# Need New Tire Advice



## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I've managed to burn through the stock tires that came on my 2007 Tundra in only 32,000 miles, and need to replace them soon. The stock tires were a Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in a 275/55 R20 size, load range "D" (2,400 pound rating per tire). I've had some people recommend that I go to a load range E tire (3,400 pounds per tire), but it isn't easy or cheap to find one that will fit my 20" rims. The axle weight ratings for the truck are 4,000 pounds for the front and 4,150 for the rear. Will I just be wasting money to get a load range E tire since I can't load the axles that much, or would it be a good idea with all the towing I do? Looks like a really good tire that would fit is the Michelin LTX M/S2 that's about $215 per tire for load range D, but the Michelin LTX A/T2 is $350 per tire for load range E. HELP!!!


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## WYOCAMPER (Mar 28, 2007)

Sounds like you are doing a lot of towing. The load E tire would give you a 10 ply tire and probably a little more stability while towing with your Tundra. Hang tight and I'm sure some folks will chime in on the D vs E topic.

As far as the two Michelins are concerned, both are excellent choices. I have both of them... the MS2's on my Expedition and the AT2's on my F350. I believe your choice would depend on how you plan on using them.

The MS2's are a great all season that do well in all types of road conditions (wet, ice, snow) and the occasional off road excursion. That's how I use my Expedition and they have proven to be an excellent choice. If you will be mainly on the road, with an occasional off road trip, i would go with the MS2's.

The AT2's are a bit more agressive and have excellent off road manners. I use my F350 for towing duty, camping, fishing & hunting. These tires see quite a bit of off road - dirt, mud, clay, rock, gravel, snow, ice, you name it. They have been great in all conditions. If you're trips take you off the beaten path, go with the AT2's.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Not sure if this will make you feel any better, but I'm about to lay down a chunk of change ($375/tire on sale at Les Schwab 285/75/18) for some Toyo Open Country Mud Terrains, load range E for my 2007 Tundra CrewMax. I had a set on my first gen Tundra (truck weighs 6,000 lbs+) and I did a fair amount of 4x4'ing, towing and so forth and they lasted me 50,000 miles. I RELIGIOUSLY balanced and rotated them every 3,000 miles. The tires are awesome! Road noise is minimal, wear like iron and grip like suction cups. This Tundra will see off-road use too, not to the extent of my 01’ mind you and it takes over all the towing duties too. We already have reservations in Death Valley between Christmas and New Years this year and we’re going to do some off-road exploring! Now my CrewMax is not a daily driver and I average about 8,000 miles per year so these tires should last me 5+ years and my truck is garaged when not in use. Good rubber is expensive, but I’m willing to pay extra for a superior tire.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

I like the LTX M/S2. Unless your truck is a 3/4 ton, the suspension probably isn't strong enough to take advantage of the extra load capacity of "E" tires. I don't know if it's the case with all load range E tires, but my new 3/4 ton van rides like a brick. It rattles my teeth on every crack in the pavement. I'm betting some of the harshness is due to the higher pressures of the "E" tires.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

The Tundra is my daily driver, and rarely sees off-road use. Until December I had a five mile commute to work on surface streets, but since changing jobs I now have a 25 mile one-way commute on the freeway. A good ride is important to me, and even though the Tundra is a 1/2 ton truck, it can be stiff and bouncy, especially on Southern California's sectional concrete freeways. One interesting point I found in doing research is that the E rated tires may not necessarily have 10 plies, but they provide the EQUIVALENT strength of 10 plies. Slick marketing...


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

I have the LTX M/S2 on both my Silverado and Yukon XL. The tires on the Yukon look nearly brand new after 2 years. The tires on the Silverado are a little more worn, but they still have plenty of tred left. Of course, I mostly tow with the Silverado, so it weighs a lot more than the Yukon.

If you're going with a daily driver, believe the LTX M/S2 would be a good choice. Anything more aggressive is likely to cut down on your gas mileage.


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## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

I put the MS/2 Michelin tires on my truck last winter while in Brownsville, TX... I love them.. Quiet and smooth ride.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

I went with the AT2 vs the MS2. I had the AT2 siped to help just a little more with wet/snow/ice traction. I felt the siped AT2 was a good compromise vs the MS2. I put them on my F-250. I'm pretty happy with them so far.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Well, I think that seals the deal for the M/S2! Good to know that they're so highly regarded. Just hope they last longer than the Bridgestone's. Thanks for the excellent info everybody.


