I have an Isuzu Trooper. It was a good buy and it has been a great vehicle. I need new tires and there seems to be a spread of $450.00 to $625.00. What should I look for in a tire. I found a good deal on Dunlops. Others in my price range are Michelins, Good Year, Goodrich and Cooper.

Size is P245 70R16 106S

Can someone give me a quick lesson so I can make a good choice.....

My first question would be, where do you do most of your driving? Highway, off road, what?

michelin and goodyear are the best 2 brands IMO

If you don't off-road and don't mind paying a little more for a tire, Michelin LTX's seem to be highly recommended. They did good on my truck for the time I had them, but they can efficiently neuter a four-wheel-drive.




My Tahoe currently wers these, and I like them. Not as high mileage as the LTX's, but much better for four-wheeling/road driving.   Dayton Timberline A/T

michelin LTX A/Ts

i'll swear by those bastards

If you go off-road, but spend a lot of time on the street too I recommend BFG A/T KO's. Mine have about 30k miles on them and still have plenty of tread left. They're pretty strong too, I have some cuts in the sidewalls from going off-road but never had a flat.

I put Yokohama Geolanders AT's on my Grand Chero...mostly for winter but they stay on year round, They do great in mud and are outstanding in snow.....I payed about $90 per tire mounted.

At the moment, the Michelin LTX's on my truck have 103,000 miles on them.

I have bought a new set (more michelins) already, but I'm waiting to see how long these last.


Yes, 103,000 miles.

Yes, they still have tread on them.


And they still have the same air in them that the dealer put in them the day I bought them.


I have been blessed with this set of tires.

I have the Dayton Timberline AT's, I think I paid $500 for them(265/70 R16).  Free rotation ect. I have 10,000 miles on them and they are showing very little wear.  They where also good in the snow last winter.

Another vote for BFG AT/KOs. I just put on my second set after 60k miles on the first set. Excellent traction on and off road. Great in the snow or on wet pavement as well.

I put a set of Bridgestone Dueler Revo's on my 97 Grand Cherokee a couple of months ago.  I really like them so far and they get great reviews at tirerack.com .  They set me back about $520 installed for a set of 4 in 235/75R15.

John

Thanks for the replys.....no off roading. Mainly road driving and I would like to have something for the ice/snow as I think we are going to have a rough winter (as far as rough winters in NC go).

Quoted: michelin LTX A/Ts i'll swear by those bastards

Not as good as Bridestone Dueler AT Revos...and I've had both...

I have owned three Isuzu trooper ('92, '97, '02). I replaced the tires on the 97 and the 02 with

Bridgestone Desert Dueler AT's. By far the best tire for this verhicle for mixed hwy and off road driving. I got 55K out of the tires on my '97 before I sold it.

I had 255/70-16's on the '97 and 245/70-16's on the '02. I prefer the 255's.

Best deal I could find was buying them at Costco. Total was about $500.

The yukon I just bought from my dad has a set of those michelins on it, the ones someone said can neuter the awd or 4x4, and yes my yukon actually has both those capabilities.

He put the tires on last year and I consider them blah.  They don't ride that well, they only take 35 psi max and that feels wishy washy in a full size half ton vehicle.  They throw gravel as well.

I drove it in some serious snow last year and it did just fine.  The tires are not a miracle but they are also not a handicap in snow.

I believe they come with a 60k mile rating and as mentioned they are known to go a lot farther.  So for someone who racks up lots of miles a year, like 30k or 40k I could easily see these tires being worth the money.

I prefer the loud and cheap mud tires since I live in the country on a gravel road.

The michelins load up with clay mud quickly and I sure as heck keep in mind that I don't want to get this fullsize truck stuck.

I have a midsize suv that has 15 inch rims on it and I found some cheap mud/snow tires that can take 42 psi.  Those tires have lasted longer than I expected and with the higher pressure the truck handles better since I prefer a firm ride.

Overall, if the michelin fits your needs I can't say they totally suck.

But I sure as heck don't think they are worth the extra 200 dollars since they don't really fit my needs.

I don't know what else is available in 16 inch tire sizes since I thought the only 16 inch truck tires were the E load range stuff on my one ton pickup.  And I don't think those are what you are after.

Bridgestone A/Ts. They're pretty good for off-road & they're great for on pavement & they last for 60-70K miles. They're also about $40 cheaper than Michelin & they're NOT MADE IN FRANCE!!!!

Bridgestones are made in the US, FWIW.

