I am starting to look for a set of tires and rims for my truck this winter, going to go with strictly winter tires with studs and rims to go with them so I can do the tire changes myself. I want everyones opinion here to help in my choices. I am mostly driving paved roads probably 90% of the time and a combination of city/highway driving probably 50/50.
Here is my questions;

1. I want good traction on ice and snow, don't care about road noise so much. So what do you suggest and why?
2. Should I get the tire pressure monitors? They are like $50.00 each here and to be honest except for the warning light coming on I don't think I need them. What do you think?

Thanks I appreciate everyones input in helping make my choice.

 

Can't go wrong with Goodyear DuraTracs. On the pricy side, but wellworth it having such an aggressive tire that is still not that much louder than stock Pirelli tires.

 

For your 2nd question, In my experience, TPMS system usually last for about 5 to 8 years. I didn't get new TPMS with my tires. I figure I can change them out with every other tire purchase.

As to your first question, are you planning on running stock sizes? If so, any 275/65R18 tire should work perfectly fine for your needs. I would recommend checking out TireRack, AmericasTire, or any tire place to get an idea what's out there. There are tons of tires that would meet your needs, especially since you don't care about the noise.

 

How hard are the TPMS to change out?

It will be stock, probably stick with 20's unless I see a big price difference between 18's and 20's.

 

question #1:
if you are looking for a set of dedicated winter tires then narrow and tall is the way to go.

If you aren't afraid to upsize a step or two (depending on your current size), i'd look at the general altimax artic in a 235/80r17. (FWIW, my Scab came with 235/75r17) We put the altimax artic's on our subaru and it is unstoppable in the winter. they have a very good tread pattern and a ton of siping which gives you that bite on the slick roads. they are also very quiet, which is nice. Studdable if you feel the need, but i doubt very much you would need them studded unless you drive almost exclusively on ice. the siping provides outstanding traction on snowpack, so we've never felt the need for studs.

with your description of how you plan to use them, studs may be more of a detriment than an asset. on paved roads studs just plain suck.

again, depending on your original size, 265/70r17's would be a good fit as well. altimax artic's available in that size as well. narrow tires do bite better in the winter, though, so keep that in mind.

for wheels, i'd look for some steelies ... it's winter, your truck is gonna look like crap anyway, so why waste good money on fancy wheels that will just get trashed with salt... but that's just my opinion.

question #2:
if the light won't bother you, and constantly having to clear the error message from your dash readout won't bother you, then you can do without. for me, though, when i've had to run the spare tire, constantly having to clear the message screen was a total PITA. so if it were my truck, i'd just get the sensors and be done with it. YMMV

 

get ready for sticker shock. 17/18" rims cost me just under $1000 to get 33" tires

20" rims cost me $1800 for 33" tires

I will never own a set of 20" rims again. the price difference is ridiculous. give me some 17/18 inch rims



as far as tire selection, the Firestone Destination A/T is an amazing tire. I would buy another set today without thinking twice. nice road manners and good offroad. a bit pricey though

Michelin makes the best ones hands down. but they don't look as nice installed. very grippy in all situations

lastly (not really, just for this post though) is the Goodyear Duratrac



it all boils down to looks vs. ability. If you don't care about the looks, get Michelin tires. The Dealership put new Michelin tires on the Excursion I just bought. They look car tires, but no matter what I do I cannot get them to spin. My V-10 with 4.30 gears can barely get them to chirp. Even when it's wet outside and I've got some body roll going...nada. Combo of excellent grip characteristics and a working LS I guess.

enjoy the tire selection game

 

Here's some more sticker shock just for kicks and giggles (prices off of tirerack), this is what pushed me to my tire size:

305/55R20 (33" tire) BFGoodrich T/A KO - $376
Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs - $374


275/65R20 (34.1" tire) BFGoodrich T/A KO - $313
Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs - $305

I hypothesize the 275/65R20 tires are cheaper because that's the stock size for Ford Superduties in some trims and most likely other 20" heavy duty trucks out there. So the tire makers sell tons of tires in that size. So we get a significant price break for that size tire while the 305/55R20 is more of a boutique market, they don't produce as many so it costs more per piece to produce.

 

yep. From F-150 to the F-350, it's a very popular size. it's also what I ran on my 4x2 Expedition

Wider looks better, but it really nails your wallet


did you check the prices of 17/18" rims with the same width/height?

 

Unfortunately, they don't sell any 34" tall 275 width tires in a 17" or 18". The 305 series tires that are about 33" tall (305/65R18) though are still $320 dollars a piece for the BF Goodriches. Seems like similar sized narrower tires are a good deal cheaper at $280 bucks or less.

Can't say I disagree about the wider part though, wide tires do look better .

 

The 275/70R18 is a factory size for many super duty's. You can get the BFG all terrain for $193 in that size from tire rack. It is a 33" tire.

 

So for the TPMS, I am going to get them for the winter tires and rims. I have been reading up on them and do I need to do a relearn on the truck to recognise the new TPMS and will it have to be done everytime I switch the rims spring and winter?

Also I see there is a sensor mounting band, will my FX4 have that as well or just the valve stems? It is a 2010 by the way.

 

I picked up a set of FUEL M/T's 35/12.50/20 for $1400 installed.

Nittos, Coopers & Toyos in the same size start at $1800 installed

 

I get some pretty mean winter weather here in WYO, the interstate gets closed down about once a week due to high winds and icy road conditions. If these are going to be dedicated winter tires then go with snow tires rather than A/T or M/T tires. I had Bridgestone Blizzaks on my '09 F150 and watched another truck behind me spin out and go off the road last winter while we were going up a hill. His truck didn't have snow tires and it lost traction when my snow tires held on. I watched another mini van in front of me slide through a stop sign at an off ramp and hit a fence...my truck stopped fine and once again that mini van didn't have snow tires on. I know what kind of tires they had on because I stopped to help them out each time.

My wife runs studded snow tires on a little front wheel drive car. They're noisy and make the car feel like it has a set of cleats on for playing football. They give her a confidence boost so she doesn't mind the noise and feel when on dry pavement.

If you are able to properly maintain your tire pressure like it was done before tire pressure sensors, I have a trick for you. You can mount the sensors in a pvc tube with the ends glued shut, then pressurize it up to match your spare tire. Or you can drill 4 more holes in the spare rim and put all the sensors in the same tire.

 

Turbo Dog hit the nail on the head.

ATs and MTs are NOT "winter" tires. They will do well, but dedicated winter tires have the right rubber compounds and tread designs to bite in the winter.

some MTs can actually be worse than ATs or even All Seasons, depending on how many sipes are cut into the lugs. No sipes No bite. period.

 

So found my second set of rims with the TPMS in them. Next question is for programing the TPMS how do these programmers you see on e-bay do? I haven't asked the dealership but they will probably charge for programing them every year.