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Time for New Tires and Need Advice...Bridgestone or Michelin?

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Old 08-13-2004, 02:42 PM
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Time for New Tires and Need Advice...Bridgestone or Michelin?

Guys,
I need to get some input on this one. My past two sets of tires have been Bridgestone's. I put a set of Bridgestone H/Ls on my 4Runner at about 33,000 and I've now got 104,000 miles on my truck. Three of the four tires are still in pretty good shape, but one has worn more than the others. I want to replace all of them at the same time, so here I am.

First, I'm just not convinced that I can get the mileage out of an A/T tire that I can out of a highway tire. I love the versatility and look of the A/Ts, but can ya'll give me some feedback on how many miles you've gotten out of your A/Ts? The two A/Ts that I'm stuck between are the Bridgestone Dueler Revo with the UNI-T AQ II technology and the Michelin LTX. The Michelins look like they will last alot longer (70k-100k as opposed to 50k-60k on the Bridgestones) but the Revos received much, much better overall reviews on TireRack. What are ya'll thoughts? Cost comparasion will be huge also. I can get the Revos for $550 and the Michelins will run me about $800.

I'm still not convinced that I shouldn't just go back with another highway tire. I have taken VERY good care of this set (frequent balance, rotate, and alignment) and I'm still a little confused about why the one tire wore more than the others, but 71K is pretty good.

Ya'll help me out and sorry for the novel. Later.

Matt
Old 08-13-2004, 03:11 PM
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I'm presently running the REVO's and have 40,000 on them and I'll be surprise if I get 50,000 out of them. The original Bridgestones that came with my 4Runner barely lasted 30,000 miles. I've had the LTX's on a previous 4Runner and got 60,000+. The REVO's are a bit better in the snow but the LTX's are competent, also. I'll probably be putting new rubber on in late fall or early winter just for the peace of mind and they most likely will be LTX's.
Old 08-13-2004, 03:30 PM
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Im for the Bridgestones, they actually carry a manufactures warranty, and the Michelins dont
Old 08-13-2004, 03:33 PM
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Ouch. No way I'm going to drop $550 for a set of tires and only get 40k miles out of them. Hopefully some others will chip in here.

Matt
Old 08-13-2004, 03:38 PM
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Depends on your intended use and throttle managent. The Michelin LTXs kick a$$ and last forever but Michelin doesn't make an agressive agressive enough any serious off roading. That said, I tackled some pretty hairy stuff with my aired down LTXs and was surprised how well they actually did...till I got in the wet stuff.

I ended up replacing them with Revos, which have done quite well so far. I only have approx 8000 miles on them so far so I can't say how long they'll last. On the road only, I would expect 40-50k. With some off road wear probably a lot less due to chunking. Again, a lot depends on throttle management.
Old 08-13-2004, 04:58 PM
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If I recall correctly, Revos come with a 50,000 mile warranty, and assuming that at least someone knows statistics at Bridgestone, they will have to last well past 50,000 if your truck tracks straight.
Old 08-13-2004, 05:09 PM
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Well what do you use your RUnner for?

If you were happy with highway tires in the conditions you drive, just stick with them. Highway tires will be less noisy, better on gas and most likely last longer than A/T's.

That said I have Revo's on my 4th Gen and only 5K miles on them and they still look new, but that's no garuantee that they will last. I have done a few offroad trip with them and like them a lot more than the highway tires I had (which were dunlops ). From what I've read the LTX will easily outlast the Revo's, but they are weaker offroad. DOnt know about noise and gas mileage, ask people that had both.
Old 08-13-2004, 05:28 PM
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Talking Goodyear

I've gotten 68K out of a set of Goodyear AT style tires before with the proper rotation, balancing and maintenance.

Old 08-13-2004, 05:33 PM
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This thread has me thinking about tire life, how many years (not miles) do you have your tires hold up for? I had the Michelin's on my old runner and the tread was fine after 20k when I sold it, but it seemed like they aged and dried out a lot in two years. The dry handling was not nearly as good as when new, and the wet handling was a lot worse than new. I guess I'm starting to think that with me putting fairly low miles I don't need to worry about tread life as much. I'm curious to hear what people who've had the revo's on for 2 years+ think, since since I know about the LTX's
Old 08-13-2004, 05:52 PM
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The Revos have a shorter life, But they have a different tread and probably a softer compound which makes them really stick in bad weather. That is why I chose them for our 4Runner. However...I had the Michelin LTX's on my truck and they lasted almost 60k, but they were horrible in really wet weather. So the compound on them was hard and long lasting. You have to look at what you need them for. I chose the sticker tire for performance...plus I kinda get tired of the tires after 4+ years and want a change.
Old 08-13-2004, 09:36 PM
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Thumbs up Ltx

My last set of Costco Michelin LTX tires went 80K miles. Could have probably gone another 20K if needed. I liked 'em so much, I replaced them with the same tire when it was time. I use them on my '89 daily driver, which sees mostly pavement. They work great in the rain. These tires do pretty darn good in the snow, too. For mostly street driving, along with some mild offroading, I don't think you can beat these tires.

