E rated Michelins & new pics!!!

[Jay2TheRescue]

Well, I went down to visit my brother in law @ the Ford dealer today and got my new Michelin LTX A/S E rated tires today. I also got an alignment, and a bottle of BG 44K. I haven't noticed anyone here talking about BG 44K, but since I got it at a discount I figured why the heck not. I had the dealer inflate the new tires to 70 PSI. It seems a little rougher on potholes and speedbumps than I'm ordinarily accustomed to, but I'll probably get used to it - I'll have to if I want to take full advantage of the fuel savings these tires can offer me. On regular pavement it really doesn't feel that much different, and there is no more road noise than with the old tires so I'm happy with that. The alignment made a big difference in driving. Everything was in specs except for the right front wheel. I imagine that was thrown out of spec when I ran over that deer last fall. (Note small crease in passenger fender) I came out of that pretty good. I was expecting that the deer took out my front end, lights, and such, but nothing was wrong with the truck except that crease, and the passenger side was covered in blood and poop.

So now I have some hard LRR tires, a fresh alignment, and a bottle of BG 44K in the tank. Lets see where it takes me...

-Jay

[konitime]

Hi,

is it possible to get Michelin Energy Saving Tyres in the USA?

That`s the best Tires i ever had. Running 40.000 miles. Save fuel. But not so good at wet street when braking.

With best regards.

Wilfried

[Jay2TheRescue]

Michelin sells many energy saving tires in the US. The ones I chose have just about the lowest rolling resistance of any tire that will fit on my truck. They're expensive though. If it wasn't my brother in law writing the service ticket and giving me a cost + x% price, I wouldn't be able to afford them. (I'm not posting the % over cost I paid out of respect for the great deal I got)

The truck glides a lot further when I shift into Neutral. On the highway with the cruise set on 60 MPH SG was reporting 25 - 27 MPG. I'm sure with the new tires, and the fresh alignment I'll probably have to recalibrate my SG @ the next fillup. Maybe my mileage is really higher... I can only hope.

[Jetta90GL]

I wonder what the traction in snow is like with those. I need to get new tires for my truck, but I wanted something with good snow traction. I might be able to be swayed to something like this if the savings pays off the extra cost of the tires. Do you know what the normal retail price range is?
I think my tires are 235x75R16 (EDIT: Tires are actually 285x75R16), I planned on getting narrower tires closer to the stock width.

Nice wheels

[Jay2TheRescue]

Michelin LTX A/S website

The Michelin LTX A/S is a durable, premium, highway all-season light truck tire designed to meet new vehicle Original Equipment requirements. The LTX A/S was developed to provide particularly smooth, even wear, low noise and good fuel efficiency, even in demanding commercial applications.

The LTX A/S features Michelin's advanced all-weather light truck tread rubber compound molded into a five-rib, closed-shoulder tread design to blend light snow traction with a quiet ride. On the inside, LTX A/S tires feature two steel belts (Load Range D and Load Range E sizes add a third steel belt) to enhance durability and tread puncture resistance. The LTX A/S features Michelin's Stress Equilibrium Casing design to distribute stresses evenly through the tire's footprint to provide even wear and long mileage.

Looking on the internet the tires I bought today should retail for about $240/ea. I paid **signifigantly less**. From reading the traction ratings it is rated "very good" for light snow traction. If you need a little more snow traction get the LTX M/S (Mud & Snow). I figured if I needed more traction I'll just push the 4wd button anyway. I was looking for the smoothest, quietest ride in an E rated tire, which is why I selected the LTX A/S (All Season) The tires have a 6 year warranty, and from reading tire reviews on the internet there are many people reporting putting over 100,000 miles on these tires. I believe it. The tread on these tires is really deep.

-Jay

EDIT: Thanks, the alloy wheels are stock.

[Sludgy]

I have those tires on the Blue Beast. They haven't helped mileage much, and I keep em at 90 psig. 6000 pounds of truck induces a lot of tire flex......

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm here at work, so here's a copy of the alignment report.

