If there were two new 06 4runners on the lot and they were both Identical in every way except one had Michelins and one had Bridgestone desert duelers, which one would you pick for street/highway driving? I did not ask about Dunlops as I have found Threads in the Forum that indicate Dunlops are not good tires for the 4 Runner
Michelin or Bridgestone
- Thread starter JP4RNR
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The Micheline cross terrain is an excellent tire and costs about $100 more than the bridgestone. Go to http://www.tirerack.com it is a good place to research tires. The dealer will also most likely be very eager to swap tires to sell the 06 model. The 07 models are arriving now, they need to get rid of old stock.
tkr128
New member
I've had both. My 4Runner originally came with the Bridgestones which were decent tires, I had no problem with them. However, I swapped to the Michelins when I traded my 16's for 17's and the Michelins are just better overall. They are just a tad quieter and ride slightly better as well. I didn't notice any change in handling. Tread wise, the Michelins are wearing much better than my Bridgestones were. So, given the choice, go for the Michelins.
Hope that helps!
Hope that helps!
(Now, let's hope my G won't pull an "Exploder" on me....)
I have a 2004 4runner and it came with Bridgestone. I elected upon having to replace them with the Michelin brand. I have been very satisfied, they are indeed quieter, smoother, and more aggressive looking over the Bridgestone.
Although I went with the factory size, 17", they look bigger and the speedometer on my navigation system verses the actual speedometer does show a variance.
They are much more expensive over the Bridgestones but well worth it. Now I need to raise the front end a bit to equal the height difference of the back tires to fender flare.
It appears Toyota went backwards, I had a 1986 4runner and the back end sagged, now the front end sags.
Although I went with the factory size, 17", they look bigger and the speedometer on my navigation system verses the actual speedometer does show a variance.
They are much more expensive over the Bridgestones but well worth it. Now I need to raise the front end a bit to equal the height difference of the back tires to fender flare.
It appears Toyota went backwards, I had a 1986 4runner and the back end sagged, now the front end sags.
I think a common misconception among alot of people on this board about the stock Dunlops are that they are a bad tire on-road too. People read reviews of the Dunlops on places like tirerack.com and see that they are all bad. This is because it is an SUV/light truck tire and alot of people judge the tire, as a whole, based solely on how it performs off-road or in bad weather, forgetting to factor in dry on-road performance, which for most people accounts for the majority of the driving. Also, keep in mind that most people who even rate tires are biased because they actually care about what tires they drive on, opposed to the other 90 percent of people who don't even pay attention to their tires and would never think in a million years to get online and actually rate a tire. I think its important to remember that the Dunlop, as horrible as it is in rain/snow/mud/anything but dry pavement, acutally is a decent dry-weather road tire. It has soft, comfortable tread that provides a quiet smooth ride and low rolling resistance. The softer rubber allows for decent handling even though the sidewalls are thin and fairly unsupportive.JP4RNR said:
I wouldn't really know, but as far as dry on-road performance goes, I'd put it higher than the REVO and BFG which have fairly aggressive tread for on-road driving. I'd also put it right on par with the Michelin's, which are known for their wobbly and balooning sidewalls. I wouldn't rate it above the Dueler HT though, which has better sidewalls, but a similar tread pattern.
I think in all of this tire business people with perfectly good tires who do minimal off-roading and sometimes drive in wet conditions get talked into buying brand new tires when the stock Dunlops will work just fine. A guy I work with has a '04 limited with the Dunlops and has been through a couple of Colorado winters and has said that he's never had a problem with them.
It's important to be honest with yourself when buying tires. If you don't drive in situations that warrant the more expensive tires then why waste the money? Unless you are going for looks, it seems like alot of people ditch the dunlops because they hear so much negative that it forces them into thinking their riding on deathtraps. Which is true, if you don't frequently drive in dry on-road conditions.
My five cents...
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atomic punk
New member
Very good points.... but I would tend to think that people want to know that when they are forced to drive in the wet or snowy conditions, they have the best tire possible for those conditions, even if it is only for a short period of time. (That piece of mind alone is worth an extra $100 to me personally).
Food 4 thought.
Food 4 thought.
