Put the new Michelin LXT m/s on today. The Expy drives more like a luxury sports car than a 6000 pound suv with these michelins on. Sooooooo much better than Coopers.

 

Thats funny that there is that much difference in the tires. I have Cooper Discover A/T and I think they are a great tire. I think it's more mental for you than anything else, knowing that you like the MIchelins. I would definately buy Cooper tires again. Plus they are made in the USA not some french owned company.

Mark

 

My Expy rides like a dream after it's been detailed.

 

I know the original poster didn't want Bridgestone or Firestone recommendations, but I, like many others have been extremely pleased with the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo's (Revo version is much different from the plain Dueler AT).

The original Goodyear Wrangler RT/Ss lasted 60K miles, but cupped badly, leading to a lot of vibration. I've now had the Revo's for 19,000 miles, and they offer better traction, better handling feel, less noise, less squeel around corners, etc. Plus. the tread pattern looks very cool! I haven't measured tread wear, but they are wearing very evenly at least. I don't know if they will go 60k miles or not, but I will bet that it will at least by 50k. Although these are all-terrain, they are very good on the road - I haven't seen problems with them throwing off pebbles.

I use the tire ratings on The Tire Tack's web site to get an initial set of tires to look at. The Dueler AT Revo's were basically top-rated in the all-terrain category. Somewhat surprisingly, Bridgestone road-use SUV tires don't get rated as high, or at least it is more hit or miss by model. However, when my son needed tires for his Escape, we saw that Firestone Destination LE's were highly rated in the road tire category, plus Firestone had a good sale going on. These use Bridgestone's Uni-Q (or whatever they call it) technology, but are priced lower, since Firestone is still trying to get over their recall bad rep. So far, my son is very pleased. These are MUCH quieter than the Continental's that they replaced, and also handle better (no experience in the wet, yet, since it is dry season in CA). Too soon to tell about wear, but it will almost certainly be better than the Conti's.

rschleicher
2000 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4WD (78,000 miles)
2002 Escape XLT 4WD (son - 37,000 miles)
(Hey! How come my son'e car is newer?)

 

Hey rschleicher!

Looks like you need to get a new expy so that you will have the newer car and not your son.

 

Bridgestone Desert Dueller AT REVOS. Very, very happy with my new set. Great all around tire in dry, wet, snow, and mild offroading.

Eric
2000 EXPY 5.4 EB 4x4

 

Uniroyal Laredo Cross Country SUV, every bit as good as the LTX M/S they replaced.

 

n2umr,

It really is not mental. The Cooper ht's gave the Ecpy so much body roll especially in a quick turn maneuver or like a ramp on the interstate. I'm not saying the Michelins don't have any, but what little sway they do have is minimal and very controlled compared to the Coopers. I could have saved $300 by keeping the Coopers for $450 instead of $750 for the Michelins. But they are worth it for the more secure ride, better steering responce and they have a softer ride. What more could you ask for.

 

Why the bad rap on Continentals? Don't own any, but isn't Continental tires made by Michelin?

 

Don't know who actually makes them but at 22K I just had a blow out in them. My tires are ALL chewed up! I mean, there are CHUNKS missing from them!!

Now, it could have something to do with me 4-wheel (lightly) on lava rock and driving on roads made with lava rock and maybe the jumps on my favorite road and....... well...... they still suck.

Can't go over 65 with out them vibrating and they are always covered in brake dust...well...that part's not really their fault.

 

Conti's are a really, really bad tire. I had a set on a work van and they lasted about 20k. They were loud, rode bad and had uneven wear (were mounted after an alignment). Perhaps the worst tire other than those horrible General Grabbers. I'm not a big Goodyear fan, but these Wrangler RTS's have lasted a long time (50K+) and handle all situations.

 

I liked the Goodyear to a point, that being longevity. I only got 80k out of mine. The Michelin' I got next, I pushed 125k out of'em. I am using Uniroyal now (made by Mich., same tire except pattern), the first set I got 110k, would have been more had an alignment issue not interfered. The Uni's ride the same and cost about 10-15 less per depending on the dealer.