Tires for the cage

[uncledj]

Need to get new tires for the cage (08 Taurus)

Went to Sams Club, where I can get BF Goodrich Touring T/A tires for a little over $100 each, ....more like $140 each installed and out the door.

Michelin Defender XT tires would be a little over $155 each, plus the add on charges, which I didn't get a quote on, but should take the price to around $190 each installed and out the door.

Are Michelin's worth the extra two bills for the set?

This car (great car) has 120 k miles on it, so this will probably be the last set of tires I'll put on it.

I anticipate this Taurus will easily run 200K, but at that point I'll probably want to get something a bit fresher.

So, the question is: are Michelins really that special?

 

[Cougar]

I just ordered form this place and I had my tires in 2 days

then took them down the street and had them mounted and balanced for 40 bucks.

 

http://www.tirebuyer.com/

 

as far as the Michelin's I just removed them from my wifes car

very hard ride and noisy.. as heck.

[cabreco]

So, the question is: are Michelins really that special?

 

My wife has a 2003 Hyundai Elantra which actually came from the factory with Michelins. The car always performed INCREDIBLY (especially for a $13K car) On the highway she was quiet, gripped curves nicely. On snow & rain had great traction.

 

Well when the time came to get new tires I cheaped out & went to Pep Boys. I bought their Challenger tires. The LOOKED like the OEM Michelins so I said what the hell.

 

OMG, I felt the difference right away. The road noise was greater & the big kicker was stopping. This Elantra has no antilock brakes. In a light rain if I hit the brakes too hard...HYDROPLANE.

 

Ok it took me about a year, but I replaced them again, this time with Goodrich. Although quieter on the road, in inclement weather the car still did not stop & grip the road like it did when new.

 

I sucked it up & used those tires for a few years. Last year, my then 16 year old kid took over the car. Since it was due, I replaced the tires with Michelins. ( I saw them at Sam's too) Yeah they were pricey, & Sam's did have the best price on them but WHAT A DIFFERENCE.

 

I drove the car home and it was raining. The car gripped the road and there was very minimal road noise. I did test the stopping distance by panic stopping at 30mph (on an empty street)

NO HYDROPLANE! & The stopping distance was noticably reduced.

 

So you're question of are they worth the extra 2 bills? To me it depends on who is driving. My wife had years of experince behind the wheel, my kid had zilch.

She also had no problems compensating for the lesser tires. But now I only go Michelin.

 

In my opinion, if you have the extra coin, do it...If funds are tight, make the determination based on the car's primary driver's abilities.

[BuddyRich]

I can only say, Every time I put the cheapest tires on a car I can tell it right away. I would go with the better tires if your going to wear them down before you get rid of it.

[Bvinson]

As a FYI, I just changed a set of the Goodrich TA's off my wife's car. 65,000 mile warranty and they were gone at 30,000. The guy at the service department said he has never seen a set last.

 

The Michelin tires I have on my Truck are a little noisy but have 56000 on them and will go another 15000 or so.

[Sailor]

I have always used Michelin tires. You will get much longer life and better traction in all weather. How much is the extra traction and safety worth to you?

[Mike G in SC]

A couple of years ago I put a set of the Sams Goodrich on my son's lighter SUV. They seemed okay, but he traded out too soon to say.

So, when my wife's Lincoln Continental needed a set I replaced the top line Michelins with the Sam's Goodrich. A real let down. They poorly handled a stout heavy car. Made it feel like the suspension was weak and it was not.

 

She traded in for a new Accord,,, with stock top rated Michelins. Back to "great".

 

When I had my last Ford Explorer I went from Michelins to Yokahomas. They were okay.

But I got a new Santa Fe a year ago, with Brigstones. No Bite. They tend to slip loose on harder acceleration from a stop and especially if it's a wet road. As I only put low miles on it, not sure I want to wait till they wear out.

 

I've never regretted a set of Michelins.

If it's your beater car, okay, maybe buy cheap. But if it's your ride, do better.

[uncledj]

Thanks everyone for the great input.

I'm not struggling right now (rare) so I'll go ahead and spring for the Michelins. The wife usually drives the car and I'd like her to have every advantage......she does the cookin'. lol:cool10:

[jfoster]

Try your Ford dealer. I normally wouldn't suggest the dealer, but when I replaced the tires on our Edge I got the best price with them vs tire rack and other Internet sales.

[BradT]

Had the T/A's on a Mailbou was not impressed, only had one set of Michelins and they did not work well for me.

 

If your going to pay the extra for Michelins make sure you rotate them and get front end alignment every year.

 

Brad

[Aimhigh]

every time I put new tires on any car/truck we own, it's the Michelins...they wear VERY well, and handle as good as, or better than, the originals.

[frankd]

It's time to put new tires on my Taurus also. 6 years ago, I put the Touring TA Pro Series Goodrich's on. They were rated for 70K miles, and I've got 75K on them. They aren't down to the wear bars yet, but I've got a nail in one they can't repair, and they are starting to crack. They've always felt good to me. Good traction and good feel when turning. In fact, my daughter wanted a recomendation for tires for her Impala, and I suggested the Michelin's. They've about worn them out also, and are very happy. I'm not sure how many miles they put on them, but it's a bunch. Today at Sam's I noticed something. Right across from the tire department service desk was a display saying that if you buy 4 Goodrich tires (any type) you will get $50 off until Nov. 16.

