Hello there folks!

I still have the original tires on my 2010 Ford F-150 and it's definitely almost time for some new ones. I've noticed that these one have made a wear pattern so that they don't turn smoothly anymore.

I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions on what I should purchase next. I've also put a 2 inch lift kit in the front of my truck.

Thank all!

 

Nitto Terra grapplers!

 

Ok, here's my "55 year old" two cents about tires:

A) Brand: It's all about what you can afford, really. If your wallet is really
full (either with plastic or cash) and you want to spend it, you can
name all the major brands that have a good track record.
B) Tread: Depends on what you intend to do with your truck. If you
"NEED" *****, because you do a lot of mug bogging, ok. If you are
mostly going to "street drive" your vehicle, I wouldn't buy really
knobby tires! Typical weather conditions are relative to where you
live. If you are in Florida (for example) where "snow" isn't an issue,
that's a lot different than if you live up here in New England, where
"snow" typically IS a factor. Some folks have two sets of tires (the
rich folks). One for "Winter" and one for "Summer."
C) Tire Rotation: I see a value in rotating the tires, but admit that I don't
typically DO it. If I see from the wear on the tires (front ones
specifically) that I am burning off the outside edge of the tires, I'll
swap out the front tires with the rears, and get a front end alignment
done (or do it yourself if you have the equipment, desire and time).
This is assuming of course, that your rear tires still have a good amount
of decent tread on them (relatively new).
D) Lift Kits: My truck is high enough!! (lol). Seriously.........if you are
in the mud in the woods, or climbing rocks, you'll need a beefy tire
(obviously). Or maybe your truck is just for show (I dunno). Either
way, you have raised your center of gravity, so you'll need (imho) a
wider footprint (tread contact) for more stability.
E) Grade: Every tire (as you probably know) has a Grading system. The
results of which are required to be molded into the tire itself. Just
like "school," you want to get all "A's" if possible (not generally found
on any tires "I" know of. None of them I've seen over the years since
the automotive industry started rating tires, have been perfect "A's"
across the board).
F) Price: (cough, cough)........is a relative thing. Too bad prices rise, but
consider this. When I bought my first car (just showing you my age)
tires, the price was $25.00 per tire! "You get what you pay for"
applies here, even back THEN!!

-Soupy1957

 

I am five years older than Soupy, and have bought a LOT of tires. For a no-fail recommendation, if you do not need a blocky all terrain tire, go with Michelin LTX MS2's. They last a LONG time, do well in just about every test, and Soupy, these do have "A" ratings on both traction and temperature. (There is an AA rating available for traction, but I have only seen this on performance car tires.)

The MS's (prior to the "2") were OEM on my '02 E150, and I replaced them with the same. Expect tire life of 60-70k miles, very little balance weight required, low noise, great ride, and very even wear.

If you want something a bit more all-terrain flavored, there is an LTX AT2 that I understand is also a great tire.

Good luck,
George

 

I'm a lot younger than Soupy and George, yet I'm on my 4th set of Michelins on 3 different vehicles. If you're mostly road biased, then the LTX M/S2s are a great choice. I have them on my 06 FX4 and they're wonderful. A bit spendy, but worth every penny in my book. Nitto, Toyo and Cooper have some good options as well.

With a 2" level you should be able to stuff a 34" tall tire in there with a width no wider than 12". You didn't say what wheel size you have, but a 275/65/20 or a 295/60/20 would work just fine. A 285/70/18 or 295/65/18 would also be fine.

Happy hunting!

 

I run Goodyear ats C rated. No cupping or abnormal wear. Quite and last long time. Fair amount of aggressiveness look.

 

The new Toyo 2 A/T Open Country look awesome and have a 65,000 treadwear life expectancy

 

I have to admit I am a huge Michelin fan...buy them for all my vehicles. I wonder how loud those terra grapplers are?

 

(I'm a Cooper Tire fan myself. Reason: Tread wear longevity and price, mostly).

P.S.: "AA" Rating for Traction and Temperature, but there's a third criteria, right? (maybe not).

-Soupy1957

 

Agreed, just put a set of Primacy's on the wifey's TSX.

The Terra Grapplers are no louder than a BFG All Terrain KO. Fairly quiet actually.

 

Traction is AA-C, I believe, temp is A-C, and third criteria is the treadwear number which is sort of meaningless but in general can give you a bit of a hint as to treadwear. A rating of 300ish is fairly low these days and maybe common on OEM tires or softer compound performance tires for cars. I think LTX MS2's are at 700, which is getting really good (they used to be 500 in the MS form).

"No louder than a BFG KO" says to me that the tire is pretty loud--not a mudder, but a lot of void generally makes a fair amount of noise and I bet a reduction in gas mileage. Speaking of which the Michelin LTX's are great for fuel mileage as well.

I have been thru four generations of MXV's (now called Primacy MXV4) and they are GREAT tires. They can make a car chassis feel $10k more expensive in terms of ride quality.

George

 

Let's talk price...........eh?

What's the cheapest price you'll pay for a pair or set of tires for your F-150?

-Soupy1957

 

I'm with soupy on a couple points.

Coopers on my ride. wore out a set of ATR and replaced them with the AT3's. I don't like the AT3's quite as much as the old ATR's because they went away from the solid center rib. the solid center rib tires will track much better on a road with longitudinal tineing. a lugged center rib will bite better all around, but will follow the crooked tineing on the road and leave you feeling a "wiggle" as the tires track the tine marks (which are never straight).

Tread pattern is subjective as to your need. Snow and muddy roads justify an All Terrain tread, but not an MT tread, IMO. MT's can be loud, whereas AT's tend to be fairly quiet still despite their grippy nature.

my AT3's have a very mild hum as you roll up to a stop on pavement. from 10-0mph you will hear and feel it, but anything above that and they are transparent. 'course .. this is my exploder, which with 155k, makes much more noise in general than a 2010 F150.

if you are buying for looks .... buy what you like and forget about the rest. And with a lifted front, a nice set of AT's would look the part, IMO, whereas highway tread might look a little out of place ... again, JMHO.

where soupy and I depart ways is on the luxury of two sets of tires. I generally have two sets for every vehicle, even though i'm far from being rich. I've found that over the long haul i can save a little in tire replacement costs by not having to run AT or Winter Only tires all year long. Highway treaded tires ALWAYS cost less than a comparable All Terrain, and Winter Only means just that. I also live on gravel, so my 50k mile tires usually don't last much more than 25 or 30k, no matter what. So at a 20-30% premium to replace the AT's, if i can wear the Highway shoes most of the summer, every 3rd or 4th set of highway shoes can be considered "free" ... and when you replace them every 25k or so, the extra rims can be paid for rather quickly.

that ... and i like to play, so i have summer wheels and winter wheels

happy shopping!

 

My next tire on my Goldwing will be the Michelin Primacy Alpin run flat!

I watched some videos of that tire you posted and I really like what I see in it...I will definitely have to try it! (When I finally get my truck...ugh the wait is not fun!)

 

PrinceValium: on your GOLDWING!? (LOL) I thought this was a TRUCK Forum (lol)!
I rode on two wheels for a lot of years. Finally got off it when I realized I was getting too old and sloppy with my technique. Probably saved my life!

-Soupy1957