Your tire philosophy

Your life rides up Front never put cheap chinies tires on the front of your truck

 

I've had Michelin, Triangle, Aeolus, BFG on the steers of all sorts of different trucks over the years. Had trouble with ONE Michelin in a matched set and they would not warranty it after a all wheel alignment confirmed the truck was fine. So I bought a new Michelin to match the other side and it has been fine so I'm sure it was a bad tire. Why pay for Michelin if they don't stand behind their product? I am finished with Michelin.

Yes first thing to do is get a all wheel alignment.

Yes rotating them should give you more life unless you let it get too far gone.

Not as often as I should. Probably should be done every couple hundred thousand but I don't. I think that affects tire wear more on a trailer with alot of empty miles.

 

I battled with "river wear" on steers for years. Finally I figured out if I balanced plus added centramatics and rotated them after the first 50 thousand miles the problem was solved regardless of tire as long as it is a quality tire. I only rotate them once after the first 50. If you wait until you see wear it's too late. That's my experience anyway. I honestly believe even with centramatics balancing is still crucial.

 

Great thread! Although I am as confused now as I have ever been. LOL. Everyone has opinions!

I am on Yoko steers and Cooper Roadmaster drives.

Not thrilled with any of them really. One Yoke has a weird factory defect going on....like tiny splits in the sidewall. And one Cooper is giving me grief and I can't figure out which one.

All I know is this....buy very very local and immediately go back at the very very first sign of any issue.

 

One thing we all agree on is all wheel alignment

 

If you get around Little Rock Arkansas you are in luck. Precision Alignment is a really good place for alignment. I left them a good review under Kendal Miller if you want to read it. They also balance tires on a machine that balances them on your truck and spins them around 100 mph. He told me sometimes the whole hood of the truck is shaking at first and after the balance it smooths out. He is really good with years of experience. I'm no relation to the guy so I have nothing to gain, but this guy is good

 

For my fleet...
for local trucks it's a bit complicated because we hop a lot of curbs so either we go cheap, or something with good curbing resistance. I'm trying out some more curb resistant continentals right now, not bad. On trucks that do more miles we run Michelins and that's that.

I found these diagrams useful for keeping an eye on tire wear.
Tire Wear | BFGoodrich Truck Tires

we run empty a lot so we get some uneven tire wear, but it's always good to check and make sure it's what you're expecting, and not something that suggests another problem.

 

I run empty a lot and have a lot of light loads. Can running empty harm tires?

 

No, I don’t think so. Volvo Owners swear by Michelin’s. I’d stick with them if possible, as Volvo’s have been plagued in the past with premature steer tire wear. An alignment and new shocks will definitely affect longevity. Given the price of Michelin’s, best do it right.Keeping that new Truck ride. Bad shocks cause cupping on steers and step wear on Drives. I’ve had good luck with Chinese Drives.As good as any.They wear a little faster, but the last Premium Drives I’ve had, Bridgestone,Continentals,get dry rotted after 4 yrs /400 k miles, anyway. Even though tread is still good. IMO Firestone Steers are a great tire, basically a Bridgestone, without the price. Been running only those for 10+ yrs. But if I had a ( newer) Volvo like yours, I’d spend the extra money, and keep it running like new.

 

Centermatic doesn't do any good possibly bad if got stuck at some point. (thats what my tire guy said)
I've got Continental eco plus steer tires running about 140k miles without any service after installation. Looking good.
Too many rotations and balancing can add up to certain amount.IMO.

If your truck shaking at certain speed something is not right so better find out and solve it before buying new tires.