Here I am

2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Is this a good deal on tires or am I missing something?

Attention: TDR Forum Junkies
To the point: Click this link and check out the Front Page News story(ies) where we are tracking the introduction of the 2025 Ram HD trucks.

Thanks, TDR Staff

2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Bumper Design

Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Quad-adrenalin

Status
Not open for further replies.
Seems like a good deal. However, the old adage of "if it sounds too good . . . " may be applicable.



Something to consider: Allowing me to share what I recently learned about tires and tire dealers in the good old USofA a few months ago.



Be aware that most often when there's a "Manager's Special" or "4 for the cost of 3" "deal", you need to make certain you are not buying old tires. :confused:



Yes confusing - "How can I be buying old tires, if they are new". You'll ask the question "are these new tires?" and be told, "yes - they've never been mounted before - and look they have all the little nubbie things on them". So you are not being outright lied to, but in the same respect you may not be getting the whole truth. And, sometimes to no fault of the person answering your question - they may not be aware . . .



Make certain you check the DOT date on the side wall. Another confusing part "What the heck does it look like and what do the numbers mean? Typically the DOT area where the code is can be hidden on the side of the tire most likely "not" to be visible until you crawl under the auto, sometimes it is on both side walls.



To the point - the area you need to find will be small and molded into the side wall closest to the bead/wheel area. It will read DOT (there may be other numbers and/or letters - like Xf 45hT) with 4 numbers following the letters:

The key is: the 4 numbers at the end is the "manufactured date".



The first 2 numbers are the week of the year, and the last 2 numbers are the year.



EXAMPLES:

DOT . . . 0109 = 1st week of "2009" = 1 year + old (should be fine)



DOT . . . 5197 = 51st week of "1997" = (too old)



DOT . . . 3405 = 34th week "2005" = (too old)



Now that we know this - here's what the rule of thumb is (and in Europe - Law) we should not purchase tires that were manufactured more then 36 months prior to date of purchase - "period" (and in Europe dealers/manufacturers are only allowed to recycle these "old" tires = not permitted to sell).



Reason, obvious if you rationalize a bit - although the tires are "new" because they have never been installed on a wheel before - they are, in-fact "not new" because they have been drying-out (= dry rotting) just because of sitting around for years. Unfortunately, this dry rot will not be obvious until the tires are pressurized and accumulate some miles - heat and cool cycles - roughly 200 - 1000 miles depending . . .



So, the point is buyer be "educated and cautious" of the "good deals" out there.



Not to rain on your parade, but I want you to be aware of something I learned that will help me keep my family safe. And, to help keep you & yours safe on your "new" tires.



The tires you are looking at may very well be outstanding and a great bargain and fall well within the criteria of being less then even 9 months old - so the best thing you can do is look at the tires "before" they're installed "and" insist that all 4 have the same week & year stamp on them. If they are not all date matched, and you are told "this is what we have" then go to another Sears. As a customer you have the right to anything you want before you pay one single cent - take full advantage of that right. Walk back to the warehouse and help select "your new tires" - making certain date matched and not old.



Last note: I've purchased 4 sets of tires "on-line", 1 set for my wife's Volvo, 1 set for my wife's old car (Miata) and 2 sets for my truck (both Nittos - very happy with longevity - 1st set 60k, ride, lack of "hum = noise" and wear). When I learned about the "Date Code" on the side wall I immediately checked the tires on both (remaining in my possession) sets of tires and was delighted to find - after comparing date on the sales slips - that when I received the tires they were less than "8 weeks" old Oo.



I hope my "long" reply may help: 1-inform you (and anyone else that reads this), 2- help deciding on "to buy or not to buy" and 3 most importantly keep you and your family safe going down the road. :)



Good luck with the new tires.
 
Excellent post Joe MC, however the majority of experts, rubber manufacturers and automobile makers agree that tires are good for 6 years, not 3.
 
That is very good info. Its something I am aware in buying tires for the car that I autox (DOT R-compound race rubber) but never considered this concept when buying tires for my truck. I actually didn't even know they stamped "regular" tires with a date code, I though it was only race rubber that got such treatment.

I just went through state inspection yesterday and passed, but I'll be needing tires before the summer is out. This opportunity came across on the email this morning. I currently have Firestone Transforce AT's on the truck and they have served me well. I just turned 45K on them, so not great longevity, but they are still square, no feathering and show no signs of dry-rot. The wet weather traction is now starting to fall off though.

I've run Bridgestone Duellers in the past on half ton trucks with great success, but the price is somewhat daunting at $200+ a pop. I may take a ride and see what they have in stock. I'll report back with what I find.

Thanks again.
 
Sometimes a retailer will make slight changes to a tire to identify it as something that is only sold by them. For example, when I bought my replacement Michelins from Sams Club, the change they made was to call them Michelin X Radial LT's instead of Radial LTX like to originals. . Just juggled a few mold sections.



Since Sam's does free tire rotations and balance for the life of the tires, I thought it was a pretty good deal. I got over 91,000 miles on my original Michelin
 
Like WestTN above, I personally consider Sam's Club (or Costco out west) the single best source for tires anywhere but not all of them are as skilled as the tire techs in my local Sam's Club.

Sam's Clubs don't employ commissioned sales persons to provide bad advice to consumers that inflates their commission checks.