-Jay

[Civicrick]

Hey Jay. I too picked Michelin LTX for the first replacement tires for my Ford(sorry) E-250 conversion van about 5 yrs ago. Mine are A/T. Not sure why they differ from yours but they are E rated and m+s.The tread is somewhat aggressive so they were a bit noisier than the pure "street" tread Ford gave me to begin with. It looks to me like you went with tallest sidewall you could as I did also. My rims are 16's so I got some good sized meats on there. I went with the Mich's cuz I my buddy was the service manager at the 7 Corners Sears (Im in VA too remember?) and he said Michelin was the only tire mnufacturer that still gave each and every tire a human lookover. I guess thats a good thing but he also spoke of least complaints and failures. Plus, thats what he had on his truck so that said alot in itself!
While they are more expensive he felt like the payoff would be in safety and longevity. He didnt feel like I would ever be buying another set. Since the kids are grown we dont cruise like we used to and I dont really like to use it to go to grocery store, quality in construction and material are important for I feel time is the biggest enemy of those tires.
I keep the pressure in the back tires about 10lbs below max and this is why: with the 250 heavier suspension the people in the back seat are pretty much bouncing around like ping-pong balls. I do pump them up when I tow or load up. I would be curious about the differences pressure in the back wheels would make. I feel it would be minimal since, when empty, the backs pretty light. I see you and others talking about the scangauge. Got a suggestion for cheapest place to get one? Rick

[Civicrick]

Hey Jay. I too picked Michelin LTX for the first replacement tires for my Ford(sorry) E-250 conversion van about 5 yrs ago. Mine are A/T. Not sure why they differ from yours but they are E rated and m+s.The tread is somewhat aggressive so they were a bit noisier than the pure "street" tread Ford gave me to begin with. It looks to me like you went with tallest sidewall you could as I did also. My rims are 16's so I got some good sized meats on there. I went with the Mich's cuz I my buddy was the service manager at the 7 Corners Sears (Im in VA too remember?) and he said Michelin was the only tire mnufacturer that still gave each and every tire a human lookover. I guess thats a good thing but he also spoke of least complaints and failures. Plus, thats what he had on his truck so that said alot in itself!
While they are more expensive he felt like the payoff would be in safety and longevity. He didnt feel like I would ever be buying another set. Since the kids are grown we dont cruise like we used to and I dont really like to use it to go to grocery store, quality in construction and material are important for I feel time is the biggest enemy of those tires.
I keep the pressure in the back tires about 10lbs below max and this is why: with the 250 heavier suspension the people in the back seat are pretty much bouncing around like ping-pong balls. I do pump them up when I tow or load up. I would be curious about the differences pressure in the back wheels would make. I feel it would be minimal since, when empty, the backs pretty light. I see you and others talking about the scangauge. Got a suggestion for cheapest place to get one? Rick

[Jay2TheRescue]

Yeah, I keep forgetting you're in NoVa as well. The tires I bought (LT 265 75 R16) are the stock tire size from the factory. My brother in law swears by Michelin, and E rated tires. He has a set of E rated, slightly oversize tires on his lifted Ford Ranger 4x4. He gets decent mileage (over 20) but then again his commute is mostly highway, and he has a 5 speed manual transmission. The A/S is the All Season highway tire. The A/T (All Terrain) and M/S (Mud & Snow) have more agressive tread patterns.

-Jay

EDIT: I forgot. The Scangauge. Look around. They are available from JCWhitney.com and ThinkGeek.com. I bought mine from a fellow member here on GS.org that had one that was bought, and then he ended up replacing the car and not using the SG.

[Civicrick]

Mine are 245 75 R16 and are definitely bigger than the ones Ford gave me. When I turn these just barely miss the front fender flares the conversion company put on. Yeah, the "all terrain" makes sense. Even tho I got a limited slip differential I was still spinning easily in the snow when I didnt have any weight in the back. Im sure The Beast does the same. So I do remember asking for some tires with more grip, hence the tread and the noise. I will say this tho: It sure is nice to have antilock brakes on a 6000+lb vehicle sliding on the slick. I'll check out JC Whikney. Thanks! Rick

[Civicrick]

Hey, were you able to get a steak or two or was blood and poop it?

