the Hankook tire gets good reviews from what i can find. there were a couple others at around the same price point at discount tire that would be better year round (under $70/tire)
a co worker with similar usage of a 92 F150 bought tires from Les Schwab (Colorado is as far east as they go)several years ago for not much more than wall-mart but these have held up well so far. Discount tire has been our go to for cheap tires for years.
My GF and I have those Mitsubishi Mirages. Tires are a little harder to find for 14 inch wheels. Anyway, she got General Altimax tires and is happy with them. I got Kuhmo Solos and am also very happy with them. The Generals had a better grip rating in snow and since this is her only car, she wanted the best in grip. I got the Kuhmos because I have two trucks including a 4WD and figure I am better off in a bigger vehicle in the snow anyway. The Kuhmos got a better wear rating, better fuel mileage, and still good grip. I have driven both cars and cannot tell which set of tires I like better. The Dunlops that came on those cars were junk if you ask me so anything is an upgrade.
Anyway, I was wondering about offerings from those two brands. Here is a General option: https://www.walmart.com/ip/General-GRABBER-AT2-205-75R15-97T/14964155?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227010120512&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40839046352&wl4=aud-566049426865:pla-78652376912&wl5=9023613&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=14964155&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAiA9efgBRAYEiwAUT-jtM4smIDaIzYRkpKLHYRgfvaS4FiXTshkZBdxj-JMJrpHbvVTcCqORRoCSMkQAvD_BwE
This is quite a bit cheaper at Wal-Mart so I made sure it wasnât a Wal-Mart version or something. It appears to be the same tire that gets good ratings elsewhere but correct me if I am wrong and this is the result of yet another company prostituting themselves out to Wal-Mart.
And Kuhmo makes a tire called the Venture but it doesnât look to be available in my size. Ooops. I like the Solos TA11 on my car but I think a beefier tire is in order for what I use the truck for so this brand may be out.
I would like to stay around the $100 mark if possible and it looks like they sometimes have rebates on the Generals as well if you buy 4. $60 would be great but those look more like car tires than what I am wanting.
Including the Defender- LTX version? From the rugged appearance (and weight) of the tires I installed on my truck, it seems hard to believe they wonât last very long or many miles. Maybe you are referring to the passenger car version, the highway defenders? Those didnât appear to be as rugged or weigh as much.
Michelin Defenders are horrible for trucks, ESPECIALLY the LT, which are typically load range E
Fair enough. OP, db4690 is a truck repair and maintenance expert & knows much more about this sort of thing than I do.
Iâm not a truck expert . . .
I just know what holds up for fleet use, and whatâs a waste of money
I suggest that you check on Tire Rack .com. They may have a selection. I needed one tire and a tire shop I called happened to be an authorized Tire Rack installer. He said to order on line and have the tire shipped for free to him. His prices were $10 each for mounting and balancing, plus $2.50 for a new stem plus tax.
I have been quite busy with work and have no immediate plans to drive the truck so really donât need to make a decision in a hurry. I will talk to a few tire stores and may just drop in one today if I get a free moment. I am not going to rush into this but think that I have a few good options now.
I know Iâm late to the party, and I havenât read the other responses yet, but here is my take on the original question:
If youâre going to keep a pair of old tires, donât get rid of the compact spare. Instead, carry two spares, one full-size and one compact. I do that because I make a lot of weekend trips, and I like having a spare even after I replace a flat tire with the full-size spare. It gives me peace of mind. Iâve never had to use the two spares at the same time, but I like knowing I can if it comes to that. It also gives me the freedom to put off a tire repair until I can do it without having to take time off work.
Never use an old tire as a spare. Much of a tireâs wear is unseen. I tried doing this back in the day, only to discover the used tireâs tread had separated while it was sitting unused in the trunk.
