I have an '03 F250 SD, 4x4, SC, LB with 36K on it. I never did like the stock Firestone tires (too hard a compound) and with winter here, I did some looking and decided on Goodyear AT/S in the OE size - 265/75/16E. I have family at Goodyear and have coupons that give me $80 back on the set plus another $50 for opening a 6 months same as cash account. So with that money back, they were competive in price.
The problem is the tires, lots of sway - like they are WAY underinflated but they aren't. So bad that when I'm on the hiway there is a very unsafe feeling whenever there is a lane change or swerve to miss something. So I stopped at the dealer and they said they would do whatever it takes to get it right. One of the guys said that he thought Firestone worked with Ford to make a tire to work with the F250. I thought right away this was BS. There has to be other tires that work well with this truck. He also recommended going with another Wrangler (don't remember which one) in a different size and a "D" range. I'm not sold on this idea though.
So what tires have people been putting on their trucks? I don't go off road and am looking for very good wet and snow performance, and ride quality is not so important as long as I get good traction. And of course good tred life is always nice to have.
Thanks for the help,
John Lassiter

 

I noticed the sway initially with the Wrangler AT/S in 275/65/18E on my diesel truck. I thought something was wrong with the truck. I have two nearly identical trucks and the one on 265/75/16E BFG Rugged Trails didn't ride like this. I also noticed the tread wear was excessive for about 6,000 miles then slowed down after it wore about 1/3 the tread. I currently have Bridgestone Blizzaks on for the winter and will be dropping off the Wranglers at the dealership to see what they say about the tire wear for only 9,195 miles on them. Pretty disappointing.

Depending on what the dealer decides to do, I may plan on running BFG All-Terrains on the 18" wheel. My friend at a local tire store has some Continental take-offs in the 18" size which I may buy for summer useage.

BTW, my friend called the Goodyear rep and informed him of the excessive treadwear I was having with the Wrangler AT/S tires. He asked what vehicle they were on. When informed, he stated that the tires "did not like F-350's very much"!!!!???? Not a very good answer in my book. Hopefully my dealer or Goodyear comes through with a agreeable solution.

 

With a softer tire, that gives you better traction, you'll get a softer feel. You might just need to get used to the handling of your new tires. When my uncle was alive, (pilot) he took me up in a beachcraft bonanza and gave me the wheel. The hardest thing I found in piloting that craft was to not over-react to the wind currents. I found that rolling with the air movement made the flight much more relaxing. When I first took the wheel, I was tense and reactive and it felt like I wasn't in control. After I got used to the feel of it, it got much better. In my experience, I have found that BF Goodrich makes a good all terraign tire that is reliable, tracks well with stability.
If you tow, you would want a firm tire. If you want more snow traction, look for siping (sp) on the tire, and wider spaces between the lugs to throw snow and mud. The siping makes a big difference in ice.
Hope this is helpful

 

Another thing to remember about big trucks is that they are very heavy. New tires tend to feel kinda squirly under heavy trucks until they get worn in a bit. The Ford Dealer also advised me that the F250 and F350 trucks corner hard on tires and said I should rotate them every oil change to avoid premature wear of the tires.

 

I am my third set of Discoverer Mud & Snow. Really like them, as I drive both in mud & snow, yesterday was fairly heavy snow and slick roads 200 plus miles. My son is in the tire business and has access to most major brands, these are what he recommended for me.

1999.5 F250 Lariat, X-Cab, Long Box, Auto, 4X4, Banks Bighead, Banks Trans-Command and Gauges.

If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in English thank a soldier. In memory of Spec. James Wolf 1982-2003 U.S. Army.

 

John, For starters- I haven't been able to find any tire IMO that could fulfill my requirements for all seasons. Therefore, I put snow tires on my PSD and also on my wifes Grand Cherokee (what is good for the goose is good for the gander). We each drive 25,000 miles a year, so this strategy pays off for us.

There are quite a few tires that IMO will out-perform the goodyears, firestones & OEM bridgestones. Check Tirerack for comparisons & reviews. The only downfall of their data is that it only includes national brands they sell and leaves out a lot of good, decent tires from such dealers as Les Schwab, Big O, etc.

With all of the above said, it seems like FTE folks are quite happy with two particular tires: Michelin LTX M/S & Bridgestone Revo Dueler. There was a recent thread the past week in this forum (or the 6.0) which had commments about these two specific tires. Stay with E rated unless you are going to a larger size like 285's which typically are D rated with about the same weight limits.