Quoted: If you don't off-road and don't mind paying a little more for a tire, Michelin LTX's seem to be highly recommended. They did good on my truck for the time I had them, but they can efficiently neuter a four-wheel-drive. i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/vanilla_gorilla911/autoTiresAllMichelin_LTX_MS-resized.jpg My Tahoe currently wers these, and I like them. Not as high mileage as the LTX's, but much better for four-wheeling/road driving.   Dayton Timberline A/T i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/vanilla_gorilla911/timberat.jpg

Specifically the Michelin LTX M/S and not the a/s.  I have the LTX M/S and they wear like they are diamond coated.  They are the same cost as the Michelin SUV tire, and both tires wear the same I'm told.  I do all my driving on road.  

If you want an allterrain tire I would recomend the BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO.  Michelin is prodicing them now.  I had a set on my Z71 that lasted forever, and were all around good AT tires.

Both the tires I'm recomending are higher in up front costs, but they last longer and are great quality.

ETA the Bridestone Dueler AT Revo is also another top notch AT tire.

If you want a premium tire, the Nitto TerraGrappler is good. They only last about 35k, but smooth ride and good traction anywhere.

Gotta toss in a huge +1 on the BFG A/T  TA KO's.   I have them on my truck (Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4) in 265/70R17 and they absolutely rock!

Way better snow/wet traction.  Immensly better off-road (about 2 dozen or so times a year between hunting and beach driving at the shore) A tad louder than the stock Goodyear GS/A's  but no measurable difference in MPG.  

It's a C load class tire, agressive tread, but reasonable for the highway.  Set me back $700 for the set, but I haven't had even a twinge of buyer's remorse... I'd imagine they'd be significantly cheaper in your tire size.

Bfg A/T's  usually cost less than good years - 1yr  with my Bfg P-265 a/t's without problems.

The Goodyear Fortera kicks ass.  my dad has em on his 03 suburban.  work real nice.  

I've got Michelin LTX 4s on my 4Runner, and I hate them.  Why? because the tread width is perfect for picking up gravel from my driveway of about 1,000 feet, and humming said gravel against the undercarriage when coming up to road speed.

I've got Cooper Discover ATs on my K1500 GMC, and they seem pretty good.  The tread gaps are big enough not to capture gravel...

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos or Bridgestone Dueler Alenza. Cost a little more, but they are great tires.



Also check out the consumer ratings for the Firestone Destination A/T.

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT

I bought the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor yesterday.  It is a cross between highway and off road.  The Fortera Silent Armor is mainly a street tire.
I really like the Wrangler Silent Armor - they were $142 each, just like the Fortera...

Another vote for BFG All-Terrain TA KOs.  Have them on my Explorer and they do great everywhere; rain, snow, and mud.  

ETA TA

I like Goodyear the best, and I'd suggest getting one with a strong sidewall. Besides extra protection if you do go offroad, they also resist rolling when you're taking corners.

My experience is Goodyear are true to their name.  YMMV

Never buy Firestone tires.  They suck big time.  

Quoted: Never buy Firestone tires.  They suck big time.

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=HAS

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=PAS

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORMT

Michelin LTX A++++ best tire I ever put on my 84 K10 Blazer
I had Bridgestone radial AT before and the sidewalls started developing serious bulges after less than 10K. No major offroading either

Quoted: I like Goodyear the best, and I'd suggest getting one with a strong sidewall. Besides extra protection if you do go offroad, they also resist rolling when you're taking corners.

Another vote for Goodyear (Fortera)

Try the Tire Rack for pricing  

Quoted: Quoted: Never buy Firestone tires.  They suck big time.

 


I've been driving and repairing vehicles for over 37 years.  I have never had any problems with any brand I have ever used except Firestone.  I was a tire changer for Sears in the late 60's.  You learn alot about tires when you work on them every day.  

I've had four sets of Firestone tires and three of the four were defective.  

The first set was on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  They fell apart.  I replaced them with Goodyear tires.  

My second set were on a 1969 Dodge GTS.  No problems with those tires.  

Third set were on 1974 Ford Granada.  I had two actually "blew out" on the interstate at two different times.  If you ever had a tire blow at interstate speeds, you'll never forget it.  Bought four Goodyear tires after the second blew.  

The fourth set were on a 1990 Astro Van.  That set was so out of balance, they actually loosened the back doors of my van on a trip to Chicago from Florida.  I stopped five times on the trip and got them balanced.  Nothing helped.  When I got back to Florida I went into the Firestone dealer.  Three out of four tires had internal damage (separation).  They replaced the three.  One week later, the fourth developed an external bubble.  I drove across the street to Goodyear and bought four new tires that day.  

When I was looking for a new vehicle, the one I wanted had Firestone tires.  The dealer refused to trade for a set of Uniroyal tires on a vehicle parked next to the one I was buying.  I walked out and didn't buy the vehicle.  I bought the same vehicle from another dealer that had Uniroyal tires.  

If anyone wants to trust their lives and the lives of their family to Firestone tires, I'll pray for them.  

