I bought my 2007 F150 XL 4x4 3 years ago. It's had a rough ride since I bought it. It has load range E tires on it and they are way too heavy duty for the truck. The tires are rated for twice the GVWR of the truck. They are also 5 years old and they're starting to crack between the tread blocks. So im trying to decide if I should just go ahead and get a new set.
What do you think about these cracks in the tires? This one has some torn tread blocks too.
The next question is what would you replace them with? I want a smooth ride, fairly quiet, all terrain with a severe snow rating.
Only 5 years old? Have you confirmed that with the code dates on the sidewall?
Could it be that the tires went on the truck 5 years ago but were used tires when they went on?
The cracks between the tread blocks are actually from speed usually, they dont really do that unless they were run fast until crazy hot. The chunks in the blocks are stone drilling, common in any tire that is used on gravel under weight... like a stone driveway or if your area still has gravel roads.
id think about replacing them because they aren't the type of tire you are wanting for the truck and they are pretty worn but not because of that cracking. An HL would be fine for your use on that weight truck.
I'd probably replace them.
As for tires, I really like the Falken Wildpeat AT3W. Enough that I run them on 3 vehicles. I also like the Wildpeak AT Trail for a little more road oriented AT tire.
I have been running Falken brand passenger tires on my Prius fleet and have been very happy with them.
I get them from tirebuyer.com
Do you mind sharing what tires those are and what the date code on them is? If those tires are truly only 5 years old, I'd like to avoid them in the future.
I would replace them. I'm really liking the Michelin LTX that are on my new F-250, but they're not cheap.
John Welsh said:Only 5 years old? Have you confirmed that with the code dates on the sidewall?
Could it be that the tires went on the truck 5 years ago but were used tires when they went on?
The date code is 3016. I have the receipt that shows that they were new Toyo Open Country A/T II in LT 265/70R17.
They guy I bought it from used it to tow a small side by side ATV out to his duck hunting club. He had to drive on gravel roads and cross a creek to get there.
In reply to CAinCA :
I have a 2016 F150. V8 4x4 I pulled the OEM Goodyear Wranglers off with a lot more tread than that because I was headed into winter and needed winter tires. My summer tires are Bridgestones. Because I've had such great experience with Bridgestone Blizzacks.
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:I would replace them. I'm really liking the Michelin LTX that are on my new F-250, but they're not cheap.
Which Michelin LTX tires are they? There are a few different ones.
I looked at the Falken Wildpeak A/T3 but they only come in an E in this size so that one's out.
I looked at Tire Rack's selection of P265/70R17 with Severe Snow Rating and the Yokohama GEOLANDAR A/T G015 scored well in their A/T tire test. Anyone have a set of these?
CAinCA said:codrus (Forum Supporter) said:I would replace them. I'm really liking the Michelin LTX that are on my new F-250, but they're not cheap.
Which Michelin LTX tires are they? There are a few different ones.
It came with the LTX A/T2.
I have also read that the Defender LTX A/S are a good choice -- I will probably look at those when it comes time to replace them because my truck is for towing my M3 to the track, the closest it goes to "offroad" is a dirt parking lot at Laguna Seca.
https://www.firestonetire.com/tire/destination-le-2/
I bought these Firestone tires for my 1/2 ton Silverado. I really liked them. Towed my race car all over NorCal. You can get them locally at your Firestone dealer. I used the one in Campbell.
I had bought Michelin highway tires for my F250 and thought they were good too but rather expensive.
I don't bother with all terrain since the truck only drives on paved roads and wanted to try and maximize mpg and decrease any annoying tire noise
My Jeep came with the Hankook Dynapro ATM. VCH's GMT400 1-ton also wears them. They made a 4000 mile journey just after purchase and they were pretty quiet, good offroad tread and comfy ride. I can't speak too much to snow because I swap to studs in the winter.
I have the Yoko g015 on both 4runner and eurovan. On the 4runner they replaced Costco Michelin X LT, which were quiet and wore like iron but sucked in the snow. We don't get tons of snow here in VA but the whole point of the 2+ ton AWD V8 wagon is to go all the time, so away went the Michelins with plenty of tread.
The Yokos aren't loud but have some road noise. They're good in the rain and snow and decent in the dry. I like them.
I took the advice of Tire Rack and got Continental TerrainContact A/T.
I have never been happier with a truck tire in my life. Not exaggerating. They were marketed as an A/T for more real-world things; light mud, heavy snow, dirt, etc. Aimed at the soccer mom SUV/Truck market that really needs an A/T, but doesn't need an aggressive A/T. It does truck things, not heavy off road things.
They are quieter than the H/T on my van. Not sure how, but they are very quiet. No amount of snow could stop them for the last three winters, and I felt plenty confident in light mud and rocks.
Opinions are like buttholes, but I have to say that for the first set of Continental anythings I've had in my life, I'm super happy.
And yes... for the love of all that is right in the world, replace them.
If I had cracking that bad after 5 years, I'd be on the phone to Toyo.
Thanks for the input Paddy and Curtis. Those are the two tires I've been debating between based on Tire Rack's testing. They put up similar numbers for accel/braking distances. The Yoko tested a little better in the snow but the Conti was better in the dry and wet. I'm sure the Conti is smoother and quieter. We really don't drive in the snow that often, maybe two or three times a year at most, so that shouldn't be the deciding factor. We will be doing some long drives back and forth to Reno/Tahoe (my son is starting UNR in a couple weeks) and the Sierra though. I'm sure the Conti's would make for a nicer drive.
I went ahead and placed an order for the Contis this morning. FWIW: America's Tire/Discount Tire offers a 10% Military/Veteran discount FTW.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:And yes... for the love of all that is right in the world, replace them.
If I had cracking that bad after 5 years, I'd be on the phone to Toyo.
At this point they are 5 years old and have 30k miles on them. I'm sure that Toyo would want to pro-rate another set of tires. Based on this set I don't think I'd want another set from them. It seems like a waste of my energy to talk to them.
Every set of Toyo's we've had or sold seem to crack and dry rot fast. I don't know why. Michelin LTX's are great tires. If you want cheap because you put a ton of miles on the Westlake's we put on her truck are awesome. 1/3 the price of the michelin's so I have to go through 3 times as many to lose. All of ours age out anyway on that truck.
Reviving this thread from the dead. The Contact Terrains finally arrived last Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately that was the night before we were leaving for our Reno trip and they couldn't get them installed before we hit the road. We put 750 miles on the old Toyos and I felt every crack and bump we hit. I also came to the conclusion that the shocks are shot. When we got home I looked through the maintenance records I have and it appears that they have never been replaced.
Anyway, I got the tires installed this morning and took the truck on a very rough stretch of 101. The tires are definitely smoother and quieter. When I got home I checked the pressures and they were all at 38PSI. I reduced the pressure to 35 PSI when I got home.
I think you'll be super happy with the Continentals
CAinCA said:I also came to the conclusion that the shocks are shot.
Time for some Bilsteins?
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