Well, I keep thinking I'm gonna scale down to a minivan, but my '02 E150 is still running great. I was thinking I would get another set of tires on it before another Michigan winter, but the 7-year old LTX's on it were getting some pretty heavy ozone cracking in the tread and on the sidewall near the rim. About 65k miles on them, and still 5/32" tread left, but I'm not into squeezing my pennies on a vehicle that I know and trust.

Costco was doing $70 off on a set of Michelins, and 235/75x15's are really cheap as tires go, so I got a brand new set of M/S2's on it for $549.88* (edited to correct the price) out the door (big warranties, nitrogen fill, etc). Not a bad price at all, and the deep tread along with my posi will get me thru anything I'm gonna find in the summer (like rutted campground roads) and should do great for the next few winters.

So I'll probably be around for the next couple years or so. We're looking at putting up a big 4-car garage, so holding on to the vehicles we've got is the logical thing to do to keep all our retirement funds from leaking out quickly.

As a tire geek, it's almost like getting a new van

George

 

great tires. even greater price. great idea to build the 4-car. show us pics when it is up...jack

 

Note that I edited the price downward (I originally said 568 or something). There has to be a lot of competition in the 235/75x15 size, because the LTX's barely cost more at full price than BFG Long Trail TA Tours (which I put on my Subaru because they were $50 each cheaper than LTX's).

If anyone needs some killer tires for a 15" 5-lug van, Costco has this $70 per set discount on Michelins every other month or so.

If the 4-car garage happens, I'll show it off a bit. I want upstairs storage but our zoning holds us to a 15' height so I may have to do a dormer or two and I know the price is gonna scare me.

George

 

I run the LTX A/T2 on my diesel F-350. I love them. They run smooth and quiet and can handle most anything I throw at them up here in the mountains of Colorado. Now, I wouldn't take them to UT and go rock crawling, or anything super aggressive like that. But for all around use, winter or summer, they are a great tire. AND, they have a 60,000 mile tread life warranty, which is nearly impossible to find in a LT tire. But so far, I'm not sure I'll need it, which is really surprising after getting only about 28k out of the Bridgestones that I had on there before these.

The LTX A/T2 gets 5 stars in my book!

 

Gotta chime in once again with kudos for Michelin LTX's--the tires we love to hate, price-wise anyway.

I opted for the straight LTX MS/2, 245R75-16's for my E250 EB. Since I run right at 7,6000# as a daily driver I thought they'd be my best bet. Having already run one set nearly 68K miles and still with plenty of tread left this new set on another van was a no brainer.

Anyone close to the outfit known as Tire Discounters: Tire Discounters | New Tires | Brakes | Auto Repair Shop should check with them before plunking down any money on any tires. Along with decent everyday pricing they have a fleet program that anyone can join--it gives a 10% price discount on tires AND/OR a %15% discount on their services. Keep in mind this discount can be taken the very same day you sign up, at the time of sale in fact.

The only requirement 4 vehicles you can cite as being within your ability to influence tire/services, short or long term. Nothing else---who among us couldn't come up with relatives, neighbors etc to meet that small number. When/if they went to purchase they need only mention the account name under which its carried, their discounts also immediately being applied.

Check to see if they're close by---a great outfit with lots of genuine incentive to buy.

 

Well, no Tire Discounters in my area...closest is 1138 miles away, in TN. But, as someone else mentioned Michelin has a $70 rebate going nearly all the time, it seems, so it isn't usually hard to find a way to save. Just be aware of which rebate is being offered because sometimes it is for independent tire shops only and sometimes it is for the big discounters. Costco usually has a decent price on them and a rebate to go with it about every other month. I just bought a set of BFGoodrich's for my son's car from TireBuyer.com and got a really good deal with their discounts and rebate.

 

What does shipping and installation add to the cost when buying tires online?

I know TireRack.com is a sponsor here on FTE---their shipping and lack of installation has always been a deal breaker for me.

 

I just checked Tirerack's shipping and pricing for my 235/75x15" LTX M/S2's.

Costco had a base price of $131.99 before the rebate and my total out the door was $549.88 after the rebate, mounted and balanced and with road hazard warranty. (And the rebate is instant--no mail-in BS.)

Tirerack is $134 per tire, $536 per set, plus $58.40 for shipping, plus $57.92 for road hazard warranty. This comes out to $652.32 WITHOUT installation and balancing which is gonna be $15ish per tire. So even if there was a $70 rebate from Tirerack, they'd be $100 more than Costco on this tire AND if I needed to make good on the road hazard warranty, I would likely have to pay for mounting/balancing costs and wait for Tirerack to ship me the tire.

Basically, Tirerack makes no sense unless you are buying something like exotic race tires, or need a tire shaved (as for a 4WD vehicle that needs one tire replaced and need to match the size for the 4WD system).

Our local Discount Tire will match Costco and Tirerack's prices (I've done this--and they do add a nominal amount for what you'd pay for shipping). You will have to pay sales tax for a local purchase.

I've done great at Costco but their selection is limited and they used to refuse to sell you anything but the stock size--but they seem to have loosened up a bit and use "manager discretion" if you want to do something reasonable like upsize a single size or something. Plus Costco does free nitrogen inflation, and they're handy for rotation/balancing while you shop. Discount Tire has also given me GREAT service and are generally very fast, neat, and organized.

One other advantage of Costco and Discount Tire (unlike Firestone/Goodyear dealers and some other independents) is that they do not push alignments, balljoints, brakes, and other services on you (and I've been threatened with "no warranty unless we align" in the old days at these dealers).

Tirerack is a great resource for their surveys and reviews, and I would not hesitate to buy from them if I did need a specialized tire. But on a pure price and convenience basis, I just go to Discount Tire--and they will even look up the Tirerack price for you. If you trash a tire, you can usually drive out with a replacement tire.

George

 

Get ready now George, I think Mich is ready to unleash some of those good old fashion winters again.......burrr