hirdlej

iTrader: (31)

Ok guys, you may remember my thread I posted a few weeks back when I said I had picked up a set of silverado ss rims with the factory 275/55/20 Goodyear Eagle Ls's on them. Well, since the tires have less than 100 miles on them, I've decided i'm going to sell them and change to something smaller so my performance doesn't suffer so much. Ok so here's what I'm in the persuit of. I want a performance truck/suv tire that is perfectly round and that balances out with virtually no weights. I am sick of buying firestones or bridgestone tires, they never balance worth a damn and have issues with being out of round so those are out of the question. I've been through Michelins in and out and they're so stiff, even though they balance out right, they always seem to have a slight shake at highway speeds (I've tried LTX's and XW4's). Ok so now with the new setup........ First things first, I've been considering falkens (ziex s/tz 04), nitto's (NT 404), kumho's (ecsta stx's) and yokohama's (avs s/t's). The reason I'm looking at these 4 tires is because I've never owned tires from nitto, falken, yokohama or kumho. I will decide the size I need later, but what I'm looking to hear from you guys now is any personal experiences you may have had from the tires listed above. I can't emphasize enough that more than anything, I'm looking for a SMOOTH riding tire and one that requires little balancing. I'm sick and tired of balancing issues I've found in firestone/bridgestones and michelins. I consider myself knowledgeable in the area of what it takes to balance a tire properly, and the tire places I go to, still cannot seem to nail tire balancing on the head. If I had the money back I've spent on all the road force balancing I've had done on previous trucks, I could probably buy another set of tires from that alone. So what I'd like to do here is by getting the best tire, I can make it a no brainer for the pimple popping, high school flunkie mounting and balancing my tires. Let the tire dispute begin


Joe

Mr. Sandog

If I didn't care about money at all I'd get Nitto 404's. From what I've heard and seen from shops and people who have run them, they are the best tire hands down as far as traction, wear, and quality control. But those are about $100 more per tire than the Kumhos for my size (305/50-20). I already have the Kumhos and have been pleased with them, so I'll be getting another set of those.

moregrip

iTrader: (8)

well, I almost agree, no......I really don't.

Here's why, as far as ride goes and tire quality I believe Michelin sets the standard. Although I have no definative proof, for as long as I can remember, and from different sources, Michelin is regarded as the highest quality tire.
Not saying this is true in every case, just generally.

I would first choose anything Michelin or BFG.

moregrip

iTrader: (8)

FWIW, My last sets of tires have been
BFGoodrich G-force KDW's
Yokohama AVS ES-100's
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's
Yokohama AVS Sport's

Of these, the Michelin Pilot Sports gave the most outright dry traction and wet. All have been very good to excellent tires.

My current BFG Gforce KDW's are awesome in the turns with such a heavy truck, however, I still need more driving time to further evaluate.

hirdlej

iTrader: (31)

Moregrip, of all of those tires listed, which ones were smoothest and quietest at highway speeds around 60MPH? I won't dispute that out of all the tires I owned, the Michelins are the smoothest, but they still have a hint of a shake to them (so subtle). I'm wondering if it's because it's a truck tire and has an extra stiff sidewall or what.
Now, as far as uniformity goes, which manufacturer consistently makes the most perfectly round tire? Even though you can balance a tire, it doesn't matter if the tire isn't perfectly round. I would like to know how any of the manufacturers I listed earlier, stackup. I went through firestone after firestone on an S-10 of mine once and after going through 12 tires and them not finding perfectly round ones, I vowed never to buy another firestone again.

moregrip

iTrader: (8)

That's a tough question to answer as they have all been low profile tires ranging from 35-50 series.
BUT
My current set-up of 305/50-20 BFG Gforce KDW's are smooth as silk with little to no freeway noise. My ride actually got better, alot better, switching from the stock 245/75-16's.
By better I mean, car like smooth, not the harsh stutter-bump I used to get.

moregrip

iTrader: (8)

Michelin for uniformity, thats what I was trying to say, Michelin/BFG as they are the same now.

Mr. Sandog

Okay, I admit it, I am talking out my butt.

Well, no, not really, at least not intentionally.

I presumed hirdlej was talking about performance tires, as in V-Rated. AFAIK, Michelin doesn't make V-Rated tires for trucks and SUV's. But I could be wrong. I could also be wrong in that hirdlej's priority is smoother ride, rather than speed rating. If you're willing to give up the V-Rating, Michelins then fall into your realm of possibilities.

FWIW, the Kumhos I have have been great, which is why I am buying another set. But there have been nothing but good things said about the BFG's that grippy has on his truck as well.

moregrip

iTrader: (8)

If you go to tire rack they have feedback on most tires if that means anything to you.

Naked: what I said above was based on feedback from tire shops and people that have been in the industry a while, and freinds. Same as you. I think your Nitto 404 recommendation is a valid one and a good one. I was just giving my opinion on "tire quality" issue and my experiences with tires past.

Typically, Michelins take less weight to balance.
However, Bridgestones seem to take quite a bit.

hirdlej

iTrader: (31)

I've been to the tirerack for feedback but they don't sell falken, or nitto. I've read plenty of reviews before posting here and quite frankly it's hard to get a real answer because the scope of cars people put the tires on varies so much. We all run them on the same trucks so it's easier to gage. You're right in your assumption moregrip, I'm not after the speedrating but moreso I'm after perfect balancing. I actually dont mind a choppy, firm ride on the road. It's when I hit a smooth stretch of highway and I feel the tires constantly shaking up and down.