Truck tires

[rl69]

I'm looking for recommendations in which tier to buy and where to buy them

I have a 1995 f 350 single wheel 2 wheel drive 235/85r16

I remember that someone here was good at that kind of thing I just can't remember who it was

[redhawk0]

It may sound funny...but I have been buying my tires off Ebay for years. Just last week I purchased 4 brand new Cooper A/T3 XLT 10-ply 275/55R/20's for my Silverado at $227 each....shipped. I then have my mechanic mount/balance them for another $20/tire.

If I went to a local tire shop it would be about $1500...I save over $500 this way.

I've been doing this for years...generally the tires come from a dealer that has turn over so they aren't tires that are sitting in a hot warehouse for 2 years.

Go to ebay and type in just your tire size...you'll have a bazillion hits. Pick a seller that has at least a 98% rating and you should be fine.

[EDIT] - I just looked...the tire I mentioned in your size is about $580 shipped....that's not bad.

redhawk

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It wasn't me. We've got a big tire chain here named Les Schwab. Really good people to do business with. I've got a Chev. 3500 dually 2 wheel drive, Dakota 4x4, and a Dodge Raider 4x4, and all have Toyo A/T Open Country tires all around on all of them. They have a fairly aggressive tread which helps in the snow and ice we get in the winter, but still seem to wear pretty well. The disclaimer here is that I'm an old guy and don't drive much anymore, and you don't get much snow in Texas!

[rockrat]

Bought my last three sets online. Saved about $400 on a set for my older Tundra ordering from Wal-mart.com vs an in-store purchase. Tires were on sale online, but not in the store. WM mounted them for free since they were WM tires. Local tire dealers wanted about 2X the price WM had them for.

There is Tire Rack and Tire Town IIRC, for online tires.

[metricmonkeywrench]

For all my tire needs I use Tire Rack to research whats out there, estimated price and recommendations then hit the phone to see what my local shops can do, if not I'm a big box club member and can generally hit them up during a sale and get a break on the mount and balance

For the 3/4 ton and up your generally into a load range E tire which cuts down on the available tires significantly. For my use on my Ram 2500 I need all-season plus I tow a 5th wheel.

My current selection is the DEFENDER LTX M/S that so far have been great for towing the trailer and winter use. Second choice would be the usual default BF Goodrich All-Terrains.

In the end it all depends on how you want to use them, on/off road, all highway, surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. Each has it own challenges and the give and take on traction, drivability and so on.

Bottom line other than brakes the only item I will not skimp on is tires...

[mattw]

I have been using Goodrich Long Trail T/A for years, I get a ton of miles out of them on my Expedition and before that on my F150, and I buy the version that is a higher ply rating and it firms up trailer pulling. 60,000 to 75,000 is doable if you maintain pressure, rotate and rebalance them fairly often.

[Winger Ed.]

I put new 'E' rated tires on my F-250 a year or so ago.

I dug around, and the best deal I found was a set of Michelins from Wal-Mart.

They're loud, but hold the road like Velcro.

[Idaho45guy]

It wasn't me. We've got a big tire chain here named Les Schwab. Really good people to do business with. I've got a Chev. 3500 dually 2 wheel drive, Dakota 4x4, and a Dodge Raider 4x4, and all have Toyo A/T Open Country tires all around on all of them. They have a fairly aggressive tread which helps in the snow and ice we get in the winter, but still seem to wear pretty well. The disclaimer here is that I'm an old guy and don't drive much anymore, and you don't get much snow in Texas!

Les Schwab has declined rapidly in my area. I've been going to them for tires ever since I got my first car in 1986. I haven't bought tires from them since 2004.

Their prices are absolutely insane now! And the Moscow, ID location has screwed up mounting and balancing my internet tires the last three times I took vehicles in. I've had to take my vehicle to another location and have them re-done.

And the last time I used them, they said they now charge $35 MORE per tire if they are new tires not purchased from them. So not only are they losing business selling new tires, they are now going to lose business mounting and balancing tires people buy elsewhere. They are a bunch of idiots.

My neighbor bought a set of 33" Federal mud tires for his Jeep from Les Schwab two years ago. $1200 bill. When I had my Jeep, I looked up the exact same tire online and they were $130 each. Would have been a $600 bill if he would have gone online.

Anyway, for the OP, asking for tire advice is heavily dependent on your needs, as others have stated.

As far as where to buy, online is the only way to go. Unless you go to Costco or Sam's Club. They are pretty close to online prices.

I have bought dozens of tires online and have used Discount Tire, Tire Rack, WalMart, and Amazon. All had free shipping and I haven't had a bad experience. Well, until I took them to Les Schwab and had them mounted and balanced...

The last set of tires I bought was a couple of months ago. I have a utility trailer I use to haul my UTV into the mountains. Stock, it was pretty low and the stock tires were street tires. So, I flipped the axle and lifted the trailer a few inches. I went online to look for a more aggressive tire about 30" tall. I ended up with two Goodyear Wrangler AT tires for about $70 each. Local shop wanted $140 each for the same tire. I think I bought them on Amazon...

