Best highway tire for 3rd gen???

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fblainen11

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I just got my wife a 2000 Limited grocery getter and baby hauler.
It will see basically zero off road action. The tires are in need of replacement at all corners.
I have Firestone Destination LE2s on my 97 and I'd like some input on what tire to go with for hers.
I was looking at either the LE2s again or the Michelin LTX M/S2.

I have P265/70R16 size on there and that's what I'll be going with. Looking for ride quality, safety, and quietness. Thanks in advance.
 
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Are the Michelin that much better than Firestone?
Any particulars on why I should go with them?

Edit: The Michelins are about $50 more per tire on tirerack.com
 
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i got 60k miles out of my last set with quite a bit of wheeling, and previously my dad got 90k towing a small trailer. i had the x radial lt2.

in case you didnt know michelin invented the radial tire, and they make the best passenger car tires in the world.
 
I've had the Michelin LTX M/S, the Michelin LTX M/S2, and the Toyo Open Country HT.

Of the three, I prefer the Toyo Open Country HT. They are comparable in snow, rain, and all are quiet. They all do surprisingly well off-road, as long as you stay away from mud.

I think the Toyo's have a smoother ride, and hold balance better. The Michelin's required re-balancing at every rotation, despite being Roadforce balanced. The Toyo's after being Roadforce balanced at install, have remained vibration free with no further need for re-balancing.

The Toyo's can also usually be found for much less than the Michelin's.

Toyo Open Country H/T Tire Test
 
Michelin LTX M/S. I've never had to rebalance after initial mount. Got over 60k on my first set. I always run Michelin. The extra wear makes up for the cost.
 
Michelin LTX M/S2 or the Lattitude tourings. I have the MS/2 on my 99 limited and they ride great on the highway. I am sure you will see it is one of the most highly rated tires on the market
 
GHARP57 said:
Michelin LTX M/S2 or the Lattitude tourings. I have the MS/2 on my 99 limited and they ride great on the highway. I am sure you will see it is one of the most highly rated tires on the market
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I've got the Latitude Tours on mine and I like them.

Ride is a little harsher and they are on the noisier side though.

I've put about 10k hwy miles on them in the past 6-7mo and they've held up pretty well with no noticeable treadwear.

I'll prob do the MS2 next time though--much better reviews overall on Tirerack.
 
Got 70,000 on a set of Michelin LTX M/S. Still had good tread but they were over 10 years old so I replaced them. Now have a set of new Michelin LTX M/S.
 
Can't go wrong with Michelins, I've mounted and balanced a lot of tires while working as a tech and can't recall ever having a bad Michelin, can't say the same about other brands. If you're a Costco member the pricing may be a little less than tirerack's, they came out cheaper when I bought M/S tires (M/S2 weren't available yet) from the local Costco. Also try discounttiredirect.com

If you plan on replacing the spare too, go with 245/75 instead of 265/70. Same overall diameter, cheaper, and some have gotten a slight gain in gas mileage from the reduced weight. Though a little narrower than 265's, you won't really notice the difference when mounted on factory width wheels. On an 8" wide wheel I did notice a slight "stretch" look compared to one on a factory wheel.

Another tire suggestion - General Grabber HTS. I've recently personally mounted and balanced two (haven't driven on them yet though) and had excellent road force balance results. Discount Tire has them for $51/each less than equivalent size Michelins plus a $25 discount for online ordering. With that kind of savings you can buy a 5th tire for a spare and the road hazard warranty.
 
TheDurk said:
Michelin LTX M/S. I've never had to rebalance after initial mount. Got over 60k on my first set. I always run Michelin. The extra wear makes up for the cost.
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I had 70k on my LTX M/S tires when I replaced them, and they weren't to the wear bars. But, they were rock hard, had dry rot, and had very little traction at that point.

The Toyo HT's are nearly at the same age and mileage, with about the same wear. But without dry rot, and they still ride better than the LTX M/S's.

Both were/are LT 265/75R16 C tires.

So in my case the extra cost didn't buy anything, except a harsher ride, earlier deterioration, and the uniformity issues.
 
Just be aware H/T tires can hydroplane easily than an A/T rated tires. A/T rated tires got deeper ad wider grooves to evacuate water.
 
I've been happy with my LE2s. I have a few thousand miles on them now and they are great so far. Very quiet and the best deal that I could find. I purchased them from tirerack.com.
 
nissanh said:
Just be aware H/T tires can hydroplane easily than an A/T rated tires. A/T rated tires got deeper ad wider grooves to evacuate water.
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That is one seriously erroneous statement.

H/T or A/T does not determine a tires tread depth, or it's ability to resist hydroplaning.

Of all the tires I've owned, the old standby BFG AT KO had a marked propensity to hydroplane when hitting puddles at highway speeds.

The Michelin LTX M/S, in the size I ran, had the same tread depth as the BFG AT KO, and did much better at resisting hydroplaning.

The Toyo Open Country HT, also had the same tread depth as the other two tires I mentioned, and was even better than the Michelin at resisting hydroplaning.
 
02SE said:
That is one seriously erroneous statement.

H/T or A/T does not determine a tires tread depth, or it's ability to resist hydroplaning.

Of all the tires I've owned, the old standby BFG AT KO had a marked propensity to hydroplane when hitting puddles at highway speeds.

The Michelin LTX M/S, in the size I ran, had the same tread depth as the BFG AT KO, and did much better at resisting hydroplaning.

The Toyo Open Country HT, also had the same tread depth as the other two tires I mentioned, and was even better than the Michelin at resisting hydroplaning.
Click to expand...

+1 it is all about the straight grooves in tires that evacuate water out. the at tires almost NEVER have a straight tread like H/T tires do. Now any tires that have straight grooves with angled ones leading off of the straight grooves are the best at removing water
 
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