1997rangerxlt you are correct. I live 45 miles from the Decatur Firestone plant, or should I say x firestone plant. I had several friends that worked there. And what the media forgot to mention was that the union was on strike when the problem tires(model and build dates) were manufactured. The plant was staffed by a skeleton management crew and scab labor. Firestone like all other tire companies has strict quality control procedures. To the best knowledge of the people I know that used to work at the plant these were not followed while they were on strike. The people working during the strike were either from temp companies or off the street. None or very few of the skilled union laborers crossed the picket line, and that is why the tires had problems, Firestone makes a quality product and I would not hesitate to buy them if I needed new tires. I just wish when all this was happening I had justification to buy them cause they were going for next to nothing around here at the time.

 

Firestone ATs on the Explorers are probably the most proven tire ever made. More of these tires have been run than any other single tire made. Firestone got a bad rap. Older tire guides put the inflation of the Explorers @26 psi. To the average consumer 26psi means, 24psi.....23psi....22psi and so on. How often do you think people REALLY check their psi? Those tires decapped due to underinflation. Yes the press got ahold of it and tore it a new one. Firestone set aside 3.2 billion to deal with this fiasco. Ford came out with an amendment in the early 90s stating that the psi needed to bumped up to 28???? I cannot remember, its been along time. I have nothing against Firestone, yet I feel sorry for them, but I do not feel bad. Just my obervation over the years. BUT, I have always run Michelins.

Jon

 

2000 F-350 Crew Cab Powerstroke Diesel. Firestone Steeltex Radials, Load Range *E* came as original equipment - 50,000+ miles on the truck.

I can say one thing about Steeltex, despite the mileage, it was a good wearing tire for me. Took the tires into my local Firestone dealer for a slight leak repair in the driver side rear tire, and for inspection prior to vacation. Tire pressure set all around, and pronounced good to go.

Four days later, Southbound on California 395, 9 am in the morning, July heat already 90 degrees or so. 395 is a one-lane Hwy. in each direction in the desert below the Sierra Nevada Range. Traveling early in the morning to beat the heat.

Four passengers inside the crew cab. I'm driving and hear a pronounced *snap* at which time the front driver side tire blows and lurches hard to the left, across the opposing lane, and into the desert. The steering seems locked in a left turn, unable to correct.

We jump, hop and fly through and over gullies, and other rises in the terrain unable to do any effective braking in the sand. As the truck starts to slow, the driver side front rim digs into the sand, causing the rear of the truck to come around perpindicular to the direction of travel, and initiates two complete rollovers - windshield exploding into our faces - and a skiploader full of sand and dirt invades the passenger compartment.

End of vacation. Everyone is ambulanced 45 miles to the nearest ER, cut, bruised, scalped, compressed, but ALIVE!

Truck is totaled. The CHP patrolman in charge told me in the ER that he had never seen anything like the driver-side front tire that failed.

The right inside edge of the tire had separated, folding back over and extending from the left outside edge, increasing the overall diameter of the tire to the point that it jammed to a stop against the wheel well and locked into the hard left position. Riding only on the steel belts, the friction blew the rest of the tire almost instantly, forcing the wheel rim to shoulder the load. Thus the loss of steering.

All of this occured in the blink of an eye. From family Vacation time, to fighting for our lives.

We thank God and His Guardian Angel in charge of damage control that day. We feel blessed to have survived the type of accident you don't normally walk away from. May as well thank Him also for the *sand* because undoubtedly it would have been worse on asphalt.

Suffice it to say, my new F-250 rides on Pirelli's.

 

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I put a set of wildernessIII"s on my truck. Got a great deal on them because some guys wife watched too much tv and wouldn't drive their truck anymore.I put them on right as the snow was about to fly. The traction was awesome. The ride was absolutely HORRIBLE.My truck also wandered so bad I was pulled over three times for being drunk. All new front end and alignment and you still had to fight it. Bought a set of generals and problems diappeared. As for the rollovers, you really can't control any vehicle in a panic situation with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cell phone in the other.