Got that "squirmy new tire" thing going on!

[AMink]

Finally had to get new shoes for my '06 Mega. I looked at the BFG All Terrains, Goodyear Duratracs, and some others. The tire guy suggested these so I now have shiny new Cooper Discover ST MAXX tires in 265/70-17. They are in between the ST and STT. So far on the ride home they seem plenty quiet. They do seem squirmy but I am used to tires with very little rubber on them. :-laf They have a 3-ply sidewall construction so I am optimistic they will handle Nevada's dirt roads fine.

http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light-Truck/DISCOVERER-S-T-MAXX.aspx

 

[HBarlow]

What load rating and inflation pressure?

An old friend of mine who lives in MO where apparently Cooper tires are big sellers, perhaps there is a Cooper tire factory there? Anyway, against my advice he bought Cooper tires for his srw Ram 3500 and his fifthwheel several years ago. One of the trailer tires blew out and damaged the side of his trailer after only two or three years of light use and the highway tread truck tires were slick after 35,000 miles. I laughed and reminded him of our conversation and his claims about Cooper quality (that the tire salesman told him) and he bought Michelins for truck and trailer. Now he is a believer also and buys only Michelins.

 

[AMink]

They are LRE's, 85psi max but Dodge recommends 80psi for full load. I don't know where in the USA they are made, but they are stamped "Made in USA". If I could get 35,000 out of them, I'd be thrilled. I think the amount of dirt road/jeep trail driving I do cuts tires and causes them to wear faster. We'll see how these go. I looked for a Michelin that is more aggressive but it seems they only have LTX A/T2 and that wasn't as aggressive as I wanted. The XPS Tractions don't come in my size. So, I'll consider this a public service test for other TDR members and will report on the tires as we go along.

 

[fox]

I have had good luck with coopers. Never a blow out or separation.

Never would I run a tire inflated higher than the sideway recommends as max!

You could have an accident/blowout and the attorneys would have everything you own.

I was told years ago to run 80 in some uniroyals that said max 65 on the sideway.

Dealer/******* went ahead and ran them at 65. Later I found an employee pumped them up. I let them down and warned him. Putting a note in his file.



Regardless, michelin is the best tire on the market.

 

[HBarlow]

I've read many posts by members who own 4 x 4s and do a lot of off-road driving who complain about the lack of Michelin products for their application. The XPS traction is probably a fine and very aggressive tire but as AMink said above, not offered in 17" sizes.

I wish Michelin would make tires for the 1800 Goldwing but for some reason they don't.

 

[AMink]

I've read many posts by members who own 4 x 4s and do a lot of off-road driving who complain about the lack of Michelin products for their application. The XPS traction is probably a fine and very aggressive tire but as AMink said above, not offered in 17" sizes.

I wish Michelin would make tires for the 1800 Goldwing but for some reason they don't.

My guess is that Michelin has studied the market very closely and determined that a heavy duty 17"aggressive tire would start at over $300 and that market has a ton of good tires that are much less expensive. We all know that Michelins will be the $/mile leader but not everyone can afford the upfront cost. Maybe as 16" rims go the way of the dinosaurs they wil start with a bigger lineup of 17's.

 

[jhenderson]

I am on my 2nd set of ST MAXX tires. I'm very happy with them for my application. I pull a 14ft GN dump rated at 18,500lbs. at least 3 days every week. I'm in muddy landings, delivering 12ft firewood in some difficult places, and plow snow every winter. These tires need to heat cycle quite a few times before the squirm goes away. I won't argue with Harvey. If Michelin made a traction tire that would give me the grip I need I would buy them. Unfortunately, that's not the case, so I bought an American made tire that fit my needs.

 

[AMink]

So, I have new tires...again. The Coopers wore evenly but were gone before 30k. They provided good traction in a variety of conditions and were pretty quiet. The new rubber are BFG AT KO2. Supposed to be stronger and better wear than the originals. I did have to go to 275/70-17 since the 265s won't be released until March. Got them at Costco for just over $200 each plus install. We shall see how they do.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Thanks for the update.

 

[Tuesdak]

Michelin tires always ride nice and squirmy. No complaints about their life, but, with the softer ride they also like to feel squishy for handling. I have run Commercial use Cooper SRM radial II's, Discoverer's and they are 30K life tires. The SRM radial II's wore nice and even and were a great stiff towing tire. Good handling, traction and never a flat with them. But 30K when other tires are going 50K is expensive. The only other tire I really liked was the GoodyearWrangler silent armor for winter traction, but, they melt away quick. With sidewall rot from the heat out here 30K is really not a bad thing for a daily driver where 5 years kill tires more than miles.