Tires

[Schnook]

Time to re-shoe the steed. Got a price quote to replace the michellins I put on 3 years ago, but I don't have a first born to give up! Can I get some opinions on other (read: cheaper) brands.
I'd prefer another set of michellins, but I 'm trying to squeeze a ccckpit cover and sunpad re-cover in as well. I'd say performance and handling are more important to me than ride comfort and noise. I know you get what you pay for, but there's should be a happy medium somewhere.

[onesubdrvr]

Time to re-shoe the steed. Got a price quote to replace the michellins I put on 3 years ago, but I don't have a first born to give up! Can I get some opinions on other (read: cheaper) brands.
I'd prefer another set of michellins, but I 'm trying to squeeze a ccckpit cover and sunpad re-cover in as well. I'd say performance and handling are more important to me than ride comfort and noise. I know you get what you pay for, but there's should be a happy medium somewhere.
Schnook,

Don't know much about tires, I tend to always go with 50-60k tires, name brand, what ever is on sale.

But I do know this,....

If there is a place that offers N2 fill of the tires (becoming more common), have 'em filled with Nitrogen. Pressure stays more constant longer, which corresponds to better tire life.

Part of my job is N2 generators that we sell to tire shops / etc. there are some truck lines that are saving a ton on tires now due to using N2.

Wayne

[Carl C]

IMO you get what you pay for in tires. Instead of lookinhg for a cheaper tire, I would shop for the best price. Do you know a Costco member? They sell Michelins cheaper. You can also mail order tires. Pick up a Motor Trend or Car and Driver mag. and check out the ads.

[mrfixxall]

I put a set of mich ltx ms on my sub 3 yrs ago. At first they were great,now 30,000 miles later thay suck(slip and slide all over the place)..I just installed a set of dunlop rover at on a cust sub just like mine and it rode alot better and seemed to have great traction but their still new...i got them at www.tirerack.com and were cheep too..i paid $112.00 per tire (265/75/16/8ply).they chargre 10.00 per tire to ship them and most places will install them for 15.00 per tire mounted and ballanced..So for under 550 bucks it seemed like a good deal to me...Good luck.....

[ChromeGorilla]

Are we talking truck tiers? If so Michelin LTX are the creme de la creme...... but here is a money saving tip.......


The Michelin LTX and BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A are essentialy the same exact tire, but less exspensive. They are made on the same exact line, only difference is what mold the tire goes into. And of couse the price...... BFG rugged trails and AT's are great tires. See, I did learn something at my new job.....:biggrin.:

[gcarter]

I buy all my tires at Sam's club. They carry Michelins and many more at the best prices I've seen. The same statement doesn't apply to WalMart.
Also you can get them serviced at any Sams or WalMart in the country.

[gold-n-rod]

I buy all my tires at Sam's club. They carry Michelins and many more at the best prices I've seen. The same statement doesn't apply to WalMart.
Also you can get them serviced at any Sams or WalMart in the country.

I'd be willing to bet that the tires that Michelin makes to sell at Sam's are not manufactured to the same specs that their other tires are made. Cost savings come at a cost.

Chromie, can you weigh in on this one?

[gcarter]

I don't know one way or the other.
I do know I buy all the tires for all six of our vehicles.
We get really good service and mileage from them. All three of my pickups carry near max loads several times a week. The tires do very well allt eh way to the wear indicators.

[Carl C]

Certainly they are the same tires. The warehouses save money by charging memberships, not advertising and buying millions of tires to sell at a low mark-up.

[gold-n-rod]

Certainly they are the same tires. The warehouses save money by charging memberships, not advertising and buying millions of tires to sell at a low mark-up.

No, the big whorehouses save money by squeezing the hell out of their suppliers. The suppliers react by reducing the quality of the goods they produce for the whorehouses. Example: Go buy a kitchen faucet from Home Depot and the same model from a wholesale plumbing distributor. Take it apart and carefully examine the internal parts. Then tell me that they are the same faucet. It's the same for tires.

The membership and quantity buying tales are just bull**** to make you feel good about buying inferior goods at a cheaper price. :fire:

[gcarter]

I don't think Home Depot charges a membership fee to shop there.
And I do agree about the faucet analogy, however, HD is not the same as Sams Club.

[gold-n-rod]

No, the stores are not EXACTLY the same. But the old addage still holds true. If you are buying something substantially cheaper, there must be a reason. The reason: The goods aren't the same.

I'd give you a blowjob on the Post Office steps if the Michelin tires sold at Sam's are the same quality as the tires sold at a Michelin dealer.

Chromie??

[Carl C]

I don't know about Sam's Club but Costco sells top quality merchandise.:yes:

[gold-n-rod]

PS: The BJ on the PO steps is an old saying. I'm not hitting you up!!!!!!!!!!:biggrin:

[gcarter]

PS: The BJ on the PO steps is an old saying. I'm not hitting you up!!!!!!!!!!:biggrin:
That's a relief!!!!!

[Sam]

All brand name manufactures work hard to secure their brand identity with the cunsumer. You can't tell me that a company like Michelin would risk the good brand image that they have worked so hard to secure by selling a lesser tire at Sam's or Costco.
Beyond that it's the tire company that writes the basic warranty with the retailer picking up slack with road hazard plans. Does Michelin have different warranties for different retailers, I don't think so.
Based on my own experience I've purchased Michelin tires from Costco and have zero issues with them. Why did I buy them there, because I got the best deal there after shopping around.
Would I buy them again.............you bet and it wouldn't matter who from. Personaly I think most folks just don't take care of their tires I.E. air pressure, proper roatations / balancing ect. A little TLC with your tires will go a long in getting your moneys worth.