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[Petrol & Powder]

How much is your time worth?

With a bead breaker, air compressor and some tire spoons I can put a tire on a steel wheel in about 10 minutes. (removing the old tire and mounting a new one). I still need to get them balanced after that. For years I did just that. I purchased used tires, recaps or cheap tires from wholesalers and put them on myself.
Places like Sam's Club, Kmart or some tire dealer would get mad when I would just buy 4 tires and not pay them to mount/balance the tires or give them $10 per tire for a new $0.50 valve stem. But that saved me money on discount tires.

However, in those days I had little money and more time. It made sense.
Add alloy wheels, a tight schedule and loss of income while I'm playing around with mounting, balancing and disposing of tires - and it now makes sense to pay someone else to do that work.

I've yet to see an advantage to buying tires via the internet and having them delivered. In the end, they cost the same. YMMV

There IS an advantage to shopping around with different tire dealers. I have a good report with a local dealer and he knows I'll go somewhere else if he's not competitive. He'll find a good deal for me and in exchange for that, I send him additional customers. It's a win/win.

Some of the smaller shops can offer some very good deals and if it's not an emergency, shopping around with those folks can yield excellent results.

I did have one of the larger local shops screw me over one time on a single heavy duty truck tire that I needed in a hurry. I paid the extortion, told him "I hope it was worth it" and never returned. I have steered many potential customers AWAY from that shop.

[Brokenbear]

you can answer your own question to a big degree
1. if you stay local then you can buy a lesser brand local and save a lot of hassle
2. if you travel a ways from home ...then you really need to think a branded tire that can be found through out your travels
(reason for above ..it is important should you ever destroy a tire to match the remaining tires if at all possible)
3. tread type has to be determined by your use ..worst case needs ...mud = traction tire which ='s noise and low mileage
all season = in the middle..compromise of some traction and some highway mix of both worlds giving better mileage
with less noise than a mud/traction tire but less than a straight highway tread ..
highway tread Highway tread tires "generally" offer the quietest tire ..and due to the "rib construction" of the tread
segments..the highway tire tends to improve erratic tread wear patterns that the front-ends of some trucks tend to magnify

the down side of the rib type "highway tire" is hydro planing since typically the outer ribs tend to have very small vent areas to
allow the trapped water to escape from the tread face

Tirerack is fair ...or atleast a good starting point to LEARN ..about tire,treads,traction ratings etc ..but the one thing they have is a network of "pre agreed" dealers that will mount your tires ..even accept the shipment of said tires ..HOWEVER I suggest ifyou decide on Tirerack and use their "installer" ..before you buy and use their installer ..contact the installer to confirm they A. still participate with Tirerack B.what is their price C. will they accept the tire shipment ...then drop by and scope them out ..make sure they have the equipment to mount/balance the type of wheels you have as well as look like the kind of shop you want to handle your "stuff"

Good luck
Beare

[NyFirefighter357]

My boss started ordering tires on line. They are much cheaper than locally and delivered to our shop for free. He orders pallets of truck tires at times. You might want to try one of these companies:

https://www.tirebuyer.com/tires/truck-tires#

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/tires/truck

https://www.4wheelparts.com/b/tires-wheels/tires/_/N-cm77u

[rl69]

Thanks for the responses..I have narrowed it down to toyo or going back with the local dealer

I got 40k out of this set for just under 700 bucks,

[Mal Paso]

I bought Toyos a year ago and they seem to be at least as good as the BF Goodrich they replaced.

[Froogal]

Firestone Trans-Force. Buy from a local dealer so if you have trouble, the dealer will take care of you. Mounting and balancing tires of that size is not a do-it-yourself job.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I put over 50K on a set of michelin tires on my F150 but they were not that good in snow switched to bridgestone tires last fall NTB did buy my Michelin back for $70 a tire

[shdwlkr]

Just so you know toyo and les schwab have seperated after 27 years. Les Schwab has always treated me right, have never had an issue with the 3 I have used over the years.

[Idaho45guy]

Just so you know toyo and les schwab have seperated after 27 years. Les Schwab has always treated me right, have never had an issue with the 3 I have used over the years.

Does treating you right include ripping you off?

Exact same tire online is $100 less. Each! That's $400 less for a set of tires. And Les Schwab still charges you for mounting and balancing even if you buy their overpriced tires. Sure, you get free tire rotation from them, and flat repair. But the oil change place I use rotates my tire at every oil change and I haven't gotten a flat tire in over 20 years.

I don't know how people can claim there is no cost savings in buying tires online. Horrible math skills??

246090

246091

[Idaho45guy]

And Les Schwab is still selling Toyo tires, and only $85 more per tire than WalMart...

