Looks like I need new tires.

S

shahsmerdis

New member
Hi all,

Kinda need your opinion here on which tire too choose, Background located below.

Looks like my quest to bring my 3rd gen from looking and riding like crap has turned even more expensive. 90% sure my tires are the source of my vibration. I can't stand how crappy this car is running, even with new shocks. Costco said they won't balance the wheels since the front are worn unevenly (alignment issue) and the rear tires are cracking. they estimated ~10 months left on the tires. So out to buy new tires. my driving experience is only 3-4 years. and I have absolutely zero experience with tires.

This car only gets 2-3k miles a year. and is used in winter months to get through some snow. other than that its 95% on road. So most likely looking for high way tires. There are always people jumping in front of us while driving, so stopping power is of importance in all driving conditions. Also most likely age will be the thing that kills these tires not usage. Keep in mind in live in NYC so, I don't even know if you call the roads or highways lol. I honestly don't even know where to begin, reading previous posts one at a time. Maybe after a few more post things will start to make sense. I know my dad (his car) nickle and dime tires, so if its between 150 dollar tire, and 175 dollar Michelin, I am sure he will go with Michelin. But it does seem there are ~120-130 hankooks that are popular here.

I am sorting the alignment issue this week, and want to order tires once I know the suspension clears. Lastly should I road road force balance the tires when they install it?

Any pointers, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
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Give Kumho a good look, seriously. They have a HT tire that I believe is the Road Venture model. I run 265/75R16 Road Venture AT51s and I am extremely happy with them especially since they will likely run totally into your Dad's price range. They are quite good on dry, excellent in sand/snow and pretty darn good in mud. I can honestly tell you that I took a chance given the brand and now I will look at Kumho again when I need to replace tires. There was also a rebate....

One thing to note, in the first two kms there is minor feedback in the steering but then it totally disappears.
 
No for Kumho! they have terrible grip in wet weather. Try Cooper discoverer AT3. Look at the reviews for this tire. It is amazing. Excellent grip in snow, ice and even in sand. Super silent on highway speeds!. I have a friend who bought a set of AT3 and he says in heavy snow he still can drive in 2WD mode! He is in Staten Island!
 
LTX AT2! its what i just put on my truck, ive run them (versions) for the past 8 years, expect 100K miles out of them they are great tires and do amazing in the snow.
 
shahsmerdis said:
Hi all,

Kinda need your opinion here on which tire too choose, Background located below.

Looks like my quest to bring my 3rd gen from looking and riding like crap has turned even more expensive. 90% sure my tires are the source of my vibration. I can't stand how crappy this car is running, even with new shocks. Costco said they won't balance the wheels since the front are worn unevenly (alignment issue) and the rear tires are cracking. they estimated ~10 months left on the tires. So out to buy new tires. my driving experience is only 3-4 years. and I have absolutely zero experience with tires.

This car only gets 2-3k miles a year. and is used in winter months to get through some snow. other than that its 95% on road. So most likely looking for high way tires. There are always people jumping in front of us while driving, so stopping power is of importance in all driving conditions. Also most likely age will be the thing that kills these tires not usage. Keep in mind in live in NYC so, I don't even know if you call the roads or highways lol. I honestly don't even know where to begin, reading previous posts one at a time. Maybe after a few more post things will start to make sense. I know my dad (his car) nickle and dime tires, so if its between 150 dollar tire, and 175 dollar Michelin, I am sure he will go with Michelin. But it does seem there are ~120-130 hankooks that are popular here.

I am sorting the alignment issue this week, and want to order tires once I know the suspension clears. Lastly should I road road force balance the tires when they install it?

Any pointers, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've lived in NY my whole life & my 4R is my bad weather vehicle. HWY tires suck in the snow unless they're new & that will only last you one season. Get AT's. Go to TireRack, look at the reviews & buy the best rated AT's you can afford. You're vibrations can come from many places. Get the new tires balanced & an alignment & if the vibrations are still there we'll work on the next thing it could be.
 
If only one set of tires for all season, all weather.... Toyo Open Country AT2. Not sure how BFG AT2s do in snow and ice. Best street tire for limited snow and ice is Michelin LTX MS2 (or whatever model it is now)
 
If you havent yet, you could also try throwing a new set of brake rotorson the front of it. I just paid about $30 each at autozone for mine.

My wifes Nissan Versa had a bad vibration to it. We tried tires, balanced them twice and had the wheels checked for bent or run out and couldn't find where the vibration was coming from. Later i did pads and rotors and the vibration dissappeared.
 
shootmymime said:
LTX AT2! its what i just put on my truck, ive run them (versions) for the past 8 years, expect 100K miles out of them they are great tires and do amazing in the snow.
Click to expand...