Ok, I'm going to bed now and hopefuly dream about bikini clad chicks begging me for a ride in my Donzi............. I know..........dream on :yes: .

Night Night

[ChromeGorilla]

I'd give you a blowjob on the Post Office steps if the Michelin tires sold at Sam's are the same quality as the tires sold at a Michelin dealer.
Chromie??




Pucker up butter cup...... Every Michelin tire is produced the same way. No variance in production depending on where tire is going. OEM purchasers (Ford, Honda.....) generaly pay less per tire than a replacement retailers due to the sheer volume of tires purchased. Every tire we make is inspected by hand and x-rayed individualy for visual inspection. Our quality control is leaps and bounds above our competitors.

[Mac]

Pucker up butter cup...... Every Michelin tire is produced the same way. No variance in production depending on where tire is going. OEM purchasers (Ford, Honda.....) generaly pay less per tire than a replacement retailers due to the sheer volume of tires purchased. Every tire we make is inspected by hand and x-rayed individualy for visual inspection. Our quality control is leaps and bounds above our competitors.

Why is it the factory tires you get on a vehicle, I referring to trucks as this is where I have seen it, usually will have only a couple ounces of weight on them from the factory, but if I go buy the same tires and have them mounted they take significantly more wieght to balance? I have always heard the eom tires meet a higher standard than the retail market.
As for the large wholesale clubs they get many items that you can only buy from them, I found this out when shopping for a plasma TV, Costco had models that were only available from them, and they did not have all the features of the more expensive close equivient from like Best Buy or Circuit City. I also know for a fact that if you buy a pair of Levi jeans at WalMart they are not the same quality as the ones you would get at a small independant clothing store, the volumes that stores like WalMart purchase in and the presure for lower costs results in suppliers providing several quality levels of product.

[Dino]

Fellows .. just my two cents worth... Years ago Michelin sponsored us and we could buy tires from them at manufactures cost.
The cost for the tires was just over shipping cost. I think we paid around $16 per tire.
Now this was in the mid 1980's but high performance tires were still selling for many times that at retail.
The point.... there is a lot of room in in their prices.
Dino

[Schnook]

Are we talking truck tiers? If so Michelin LTX are the creme de la creme...... but here is a money saving tip.......


The Michelin LTX and BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A are essentialy the same exact tire, but less exspensive. They are made on the same exact line, only difference is what mold the tire goes into. And of couse the price...... BFG rugged trails and AT's are great tires. See, I did learn something at my new job.....:biggrin.:
Set of Michellin LTX MS at Costco - $705.00 mounted and balanced
Set of Goodrich Radial TA's at AAFES - $471.00 mounted and balanced
Decisions, decisions

[Sam]

Butter Cup ????????????? for god sakes Chrome don't make me laugh that hard this early in the morning or I'm going to choke on my coffee :yes:.
No worries gold-n-rod just a litte fun...............we luv ya. By the way any chance you might be going to AOTH. Mich always sends a strong contingency of boats. Your welcome to hook up with Doug the "Ice" man Lovins and I for the ride down.

[Carl C]

Set of Michellin LTX MS at Costco - $705.00 mounted and balanced
Set of Goodrich Radial TA's at AAFES - $471.00 mounted and balanced
Decisions, decisions They've gone up a bit in 3 years. in 12/02 I paid 493.88 for a set of LTX A/Ts, P235/75R15s at Costco. That's out the door, mounted and balanced, and old tires disposed of. The cool thing is that after 3 years the tread looks almost like new. Incidently the tires are worth more than this particular truck. "Pucker up Buttercup"???? Oh, God it's good to start the day with a good laugh.:rlol: :yes:

[Reedy]

I have never been a Firestone fan, always Michelins, but my Z71 has 54K on Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO tires that will be replaced soon, but they look like they can go another 20K easy. Never a flat, slow leak or any trouble. I also drive the truck in a lot of hunting situations, and they still grip (better than Goodrich TA Radials did) off road, and are quiet and handle well on the road too. Also buy from somewhere you can get a lifetime allignment too.
If you drive a big diesel, tires might be a different story because of all the weight.

[Schnook]

They've gone up a bit in 3 years. in 12/02 I paid 493.88 for a set of LTX A/Ts, P235/75R15s at Costco. That's out the door, mounted and balanced, and old tires disposed of. The cool thing is that after 3 years the tread looks almost like new. Incidently the tires are worth more than this particular truck. "Pucker up Buttercup"???? Oh, God it's good to start the day with a good laugh.:rlol: :yes:
Yeah, they've gone up a bit. I paid about the same when I put mine on. That was at 55k. Now I'm at 139k and they still have enough tread left to pass the state inspection. Took a nail in one right where the tread ends and the sidewall begins. shame. I have a General tire in it's place for now. Pulling the boat up a wet ramp I got wheel spin with that tire. Freaked my wife out because it took four tries to get all the way up. I'm getting a LSD out of that episode, which is going to be cool.

[paperman]

Just my 2 cents: I was in maintenance in the Mccreary tire plant in Baltimore,
long ago. We made the same tire for different retail stores. All we did is open the BOM press and change the name plate. So it would hard for me to believe that a Tire manufactor would reduce the quality of a line of tires to sell them to Walmart. It would be too easy just to reduce the quality and change the product line name, than take that chance. :lookaroun

[ChromeGorilla]

Paperman is right.... OEM or replacement tires are exactly the same. Same QA process. Only difference is the mold.....


Butter cup...... hehehehehe..... :D