My van was jumping up and down while descending 9600 foot Sonora pass in northern California.

The tread delaminated on the front driver side tire. "Made in China" was stamped on the side wall of these Iron Man tires made by Hercules. I want to change 'em all.

We use the van for camping and occasionally drive national forest gravel roads to get to our camping destination. 95% of the driving is pavement.

I recently installed Bilstein shocks all around and this makes driving on gravel roads much better. I want to match the quality of shocks with decent tires.

I want the best of both world tires. Moderately quiet on the freeway and aggressive enough to handle gravel roads. We don't "off-road" in the van.

Michelin has the new Defender LTX M&S available. They also have the LTX AT2. Price is about the same for each tire and I am expecting to pay about $800 out the door.

Any suggestions are appreciated. The factory OEM tires are 245 75R 16.


Thanks!

 

tire rack hjas a rebate on them
650 before taxes and fees

 

I am on the site reading reviews.

Thanks

 

Best heavy duty tire I've used are the Nitto DuraGrapplers.
Second were the Firestone Transforce.

 

Heard a lot of great things about the Firestone Transforce. Need to check the Nitto reviews too.

 

I'm a firm believer in the Michelin LTX. I'm on my third vehicle in the last 20 years of exclusive LTX use. Hundreds of thousands of miles and never a failure, but I do tend to replace my tires earlier than most people do. Ride/traction/braking have improved each time over OEM tires.

 

Hate to hear you had a tire issue. If you are sticking with a quality name brand tire then I feel you will be pleased. Another tire to toss in the mix is Toyo. They actually build the Nitto product, so they in my opinion are a slight step above. The newer Open Country AT2 is very popular and should save a few bucks over the Michelin.
Make sure to always check air pressure if heading out on a longer trip. And as often as possible really. Low air pressure is what ruins 90% of tires, road hazards get some (which can also cause low pressure) then there are a few just defective tires.
Good tires are vital. The link between the road and vehicle, glad you are stepping up to a better option.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I had Toyo on my Subaru and they were amazing. BF Goodrich slipped all over in the snow. Switched to Goodyear and have been happy.

I have the Ironman on the van and they have been good for the past 16k miles. The delaminated tread was scary. The other 3 tires look good. If I were your customer, would you tell me to replace the delaminated tire with something equivalent? I could save some coin by purchasing only 1 tire.

The Ironman tires look similar to Michelin LTX tires. They handle good on gravel roads, hold well on wet pavement. But I get sick thinking about the tread coming off on the other 3!

The Nitto Dura Grappler comes up each time I search forums. Not as popular as Michelin. A few reviews say it's not as good in the rain as a softer tire like Michelin LTX. Seems like a great all around tire for SUVs, SportsVans like my E350, and pick ups.

I tried to search for tires on your website and it showed only 1 brand of tires for me. Could be a problem with Safari browser.

 

We drive the same van. How many miles do you get out of your tires? I am a light driver and tend to get at least the minimum. I rotate every 5k and keep the pressure at factory spec.

I have the money for the Michelins. $70 and $30 off combined offers and $40 trade in on my old tires. Four tires will cost a little over $700 out the door.

 

With that many miles I would probably suggest replacing 2 tires (per axle) with the same or equivalent tire. Keep the good one you take off as a full size matching spare. A tire failure can be a scary thing and can turn out really bad given the circumstances.
I don't like to spend others money (I do actually) but only you know your budget and needs etc. 4 nice new tires is always a good thing too. You forget how quiet and smooth the vehicle is.
Lots of good options, you have dealt with Toyo they are good. The Dura Grappler is a good tire, that is the style tread I prefer. Michelin is top tier, I have never been a fan really, I feel like they normally charge too much. But at a deal price, makes sense to buy them.
I put you back where you started. I would say in your case all the options are good ones. Just decide your budget and go from there. Glad to help if we can.

 

I've been getting 60k+ on SUV's, this is my first set on the Econoline, so I can't provide long-term experience yet on this vehicle. I do know that the LTX was OEM on my Econoline, and I replaced at 62k immediately after purchase. The original tires still had a little tread before hitting the wear bars (but were 10 years old and needed to be replaced due to age). $700 is a good deal!

 

I reviewed the tires on your site and found the ProComp tires. Do you sell a lot of these tires?

I have the luxury of time on my side buying tires for the van as it's not my daily driver.

 

Calling you now. The Pro Comp is also a popular choice. Seems to be bigger out west, but we still move a good bit of them. They also have a $50 until the end of this month. That would come out being a deal.
PS left a message, the note was a bit sloppy hope I called the right number.

 

I installed Michelin LT-somethin's in April 2015 and now I've added 70,000 miles.

The outside edges are worn, but not yet unsafe and still a good distance from the wear bars.

Mine is a highway baby though. A typical day for me is:
-50 miles on the highway to Orlando or Tampa,
- 30 to 60 miles around town visiting customers
-50 miles home.

Also I've pulled my 7,000lb race car trailer about 1,000 miles this year.

Michelins are good. Actually my biggest complaint is that when I scuff the sidewalls it shows white underneath.
My previous tires were Transforce HT and they were good also. I only changed because "might as well see what else is out there."

I'll be replacing all 4 again probably January/February. I'll change to another top tier brand.

 

When I installed michelins on my e150 van they were the best riding tires ever. It was worth the extra money. I put on 10k a year so longevity is not an issue as age will come before high mileage.