Time for tires

[J_C]

^ I wasn't talking about weather rating. The tread pattern is the difference, no winter tire with a street tread is going to do as well as an equally well designed all-weather with an AT tread in a few inches of virgin snow where you don't end up with pavement contact. You aren't then depending on the pliability of the tread @temp to grip but rather to dig your way through, move the snow out of the way rather than spinning on top of it.

It is still a trade-off, because if it is cold enough to have a few inches of snow, eventually you wind up on cold pavement or ice. My point is you pick the tire for the most demanding situation you'll face and for the rest of the time, drive within the limitations of the tire.

 

[CDW6212R]

I see the topic has drifted towards all season vs winter.

There's a newer generation of tires from several manufacturers, that splits the difference between winter and all season, called "all weather" and stay pliable enough for fairly cold weather (below 0F) while not getting so soft in warmer weather that you would get terrible lifespan to use all year round, in summer too. These newer silica laden compounds don't harden or soften as much based on temperature, but will still have a shorter mileage lifespan than a premium all season tire.

This seems ideal for me because if I had 2 sets, summer and winter, they would age-out far before I wore out the tread because I don't put on THAT many miles per year. I'd end up driving the winter tires till they were old enough that their compound had hardened more than just using all weather tires replaced near twice as often.

Plus I never had any problem using all season so all weather, just goes beyond what I already needed, with it never getting much below 10F here and that only in the middle of the night.

Some examples are General AltiMax 365 AW, Bridgestone Weatherpeak, Toyo Celsius Sport. This is not a comprehensive list, new models are probably already in the market. Look for the 3PMS symbol and lots of siping in the tread pattern.

Granted these examples are not AT tires. I wanted AT and 3PMS on my '98 so I put Cooper AT3 4S on it, with no complaints driving the past couple winters, but this is a gen 5 explorer topic and I don't take my gen 5 '14, off-road enough to need AT tires... because it's not really a truck, lol.

I like the new choices for Winter and All Weather tires, though I haven't needed any since years ago buying a Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 set for my mail truck.

I had been using Bridgestone Blizzak tires since 2004, which were great in almost all conditions. Typical snow tires for trucks with tall profile tires, they are far less stable at higher speeds, so 60mph gets you some wiggle that normal tires don't have. I finally decided they were old enough a few years ago that I put them on in January with the first snow, and used them up by April. Those were the best tires I've ever had on wet roads, they cornered safer and stopped faster than any tire I've had before. That super soft compound gripped extremely well, made for cold and ice, they did that great, but regular temps and rain, no drama at all.

The Nokian tires aren't quite as good for traction in extreme cold, but I got those for the studs and likelihood I'd need them more for packed snow in the future.

I could see buying an All Weather tire for one of my cars for winter driving in some instances. Those should be a nice compromise with A/S and Winter tire features.

 

[StevenC56]

It's tire time for our 2017 Platinum. We don't put many miles on our vehicles (Only 25K Currently) but the tires are 80+% worn in the front and they're almost 6 years old. I have a set of the X LT A/S Michelins ordered from Costco, but I'm having reservations about using them on our Explorer. I have them on my 2016 Chevy Silverado and like them quite well, but they have the square tread edge instead of the rounder edge profile like the stock tires. More of a light truck profile although they get good reviews for SUV use. We don't need a super high mileage tire as we will hit 5-6 years long before we wear most anything out, but we would like a tire that performs well on dry pavement and remains quiet throughout it's life with a comfortable ride. We live in Central California so no snow and limited days around freezing. Not a lot of rain unfortunately as we're in a drought. Any suggestions or opinions are most welcome.

 

[StevenC56]

It's tire time for our 2017 Platinum. We don't put many miles on our vehicles (Only 25K Currently) but the tires are 80+% worn in the front and they're almost 6 years old. I have a set of the X LT A/S Michelins ordered from Costco, but I'm having reservations about using them on our Explorer. I have them on my 2016 Chevy Silverado and like them quite well, but they have the square tread edge instead of the rounder edge profile like the stock tires. More of a light truck profile although they get good reviews for SUV use. We don't need a super high mileage tire as we will hit 5-6 years long before we wear most anything out, but we would like a tire that performs well on dry pavement and remains quiet throughout it's life with a comfortable ride. We live in Central California so no snow and limited days around freezing. Not a lot of rain unfortunately as we're in a drought. Any suggestions or opinions are most welcome.

