 pounds. What would Costco say to that? HMM? HMM? I'm going to find out just what is going on around here on the recall, and see about getting some Uniroyal LT tires put on. I am a 99% blacktop driver, so I good road tire is what I need, as opposed to the offroad aggressive tread types you guys need.

 

[Millarduck]

LT's are for 4x2 AT's for 4x4

I dedcided to ditch my Wilderness AT's. I needed new tires this winter anyway and worried about the shortage. If you look at Goodyear, Ford, or Michelin's website, they say Explorer 4x4's need All Terrain (AT) tires. Light truck (LT & LT M/S) or Highway Tread (HT) are not recommended for Explorer 4x4's only the 4x2's. Ford lists approved subsitutes. Since the tire manufacturers tell you to follow Ford's recomendation, I wouldn't trust the tire jockey down the street trying to push the LT on the 4x4's. Costco was right if you have a 4x4 not to sell the LT tires. That's what Ford, Goodyear and Michelin say not to use. Even Consumer Reports mentions this warning from Ford in their tire review earlier this year. If you go to the LT, you must get the LT spare, otherwise you risk roll-over and un-even wear if you mismatch with the AT treads. I bought Michelin LTX AT's. They are much better than the Firestone's and seem to handle much better. I got them at BJ's for $94.00 ea. If you pull a trailer, you can get the Michelin LTX AT XL. "XL" means extra-load and costs about $8.00 more per tire. No, I do not sell tires, I just did a lot of research before I bought.

 

[idrojdpj]

Can't install LT's only P rated tires

I went to Sam's club about a month ago to replace the infamous Firestones before the recall. The Guys(kids) at sam's told me they couldn't install any kind of LT tire on my '97 due to increased chance of a rollover. I was told that came directly from Ford. The only LT tires that were on the "list" were the wonderful Firestones. Eventually I put on Michellins LTX A/T. They are awesome street tires, nice comfortable ride.

 

[kilroy]

Here is the skinny!! READ THIS

I got this straight from a tire dealer here in Crystal Lake. The dealer will only install tires on this list he gave me.

The reason they are not putting those tires on the Ford Explorer is because of a letter they recieved from Ford specifying which tires are AUTHORIZED by Ford for the Ford & Mercury dealers to install on the Explorer, Mountaineer, and Rangers. For the 4x4 there are only 5 tires on the list. The dealers are misrepresenting this as a SAFETY issue, when in fact it is a cost issue. In fact you can put whatever you want on the vehicle, but the dealers will not because according to them, if the tire is not on the list, they can be held liable for any consequential incidents that may occur resulting from the use of non-authorized tires. I am going to call Ford later on this issue to see if it can be straightened out. The Dealer I spoke with said he has quite a few tires in the warehouse that can be used, but since they aren't on the list he can't sell them to an Explorer owner.

 

[jimslat]

No LT Tires for you!

I have a 2001 Sport with the P255/70/16 tires and wanted to get rid of the stock Wilderness AT tires. I could not find a dealer who would sell me the LTX M/S. When I called Michelin's customer service line I was informed that the suspension of this truck was set up to only use P rated AT tires. Ford did this to reduce the possibility of roll over. Believe it or not, Michelin does not make a tire for this vehicle. As a matter of fact, the person at Michelin recommended the Pirelli Scorpion AT, which is one of the few tires on the market that are allowed on this vehicle. Well I installed the Pirellis and I am 100% satisfied. They do not hydro plane and they dramatically improved the high and low speed handling characteristics. Off road they have been superb! Why the heck Ford insists on the junk Firestone makes is beyond me, but they better get their act together, otherwise, they are going to blow the popularity of this SUV.

Oh, by the way, I tossed the Wilderness ATs because I did have one tire develop a funky crack in the front right tire shoulder block tread at about 8000 miles, plus they were a disater in the rain.



[Edited by jimslat on 08-26-2000 at 03:24 PM]

 

[zavetsky]

I gots LTs............

NTB sold me 5 brand spankin' new Dunlop Radial Rover LTs in the 30x9.50x25 denomination.....never even mentioned any issue with LTs............

I have had them for a couple weeks............They feel fine to me!

 

[jimslat]

Got LTs.....

The restriction only applies to the 1997-2001 model years. I put Michelin LTX M/S tires on my 1999 Jeep and had fabulous results; however, they were not too good on sand. I had put the LT tires on my Jeep on the advice of my mechanic, because the stock Wrangler RTS developed sidewall bubbles.

I would have loved to put the LT tires on the Explorer, but I do not want to let Ford off the hook if I turn over the truck.

All in all, I'm very happy with the Pirelli Scorpion AT tire. Since I installed them I noticed the ABS does not need to work as often as when I had the Wilderness AT on the truck.

 

[zavetsky]

Scorpions

I have Scorpions for my Dakota pickup.......

VERY nice tire.....Not ver yaggressive looking, but they do a nice job for general use, including sand.

Glad to hear about the LTs not being an issue for older Explorers......I started getting that "bad" feeling!

 

[socalexplorer]

Wait a minute......... I have a 94' xlt 4x4 and Costco refused installation of the LT on my Explorer. I am not seeing the line drawn on any specific year thus far.

Rico-