I don't believe most of your claims. But each man is entitled to his opinions, and these message boards are a great place to voice your opinion.
They do last a long time. Stock 80,000 mile tires by most accounts.
I have driven in mud and snow for two winters, and have never been stuck, or even slid off the lane of road I was on. Just went through Denver's worst snowfall in 25 years, and the 3 feet of snow we got in December melted and re-froze on the ground/roads/driveways for 3 months after.
I was nothing but pleased. But I have a FWD, so maybe FWD does better on snow and ice? I've gone "off road" on Rocky Mountain Trails with steep grades in melting snow. (probably shouldn't have, but wanted to test the limits of this FEH ) Went uphill just fine. Was a bit scary going downhill, but I don't think it was the tire's fault! So maybe the driver's driving technique plays a large role?
Now noisy tires? Perhaps. I can believe that. But I have nothing to contrast the stock tires with, so I cannot really comment.
You say Bridgestones offer a "much smoother ride".
I suspect the Bridgestones are circular in shape, and your stock tires were
also circular in shape. No six sided wheels here right? "Smoothness" is largely a result of air pressure.
I promise you, with 100% certainty, your stock tires would be the exact same "smoothness" of ride, with appropriate air pressure. Softer tires = smoother ride, so that claim in particular is difficult for me to swallow. 42 psi in Bridgestones may not compare to 42 psi in Contis, but 42 psi in Bridgestones would "feel" the same smoothness as 38 psi in Contis for example.
I've been nothing but pleased with these stock tires. They are better than any stock tire that came with any other vehicle I've owned. They are of course, not as good at a "niche" as specialty tires, but I do think they are a good all purpose tire. I'd love to buy your spares, if shipping was not outrageous. What major city are you near?
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Originally Posted by jmorton10
I have always HATED these tires (& I've had them on two different vehicles). They get good mpg & last a long time, but other than that I think they suck......Although they say M&S on them, don't believe it......
I found those tires to be ridiculously loud on the highway, they ride like cr@p & they are terrible in the rain/snow.
Today, I installed a set of Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza (255/55R-18) tires mounted on OZ Canyon wheels (I also installed a full size spare). I set the pressure at 42 lbs & went for a ride. It will be real interesting to see how these effect my mpg, but I can state the difference in ride quality is night & day (read the reviews of these tires at tirerack.com).
All the highway noise is gone (the difference is really dramatic) & they provide a much smoother ride. After riding around for a couple hours, I decided even if my mpg did go down slightly that it will be worth it, the truck is just so much more pleasant to drive now that I can't imagine going back to the old wheels & tires (I may even sell them at some point as they literally look brand new).
I will post how it effected my mpg after I get a full tank of gas through it.
~John
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