Rather than buy cheap tires, get reasonably-priced tires and take good care of them. Keep them covered from the sun and lubricate the sidewalls of the tires with Armor All or another tire-shining product. This will help you stave off dry rotting and cracking. I tend to have to replace tires due to age rather than mileage, so on my last set, I started lubricating the tire sidewalls on a regular basis, and so far, theyâve lasted four years without cracking. Also, driving around with two spare tires means I can keep driving on my current set of tires until the first one fails on me, and then Iâll replace all four. Of course, I drive a vehicle with a low center of gravity. On a pickup truck, you might want to be more careful than I am to avoid a blowout.
Now Iâll read the rest of the comments and see if I have anything else to add.
EDIT: Nope, thatâs it. Thatâs all I have to say for now.
Thatâs a good place to find a rim for a full-size spare, but used tires are never a bargain, especially if theyâve been sitting in the sun.
Yeah, I already checked for used tires and it sounds like they get snagged up in my size because it is so common and those first salvaging the cars get them for use on their own vehicles, etc.
The compact spare I have has cracks the size of the Grand Canyon in it although it still holds air. The same is true for the full size spare. I would assume that there is no point in finding a replacement tire for the compact spare. This probably isnât something a lot of people look for and odds are it would be expensive due to the low demand and supply. That is why I would just get rid of that one once I get a good solid full-size spare. I have another rim with a ruined tire on it that could be used as a secondary spare. I would do this asap if I planned any long trips with this truck. I might get one spare that is new and have one of the seemingly good rear tires mounted on another rim.
Unfortunately the truck is parked outside most of the time so avoiding the sun will be hard. I have thought about getting a carport for it and may do that. As for the tire shine products, I have been told NOT to use them. They say they cause the tire to rot faster for some reason but look great for a short while after application. Auto detailers look at Armor All as the devil. I guess it also leads to dash cracking and such. If you could suggest a product that would protect the tires but not cause cracking, I would be all for it. I kayak and they make a paddlesports cleaner and protectant that resists UV rays like sunscreen. I apply this once per year to all my kayaks and they are stored inside when not being used.
I think I have already made the decision to avoid cheap tires but donât plan to get something in the $200 range either. As I stated, I had the worst experience ever with tires when I got a set of Douglas from Wal-Mart on used car. I had no idea they were such lousy tires until they almost killed me. Basically they are made by Goodyear but like other companies, they cheapen them for Wal-Mart.
You donât have to cover the whole truck to cover the tires. You could install tire covers like they have for RVs, or you could throw a small tarp over each one and hold each one down with a bungee cord. RV dealerships often carry nice tire covers you could use if you donât want to use small cheap tarps.
Also, many Walmarts have a small section of RV supplies near their automotive supplies. Sometimes they even have tire covers.
This sounds like a myth to me. Iâve had motorcycle mechanics tell me that about using tire shine on motorcycle tires (because they use a different type of rubber), but Iâd never use them on motorcycle tires anyway because I wear them out before they crack. Knowing what youâve been told, I suggest you use a product made for shining tires rather than Armor All. Iâve used Armor All over the years on the dashboard of my 1998 Honda Civic, and it has no cracking after almost 21 years, so I think this is a well-intentioned urban myth because it was used on dashboards in the past that would have cracked with or without Armor All. Nonetheless, using a product labeled âtire shineâ that is made specifically for car tires seems like a better (and safer) idea than using Armor All, so Iâm sticking with that part of my recommendation.
I canât recommend a particular brand of tire shine because I choose among the various âtire shineâ products based on what is the cheapest. Sometimes it is even a store brand. Having said that, if you want to heed the advice of your auto detailer, I am not going to be offended. I donât blame you for avoiding Armor Allâs one-size-fits-all product, but Iâve used their tire shine product and other brands as well, and Iâve seen it not harm my car tires.
I will talk to a tire shop about what they suggest for tire shine before buying anything. It sounds like something made just for tires is the way to go rather than a universal product.
There is also a new Harbor Freight in town and I always get coupons for free tarps with any purchase. They are small but would probably be perfect for truck tires. I will probably double them up and hope they hold up at least a season before shredding from UV.