Quoted: Another vote for BFG All-Terrain TA KOs.  Have them on my Explorer and they do great everywhere; rain, snow, and mud.   ETA TA

+2 I also like the Yokohama Geolander A/T and M/T...

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Never buy Firestone tires.  They suck big time.     I've been driving and repairing vehicles for over 37 years.  I have never had any problems with any brand I have ever used except Firestone.  I was a tire changer for Sears in the late 60's.  You learn alot about tires when you work on them every day.   I've had four sets of Firestone tires and three of the four were defective.   The first set was on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  They fell apart.  I replaced them with Goodyear tires.   My second set were on a 1969 Dodge GTS.  No problems with those tires.   Third set were on 1974 Ford Granada.  I had two actually "blew out" on the interstate at two different times.  If you ever had a tire blow at interstate speeds, you'll never forget it.  Bought four Goodyear tires after the second blew.   The fourth set were on a 1990 Astro Van.  That set was so out of balance, they actually loosened the back doors of my van on a trip to Chicago from Florida.  I stopped five times on the trip and got them balanced.  Nothing helped.  When I got back to Florida I went into the Firestone dealer.  Three out of four tires had internal damage (separation).  They replaced the three.  One week later, the fourth developed an external bubble.  I drove across the street to Goodyear and bought four new tires that day.   When I was looking for a new vehicle, the one I wanted had Firestone tires.  The dealer refused to trade for a set of Uniroyal tires on a vehicle parked next to the one I was buying.  I walked out and didn't buy the vehicle.  I bought the same vehicle from another dealer that had Uniroyal tires.   If anyone wants to trust their lives and the lives of their family to Firestone tires, I'll pray for them.

Sorry for your bad luck, but there is a world of difference between tires made in the 60s and 70s to those made now. Yes, Firestone has made some poor products in the past, but after the recall of 2000 they went back to the drawing board and completely re-engineered their tires.

A lot of factors can contribute to tire failure, not the least of which is lack of maintenance on the part of the owner. Wheel alignment, tire inflation, and worn steering/suspension parts can all cause tires to fail.

I trust my life and my families lives to Bridgestone/Firestone tires every day. The Duelers and the Destinations are among the best light truck tires you can buy. But don't take my word for it; see what other consumers have wrote about them at Tirerack.com.

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT

Personally, I refuse to buy much of anything made by the French.  So BFG's and Michelins are out of the question - even though BFG makes really good tires.  

I have had rather poor luck with the Goodyear MT/R's on my new Jeep - and their customer service people pissed me off to the point that I won't ever buy from Goodyear again - at two different dealers.

On my '89 S-10 I ran for 5 years and put well over 100,000 miles on I went through several sets of tires - I still have it and it's still going - with almost 250K on it!

Cooper Discoverer radials - Currently on my S10 now.  So far, good mileage and extremely good performance in the Winter.  Ride was smooth and quiet.  I mounted them my self and didn't put any weight on them at all.  I didn't bother balanceing them at the time as they were going to be spares (on a spare set of rims I had) that I wasn't planning on using for quite a while - and I was in a hurry that day.  A while came and went and I put them on my truck with out ever getting around to balancing them.  No detectable vibration from 0 - to about 98 or so MPH (didn't go any faster than that).  Pretty impressive for unbalanced tires!

I have also had Mastercraft Courser AWT's.  I got these as hand me downs from my brother who had lifted his truck and went with bigger tires.  I ran them for maybe 15,000 miles and was very happy with them also.  I don't know how many he put on them.  Good snow traction, and respectable in the dirt/mud.  Quiet and smooth ride.

RVT radial Wide Climbers (I'm not even sure if they're still available- Google implies they are) were very good for me too.  They came on the truck and lasted another 30 thousand or so.  Good in about everything, but not great wet traction or in really greasy snow.

Dayton Timberline LT's got so-so mileage, but possibly the best snow tire I ever had.  Did OK in the dirt, but never really tried them much off road.  Wet/dry traction was good too.  They seem to be a bit cheaper than alot of the others.  I would certainly reccomend them again.

Wide Track Wintertrack's - These were a dedicated snow tire with the severe snow rating emblem (snow flake inside a mountain) on the sidewall.  Got pretty crappy mileage, but they were GREAT on wet or dry pavement for traction.  They were a bit louder than of the others though, and had a stiff ride.  They did do well in the snow - especially on road.  Im my unplowed stone driveway with alot of deep snow they weren't awesome, but they got the job done.  The more aggressive patterns like the Timberlines, Wideclimbers, Coursers, and the Coopers did better in that.  

For my Jeep, I will be buying TRXUS MT's from Interco to replace the Goodyear MT/R's.  I'll probably do this in late November/Early December.  I think they'll get better traction on ice and slush with the siping that the Goodyears lack.  The aggresive tread will still do well in the deep stuff.  IF (a big if too) there is still tread left on the Goodyears I'll put them back on in spring.

