Time for Tires

[2kwik4u]

18 hours ago, pmhinatl said:

I was torn between the continental a/t and Michelin defender m/s, and went with the Michelins. They are very quiet and smooth, and my mpg might have seen a small improvement. My only complaint is they pick up and hold #89 (and sometimes #57) gravel. My driveway is gravel, so Im always hearing rocks smack the fender wells as I leave.

M.

What swayed you to the Michelin over the Continentals?

[pmhinatl]

What swayed you to the Michelin over the Continentals?

I realized that 99% of my driving was truly Highway, and I wanted the extended tread life. I think both tires are probably excellent, but maybe the Michelin’s have a tiny edge for my type of driving. The weather here in Atlanta is (almost always) a non-factor. If I had any occasion to go off road (unimproved job site, camping, whatever) I might have gone with the continentals.

M.

[2kwik4u]

14 minutes ago, pmhinatl said:

 

 

I realized that 99% of my driving was truly Highway, and I wanted the extended tread life. I think both tires are probably excellent, but maybe the Michelin’s have a tiny edge for my type of driving. The weather here in Atlanta is (almost always) a non-factor. If I had any occasion to go off road (unimproved job site, camping, whatever) I might have gone with the continentals.

M.

 

 

Awesome. Thanks for the info. 

 

I'm in a similar use case. 75-80% on road, highway miles. When I am offroad it's rarely more aggressive than a muddy field, some medium sized gravel, or similar double-track type situation. I really got the 4wd for the slick boat ramps we get around here from time to time. Otherwise I have no real need for it. I do tow quite a bit, so I have to keep an eye on load ratings, however so long as I'm above the axle weight rating then the tires won't be the limiting factor for me, and it becomes a moot point.

 

Love the look of my KO2's, but have honestly used thier off-road capability about 3 times in two years. And two of those, I was juts goofing around and didn't "NEED" the capability. The other time was leading electrical lineman through fields and streams to find the single downed line. They were from out of town, and I knew the land well so I was able to guide them right along the lines to assist. They had giant F450's and Mac sized trucks that wouldn't fit in that space, or have the traction to get in/out without a hassle. All they needed was an inspection, not a repair so it worked out well.

 

Would like to keep that capability, but it doesn't make sense for my daily activities. I could've easily borrowed the neighbors side-by-side and done the same thing.

[Cupton]

This is just a guess, but I think 90% of people looking for new tires for their truck go with what they know which is replacing their current tire, whatever is on sale, or whatever the dealership recommends them to put on. I was in that group too before I got my 1st GMC. The other 10% are here in this forum, reading and doing their research for what they need/want. This forum has been awesome! The reasons I didn’t go with the Continental A/T’s when I got my Coopers at the time was the lack of the 3 Peak severe weather rating and I wanted a USA company made tire. Despite that, those Continentals are still in the #2 spot on my list after reading such good reviews on them. Love my Coopers but I have a backup if they ever fail me and I decide I want to switch.

 

For the record, I’ve been out of southern CA for about 5 years now living in the Pittsburgh area and have yet to understand why my requirement was that 3 peak symbol. I think it snows more glitter and Frappachino sprinkles in Southern CA than it does actual snow here in Western PA since I have been here. I have no need currently for an LT tire so the aggressive awesome looking go-to heavy AT tires like the KO2, Grabbers, etc. weren’t really a consideration for me. I sure do love looking at them though! When I bought my truck and my Coopers I told myself I was about 80% on road. In reality its more like 95% on road. OK, maybe 96%.

 

Sidebar... Does anyone else find it funny when reading AT tire reviews that a tire was tested in the desert of Southern CA in some packed sand or a mud puddle which it did really well so that's the end of the test? Then that tire is recommended as being a good AT tire because it also has the 3 Peak Snow symbol.

 

Apologies, I didn't mean to derail this thread. I would love to see those Continentals on your truck if you get them. Post pics!

 

[bhales]

ive had Michelin LTX A/t2, BFG K02 and now i have Nitto Ridge Grapplers

 

Michelin was the best hands down with ride and road noise, just not aggresive enough look for me 

 

BFG's were quiet but i never could get them to stay balanced, look was good also

 

the ridge grapplers have a little more road noise then the other two but ride is smooth and looks are the best ive had. i get compliments all the time about how good they look on my truck. i only have 20,000 miles so far but i like them

 

i think i would have a hard time going back to the Michelins now as ive gotten used to the aggresvie look. if i traveled more i might but most of my driving is city and my commute is 0.0 miles

[MobileMatt]

Reviving this thread since I've been a slacker and have not pulled the trigger, yet. I know I know almost 6 months later. It's definitely time.  I was at the tire shop this morning to get a tire patched for my wife's ride and talked to them about tires for my truck.  I was dead set on Cooper AT3 4S and was inquiring about buying online and shipping to them versus having them handle it all.  I can save about $100 if I buy online BUT this is a locally owned shop and I want to support them (even if it means paying a little bit more).