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## cdnbayside (Jul 16, 2009)

My F-150 has the same size tires, 275/55/20. The OEM tire is a Pirelli Scorpion ATR. That set lasted 57,000 miles before I replaced them with the exact same tires. Smooth and quiet riding and also good off road. Excellent in rain and good in snow. Very stable for towing with no squirmyness. I usually keep them inflated to 40 psi.

I could be wrong but I don't think LT tires will fit on your rims as they are meant for P rated tires with lower pressure than LT tires. Also, there are no LT tires in that size.

Pirelli Scorpion ATR


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

cdnbayside said:


> My F-150 has the same size tires, 275/55/20. The OEM tire is a Pirelli Scorpion ATR. That set lasted 57,000 miles before I replaced them with the exact same tires. Smooth and quiet riding and also good off road. Excellent in rain and good in snow. Very stable for towing with no squirmyness. I usually keep them inflated to 40 psi.
> 
> I could be wrong but I don't think LT tires will fit on your rims as they are meant for P rated tires with lower pressure than LT tires. Also, there are no LT tires in that size.
> 
> Pirelli Scorpion ATR


The Pirelli tire is another that I looked at, but some reviews say it's kind of noisy and I think I want to stay with a highway tire versus an AT tire. You're right about the sizing for a load range E tire - I would have to go to a 285/55 R20 in either a BF Goodrich or the Michelin LTX AT2. I believe either would fit, but the tire shop would have to check the rims to see if they would handle 80 psi. Looks like I'm not going that route, but I'll have them take a look just out of curiousity.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

I had Pirelli STR's on our Volvo XC70.... they were ok, but they did get loud after half their life. I now run Yokohama Geolander AT/S 235's in the summer and Michelin X Ice 2's in the winter in 215 width.

I really like running A/T tires though... seems like any vehicle I've put AT tires on, I've had less problems with punctures, or holding air issues.


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## ORvagabond (Apr 17, 2009)

I put the Toyo Open Country E rated on mine...You could plan on a min of 50K and more likely 70k.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

It's a done deal! Just got the M/S2's put on the truck. They look good and the five mile trip home was quiet and smooth.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Insomniak said:


> It's a done deal! Just got the M/S2's put on the truck. They look good and the five mile trip home was quiet and smooth.


Need some pics! It didn't happen if we don't see some pictures!


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## WYOCAMPER (Mar 28, 2007)

Insomniak said:


> It's a done deal! Just got the M/S2's put on the truck. They look good and the five mile trip home was quiet and smooth.


Congrats! You'll love them! Did you go load D or E?


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I got the same size load range D as the stock tires. Just couldn't justify coughing up the additional $150 per tire for the one or two load range E tires that are available for a 20 inch rim. Here's a photo:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=LTX+M%2FS2&partnum=755TR0LTXMS2&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Just as an update.... I've had the Michelin LTX M/S2 for a little over a month now and put about 1,000 miles on them. When I first got them, I drove a little around town, and they seemed ok. As soon as I got on the freeway, I was greeted with a very uncomfortable and bumpy ride. The steering wheel would shake around 60-65mph and would go away if I sped up to 75mph. Now, the Tundra is infamous for a very bumpy ride on Southern California's sectional concrete freeways, so I thought this was just more of the same. The more I drove though, the more I realized that something just wasn't right. I finally took a trip back to the tire shop (Discount / America's Tire Co) and asked them if they wouldn't mind checking the balance on the tires. Well, it turns out that EVERY tire was significantly out of balance - one of them wanted more than 6 ounces on the outside to balance. They started over and re-balanced each one while I stood there and watched them. The truck now rides like a dream, and is probably smoother than it was when it was new. Even the freeway bed bounce has almost disappeared. I just don't know why it's SOOOO difficult for some people to do a good job the FIRST time!!


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Wow! *6 oz's*?!? I'm thinking a different tire is in order for that one! Other than the initial balancing issue, I'm glad the new tires are working out. I certainly hear you about getting it right the FIRST time.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Herbicidal said:


> Wow! *6 oz's*?!? I'm thinking a different tire is in order for that one! Other than the initial balancing issue, I'm glad the new tires are working out. I certainly hear you about getting it right the FIRST time.


The machine wanted 6oz to compensate for the extremely unbalanced condition from their first attempt. Once they scraped off all of the weights and started over, the tires only needed an ounce or two. Their excuse was that one of their machines had broken last month and perhaps my tires were balanced on that machine before they realized it was busted. Yeah right...


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