Hope some of this helps, YMMV (pun intended).


-K

Some of you guys are funny in that you would put safety and reliability importance below country of origin ownership.
Most of the SUV tires are made in US plants anyway.
Would you do the same decision with your guns?

BFG All Terrains

Quoted: Some of you guys are funny in that you would put safety and reliability importance below country of origin ownership. Most of the SUV tires are made in US plants anyway. Would you do the same decision with your guns?

I agree...  I get so fricken tired of that " I don't buy nothin made France" mentality.  These are the same people that usually shop at WalMart an buy Chinese crap.

Sore subject for me.  As I just replaced a $209.00 Goodyear Wrangler ATS.  A rock broke the tread.

10,000 miles on it.

PISSED AM I!

Quoted: At the moment, the Michelin LTX's on my truck have 103,000 miles on them. I have bought a new set (more michelins) already, but I'm waiting to see how long these last. Yes, 103,000 miles. Yes, they still have tread on them. And they still have the same air in them that the dealer put in them the day I bought them. I have been blessed with this set of tires.

+1 but with 80,000 miles on a heavy GMC Savannah. I expect another 5 years out of them since I parked the GMC and drive a Prius.

Quoted: Never buy Firestone tires.  They suck big time.

They take you offroad anytime they feel like it--at least with Fords,   and sometimes they'll flip your Ford.

Quoted: The Goodyear Fortera kicks ass.  my dad has em on his 03 suburban.  work real nice.

I had those, got stuck in wet grass, they are made for highway use and side streets that's about it, anything else and they are not worth a shit.........get the Wrangler A/TS 100x better

I love my BFG AT/ko's and Sam's also has them in stock. I am on my 3 set not the same truck. If it is most on road the BFG trails type tires nice.

I am happy with the Goodyear Wrangler D/TS tires I put on my Expedition.  I only have about 15K miles on them so I can't say how they'll hold up for the long haul.  They do give excellent ride and traction on dry or wet pavement.  I haven't gone offroad with, unfortunately.

Quoted: michelin LTX A/Ts i'll swear by those bastards

+1.  I asked the same question about 6 mo ago, got the same answer, and have never looked back.

Quoted: Personally, I refuse to buy much of anything made by the French.  So BFG's and Michelins are out of the question - even though BFG makes really good tires.

Oddly enough, my BFG AT KO's say "Made in Japan" on the sidewall. And no I'm not kidding.

Quoted: Bridgestone A/Ts. They're pretty good for off-road & they're great for on pavement & they last for 60-70K miles. They're also about $40 cheaper than Michelin & they're NOT MADE IN FRANCE!!!! Bridgestones are made in the US, FWIW.

Make a set of tires here in the US that will last 100,000 miles, and I will HAPPILY buy them - if I can get them for the price I paid for my Michelins.

($750 total for the first set, MUCH less for the second set I got a smoking deal on)


And FWIW, those Michelins of mine have been through more mud and off-road use than most people ever put a vehicle through. Super Swampers they are not, but I haven't got stuck yet, and I've been in some pretty nasty mud once or twice.




And FWIW, make sure you get the highest treadwear rating they make - I forget what it is, but they DO make the LTX in different treadwear ratings.

For a on road truck there is no question BFG A/T KO's off raod truck Intreco's Take this from a guy that spends more time off raod then on

Quoted: Quoted: Bridgestone A/Ts. They're pretty good for off-road & they're great for on pavement & they last for 60-70K miles. They're also about $40 cheaper than Michelin & they're NOT MADE IN FRANCE!!!! Bridgestones are made in the US, FWIW. Make a set of tires here in the US that will last 100,000 miles, and I will HAPPILY buy them - if I can get them for the price I paid for my Michelins.

Bridgestones will easily go as long as Michelins. Why would you support France, sir?    

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Bridgestone A/Ts. They're pretty good for off-road & they're great for on pavement & they last for 60-70K miles. They're also about $40 cheaper than Michelin & they're NOT MADE IN FRANCE!!!! Bridgestones are made in the US, FWIW. Make a set of tires here in the US that will last 100,000 miles, and I will HAPPILY buy them - if I can get them for the price I paid for my Michelins. Bridgestones will easily go as long as Michelins. Why would you support France, sir?

Show me a set of tires - directly comparable to my Michelin LTX's - that will go 103,000 miles and still have tread.


Don't make blanket statements - give me an example.



I don't support France.

I will support a company located there, though, as long as they continue to prove themselves to make a superior product.


Meantime, if you want to discuss france - or any other country who is not in 100% lockstep with your ideology - this may not be the thread to do it in.

Maybe you could start your own.