Good luck-

 

My 2004 F250 (PSD, 4x2; bought Sep, 2004) came with BFG Rugged Trail T/A LT265/75R16E, as did my step-daughter's F350 King Ranch (PSD 4x4).
She just had a tire failure (16k miles) from a 'blunt force trauma'; split down into the carcass across the tread in excess of 1.5". No known 'road hazard' impact, but obviously something hit it. Interestingly, it followed the pattern of tread lugs...

Similar failures to the junk Firestones on my '97 Ranger and '01 Chevy Venture van... Even though those were both passenger tires.

Methinks the OEM's are junk, regardless.

I'm researching now to find something suitable.

I've had exceedingly good performance on the Ranger from Cooper Discoverer LT's (14", and top out at C load rating). Only one puncture in 5 years from a direct hit by a 2" sheet metal screw. (Compared to *7* flats in 18 months on the junk Firestones).

But, even loaded, the Ranger is a pipsqueak compared to the Big Ford, so I don't know if there's any comparison.

Good luck and let us know how you come out!

Tim Beard, Thorndale, TX

 

I have to agree with you about the dealer saying "the tires don't like the F-350s much" BS!!! That's similar to saying the Firestones were developed to work with the F-250. It seems as though Goodyear messed up with this AT/S. Sure it's a load range E, but they feel like rubber bands.
As far as me adapting to these tires, no way should this be necessary. I am very experienced with different tires and their handling traits. I have several vehicles with 3 sports cars and experiment with different brands and models of tires.
One thing I did discover is that Goodyear recommends 80 PSI in the E, the OE specs are 50 ft, and 70 rear. I'm going to pump 'em up to 80 and see if there is any difference.

 

We see a lot of trucks around here (Central Texas farm country) with Discoverers... Albeit, not many with 'Mud & Snow'

Anybody else here running non-M/S Coopers on their Super-Duty?

Still, my unscientific empirical observation is they seem to be the most common non-OEM on 3/4 ton and up around here (could also be that most of the small-town tire dealers carry Cooper more than other brands???)

Tim Beard, Thorndale, TX

 

Utahtom,
Gotta agree with you about the winter tires. I have seperate sets (mounted and ready to go) for my wife's Accord and my daughtes 4Runner. No doubt about the use of 4 snows vs any other setup is the way to go.
I was just thinking that for a heavy 4x4 I could go with a high quality M&S.
Cooper does make great tires, if I don't see improvement with these Goodyears I will be tracking down a Cooper dealer. As far as Bridgestones, I have a personal problem with Bstone/Firestone. Bstone buying an American, gutting American union workers, making Firestone a cheep tire brand, then trying to build it back up.

 

I'm quite happy with the BFG AT KO's on my F350. I haul a camper with the truck and the tires do fine with it. I also off road with the truck and the tires do great off road in all types of terrain, except mud. The AT's don't have the wide lug spacing of the MT's and pack up with mud and don't clean very well. Other than the mud, they are great. I have had them in some snow and they did fine there too. Wet pavement traction is good too. They are quiet on the street, ride is ok, they wear nice and even and seem like they will last a good long time.

 

I'll have to agree with SoCalDesertRider on the BFG AT KO's. I put them on my 2001 F250 PSD and haven't looked back. They are a "D" load rating, but just barely less than the stock Steeltex junk. Even if you maxed out your payload rating you'd still be well under the BFG's rating. The Steeltex's will last longer, but they are lousy on wet surfaces of any kind. I've lived in Denver since 1981 and have run BFG AT's on a '74 Wagoneer (sure miss that 401 cu in), a '79 Bronco, a '95 F150 and my '01 Superduty and loved them on every one! They soften the ride just right, and handle extremely well with little road noise compared to other all terrain tires.
The added advantage of the new AT KO's is that they are one of only three tires with a triple ply side wall in that class of tire. The others being the BFG Mud, and the Goodyear Wrangler Mud. They wear reasonably well with the heavy diesel pounding on them and the traction on wet concrete or asphalt is outstanding. My next door neighbor has two E350's, one with a 460 and the other a PSD. He tried them on one, and now has a set on both of them.

Sorry for the long winded post but I can't say enough good about the TA KO's. This is however only my opinion. Hope it helps, and good luck in your quest for that perfect tire.

Austin

 

I have to agree on the BFG A/T KOs, though I'm running wider than stock with 33x12.50s.

 

jhl385 on my work truck I replaced the Firestone's on the back (set #3 265/75/16E) with RT/S Goodyear, I'm not happy ether to much sway , When it comes time again I'm going back to Firestone, better wear stronger sidewall.

Denny

 

I am running larger than stock too with 305/70/16 on stock rims, no lift, drive it hard like it loves, off road some, and tow 5500-6000 lbs. every day. No rubbing or problems ever in 12000 mi.


Austin