[Jay2TheRescue]

Blood & poop was it. I hit it square in the shoulder @ about 40 MPH. It flew to the side of the road, but was somehow able to get up and run on adrenalin. I'm sure it ran 100 or 200 yards into the woods and died. It was pitch black, about 10 PM, and I had to be @ work @ 6:30 the next morning. I wasn't about to go chasing that thing down. Antilock brakes work though. I left some nice dotted skidmarks.

As soon as I was able to pull over (There was no shoulder - I had to go a few hunderd yards and I pulled into someone's driveway to inspect the damage). My lights were intact, and aside from looking like the truck was a prop in a slasher movie everything seemed ok, so I just drove home.

-Jay

Oh, I almost forgot... I have some pics of the tread. Most here should be familiar with the penny test... If you can see the top of Lincoln's head replace the tires. Its hard to see his head at all!

[Civicrick]

Nice. I need to figure out how to get some pics on here. Im not real computer savy.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Maybe we can meet up sometime and I'll show you how.

-Jay

[SD26]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

I have those tires on the Blue Beast. They haven't helped mileage much, and I keep em at 90 psig. 6000 pounds of truck induces a lot of tire flex......

You should roll that little girl over a scale just so you understand how far over three tons you are...

[Jay2TheRescue]

I've been tempted to find a truck scale myself. The "Empty Weight" on my vehicle title appears to be a bogus number. I don't remember what it is, but its a nice, even number far in excess of what that truck should weigh empty.

-Jay

[SD26]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I've been tempted to find a truck scale myself. The "Empty Weight" on my vehicle title appears to be a bogus number. I don't remember what it is, but its a nice, even number far in excess of what that truck should weigh empty.

-Jay

See if your local recycler has a scale. Might just be able to "accidently" drive over it and get a weight. My Excursion was 10% above what I found listed for it's curb weight, and I wasn't full of fuel.

[Jay2TheRescue]

My dad will need a load of gravel for his driveway. That would be a good opportunity to haul it for him. Rusty isn't powerful enough anymore to do it. In Rusty's prime though I once hauled a ton & a half of gravel. With my E rated tires, and put the air intake back to factory specs I might be able to do even more than that in the beast. The title says I can haul up to 10,000 pounds. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable driving a 1/2 ton pickup weighing 5 tons, but apparently the Commonwealth of Virginia believes its OK.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Today I glided about 1/2 mile. It has to be the tires. I was going down a road today, speed limit 25. The road was the slightest downgrade. I shifted into Neutral and the truck rolled @ 25 MPH for ~ 1/2 mile. I didn't gain or loose any speed. I was slow enough that the aero mods probably had nothing to do with it, just the hardness of the tires. SG is only reporting 12.9 MPG for this tank, not sure if its off with the new tires or not. Also, I'm not sure that while the 44k is in the fuel tank would that negatively impact FE. I guess that I've also been doing short spurts of WOT, about once every 2 or 3 days to help remove anything that the 44K has loosened. So far I'm at 210 miles on this tank, and the fuel gauge is at 1/4 tank. Not an example of my best work, but this has been almost 100% short trip city driving so far.

-Jay

[theholycow]

If you had known you'd be concerned about accuracy, you could have done a rollout measurement on the old tires before getting the new ones. If you still have the old ones, you could still do it -- remove one wheel from the truck, deflate the tire, and do the rollout on that compared to the old tire, I suspect that would be accurate enough.

[Jay2TheRescue]

No, I don't have the tires anymore, and the only reason I'm concerned with accuracy is for my gaslog. I suspect that because the tread is so deep on these tires that my speedometer and odometer readings are off. I guess I'll have to check it against my GPS.

-Jay

[theholycow]

Tread depth, and just manufacturing differences...even from model to model sometimes tires with the same size markings differ slightly in size, and from manufacturer to manufacturer they definitely differ.

Did you check your old tires against the GPS? If not, it may never be possible to get an accurate comparison.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Yes I did. With the old tires @ 60 MPH the speedometer was within 1/2 MPH of the GPS. I figured that it was more accurate than most.

-Jay

[Jay2TheRescue]

UPDATE: I checked the speedometer reading against the GPS @60 MPH last night on I-95 and I was still within 1/2 MPH.

-Jay