Firestone Tires
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More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 721
Likes: 1
From: Floyd, Va
Firestone Tires
I get the impression there are still people afraid to run Firestones. Personally i dont understand it, it was improper inflations that caused the failures. What do you think?
Tony Warren
Nebraska
Tony Warren
Nebraska
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,712
Likes: 1
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Firestone Tires
It was the Wilderness TA models that they had all those problems with. Personally, I buy whatever the Goodyear store has down the street for the best price, but whenever it's Firestone tires on sale, I can always feel an improvement in braking and it feels just a little stickier in the turns. Even Firestone's knock-off brands are very good tires, that's my weapon of choice! TK
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Clinton, SC
Firestone Tires
Firestone tires are better than ever. I'm not gonna say that those wilderness tires didn't have something wrong with them, but I think it had a little something to do with the Explorers they were on. Those are the only things that flipped, newer Explorers. My roomate here works for Bridgestone/Firestone here in SC. He says the inspections these things go through now are stringent. He says everyone gets x-rayed now. The plant is completely automated too, until the inspection process. They cut a lot of them up too to see how the quality is. I'd buy some if they had what I was looking for.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 3,818
Likes: 3
Firestone Tires
The Firestone fiasco was more a media generated "crisis" similar to the Bronco/Explorer rollover coverage. Look around any parking lot and observe all the no-name generic tires in use. Don't you find it strange these cheapo tires never have any recalls or production problems? The Ford v Firestone feud was mostly a case of self-inflicted wounds due to excessive corporate egos. It is probably a great time to buy some Firestones.
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 1
From: The Star-Club, Hamburg
Firestone Tires
I am running some Firestones on my truck. Had no problems with them at all. I bought them when I got the truck, about a year and a half ago, and they still have probably 75-80% tread. I agree that the whole thing was more of a media-generated crisis than a real problem. Firestone makes some of the best tires on the market for light trucks, and I would'nt be a bit afraid to buy another set.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,359
Likes: 0
From: Charleston, SC
Firestone Tires
It was only one size of Wilderness tire, the 235''s if memory serves.
I saw a report that placed the blame on management that was making those tires when the Union workers were out protesting something or another.
Supposedly, there is a strip that covers the edges of the belts and wraps up the sides that they ommited.
Anyone know if that is true?
I'm running 225/70-14's Firestones on my Ranger right now.
I saw a report that placed the blame on management that was making those tires when the Union workers were out protesting something or another.
Supposedly, there is a strip that covers the edges of the belts and wraps up the sides that they ommited.
Anyone know if that is true?
I'm running 225/70-14's Firestones on my Ranger right now.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 551
Likes: 0
From: USA
Firestone Tires
Personally I don't buy Firestone but my decision was made before all the recent hoopla regarding them. My father has had 2 sets of firestones go bad on him for no apparent reason (no wreck or anything). The first developed large knots on the sidewalls and partially under the tread whenever the tires would get hot. These weren't minor either, similar in size and shape to half a baseball. The tires still had 3/4 tread left so they didn't have that many miles.
The second set was more recently on a set of Firehawks. They went "out of round" and would no longer balance. Again, they had only about 10k miles on them so they were far from worn out.
Since then, I've just steered clear.
The second set was more recently on a set of Firehawks. They went "out of round" and would no longer balance. Again, they had only about 10k miles on them so they were far from worn out.
Since then, I've just steered clear.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Firestone Tires
I have some Firestones on my truck, 265/75/16's, and they are fine, just worn out. But they are those "High Milers" or something like that. I just checked out the tires on this axle I picked up, I was going to run them, but they are 16.5" bias-ply Firestone recaps
I feel bad about them being in the bed of my truck!
I feel bad about them being in the bed of my truck!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
Firestone Tires
> only one size of Wilderness tire, the 235''s if memory serves.
FWIW: The major recall was on ATX and ATX II tires. I would say they had problem with shoulder wear, but, I have never seen one that actually blew out/
Firestone 16 inch tires were recalled too and the only Firestone tire I saw blow up while someone drove it was a 16" tire and it was brand new (that size later recalled by Ford).
I had VHDL code tires on my 1997 Ranger. I got rid of the truck, but, I had kept the tires on the truck. I was going to run them down to 4/32 and then turn them in for a new set at 50k miles
FWIW: The major recall was on ATX and ATX II tires. I would say they had problem with shoulder wear, but, I have never seen one that actually blew out/
Firestone 16 inch tires were recalled too and the only Firestone tire I saw blow up while someone drove it was a 16" tire and it was brand new (that size later recalled by Ford).
I had VHDL code tires on my 1997 Ranger. I got rid of the truck, but, I had kept the tires on the truck. I was going to run them down to 4/32 and then turn them in for a new set at 50k miles
New User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Wagener, SC
Firestone Tires
The explorer I had came with the 235/75/15 firestone wilderness. I put 50 thousand miles on those tires with no problems, and then they were recalled and I got a brand new set for free. 
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 913
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Firestone Tires
Firestone has to be OK - The Most Famous Ford Truck of Them All Still Uses them:
http://www.bigfoot4x4.com/photo-gall.../oct02-200.jpg
http://www.bigfoot4x4.com/photo-gall.../nov02-200.jpg
Here is some information on those that were recalled:
"On May 2, 2000, NHTSA opened a defect investigation into approximately 47 million ATX, ATXII, and Wilderness tires manufactured by Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (Firestone). On August 9, Firestone announced that it was recalling 14.4 million of the tires under investigation. These include all Firestone ATX and ATXII tires of the P235/75R15 size manufactured since 1991 and all Wilderness AT tires of that same size manufactured at Firestone's Decatur, IL plant. Firestone has estimated that about 6.5 million of these tires were still in service as of that date."
FOR MORE INFO:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hot/Firesto..._09-01-00.html
http://www.bigfoot4x4.com/photo-gall.../oct02-200.jpg
http://www.bigfoot4x4.com/photo-gall.../nov02-200.jpg
Here is some information on those that were recalled:
"On May 2, 2000, NHTSA opened a defect investigation into approximately 47 million ATX, ATXII, and Wilderness tires manufactured by Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (Firestone). On August 9, Firestone announced that it was recalling 14.4 million of the tires under investigation. These include all Firestone ATX and ATXII tires of the P235/75R15 size manufactured since 1991 and all Wilderness AT tires of that same size manufactured at Firestone's Decatur, IL plant. Firestone has estimated that about 6.5 million of these tires were still in service as of that date."
FOR MORE INFO:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hot/Firesto..._09-01-00.html
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 692
Likes: 0
Firestone Tires
This ticks me right the hell off, remember the dreaded
Audi "sudden accelleration" crisis?? What did the NHTSA
find out after years of investigation?? Pedal Mis-application,
otherwise known as driver error. If any one of those rolled
Explorers had been properly maintained, none of them would
have rolled...
Go ahead, Argue you view...
Audi "sudden accelleration" crisis?? What did the NHTSA
find out after years of investigation?? Pedal Mis-application,
otherwise known as driver error. If any one of those rolled
Explorers had been properly maintained, none of them would
have rolled...
Go ahead, Argue you view...
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 955
Likes: 1
From: St. Louis USA
Firestone Tires
I went through a set of Firestone Radial ATXs and was on a second with my previous vehicle, and had no problems (except for a curb I hit at 30mph, but that wasn't the tire's fault). However, I'm happy with the Michelins on my new car and will probably replace with same...