Again, a personal opinion, I only purchase Michelins. Some will immediately think, "yeah, but they're too expensive. "

Not true. If you consider the total cost of ownership, not just initial purchase price, a Michelin tire purchased from a big box discounter like Sam's Clubs costs less per mile than all the cheaper brands. When I was transporting I was getting 110 to 120k miles out of each set of six Michelins on a Dodge Ram dually. Those tires cost less than $0. 0125/mile . . . yep, that's less than one and one quarter cents per mile. Do the math yourself. Cost per set of six mounted balanced, etc. approximately $1300. Divide by 110,000 miles. Result: $0. 0118/mile.
 
Last edited:
I decided against the Bridgestones for a couple reasons. One was they were out of stock locally, so I couldn't see them and touch them. Second the shoulder tread looked to be a pretty open design and I think I read somewhere (maybe here) that such a shoulder won't hold up as well on a truck with a heavy front end and lastly I felt like I was rushing into a purchase without doing all my homework. So I've got to do more homework over the coming weeks, and maybe I'll end up with a set of Michelins after all. I appreciate the responses and the advice.
 
Several friends run them with much success. When I worked at Firestone, I would push them on Explorer owners instead of the Firestone ATXs. I'm sure I don't have to remind you aout thoughs. My brother-in-law also has them on his Excursion, that is always filled to the brim with tools. Not one broken belt. Dueller M/T are good too.



4wheelparts runs buy 3 get 1 free tire adds. I have had luck with them. Good luck
 
Excellent post Joe MC, however the majority of experts, rubber manufacturers and automobile makers agree that tires are good for 6 years, not 3.



That is true, but that is when you should be replacing them, not buying them. Joe was saying not to buy them if the date is over 3 years old. Even then there is a good chance the tires will still have good tread when they are 6 years old if you are the average driver. I would be more inclined to refuse a tire over 1 year old if I only drove 12k a year.



On a side note, I also get 100k or more from my Michelin LTX M/S tires and won't buy anything else.
 
Any body tried the uniroyal laredo hdh or cooper discover ht. My problem is the time always runs out before the tread is gone.
 
Take a look at the Firstone Transforce tires, I did all the reading last summer on tires and asked for advice here also, stuck a set on and love them, wearing even, and grip in cruddy weather excellent, I think I beat them back to $550 installed.



Peace, B.
 
CCiatteo, What'd you end up going with?



Take a look at the Firstone Transforce tires, I did all the reading last summer on tires and asked for advice here also, stuck a set on and love them, wearing even, and grip in cruddy weather excellent, I think I beat them back to $550 installed.



Peace, B.



Still looking around. With the holiday weekend I sorta got sidetracked. I have Firestone Transforce tires on the truck now and they have worn very well, but I dug up my receipt and they went on the truck at 185,000 and I'm at 228,000 now and wet weather performance is starting to suffer. I don't see myself getting much more than 45,000 (safely) or so out of the tire. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic for a 3/4 ton 4x4 with the CTD on the front axle? But I was hoping for 60,000. I rotate twice a year and am mainly on road. I'll check back when I make a decision/purchase.
 
wow not to hammer you but 45K and your not happy? , you can buy rocks that last longer but wont grip worth diddly in wet conditions,



you guys have cruddy weather like us, number 1 priority with me is not crash in the heavy traffic in crappy weather and roads we are in 80% of the time... then worry about how long a tire will last, for the money I think the Firestones deliver right up there with a set of Michelins and will haul a load down the road and feal safe.



I have run both and other brands as well and keep coming back to the Firestones



B.
 
wow not to hammer you but 45K and your not happy? , you can buy rocks that last longer but wont grip worth diddly in wet conditions,



you guys have cruddy weather like us, number 1 priority with me is not crash in the heavy traffic in crappy weather and roads we are in 80% of the time... then worry about how long a tire will last, for the money I think the Firestones deliver right up there with a set of Michelins and will haul a load down the road and feal safe.



I have run both and other brands as well and keep coming back to the Firestones



B.



I'm still learning this whole 3/4 ton truck thing maybe? I could get 70k out of a set of Bridestone Duellers on my 1/2 ton 4x4 no problem, different animal I know. Then I read threads on here where guys are getting 90-110k out of a set of Michelins, so that leaves me wondering???? Am I doing something wrong, is it the nature of the beast, are they rolling on the highway non-stop? Then I see other guys lucky to get 25,000 out of a set of tires. So it seems to be all over the place and maybe my usage pattern is about what it should be.



I certainly don't feel like I got ripped off on the Firestones. I paid $540 for the tires alone, but mounting, balancing, disposal, alignment and tax brought the total bill to $700 the last time (November of 2007) from a local tire shop.



Tirerack isn't really the attractive deal it used to be, because shops get you on the mount and balance and disposal, shipping the tires etc, eats most of the savings, at least that's what I am seeing anyway.



Maybe Firestones ain't so bad and I just need to adjust my expectations?



Chris
 
dunno about 90K plus... sounds like campfire talk and my truck gets 28mpg towing the 30ft 5th wheel at 70 to. . lol.



I like to think I am a average driver and rotate my tires 3 times a year to keep the edges square... these Cummins will eat front tires if you let them, and I get about 35K out of a set... now I dont run them down to banana peels but get close to the wear bars if I can...



its seasonal for me if its Jun to Sep I will run them down as far as I can if there coming due but come fall I dont feel good unless I have new or real good tread to roll on, my truck is a weekend rig now but was driving one everyday as my driver so I call that real world city driving and weekends hunting or fishing, lots of turning, stopping and hauling azz down the hi-way in all conditions and over the pass on snow and ice chasing birds often in the winter, truck always went where I pointed it and never chained up even in deep snow .



I agree tire rack is about done for most people other than to keep the local boys in check a little, good luck with what ever you choose.



Peace, B.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top