When the time rolled around for new tires, we faced a minor dilemma.
The OEM tires on SEEMORE, our Ford F250 pickup truck, were Continental Contitracs. Our experience with those Continental tires was pretty good. We managed to extract just over 47,000 miles of service from the tires, and that’s after putting those slabs of steel-belted rubber through some of the most intense use imaginable. Hauling a 7500-pound Airstream over the Rocky Mountains isn’t exactly light lifting.
While I wasn’t thrilled with the Contis, nor was I dissatisfied. They did what they were asked to do. But after browsing some online reviews, I began to wonder whether our results were atypical. Maybe we just got lucky with our tires? The Contitrac is consistently one of the lowest reviewed truck tires, and is held in only slightly higher esteem than Kim Jong-un. Some say that Contitracs are best used to start dumpster fires.
So there was my dilemma – SHOULD I STAY (with Contis) or SHOULD I GO (with another brand)? That would make a great song, wouldn’t it?
I did a little more research and found one tire that is better reviewed than Citizen Kane. Apparently the Michelin LTX M/S2 is the best thing to happen to tires since the invention of the wheel. (Tire sales were terrible before the wheel came along.) I’ve owned and enjoyed other Michelins, so I decided we’d give this tire a go.
Yes, Michelins cost a few bucks more than the Contis. However, they also come with a 6-year 70,000-mile warranty. Six years?! We’ll see. That’s TWICE the lifespan that we received from our Continentals. When you do the math, Michelins really don’t cost much more. If we REALLY get six years of usage out of these tires, the set will cost us $166 a year, or less than $14 a month. (You see, all sorts of expensive purchases – from Jet Skis to Ferraris – can be rationalized when you break them down by the month.)
Next up: where to buy?
Of course I’d take a look at Amazon, mainly because I always check Amazon.
TireRack.com is always a good option. You buy the tires online (no sales tax!) for a good price, and have them shipped to a recommended local installer.
But for me, Costco was a BETTER option. Although our local Costco didn’t have these particular Michelins in stock, the tires we wanted were easily ordered. We paid a $60 down payment to place the order, and then the balance of the cost upon installation a few days later. Costco guarantees lifetime FREE balance and rotation, plus a road hazard warranty. And by the way, Costco inflates tires with Nitrogen (smaller molecules than Oxygen, so the tires are less likely to lose pressure).
Since these tires are going on our tow vehicle, I’m particularly interested in the free rotation. If you view our video, you’ll see what happens to rear tires on a tow vehicle that haven’t been rotated often enough. I must admit that SEEMORE’s rear treads were shockingly thin. Don’t let this happen to YOUR rear tires, kids. ROTATE YOUR TOW VEHICLE TIRES!
All’s well that ends well. At 47,000 miles, SEEMORE’s got a new set of shoes. 🙂
Tire brands I find are somewhat subjective in ride and in wear. I have had Goodyear , Michelin, Perk-a-relli and now Bridgestone. One thing I have found that works better than what tire I use but the load rating. Standard tires that came on my Excursion were “LT” (light truck) When pulling my trailer they were just not up to the task.
I thought it was because the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo were crap. Turned out the LT tires were just not up to the weight load I was towing. what then is this little mouse to do…..BUY MORE EXPENSIVE TIRES! Was this going to fix my problem…..nope!
I lucked out and the “tire man” asked a question I thought was stupid and a way of up selling me more expensive tires. I could not be more wrong and the tire guy was right. His answer…load “E” rated tires or a 10 ply tire(E).
Wow what a huge difference! no mushy back end and waggle. When I’m towing I up the pressure to 80psi in all 4 tires. I have found one pound of air off in one tire will adversely affect the handling.
The big thing you will notice with a 10ply (e) tire is they are a bit more firm. when not towing I follow the door sticker on Eddie (The Excursion). 10 ply tires tend from what I have noticed tens to get better wear since the sidewall is much stiffer. The wear on the edges of the tires is not so pronounced an they hold up better.
Trade off E rated tires won’t give you the softer ride that came from the factory. they will tow better due to their weight carrying abilities .If ya tow like see more (often and long) E rated is the way to go! Ya camp once a year don’t waste the money and keep the softer ride.
Yes to the “E” rating! Our old Contis and our new Michelins are E-rated tires.
At the moment our rears are at 75 PSI, fronts at 70 PSI. This may change, however. I think I agree that 80 PSI in the rear tires is the way to go.
I completely agree about tires having a great deal of subjectivity. Sometimes when browsing Tire Rack reviews, one review will completely contradict the next review. So about all you can do is look at the total aggregate, and don’t put too much weight in any one person’s opinion.
So far I am loving the Michelins. But of course I always love new tires! 😀
I’ll be watching.. The dealer just put Bf Goodrich Commercial T/a’s on my super duty before I picked it up but It will be nice to see how your Michelins hold up for my next tire purchase…. Of course I need to get my truck out of the shop first… Damn 6.0 Turbo failures lol
Tires have been fantastic so far. They are due for rotation. I will have that taken care of soon.
Sorry to hear about your blown turbo! Ours is going strong at 54k miles (and yes, I am knocking on wood).