I wouldnât be so quick to dismiss used tires. First, most donât sit for long. They get snapped up pretty fast especially if they are common size or depending on how new and amount of wear they have. The last place I lived had a used tire shop nearby. They did a very brisk business as they offered a substantial discount compared to buying new. Many of their tires came off late model wrecks and were hardly used but offered at substantial discount. When youâre well enough off to not be phased by buying a new set of tires, itâs easy to forget there are far more people out there that canât as easily absorb that much expense. Used tires fill that niche and reduce tires going into the recycling stream before their time.
Here is the thing about used tires:
-The ones they call âhigh treadsâ (as in there is a lot of tread left) are usually as worn out as my tires are when I replace them. (Hay, maybe youâre buying my used tires!)
-The cost to mount and balance a used tire is usually the same as the cost to mount and balance a new tire. The total cost varies between $15-30 per tire, meaning buying a set of four costs between $30 and $120 per set in labor alone.
In other words, this is like the conundrum between the rich man who pays $150 a pair of work boots that fit well and last two years and the poor man who buys 4 new pairs of $50 ill-fitting work boots in the same time period; the rich man ends up spending less overall. The new tires will last long enough that they cost less per mile or per month of use, especially if you pay for road hazard protection.
âŠand that raises another benefit of new tires: You can buy road hazard protection up front, which in my experience, has always saved me money due to the high cost of a proper tire repair these days. When a used tire gets punctured, you have three choices:
âŠand if you donât have the cash to shell out for a set of four new tires, get a Goodyear or Firestone credit card. They have high interest rates, but when you buy four tires, you get 6-12 months to pay off the balance interest-free (depending on the amount of the total bill).
Iâve lived the life Iâm talking about here. Iâve bought used tires in the past, and you might think youâre saving money, but when you do the calculations, youâre not saving money unless you happen to be lucky enough to get almost new tires from a wrecked vehicle every time you need tires. The last time I was on a lot where they sold used tires, I looked around, and the tires they were selling were far from new.
The last time I bought a used tire to use as a spare, it virtually disintegrated inside the trunk of my car in weeks.
The ânicheâ you describe where used tires are actually a sound financial choice is a lot more narrow than you portray it.
I think itâs a bad idea.
I had my grill outdoors for years, and it was OK-ish, then at some point I decided to buy a tarp-like cover to cover it over winter⊠the result was that it completely rusted inside since moisture could not escape.
I used to have a second set of winter tires for my daily driver FWD car so I can venture into ski areas with proper wheels. I stored that hung on the wall hooks in the garage and I bought a special tire covers, which were covering the rubber piece, but left the wheel itself to be vented.
I think you need something like this, otherwise you gonna end up with rusted wheels and brakes.
Thatâs a good point. Are we taking about a humid beach community, arid Arizona, or something in between?
A lot of good comments here about tire selection. Let us know how you resolve it all OP. I expect Iâll learn something that might benefit my own low-miles-per-year truck situation from the compromise you decide upon.
My climate is humid in the summer so moisture is a concern. I am in Missouri about midway between Springfield and St. Louis so it is definitely not arid but it isnât Florida either. Moisture would be a concern.
I looked at buying some cheap Nexen tires for my car and decided that the cost per mile would be higher than buying a better tire due to the mounting/balance fees of $12.50 or so per tire. I donât think the Nexens were bad tires. All the safety aspects were great except they wear out extremely quickly. That made them more expensive per mile in my mind.
Used tires for me are probably a pipe dream. I would either find âhigh treadsâ that are in fact almost worn out or nothing at all because the size I want is so common. I donât have time to scour the salvage yards and make far more money per hour than it would be worth for me to look around for used ones which may never appear or not be what I am wanting. I have the financial means to walk in without using credit so will just buy them when the time comes and I have decided on a tire.
