Tire Recommendation

[DRich]

Originally Posted by booster

When you go to the site, it can be a bit of a learning curve where to find the best information.


In general I do it this way.


Go to products and then select find by size. In most cases 245-75-16 for Bs that aren't dualies.


When the list opens open up on a new screen, scroll down the left side and click on "load range" and then check the box for load range E.


This will give the same looking listing, but only for the E rated tires.


You can then select any tire by clicking on it and going to its listing page.


On the page, when you scroll down you will see links for a few things and usually also an overall ranking and reviews.


There is also a link that says "see rating charts for tires in this category" so you can go to that page. Not all the tires are in the chart so you may need to interpret where the others would be based on their individual ratings.


The V Steels are not in the chart (and are now called 265s) but the Coopers are.

I didn't see this until after I posted about what I was comparing. The Michelin Defender and Firestone Destination have a pending load range. So maybe they aren't a good choice?

[booster]

Originally Posted by DRich

I've been comparing at tire rack.

My current tires are Bridgestone Duravis R500HD.
The number 1 ranked tired in 245/75/16 size is the Michelin Defender.
The other 2 tires I'm comparing are the Agilis Crossclimate and the Firestone Destination LE3 and both of these have the same rank. All three are higher ranked than my current tires and consumer recommended.

My current tires and the Agilis have a 3042 lb. maximum load and 80 psi tire pressure. The Defender and Destination have a 2043 lb max load and 44 psi tire pressure.

My question is would changing to a lower load and tire pressure be a problem?

Did you have load range E checked, and no others checked, in the search. All of them should be the 3042# load I think.


On edit, it appears they are lumping all the load rating classes together in the reviews, which they should not do, I think, but they are.


The Defenders are not available in a load range E tire. Sorry for the confusion.


What is interesting is that there is an Agilis LTX that looks to have nearly the identical tread pattern as the Defenders and MS2 used. Perhaps it is the same long lasting compound also, but with the stronger Agilis sidewalls? Very few reviews so far though and no rating yet.

[DRich]

Originally Posted by booster

Did you have load range E checked, and no others checked, in the search. All of them should be the 3042# load I think.


On edit, it appears they are lumping all the load rating classes together in the reviews, which they should not do, I think, but they are.


The Defenders are not available in a load range E tire. Sorry for the confusion.


What is interesting is that there is an Agilis LTX that looks to have nearly the identical tread pattern as the Defenders and MS2 used. Perhaps it is the same long lasting compound also, but with the stronger Agilis sidewalls? Very few reviews so far though and no rating yet.

No, I didn't check the load range E at first. So basically, replacement tires must be load range E which rules out the Defender and Destination.

After checking load range E, the 3 tires I'm now considering according to the rankings are the Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse HT, Agilis, and Cooper Discoverer HT3.

The one thing that puts me off the Agilis is that it doesn't have a manufacturer's warranty even though it's ranked higher than the Cooper.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by DRich

No, I didn't check the load range E at first. So basically, replacement tires must be load range E which rules out the Defender and Destination.

After checking load range E, the 3 tires I'm now considering according to the rankings are the Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse HT, Agilis, and Cooper Discoverer HT3.

The one thing that puts me off the Agilis is that it doesn't have a manufacturer's warranty even though it's ranked higher than the Cooper.

Check the Speed Rating also. GM specs an S speed rating.

Here is a discussion with a few different viewpoints.

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...tml#post150713

[Mike Bee]

We own a '97 RT 170 P

Replaced Michelin tires with Firestone Destination LE3 tires in May of this year.
In July/August drove from Oshawa,Ontario (just outside Toronto) to Victoria, British Columbia and back. Total of 9400 Km (just under 5900 miles).

Van rode much better with the Firestones as they had stiffer sidewalls which made for better handling under 60 km/hour (40 mph).

Very smooth on the highway and handled the mountain passes extremely well. Took Hiway 3 out of BC and climbed through 3 mountain passes over 2 days with severe inclines and slopes (8-12%). In BC there are few gaurd rails on their hiways so you had better have a good handling rig.

Wouldn't hesitate to recomend these to others or to buy another set.

mike Bee
'97 RT 170 P
'89 VW Westfalia

[jjrbus]

Originally Posted by Mike Bee

We own a '97 RT 170 P

Replaced Michelin tires with Firestone Destination LE3 tires in May of this year.
In July/August drove from Oshawa,Ontario (just outside Toronto) to Victoria, British Columbia and back. Total of 9400 Km (just under 5900 miles).



mike Bee
'97 RT 170 P
'89 VW Westfalia

How old were the Michelin? Comparing old tires to new tires even the same brand and model is not a good comparison. Old tires are harder, have worn thread so less grip, not as flexible or responsive, I would guess braking distance is longer also! I was never impressed with Michelin and would buy the Firestone.

[Mike Bee]

Tires were 8-10 years old and had started to get checks on the sidewalls.
The Michelins were always "soft" on the sidewalls and as the tires aged this became more pronounced at slow speeds and driving in the city.

Can't comment on the braking as had all front end braking components changed just after new tires installed.Van now stops with 1/2 the pedal pressure frat hiway speeds thann before due to this work being done (had a frozen brake caliper).

The only "vehicle" i now have Michelins on is my BMW motorcycle due to incredible grip in wet conditions. Our two cars both are shod with Firestones and my wife's SUV has the same Firestone Destinations.

Mike Bee
'97 RT 170 P
'89 VW Westpalia

[DRich]

Originally Posted by DRich

It's time for new tires before my winter trip to AZ. I have a 2012 Roadtrek 170 with 38,000 miles. Would appreciate recommendations for the tires I should get. Thanks.

I ended up going with Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse HT. They were the #1 rated on tire rack much higher than the Bridgestone Duravis that were on it. I did learn the DOT code on the Duravis was 0816. I bought the van in Feb. 2018 in AZ. I spent all of 2020 in AZ so the Duravis had about 3 full years in AZ and 4 years of winter in AZ the rest of the time in MN.

I've been driving on them for a week. The traction on the goodyear seems more solid especially around corners. We had a very windy day and the handling was definitely better. They are quiet on the freeway. They even look like a more solid tire. I get a $50 rebate and Goodyear has a 60K manufacturer warranty.

Thanks for all the replies and recommendations. I found the Tire Rack suggestion and the link to the website that described how to read tires were very helpful.