Jim
Old 08-13-2004, 09:45 PM
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the yokohama geolander AT II+ are quite nice. great traction on and off-road and handle very well all around. smooth running and quiet too. they can be had for under $100 bucks.
Old 08-13-2004, 09:58 PM
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Same on mine. They're at 40k right now and have alot of life left.

Originally Posted by mytruck
My last set of Costco Michelin LTX tires went 80K miles. Could have probably gone another 20K if needed. I liked 'em so much, I replaced them with the same tire when it was time. I use them on my '89 daily driver, which sees mostly pavement. They work great in the rain. These tires do pretty darn good in the snow, too. For mostly street driving, along with some mild offroading, I don't think you can beat these tires.

Jim
Old 08-14-2004, 06:21 AM
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I also have the Michelin LTX tires. They came with the truck, so I don't have anything to compare them to. But I've been fairly impressed with the performance from them. I've driven in terrible rain storms and have never had a problem with the wet weather performance. They're reasonably quite for a truck tire. Off-road performance was ok as long as I don't get into really steep or loose stuff. And that would have been better if I aired down some. Snow performance was excellent. Much better than I thought it would be. Check out my avatar picture. Snow was to the front valance and it kept right on going.

With that said, I like the Michelin tires, but I think the Bridgestones are going to be little better off-road, if that matters to you. I have a buddy that loves his BFGs. They're quite (sort of) and he goes places with them I can't begin to get into. And they seem to last forever also, like the Michelins do.

So, there you have it. No real recommendation. I think they are all good tires. It just depends on what you want them for.
Old 08-14-2004, 06:39 AM
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Well, mileage is probably my first priority. I've got a pretty long commute to work, so I average 2000-2500 miles a month. I've heard that the Michelin A/Ts are great on mileage, but lose substantial traction both on and off road when they get alot of miles on them (this from a local tire dealer). I'm going to price some Michelin A/Ts, but I know they won't be cheap at all. However, if I could get 80k-100k miles out of them like some folks have done, I'd be thrilled. Keep the posts coming guys and thanks for the advice. Later.

Matt
Old 08-14-2004, 09:17 AM
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I have them on my other vehicle, and they are great, showing their age a little, but the tread itself looks very good still, I would recommend them. A high price usually, but a high quality tire, IMO.
Old 08-14-2004, 11:09 AM
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I have regular bridgestone non-revo a/t's for about a year and theyve been pretty good so far. Good traction on dry and wet pavement but havent tried them offroad yet. They were like 440 at costco without that coupon they periodically have for a few bucks off. Think they are either 45-50k tires. Works well enough for me that I dont have to shell out the extra bucks for revos.
Old 08-14-2004, 11:19 AM
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LSUmatt,
If you are happy with all-seasons now, I don't think you will like the A/T. MPG hit, weight, and shorter life.

Someone (forget who) was happy with BFG Long Trails on his 3rd gen. These came stock on my old truck and I liked them fine too. Tacomas come stock with BFG Rugged Trails- despite the name, I think they are more street oriented tires. Maybe some Tacoma guys can chime in about their street performance.
Old 08-14-2004, 11:48 AM
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Originally Posted by bubbamango
the yokohama geolander AT II+ are quite nice. great traction on and off-road and handle very well all around. smooth running and quiet too. they can be had for under $100 bucks.
I had the same Geolanders on my Jimmy when I sold it and was very happy with there all around performance. The 4wheel drive solenoid went out in the Jimmy and my buddy bought it (his first 4x4) and forgot I told him it wouldn't engague but he went all over in the little bit of snow and slush we get in the DC area. He said man I love 4wheel drive I said dude it's the tires 4x4 aint working remember. So I am considering geting them again when these Dunlop A/T's wear out that came on her.
Old 08-14-2004, 12:59 PM
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i had bfg a/ts on another vehicle and sold the vehicle 50k after getting them and they still looked pretty good......in the snow they were unbeatable....i was pushing right though 25" of snow we got in maryland and it didnt even start to get stuck...offroad they were what they were, they did really good but if you got into mud you'd know you didnt have a m/t, with that being said they did WAY better in the mud then i would have expected....they were quiet on the street, and they looked pretty aggressive....so i couldnt ask for anything better when it came to tires....as soon as these bfg's rugged trails a/ts where out that came with my rig i'm going back to the bfg all-terrain a/t...


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