 

Frank D.

Edited November 2, 2012 by frankd

[N3FOL]

I usually stick with Goodyears on my newer vehicle. On my old 95 Taurus SHO, I've installed Falkens on them and got close to 60K on each set. I don't run the Taurus hard anymore that is why tires last longer. Almost always, tire life also depends on your style of driving.

[besttec]

My van came with Michellin tires and I was glad when they wore out. They didn't handle very well and were terrible on wet roads. I read everything on Tire Rack and settled on Bridgestone AT/Revo's over the newest high performance Goodyear Fortera (not the pep boys futura). This was about 8 or 9 yrs ago and the Revo's were the best handling tires I ever had on a truck/van. Well, with all the new sizing on tires, I can't get them any more... Anyhow... I was looking for a great wet road handling tire to pull 7400-8400 lbs of boat up a wet ramp with only two wheel drive (posi). Never tried with the Mich's, but I think I would have had trouble with the oems.

 

So... I would research Tire Rack and others and try to get a feel for the best tires for the parameters you are concerned with. Then start approaching dealers for best prices and also check Sam's. Sam's can order many tires they don't regularly stock. My dad retired from Goodyear/Dunlop and I had employee discounts available to me... but used that as a basis to negotiate price on the brands I wanted.

 

Certain Goodrich tires have rated very high in several tests, but I have never tried them for my application. I use Goodyear tires on my Camry and am happy with handling and wet road performance, but not happy with noise or tire wear.

 

Now... in our area Ford is marketing their tires and prices. I bought my set of Goodyears from them. They ordered them and gave me a very good price at the time. Ford seems to be aggressively going after tire sales... and could be very good to check. A local radio guy always referred to the "fleet" manager and he did a find job for me... except the installer didn't get the wheel weights in the right places and were knocked off when I drove off the lot. Man... you just gotta hold everyone's hands these days to make sure they do their job right! I went right back but didn't have time to stay and get them to fix it all. Too many trips to get this done right... haven't gone back, but got matching replacement tires ordered through Sam's. Many places have increased their installation fees/balancing/road hazard costs way high. Comparatively, even though they have raised their costs, Sam's was lower cost for those fees than most. Once I know what I want, I'd call Ford and then check with Sam's.

 

Buenos Suerte!!!

 

Bill

[Cougar]

My wife had real bad Hydro Plaining with her set of Michelin's.

this is why I removed them for her. now she is happy :-) she cooks as well

[RandyR]

find out what the police departments are running for similar sized tires they might have.

 

That usually gives you a good quality tire at a good price.

[Gary N.]

I've been using Michelin's on my pickups for years and I've always been happy with them but on my '08 Caddy the factory installed Michelin's are crap. Worn out at 30,000 miles and very noicey on concreat or tar and chip roads. In my research I've found that they make several different models of the same size and I expect the the OEM tires are the cheapest ones. Too bad you can't buy them and try them out for a month and exchange them if you don't like the fit. Having said that, I alway deal at a local tire shop that sells Michelin, Goodyear and a few others and I trust their judgement. They have always given me a good price and good advice. They even took a set of tires back once and exchanged them for a different size when I screwed up on a project truck I was building. They didn't even charge me for the change out. I guess that's how you keep customers coming back.

[besttec]

Actually, True OEM tires are usually some of the best wearing tires you will get on your new car. The OEM's are QC'd at a higher expectation, or at least they were at one time.

[BigBoyinMS]

My wife had real bad Hydro Plaining with her set of Michelin's.

 

I would kinda expect that from the Michelin Defenders. It has a 90k mile warranty and an 820AB UTQGL. The 820 is the highest treadwear rating that I have ever seen and that usually means it a hard compound. The "A" means it's the best traction rating but that's going to be in dry conditions.

 

When I bought my 1Ton Ram with the Cummins it had Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. Great wearing, great dry traction, quiet... but the slightest moisture on the road and I was almost afraid of pulling out into traffic. I used to joke that I would loose traction if I spit out the window.

[dynodon]

After fighting with various lower priced tires, I have bought higher range tires the alst two times, one is Toyo, which surprised me as a higher priced tire, but they were wonderful except bad when worn in rain. Then I went with a Michelin (these are on my 2005 Chrysler 300C) and I LOVE these tires, worth every penny. Very round, take very little weight, and they got top ratings on TireRack.com for wet traction, good snow traction and very good dry traction. They are wearing like iron. Ride a touch rougher than the Toyo's but have so much better traction.

 

Also, $40 PER TIRE to mount/balance and tax? Should be half that. I guess if they are adding a valve stem, then $25 per tire is more normal. I would go to Tire Rack, check their price, and find a Tire Rack installer on their web site.

[OB-1]

We have 2005 Taurus and use Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All Season tires. These certainly aren't cheap tires, but they have outstanding traction on wet, snow-covered, gravel, dirt, & mud roads, and have an 80,000 mile tread life warranty. Given where we live and the roads we drive the traction and tread life offered by these tires make them worth the cost to us. YMMV.

[hog]

I just got done putting a set of Cooper touring 80,000 mile tires on our 2004 Impala and so far I love them ,nice and quiet on the road and great handleing,plus they only cost me $475.00 for 16 inch tires and got a $50.00 rebate on them.