I was once installing a new wood stove and needed some stove pipe. For those who burn wood, you know that the pipe and such costs as much as buying the stove which is no small amount. Anyway, I found a guy selling some used pipe âin great conditionâ. I drove a considerable distance and burned considerable fuel going to get this pipe. It sounded like a great deal and I had the cash on me and was ready to load the pipe up in my truck. I showed up and the pipe looked like it had been through a war. The inner liner was cracked on some sections and the outside looked like it had been banged around and run over by a truck on most sections. There was maybe one section out of the bunch that was in serviceable condition. Of course all sections should be the same as they fit together as a unit. Different brands/styles of wood stove flu pipe do not really interchange so that one OK section was really worthless as well. It didnât match anything I had seen at any of the local fire shops, farm stores, or hardwares.
The guy knew I had driven quite a ways and I think he thought I was simply wanting a lower price. He asked me what I would pay for them. I told him I really wasnât interested but I would haul them to the scrap yard with some of my other junk for free. This pipe was junk and completely unsafe for sustained high temp use. My gut tells me that âgood used tiresâ would likely be the same story⊠I ended up paying full price for lifetime warranty double wall stainless pipe and have no doubt I am better off. The outer wall of the junk pipe was galvanized and was rusting due to all the damage so it was lesser pipe from the start. I sometimes look at FB Marketplace for certain items and come across used and sometimes broken items for more than new price. Somehow being broken makes them worth more in the FB Marketplace world!
Looking for great deals can be kinda like extreme couponing. People seem to be obsessed with getting a good deal on something they may not want. Again, you see people selling a wall shelf full of fabric softener for cheap. Are they really making any money even if they got this stuff for free? I know people who will drive across town to save 5 cents per gallon on gas. Now if I am in that area and need gas, I will buy it there but I have no doubt you are wasting money on gas and time to drive across town to save money. It doesnât work that way.
I am in no hurry to replace these tires but am looking. The truck will probably not be driven far in the near future. My only plans are that it needs to go less than one mile at very low speeds to a neighborâs place to pick something up and bring it home. Again, this is nothing on tires and I wonât even bother to check the pressure on the slow leakers before I leave.
The best deals always come along when you are not in a hurry. For example, my dryer started acting up not too long ago. It was 10 years sold so figured it was at the end of its life, especially being that the part was $200 and that was my cost to do it myself. It was still working for the most part but I started looking at my options for when it was no longer working. I hadnât been paying attention to dryers for the last 10 years and a lot has changed. I went to the big box stores and then called a small appliance repair and sales place here locally. They had a ânew old stockâ Speed Queen commercial for $350. It was 8 years old but new in the box so I jumped on it. Again, if I had waited until the old dryer was completely dead I wouldnât have gotten this deal. It was surplus from a nearby army base. Apparently they got extras for the base hospital which they are remodeling so needed the spares gone. Only the government can waste money this efficiently.
I have several buddies that always seem to be driving a new car each time I see them. They are car guys but wonât buy a car if it isnât a deal. They have no plans but someone has a car that has some relatively minor problem that they donât want to deal with. I mean they buy a car worth $5000-6000 for a few hundred dollars because someone doesnât want to be bothered to buy another set of tires for it or replace the cracked windshield. Of course they have gotten a few lemons but mostly they make out like bandits. They like to try out new cars, especially if they can make money doing it. Not all the cars were all that exciting but a different Camry is something new for them to play with for a few months and then sell at a tidy profit. Eventually they had to slow down when the state DMV sent them a notice that they needed to apply for a dealerâs license if they were going to keep buying and selling cars at this rate. Apparently if you tag and pay taxes on so many cars and then sell them it sets a flag in the system.
I will definitely let everyone know what I do. I wouldnât be against getting AT tires with good ratings other than low wear such as only 40,000 miles because they will only need to last 12,000 miles or whatever. I will also inquire about UV protectant products and ventilated covers to protect tires but not hold moisture.
If two of the existing tires are more questionable than the other two, in the meantime you could put the two best ones on the rear. The drive wheels put more force on the tires than the free-wheeling wheels. This would only work if you only drive the truck at slow speeds. A blowout on a front tire at high speeds is very dangerous.