Those things do last forever


At the original poster. Don't be cheap with tires if you drive in snow
 
TXLX1 said:
If only one set of tires for all season, all weather.... Toyo Open Country AT2. Not sure how BFG AT2s do in snow and ice. Best street tire for limited snow and ice is Michelin LTX MS2 (or whatever model it is now)
Click to expand...

My BFG AT ko2 do great in the snow, not sure they make an at2

:smow:


I live in Colorado and snowboard frequently so I see a little bit of snow
 
Gadgetguy said:
My BFG AT ko2 do great in the snow, not sure they make an at2

:smow:


I live in Colorado and snowboard frequently so I see a little bit of snow
Click to expand...

I meant KO2s, nice catch. Not too much snow and ice in Texas. The Toyo's on my 100 series have been pretty stout in rain and ice a couple times.
 
You really can't go wrong with BFG or Michelin tires, can't recommend them enough. (Michelin owns BFG) For snow I would definitely recommend an AT tire with plenty of siping. The LTX AT2 and BFG A/T Ko2's are both great tires for on and off road. The LTX's will last you longer, but the Ko2's will be better off road. Buy once cry once. I have about 35k miles on my A/T Ko's and they still have plenty of tread life left, over half at least. I will be replacing them with Ko2's when it's time. They're great in all weather and all offroad situations, could be a little better in sugar sand and mud, but those are two of the toughest terrains.

The rears don't stick as well as they used to after I re-geared however, funny thing that.
 
Just got my cooper discoverer at3s put on and so far so good. They're quiet and ride real smooth. Only been a few days though and no wet weather.
 
thank you all for replying, still evaluating in the background, don't think I've left. Rotors were replaced already btw.

evaluating all scenarios here. AT seem very attractive, I would love the extra kick for snow performance, but still be an all season tire. I don't mind the extra tread ware because, like I said this car doesn't see a lot of miles a year. It has its function which warrants keeping it. I do like the idea of AT tires, my fokes are getting older and I want them to be able to get closer to our door step without having to park on the street, maybe extra grip will give them the confidence go through our unplowed drive way :D

Just spend 1k on various fixes for the car, I didn't for see having to put another 800 dollars into tires. there is another 500-1000 dollars in repairs I had planned. so this is a bit stressing...(car needs rear sway bar links, and maybe a charcoal canister, maybe upper arms as well) Once my mind has accepted that it will make getting this done faster.

Thanks all for the replies once again
 
As been said above, based on your requirements sounds like you would probably be happiest with the Michelins. Either the AT or the MS2. Had original Michelin LTX MS on mine. Lasted for just over 100,000 km (thats 60,000 miles). Drove through all sorts of weather on the Canadian west coast with no problems. The LTX MS will get you the best fuel mileage and are super quiet.
But I like my Duratracs better.
 
Michelin Or Toyo. Best highway tires money can buy.

Source: Family has owned a Tire & Service shop here in Tennessee since 1949.
 
These model numbers are giving me a headache hah. But from what I understand

BFG AT ko2
Michelin AT2's
Michelin Defender ( I see MS not MS2 for 4runner, unless I missed something?)
cooper discoverer at3

Someone highly recommended me to look at the hankook AT tires, anyone tried those out?

Seems like BFG are the most expensive, and tire rack ratings pretty much give it flying colors.
Michelin defenders are next in line, and seem to be a little less capable than the BFG's in snow and ice, which seem very promising. I am pretty sure this is what we have on our car now.

I am curious why do Michelin defenders have a better rating the AT2's. I thought the rugged profile would be better, just not last as long and be more noisey. Then again I have only been looking for 2-3 day now. Though it seem the Michelin AT2's to have mixed reviews.

Anything else I should look into? Pretty much it seems these are top of the line, and anything else is marginally better or worse. Do I have that right?
 
Last edited:
shahsmerdis said:
Michelin Defender ( I see MS not MS2 for 4runner, unless I missed something?)
Click to expand...

The Defender LTX M/S is the replacement for the LTX M/S2.

Supposed to be more durable rubber from their Defender line with the LTX tread pattern.

I got a set and like them a lot.

Pricey, but nice damn tires.
 
shahsmerdis said:
These model numbers are giving me a headache hah. But from what I understand

BFG AT ko2
Michelin AT2's
Michelin Defender ( I see MS not MS2 for 4runner, unless I missed something?)
cooper discoverer at3
Click to expand...

You wont be disappointed. The AT3 is a really really good tire for general purpose.
 
LeeMajors said:
The Defender LTX M/S is the replacement for the LTX M/S2.

Supposed to be more durable rubber from their Defender line with the LTX tread pattern.

I got a set and like them a lot.

Pricey, but nice damn tires.
Click to expand...

WTF! why would you go down in numbers? It is almost as if these company want to confuse their buyers.... !

AZBub said:
You wont be disappointed. The AT3 is a really really good tire for general purpose.
Click to expand...

I am going to look into them! I like the price. thank you!
 
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