My husband is deployed and I have been going round and round with him and my dad over this damn truck and the tires and my dad is a mechanic... So I am stuck in the middle and really getting irritated.
My husband is in the marines and drives back and forth from NC to PA a lot, and with a baby on the way I want something the rides smooth, gets good highway miles, but is also good in the winter. It doesnt snow in NC but it does in PA... soo anyone got suggestions?
Kyle has it in his head that Hankook is just the best tires, but dad says they are *****... See what I mean... Suggestions would be great!
ps.- This is a 04' F150 so it takes 275/65/18 tires and the ones we have on it now are crap and vibrate like crazy cause for some reason you just cant ballance them and the poundage is rediculous already...
Welcome to FTE!
And congratulations on the new baby on the way.
Tires.... That is an interesting topic around here. Personally, I like the Cooper ATR's, and for what you will be doing, I'd say that they would be as good as anything out there. They aren't aggressive, good traction in both snow and rain, and not too bad for a little off road. If you're into 4X4'in, then you'd want a more aggressive tire. Is your truck a 4 wheel drive or a 2 wheel drive?
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1997 Super Duty, PSD,6637, high idle, 50hp, & 80hp. 150cc injectors.
2002 F250 Crew Cab, 8' bed, 4X4, PSD, 6637, 4" magnaflow exhaust, high idle, 50, 75 tow, 100, 120, & 140, HPX Crossover
Kentucky Chapter Member
Welcome to FTE!
And congratulations on the new baby on the way.
Tires.... That is an interesting topic around here. Personally, I like the Cooper ATR's, and for what you will be doing, I'd say that they would be as good as anything out there. They aren't aggressive, good traction in both snow and rain, and not too bad for a little off road. If you're into 4X4'in, then you'd want a more aggressive tire. Is your truck a 4 wheel drive or a 2 wheel drive?
4 wheel drive... and thank you. This truck will not be used off roading after this baby comes, we wont be able to afford a possible break. It will mostly be highway travel for long distances, which includes the crappy winters of PA. He is due back here in the begining of December. Just in time for all the flippin snow!
And I know from experience the truck tires on it right now really suck, I put the truck broad side on pavement just after it rained during the truck show, thank god no one was coming cause my front end slid into the oncoming lane in the middle of town. And I was only turning going about 30.
Is your husband deployed? Tell him thank you for his service for our country.
As for Hankook tires, I can't comment on them one way or the other. I will tell you that coopers are made in the USA. They did take their operations over seas for a while, but they had some quality control issues and they moved their operations back here to the United States. At least that's what a truck driver that hauls for them told me.
I've got over 20,000 miles on a set on my super duty and I know I will get another 20,000 out of them.
What brand does your Dad say to go with?
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1997 Super Duty, PSD,6637, high idle, 50hp, & 80hp. 150cc injectors.
2002 F250 Crew Cab, 8' bed, 4X4, PSD, 6637, 4" magnaflow exhaust, high idle, 50, 75 tow, 100, 120, & 140, HPX Crossover
Kentucky Chapter Member
Welcome FLCG. Best wishes and safey to your hubby, my colleauge just returned from Iraq. And with the baby on board you don't need to be spinning in circles.... We have two trucks here right now with the stock Hankooks, and I really have no complaint with them at all. One truck has 15,000 the other 20,000 and they've been spot on. That being said, I like Michelin Tires, but I've had Dunlop AT and BF Goodrich AT and TA all with no problems. If your tires are jumpin around you also might need shocks so for safety, you should check it out.
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2008 F-150XL 2x4 V6 Silver, 8' bed, 15,500 mi.
2008 F-150XL 2x4 V6 White 25,000 mi.
(my son's truck) posi rear & mid box, 5'6'' bed
1995 F-150 4x4 I6 Green 249,150 mi. (boneyard)
1996 F-150 2x4 I6 Black 89,000 mi. (sold)
Dave in Central New Jersey
Check out Tire Rack's web site. They have ratings, specs, and surveys on the tires they sell which I have found helpful. Consumer Reports is another good source for ratings, but I prefer Tire Rack. Everything I have read on the Hankooks hasn't really impressed me at all.
Tell you husband thanks for his service and congrats to the both of you. Go over to Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels and put in your vehicle information and read reviews about the tires that come up. I have no input regarding Hankooks, but am interested in why your husband refuses to consider anything else.
What brand tires is on the vehicle now? When in doubt, you cant go wrong with a set of Michelins.
Both tires are all season tires designed for a comfortable ride with all weather traction.
I drive a 2003 F150 XL 4x4 extended cab. My truck rides like hell.
Don't make the same mistake that I did by changing from P-rated tires to LT-rated. The truck came with General Ameritrac 255/70/16. They rode all right but I wanted something more aggressive for winter so I bought a set of MasterCraft AT2 all terrain tires in 265/75/16 and replaced the too soft stock shocks with Rancho RS5000 shocks.
My town has some bumpy streets. With the old tires and shocks I would come to a stop sign and the truck would still be bouncing. I figured that upgrading the shocks would tighten up the ride. I wanted a bigger, taller, more aggressive tire so I bought the MasterCraft tires and opted for the LT-rated tire over the P-rated. Why? Because I'm a dumba**. I don't haul anything except me in my truck. Maybe a load of mulch once in a while.
The LT-rated tires along with the stiffer stocks make for a punishing ride. I used to bounce along the bumpy street, now I get pounded.
I think that a new set of P-rated all season tires would do the trick. The Rancho shocks will keep the truck the bouncing and the tires will stop the truck from beating me up.
The LT-rated tire is too stiff for my needs and I'm sure that it weighs quite a bit more too because of its larger size and heavier construction. Hit a bump and that big tire is passing it on to me.
Another thing. I really liked the MasterCraft AT2 all terrain tires the first year, especially when driving through snow. After about 15 or 20 thousand miles the tires really start to sing. I have them rotated about every other oil change but I still get cupping on the tread blocks. The truck is not a pleasure to drive not only because of the poor ride but also by the noise created by the all terrain tires. It is bad enough driving around town but when I hit the highway the tire noise is downright annoying.
There are lots of tires out there. Click on the links that I pasted. Consumer Reports rated the General HTS as their number one pick for an SUV tire. Tire Rack likes it a lot too.
Cooper designed the CTS for owners of large SUVs and pickup trucks who wanted great wet weather traction, good traction in snow, and a comfortable, quiet ride.
Pa to NC is quite a road trip. You want a tire that has the traction to make it though the snow and rain but you do not want a tire that makes your vehicle ride and sound like crap.
You make some good points but I don't agree with all of it. I recently just changed my stock tires (255/75/17 I think) to Firestone Destination ATs (285/75/17). Not only are these an LT tire but they are also much larger than the stock ones. I can hardly notice a difference in stiffness of the ride and I don't notice any difference in road noise.
While I agree that some AT tires may sing on the highway, I know for a fact that these do not and there are some others that don't also. I wouldn't shy away from an LT just for the fact that some make road noise.
For the ride stiffness, could it be that the shocks caused the ride difference more than the tires?
Anyway, for a suggestion, I love my Firestone Destination ATs. They've been great in wet weather and I took them off road once and the performed fine. Only time will tell how they will do in the upcoming winter.
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Volant CAI w/ Powercore
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New/Tires, Need Help ASAP!
See what I mean... Suggestions would be great!
This truck will not be used off roading after this baby comes, we wont be able to afford a possible break. It will mostly be highway travel for long distances, which includes the crappy winters of PA. He is due back here in the begining of December. Just in time for all the flippin snow! 
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