Tire recommendations

[jkexplorer]

I am going to need new tires for my wife's 2000 XLT 4WD. This car is used strictly for street driving - no offroading. I am trying to decide between the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV and the Goodyear Fortera Silient Armor. They are both about the same cost and are pricey. I would appreciate any opinions on these tires or others for that matter. The tire size is 255x70Rx16.

Thank you!!!

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Go to www.tirerack.com & compare tires & prices.

Wal-Mart sells Uniroyal Liberator A/T which is very moderate for an A/T that would prbably work well and is very reasonably priced.

You definately want to stay away from an HT (highway tire) as the traction in wet & snow is horrible at best.

I know. My '97 Mountaineer had brand new Goodyear HT's when I bought it used and were the worse tires I had ever driven on.

 

[jkexplorer]

Thank you for the info. I actually did check Tirerack before posting. Goodyear Fortera Silent Armor is ranked very high among users, higher then the Michelin. However what I wanted to get is opinions specifically from other Explorer owners on their experience with these two tires or other tires. Obviously Tirerack does not break tire performance down to a specific vehicle.

 

[toypaseo]

You can filter the Tirerack reviews by vehicle...

 

[je5]

If the worst weather you usually get in SF is rain I would go with the Michelin Hydroedge or the one you mentioned. Goodyear has tried to copy this tire but unless their quality has changed recently I have had better value from the Michelins than the Goodyears. Sounds like you only want to consider the two brands.

 

[je5]

I just checked the rack and the Hydroedge isn't available in that size. My friend has had good fortune with the Yoko's and I noticed they are rated about the same as the two you mentioned but cost 1/3 less, maybe worth looking into. Personally on my personal X I run 20" tires and the difference in traction is night and day. I just put the new factory size back on for a short jaunt and I was squealing them with every corner change without power being applied because I was used to the 20" Kumho's. Unbelievable difference and worth the $1500 package.

 

[jkexplorer]

Sounds like you only want to consider the two brands.

I am open to any brand except perhaps Firestone. There are numerous brands to consider and I just narrowed it down to two, Michelin and Goodyear that I've read the most about. I appreciate all other suggestions!!! Will look into the Yokohamas.

Thanks

 

[pabille]

Fortera Triple Treads

I've had a set of Goodyear Fortera Triple Treads on my freeway commuter for about 9000 miles. I put them on in late winter. You probably know about the Southern California spring rainy seasons. With no rain 10 months out of the year, the roads build up heavy deposits of dirt, oil and grease and get really slick when it does rain. In the rain, these tires were great.
My Ex had Michelins mounted when I picked it up used. Who knows what model. They just said Michelin X on the sidewalls. Those tires were scary.
Triple Treads don't have the kevlar belt as the Silent Armors. They do have the same tread techology. They ride quieter than the Michelins. They allow me to take turns (230 degree interchanges) a lot faster than the Michelins. I feel more assured in a panic freeway stop when someone makes a lane change 4 feet in front of me then hits the brakes because traffic ahead is stopped.
Even though the price was a little scary, I'm happy.

 

[jkexplorer]

Another Question

What to do??? I've carefully looked at the tires on the Explorer and measured the tread depth. The rear tires of the Ex definitely need replacing. I should have rotated them on a regular basis. One tire is down to about 3/32" of tread. The front tires however have anywhere between 3/16" - 7/32" of tread left (these tires used to be in the back of the car). They do however show some "micro cracking" in the area between the treads. I don't know if that is normal or a sign of a potential problem? The tires are probably around 5 years old with maybe 45K miles on them and they are Goodyear Wrangler RT/S. So my options are to bite the bullet and replace all four tires with better quality tires, or purchase just one Wrangler RT/S for the rear and then install the spare tire (never used before) in the other rear location. If I go with option one and get "top" quality tires, it's about a $600 - $700 adventure. I calculate the second, cheap option, to be at about $150 - $175. What would you guys do? Appreciate any suggestions!!!

 

[Dan Whitaker]

You don't have to buy Michelin or Goodyear to to get a top quality tire.
You are paying for the name.

Take a look at these three tires at Tirerack:
General Ameritrac $80 ea
Continental Contitrac $81 ea
BFG Long Trail T/A $125 ea
These are available in your size.

I would recomend replacing all four tires because if you have to much difference in diameters between the new & used tires this will cause problems when you use four wheel drive.

 

[churd69]

I wouldn't go dirt cheap and I wouldn't go top price, I would get something in the midrange. Maybe some Yokohama Geolanders would work out nice for you.

-Rich

 

[jkexplorer]

Looking at the Tirerack customer survey on tires, the General Ameritrac and the Continental Contitrac are pretty close to the bottom of the list in terms of performance and user satisfaction. The BFG Long Trail is at about the middle of the list but is really only about 20% cheaper then the top rated tire. I do want to save money, but not at the expense of safe performance and reliability. Lots of thinking to do...