 

So, we talked about the Coopers and then he threw me a curve ball:  Hercules Terra Trac AT II.   Apparently, they are owned by Cooper and would be about $50 less for all 4 tires installed.  I see a few reviews on here and online, but mostly by tire shops. They look good, have a good sidewall and tread pattern, same weight, warranty, load rating, speed rating, etc as the Coopers.  Anyone have some real world experience with Hercules tires?

 

Thanks!

Edited November 14, 2019 by MobileMatt
"$50 less"

[camcamaro1991]

31 minutes ago, MobileMatt said:

Reviving this thread since I've been a slacker and have not pulled the trigger, yet. I know I know almost 6 months later. It's definitely time.  I was at the tire shop this morning to get a tire patched for my wife's ride and talked to them about tires for my truck.  I was dead set on Cooper AT3 4S and was inquiring about buying online and shipping to them versus having them handle it all.  I can save about $100 if I buy online BUT this is a locally owned shop and I want to support them (even if it means paying a little bit more).

 

So, we talked about the Coopers and then he threw me a curve ball:  Hercules Terra Trac AT II.   Apparently, they are owned by Cooper and would be about $50 for all 4 tires installed.  I see a few reviews on here and online, but mostly by tire shops. They look good, have a good sidewall and tread pattern, same weight, warranty, load rating, speed rating, etc as the Coopers.  Anyone have some real world experience with Hercules tires?

 

Thanks!

Michelin Defender quite, smooth soft ride or Michelin AT2 more aggressive look, bit harder ride due to the side wall changes,

 

Your not really saving money buying any other brand. I posted the video back when you asked this. besides are you really going to worry about a $100 on a set of 4 tires? have you even visited Hercules website...? looks like a sales gimmick with no reviews. 

 

Lastly my brother got 82,000 (legal, as in not past the wear bars) out of his last set of AT2's, the mileage warranty was 60,000

Edited November 14, 2019 by camcamaro1991

[MobileMatt]

Just now, camcamaro1991 said:

Michelin Defender quite, smooth soft ride or Michelin AT2 more aggressive look, bit harder ride due to the side wall changes,

 

Your not really saving money buying any other brand. I posted the video back when you asked this. besides are you really going to worry about a $100 on a set of 4 tires?

 

have you even visited Hercules website...? looks like a sales gimmick with no reviews. 

Thanks man.  I appreciate the info and the suggestion.

Yes, I went straight to the Hercules website and then YouTube, Here, and some off-road/4WD drive sites.   Have not found any negative reviews, which as you indicated, could just be a sales gimmick.  So, I come here for the real deal. 

[typ0]

If you live in a colder climate, check out Cooper ATW.  They have great reviews on line.  Just put a set on a trailblazer (235/75 16) for $445 out the door from a local shop. But I don't have any miles on them yet so I can't give a review.

[MobileMatt]

No, I'm down here in LA (Lower Alabama) and we are more of a tropical climate and known as the rainiest city in America.   If it evern snows, it's not much and they shut down the town, no one drives anywhere, etc so snow traction is of no concern. 

 

I keep coming back to Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S for stock replacements.  They have better numbers in terms of load rating, wear rating, warranty, tire weight, etc. when compared to Continental, Michelin, Toyo, and Falken. 

[Cupton]

I’ve been extremely happy with the Cooper 4S’s and wouldn’t hesitate to buy again. They have been great for me in rain and snow here in western PA.

I hit the trails yesterday and they did awesome in both mud, snow and a few spots of ice. The 2.5 hour ride home was nice too after all the mud cleared from the tread. [emoji6]

[Bikemobile]

Extremely happy with the falken Wildpeak at3w. 

[MobileMatt]

17 hours ago, Cupton said:

I’ve been extremely happy with the Cooper 4S’s and wouldn’t hesitate to buy again. They have been great for me in rain and snow here in western PA.

I hit the trails yesterday and they did awesome in both mud, snow and a few spots of ice. The 2.5 hour ride home was nice too after all the mud cleared from the tread.

That's awesome! Love the pic.  I bet the wheels took a minute to balance out with all that nastiness in the tread. 

How's the ride quality overall? 

[Cupton]

Overall, the ride quality is great. They for sure get a thumbs up in my book.

[MobileMatt]

Thanks again for all of the replies and info. I pulled the trigger on the Cooper AT3 4S in 275/55/20 yesterday and so far, soo good.  It's night and day difference in ride, handling, and feel. It's hard to explain but the truck just feels way better. Braking distance seems to be much improved, cornering is a lot tighter, and it just feels more responsive.  I like the way the tires look on the truck and I'm glad I opted to have the Outlined White Letters placed on the inside for the black side wall look.  I've only got about 100 miles on them since yesterday in traffic, on the highway, and around town so I will be updating after a few thousand miles, towing a boat,  and some time in the woods.  If I am being super picky, the only thing I would comment on is that the tires are slightly more noisy than my almost slick Goodyear SRA's that had 48k on them. To be expected, for sure. 

 

Thanks again,

Matt