Hey everyone. I've been a long time reader & finally registered - you folks are great resources. Need some input/advice:

Tires on 07 EB Exped - 20inch 275/50 R20
I bought it with the Nexen Rodian HP on it, not bad but maybe looking to upgrade. Nitto 420s, Hankook Ventus, Toyo Proxes STII, Grabber UHP? (Or any others)

They are all similarly priced - looking for best combination of performance, quiet, & treadlife of at least 40,000 mi. Appreciate your input!
Primarily road miles, very little towing, & live in the south so not worried about ice/snow.

 

40,000 miles you don't expect a lot out of your tires do you? Michelin LTX AT2 if you need something more aggressive, a good 60K mile plus tire. Michelin LTX MS2 a good 90 to 100K mile tire when correctly rotated and maintained. If Michelin is too rich for your blood the Goodyear Wrangler SR-A is a good all around tire and now standard on the 18" wheels.

I run BFG AT KOs only because I spend my time splitting jobsite and office duty. Next set will be the Michelin LTX A/T2s. They are hand's down the best all around tire for a light truck.

 

Appreciate response. Agree - ones you listed definitely looking at, just trying to find right price point. If it comes down to a $30-$40/tire difference I'll most likely go with one of the Michelin's. My Dad runs the the Wranglers on his 1/2 ton Dodge, but he's on the farm with a lot more gravel roads and pulls more. I say 40,000 mi as a minimum for 20" street/performance tire for a truck in that price range. I've heard from tire techs & owners who really like the Nitto 420s for their combination of performance/ride.
Thanks again

 

I understand your ideas but I don't think that a performance tire is going to add much if anything to a brick, it's one thing if you were installing them on a TBSS or SRT8 GC but I don't know how much your going to get with a 6,000 lb high COG truck. I'd also bet that those Michelin's would perform similar to the Nittos at maximum limits. I've run Terra Grapplers before and they were a good value (190 bucks ea for 295/70R17s). I don't think they were as nice as the Michelins but again I own a light truck for use not mall crawlering.

 

Got ya- for $ the Nexen Roadian HPs that are currently on it have performed. Like I said, not going for pure performance because its an Exped. I'm waiting on Grapplers quote with local tire shop now. $130/tire Nitto 420s are best value right now, but still looking at options up to/around $200 per tire. Appreciate feedback. For $ out door I can put 2 sets of 420s on & get more mileage than some of those listed around $200 range. Any negative feedback on 420s? Haven't heard much from tire guys I know who are selling/installing them.

 

I put Nexen Roadian HPs on my 20" wheels when I bought my 08 EL.
There's almost 40,000 miles on them now and Ive had no issues. No uneven wear etc. They still have good tread. Quiet, no ride issues. They cost me a little over $600 installed with warranty! You cant beat that. Yes I know they're made in China.. but when they're half the cost and work this well I will likely buy them again.
I have Nexen on my Explorer too with no issues (thats why I got Nexen for the Expedition)

 

I'm currently at 65,000 on the Exped & the Nexen's are at 4 to 5/32" for wear. Outside edges/blocks wore down more than interior. I have no idea how they've done for mileage - I've only put about 20,000 miles on them. Noise level, ride, & traction have all been good. Just comparing prices right now b/t Nitto 420s at $129/tire; Yoko Parada at $147/tire; & Nexen Roadian HP at $160/tire - still trying to find a better price on Nexens.

 

I just found the Nexen Roadian HP at Walmart for $129/tire.

So roughly same price (tire & out door) as Nitto 420s from Discount Tire. Leaning towards trying out the Nittos- it's a pretty good price on that tire from the comparitive quotes I've been getting & seeing online. I've never had Walmart mount tires, but have good experience with Discount. I could also order from WMart & have installed at local shop. They might do great work, just not sure I'm ready to go to Walmart for work on my vehicle.

 

Yokohama YK580's....sold through America's tire company....

 

Forget Yokohomo's I've seen 5 of them bubble first hand. Friends dad owned a tire shop in Clearwater and he stopped carrying them due to all their failures and after doing some research they aren't that hot of a tire mfg.

 

I understand what you are saying, but your friends dad would be unable to carry the YK 520 & YK 580 lines........as an independent tire dealer, they are required to purchase from distributors (not the mfg's) and as such they are subject to, well, seconds being sold as 1st runs, etc.