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246093

[Idaho45guy]

Thanks for the responses..I have narrowed it down to toyo or going back with the local dealer

I got 40k out of this set for just under 700 bucks,

Here you go. Four Toyo premium tires for $650 delivered to your door.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Toyo-open-country-a-t-ii-lt235-85r16-120r-e-10-ply-bw/142746443

246094

[shdwlkr]

never said les schwab was cheap on price of tires. but where I am no one will mount tires they didn't sell. Not saying someplace will do it, just that I have not found one.
Yes they are selling until inventory is gone, but I assume the mangers at les schwab don't know what tires the company is selling.



i

[Petrol & Powder]

Idaho45guy,

I don't know what a Les Schwab is, must be a western chain?

The cost spread for tires ordered over the internet verses what I can buy them for locally is not as extreme as your example. I don't doubt you at all, but there may be a huge difference in tire prices in western states as compared to eastern U.S.

Several of the smaller local dealers can match internet prices or even sometimes beat them. Tires have become very expensive so I do the math and shop when I need tires. Most tire shops will charge considerably more than their normal rate to mount and balance tires you bring to them verses tires you buy from them. I can't say I blame them. Tires are difficult to ship and take up a lot of storage space. If a shop doesn't have the tire you want, just about any shop can get a set overnight.

Tires are not something I buy on a whim. Unless I've suffered some type of sudden tire damage, I have time to research and plan tire purchases. Back "in the day" (when I had very little money) I would buy used tires at junk yards, recaps and no-name economy brands. I would put them on the wheels myself, dispose of the old tires and get the new ones balanced later. I can still do that if needed but I longer make a practice of that type of endeavor.

I've done the math and short of doing the entire job myself, I cannot beat the price of my local dealers. I have absolutely no doubt what you have stated is the absolute truth but I don't think we are in the same market.

[Conditor22]

Try Jiffy lube, they quoted me $700 installed for Toyo open country a/t 265-70-17 they may have a better price for yours but they are 4 ply

I have a "tire guy" here locally. He recommended Falcon AT# 55K 4 ply $131snow rated or for trailering Falcon AT3 55K 10 ply $170 also snow rated

A more economical option is Nokiens AT+ 40 K 10 ply $165 also snow rated (he runs these on his work rigs)

[Idaho45guy]

Idaho45guy,

I don't know what a Les Schwab is, must be a western chain?

The cost spread for tires ordered over the internet verses what I can buy them for locally is not as extreme as your example. I don't doubt you at all, but there may be a huge difference in tire prices in western states as compared to eastern U.S.

Several of the smaller local dealers can match internet prices or even sometimes beat them. Tires have become very expensive so I do the math and shop when I need tires. Most tire shops will charge considerably more than their normal rate to mount and balance tires you bring to them verses tires you buy from them. I can't say I blame them. Tires are difficult to ship and take up a lot of storage space. If a shop doesn't have the tire you want, just about any shop can get a set overnight.

Tires are not something I buy on a whim. Unless I've suffered some type of sudden tire damage, I have time to research and plan tire purchases. Back "in the day" (when I had very little money) I would buy used tires at junk yards, recaps and no-name economy brands. I would put them on the wheels myself, dispose of the old tires and get the new ones balanced later. I can still do that if needed but I longer make a practice of that type of endeavor.

I've done the math and short of doing the entire job myself, I cannot beat the price of my local dealers. I have absolutely no doubt what you have stated is the absolute truth but I don't think we are in the same market.

Wow! That would be great to find reasonable prices at local shops. Seems like everyone tries to gouge their customers out here.

[rl69]

Thanks for the link that's a good price

[Beerd]

read the sidewall
buy American
just my 2 cents
..

[Petrol & Powder]

read the sidewall
buy American
just my 2 cents
..


Michelin - France (and Michelin owns B.F. Goodrich & Uniroyal)
Bridgestone - Japan
Continental - Germany
Hankook - South Korea
Kumho - South Korea
Pirelli - Italy
Toyo - Japan
Yokahoma - Japan

There are a few U.S.A. owned tire manufactures like Goodyear and Cooper but I make purchasing decisions on price and quality. If it happens to be made in the U.S.A., fine. I doubt even the American owned companies manufacture all of their products in the U.S.A.

[redhawk0]

read the sidewall
buy American
just my 2 cents
..


It's why I buy Cooper.

redhawk

[Petrol & Powder]

It's why I buy Cooper.

redhawk

In addition to their U.S.A. manufacturing facilities, Cooper manufactures tires in:
Melksham, England
Krusevac, Serbia
Quindao City, China
Kunshan, China
El Salto, Mexico


We live in a global economy.


http://coopertire.com/about/facilities/manufacturing-facilities

[Rick Hodges]

Cooper was bought out after the last work stoppage by a firm in India. No longer American owned.
https://leftlanenews.com/2013/06/12/indian-firm-buys-ohio-based-cooper-tire/

[Petrol & Powder]

Cooper was bought out after the last work stoppage by a firm in India. No longer American owned.
https://leftlanenews.com/2013/06/12/indian-firm-buys-ohio-based-cooper-tire/

That deal collapsed
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/cooper-tire-terminates-apollo-deal

[Lloyd Smale]

anymore its nitto or coopers for me.

[jmort]

I like the Coopers
Got their 6 ply ATs on my F150
Love those tires