Well, I guess there aren't a whole lot of opinions on this subject. I think I'm going to give the Michelin X LT's a go even though they have a less than sportier profile. There are mostly 5 star reviews on them everywhere I've read, and I do like them on my 2016 Silverado.

 

[peterk9]

I came across this today. Not sure if it's of any help. Best All-Season Tires for 2022

Peter

 

[Davidm53]

My post #730, Firestone Destination LE3

 

[Odrapnew]

My post #730, Firestone Destination LE3

I also have these on my Explorer.
About 8k miles on them.

I got them right before last winter. They were a noticeable improvement in winter traction over the worn Michelin Premier LTX I had on it before. New for new they are about even.

The LE3's are smooth and for the most part quiet. They do seem a bit louder on wet pavement and concrete than the LTX's, but it's liveable.

 

[StevenC56]

I'm buying at Costco, so that limits my choices although I'm a Michelin fan. I have the X LT A/S on the way, but the other choice is the Primacy Tour A/S although those will cost about $30 per tire more.

 

[Chris-74]

Does anyone have a preference between Michelin Defender LTX M/S and Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3? We get a lot more rain than snow where I am (Pacific Northwest), so I never run snow tires. Right now Costco has Pirellis for less than Michelins, even though Michelin are on sale.

 

[Mr.Baker]

My wife's 2017 Explorer is in need of new tires. I'm looking for some recommendations for all-season tires. I live in ND so some level of performance in snow is needed. She used to have a long commute for work so I would put Blizzaks on in the winter but she no longer has that commute so having a dedicated snow tire isn't needed. I'm looking for a tire with decent wear but won't suck in the snow. Thanks!

 

[peterk9]

^^Your thread was merged with this existing one. Loys of good reading here.

Peter

 

[Kenny242]

Getting ready to purchase new tires. Probably stay with factory size, but want a little better looking tire. Would like to go a LITTLE more aggressive. Was thinking something along the lines of the cooper discoverer a/t, but not sure if it would look right on a “family” style vehicle lol. Any suggestions or photos of tire ideas?

 

[ccssid]

Getting ready to purchase new tires. Probably stay with factory size, but want a little better looking tire. Would like to go a LITTLE more aggressive. Was thinking something along the lines of the cooper discoverer a/t, but not sure if it would look right on a “family” style vehicle lol. Any suggestions or photos of tire ideas?

Shop Michelin Defender LTX M/S Tires | Michelin

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S tire is eco-friendly and includes the Evertread™ compound that provides durable tread life, no matter the season.

www.michelinman.com

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Defender+LTX+M%2FS&partnum=555HR0DLTXXL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2022&autoModel=Explorer%204WD&autoModClar=255%2F55-20

 

[Kenny242]

Shop Michelin Defender LTX M/S Tires | Michelin

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S tire is eco-friendly and includes the Evertread™ compound that provides durable tread life, no matter the season.

www.michelinman.com

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Defender+LTX+M%2FS&partnum=555HR0DLTXXL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2022&autoModel=Explorer%204WD&autoModClar=255%2F55-20

Good looking tire. Only sizes I see in 20” is 265/50 and 275/55. I wonder Would the 275s be too big/heavy for the 4cyl

 

[ccssid]

go to the tire rack site and explore the tires. I enclosed the 255/50/20 tire as an example at the bottom of my post

 

[peterk9]

Getting ready to purchase new tires. Probably stay with factory size, but want a little better looking tire. Would like to go a LITTLE more aggressive. Was thinking something along the lines of the cooper discoverer a/t, but not sure if it would look right on a “family” style vehicle lol. Any suggestions or photos of tire ideas?

Your thread was merged with this existing one.

Peter