Tires for SUV

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Brian 162

I had good luck with BFG long trail tires on my old Tahoe. They would last around 3-4 years. Pretty reasonable price wise.
My 06 Tahoe has Michelin Latitude tires. Smooth ride but not cheap. I use them in the summer only.For winter tires I have Bridgestone Dueller A/T tires. Good in the snow.

We had long trails. Fuel mileage and handling wasn't as good as the Kumho tires but they were decent all season tires and lasted almost 4 years. I am looking for something less squishy and I don't really go off road. This is a fishing/towing/take the truck when we need more room vehicle.

Eric, have you actually drivin the KR21? Just curious about personal experience. They look good on paper but it's tough to tell without actually driving them. The local dealer is pushing the KL51 as well. Price is within $25 of Tire Rack when all is said and done.

Vash, I think the X radial is Costco/Sam's Club exclusive tires.

[kaisen]

I've driven the KR21s tens of thousands of miles, but on cars not trucks. The XL sidewall construction and shallow tread depth should make them less "squishy", but???

KR21: more of a car tire, 11/32 tread, XL sidewall for 2183# rating, 50 psi, 85K mi warranty, weighs 28#, Part #2104463 (they make a standard load with diff # -- you don't want those)

KR21:

KL51: more of a crossover tire, 14/32 tread, C load for 1985# rating, 50 psi, 60K mi warranty, weighs 34#, Part #2103023 (they make a standard load with diff # -- you don't want those)

KL51:

KL61: more on/off road truck tire, 15/32 tread, C load for 1985# rating, 50psi, 60K mi warranty, weighs 35#, Part #2114533 (they make a standard load with diff # -- you don't want those)

KL61:


Edit: I'd get the KL61 before the KL51.... But the higher load rating and long life of the KL21 might be the best choice

[flipper35]

Looks like the 21 is the way to go, in the Kumho anyway. 6# less rotational weight and better load rating. Truck calls for 36/41psi front/rear and I have seen a lot of tires that are less than 50psi max. I can get these mounted and balanced for less than the cost of the Michelin tires alone. Free lifetime balance and rotation.

Thanks.

[kaisen]

Other tires to consider:

Hankook Optimo H727: 700 treadwear, 100K mi warranty, XL 2183#, PN 1006103

General Grabber HT-S: 640 treadwear, 60K mi warranty, XL 2271#, PN 15485570000

Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor: 520 treadwear, 50K mi warranty, XL 2183#, PN 758507189
(This is easily my truck tire of choice, I have them on mine.... Kevlar makes them smooth and quiet, but $$$)

[flipper35]

The Silent Armor seem to be on par with the Michelins price wise. I am surprised they are quiet. The tread looks more aggressive than most.

[vash]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

The only tyres I would put on an SUV is Cooper... End of story.

i would never argue with an australian about 4x4 topics. ever.

you guys are insane over there!

[Tobra]

The Michelin LTX tires are the best all season SUV tires according to several tire guys I know, quiet, durable and effective, what more could you want(okay they could be cheaper) Had them on the wife's truck about 6 years, they are outstanding.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Tobra

The Michelin LTX tires are the best all season SUV tires according to several tire guys I know .......about 6 years, they are outstanding.

About 6 years ago, they were

[fred cook]

I use Michelins on my Ford Excursion. The last set went 80,000 miles before needing replacing! And, this is on a 7300 lb. vehicle that tows a 27 ft long camper from time to time!

[Two Rivers]

I am in Iowa and run Cooper Discovery HT. All year round. Great tires and quite. I will not use there car tires but there light truck tires are the best if you do not want to pay the Michelin tax.
I drive on average 120 miles a day to and from job sights and get more then 60,000 miles from them.

[yel911]

+1 for Michelins!!!!
I cheaped out and bought Coopers, what a mistake!!! Didn't plan on keeping the truck, so I cut corners, again big mistake.

[kaisen]

Michelins are FANTASTIC tires!!!
But are they worth 62% more?!

[pete3799]

I got 340,000+ miles on Michelin XDN2's mounted on my Peterbilt.
A new set (8) would have been over 4800.00
I went with some Yokohamas and saved over 1200.00.
Should have spent the big bucks cause these Yokos ride for shyte and doubt they'll get anywhere near the mileage the Mich's got .
There's a reason they cost more.....there better tires.
As far as SUV tires for winter i run Cooper Discovery M+S on the Taco. Great traction in the snow.
Think i'm going to put some Michelin's on it for the summer though.

[Joe Ricard]

I would have to agree on the Kumho KL61 just because they are Load rated "C". SUV's are heavy POS's even unloaded. Throw in a family and all thier crap and things get lots heavier.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I replaced the Michelin LTX on my wife's Nissan Armada with Firestone Destination AT. The Firestones are superior in every way to the Michelins, and were significantly cheaper. They are quieter, softer riding, and have more aggressive tread. Sadly we didn't get any snow this winter, so I can't comment on their performance in the slick stuff. I like them so much I'm going to transfer them to my wife's new truck (nearly identical size).

I'm a big fan of the user ratings on Tire Rack, thus far I've never disagreed with them. BTW, the Destination AT is the #1 ranked A/T tire.

For the money I think Kumho makes a decent tire. Not as good as some but certainly adequate, I've had them on several cars. If price was my #1 consideration they are hard to beat.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Joe Ricard

I would have to agree on the Kumho KL61 just because they are Load rated "C". SUV's are heavy POS's even unloaded. Throw in a family and all thier crap and things get lots heavier.

Curb weight for the RWD model is 4360 and GVWR is 6050 so not as heavy as you would think, especially compared to some of the new sedans and coupes (talking about you, Challenger). This is a first gen model mid sized SUV. Tows cars and bikes really well and hustles decently when lightly loaded.

Eric, the local dealer got back to me and it is the sasme part # that you listed for the KR21s.

[RANDY P]

KR21's are cheap and quiet but man a P/U truck destroys them. I had a set on my s10 and they were dead before 40K.

I have them presently on my Silverado I'm sure it's the same story.

[flipper35]

Did they pro-rate a new set for you?

[Joe Ricard]

Well that's heavy in my opinion.
Curb weight for the RWD model is 4360 and GVWR is 6050 so not as heavy as you would think

@ your GVWR that is 1512 Pounds per tire if loaded evenly (yea that rarely happens). but what to look for is load capacity of the tire you are interested in. plus a safety margin.

[flipper35]

The KR21 is 2183#.

A CTS is 4255 curb weight, couldn't find the GVWR. A Tahoe is 5636 curb and 7100 gross. my point was that compared to other SUVs it isn't that heavy, closer to a rear drive sedan, but I agree that you should have some safety margin, especially when loaded and towing. At gross with a 70% rear bias it would be at the limit for the tires.