Compared to Michelin, Uniroyal, BFG, their quality exceeds these lines....and they have never had the massive recalls (fed mandated) that these lines and Goodyear have had.....not to mention Firestone......check out a few of these.........

Michelin Tire Issues
I would avoid Michelin, BFG, Uniroyal like the plague....tread cap separation, sidewall blowouts, excessive wear issues are all commonplace with BFG & Michelin subsidiaries.....it’s not consistent but seem to "rotate" from product line to product line. Michelin dropped the orange oil marketing last year after they initiated a 100,000 tire recall ordered/agreed to by the feds..............Yokohama like the other mfg began incorporating the "orange oil" in their tires but not anywhere near what Michelin did and I would bet they are back peddling as fast as they can.....

very well known...just Google....you will see all the recalls (complaints & failures) over the past 2 years.........here's just a few that we could pick out it just 5 minutes..........................

Michelin recalling 841,000 BFGoodrich, Uniroyal tires
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/26/travel...all/index.html

Michelin recalls 77,000 tires for safety problem
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/...afety-problem/

the tire maker is recalling BFGoodrich Commercial T/A A/S and Uniroyal Laredo HD/H tires sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/...million-tires/

MICHELIN PILOT POWER AND PILOT POWER 2CT FRONT MOTORCYCLE TIRES
http://www.arfc.org/tires/michelin/p...01/recall.aspx

Michelin Recalls 799,900 Tires For Tread Belt Separation
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...eparation.html

Michelin Recalls Pilot Sport Extra Load Tires

December 31, 2005
Michelin North America has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada that it is recalling approximately 6,500 Michelin Pilot Sport 255/35ZR20 97Y Extra Load tires in the United States and Canada.


Michelin—225/70 R15 100S LTX A/T TL Tires
http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/in.../itemId/953676

Michelin, Honda settle lawsuit over costly Odyssey runflats
Sitemap - Autoblog

I had been running BFG’s on everything going back to the late 70’s (yes, the square block tread pattern T/A’s) until the mid-90’s…..that is when (IIHM) Michelin began inducing design and compound changes in the BFG brand……tire wear was progressively terrible (25% of what I was getting- same vehicle, same driving conditions), and then switched to Yokohama Sports…they were very close to BFG T/A’s and excellent wear again. I have been running Yokohamas on my Mark LT (YK 520's past 3 years) & wife’s 1997Cougar Sport V8 (YK 580's for 1 year) and ran the Avid V4's for about 8 years prior to that (yeah same set) they are an incredible durable wet/dry traction tire....the ride and handling & quietness reminds you of the Michelins of 30 years ago....very solid grip, very good steering feel that is almost road race type performance feel/input but without the typical heavy steering - I'm sure you know what I'm trying to say here.....
not a single failure to date.....even found a 5/16" diameter bolt about 3/4" long in my wife’s tire one day...I just knew it was going to leak when I pulled it & was all ready, but it did not penetrate the core....that is one tough tire.

Per the mgr at America Tire Company (where i have been buying my tires for 20 years- same store)....the difference between the 520 & 580 is a minor design change to make the tires quieter...I guess they had a few customers complain (we never did experience this)....to introduce the tire, Yokohama rented a track down in Texas for a week & invited Discount/America to drive a variety of domestic & imports with the 580's in comparison to Michelin and Pirelli......it was literally 100% of the staff agreed the tire performed as well or better in head to head testing and was a lot less $...with as good or better

 

Thanks for all of your input - very helpful. As with almost every product, if you dig deep enough you'll find some negative aspects. I just wanted to make sure I was avoiding those with a history/track record of poor performance.

I had the 420s installed on Saturday for under $700 out door with replacement coverage - Discount Tire in Loganville, GA. Excellent customer service & had me out the door quickly. If all continues to go well, I will definitely do business with them in future.

First impressions on the 420s after around 200 miles mixed wet/dry driving (in comparison to Nexen Roadian HPs - replaced with 4-5/32 remaining).
-Overall quiet & comfortable ride
-Definitely feel more control through corners - both wet & dry. Exped tracks well on curve & don't feel near as much body roll. Nexens felt softer when pushed through a corner & as driver felt more lean/roll. The 6000lb beast didn't turn into a Mustang, but definitely a noticeable difference in performance!