What tires do you run?

I would be leary of non common name asian import tires. That being said, if cost and quality are your concern, I recently checked out Michelin's Custom Molded Retread tires at the dealer I do business with (Allied oil and tire out of Des Moines). These are some pretty good retreads as far as retreads go. I checked the price at my dealer, after I get $60 for each casing on my drives, I can get the Michelin custom retreads for $170. That is for a tire for tire swap, not retreading my own cases, and these retreads are on 1st retread cases. It is darn hard to tell the Michelin custom retreads from a virgin tire. I got interested in them only because I saw they were taking retreading to a higher level with these custom retreads. So I decided to price them. At least you are getting a name tire and getting a good warranty to go along with it.

Some, obviously, have issues with retreads in general. I have never had a problem with them. Just watch the inflation and care for the tire as one should anyway, and I have experienced no worse problem than with virgin. I avoided them in the last few years, only because the rolling resistance of the retreads was way greater than virgin, which would cost me more in fuel than the money I saved on the tires. That's not really true anymore from what I researched on the Michelin custom retreads. The XDA-2 23 AT retread tire has almost the same rolling resistance as an equivalent virgin tire. So, I am starting to look at them more. Don't need drive tires yet, but will in the next few months. That gives me time to make a decision.

 

Toyo sez their tires are US made...

I buy Michelins... best tires I run in 38 years... stay away from brand x tires... when they blow where will you find an exact replacement?

Depending on tire size, a Michelin or Bridgestone will have a better casing value when you buy your next set... many dealers won't even take your Chinese tires in on trade.

Shop around... there are deals out there.

 

I was a loyal Michelin customer right up until the time 3 years ago when I put a new set of steers on my truck and a few thousand miles later it blew out.

try and get Michelin to honor their warranty, it took almost 2 years to get someone from Michelin to even look at it and they allowed me 200 bucks on the tire, WHICH I HAVE YET TO SEE!!!!

i have had several tire dealers look at the tire and ALL have said it is a manufacturing defect and ALL also added the quote "good luck getting Michelin to honor their warranty"!!!!!!!!

I always liked Michelin tires right up to this point and now with what I know about how they take care of their customers will never do business with them again!!

 

I was lucky to get michellin xze virgin for $200.00 a peice, originally $480.00. a one time offer. I haul havy flatbed loads. when I use lug's for drives, I get longevity, but when I use hwy tread I get better m.p.g & better ride, but they dont last as long as lug's, but dont cost as much either. I have b.f. st244's on my steer's & they are wearing real good & have a great ride from them. my kelly k.d.a's last 300,000 miles. on my drives now. I will go back to steer tires on drives when my kelly's need to be changed out. I have used dynatrac on my trailer they have always worked well. they are chinese, I had steelmark tires on my drives years back, they were hywy tread on my drives they cost me $2000.00 total. that was everything. all the taxe's mount dismount, whole 9 yards, they gave me great m.p.g. I dont like going with expensive or high quality tire on my spread, cause once you slide the tires you will have a flat spot & it wil bounce you forever or until you change them, & I would rather if I slide a couple tires to do it on cheaper one's. seems I alway's have to lock it down for some 4 wheeler just soon after I get new tires on my trailer.

 

The warranty is only as god as the dealer.

I put a pair of Dunlop steer tires on my Pete years ago and had that set replaced in a few months cuz they were square... so were the replacements... never got the tire dealer to get them adjusted with Dunlop... lesson learned. Never buy Dunlops and find another dealer.

 

The deal may or may not be good. Very few people actually research the rolling resistance of the tires they are putting on. A Bridgestone 726, which is very popular, has a rolling resistance of 155. The BS 720 has a rolling resistance of 115, yet it has almost the identical tread. The compound that makes up the tire can be quite different, tire to tire. With a spread of that much rolling resistance, 40 points, it can cost you more than you got in the "deal" for the tires. 40 points, over 8 drive tires can mean as much as .2 per mile on mpg. At todays fuel prices, that would cost you the equivalent of another set of drive tires over 300,000 miles. So with a high rolling resistance tire, you are actually paying twice for the tire over the same life span. But to each his own, I guess.

 

it was on a national accound and I dealt with a michelin or at least tried to deal with a mickelin district manager directly.

 

Wan Lee = Chinese POS
Truck came with it I cant wait to save enough money to buy new set USA made