Another Tire Thread....or tread? Trying to make up my mind

[Happy Gilmore]

Trying to make up my mind on tires for my F-350. I've been pricing out tires and have come to the conclusion that Les Schwab no longer wants to be in the tire business? I really like their service and people but, they are out of their minds with pricing compared to Costco and Discount Tire.

I'm tossing around two sizes. 285-75-16 or 255-85-16(34"pizza cutters)
Here are the prices I've found so far: Mostly looking at a mud tire but, maybe a A/T

Dick's Tire Haus in Monroe
Cooper SST 285: $240ea
Off brand 285:     $225ea

Les Schwab
Toyo mud 285:  $330ea
Toyo AT:           $305ea

Discount Tire
BFG mud 285:  $244
BFG AT 285      $224

Discount Tire
BFG Mud 255   $ $214
Cooper SST 255 $225


I've been running Cooper SST's for the last 60K and my tires are bald. The 7.3L powerstroke is a lot of weight. I'm leaning towards the Coopers again but, the BFG Mud Terrain looks attractive. Anyone have BFG's Mud Terrain's on their HEAVY DIESEL pickups for a while and provide any comment on how they hold up?

ANyone get tires for less than Discount Tire? I priced Costco too and they are more than Discount.

[Buckhunter24]

I like the coopers 

[6x6in6]

Have your Discount contact price the Nitto Trail MT's
They are a load range E tire and your Ford with the PSD will like them better than the Cooper SST's which are a D rated tire.  May be wrong here with your tire size, but in a 35/12.50/18 the SST's do not come in an E rated.
The Mrs. has these Nitto's on her '07 Dodge with the Cummins.  40k on the ticker and at least another 20k to go.

[huntnfmly]

happy go on the web and look for the tires you want and get a quote and discount will match the price but you need to include the shipping.I went on a web site i thought was discount tires and they matched the price bfg mud km2

[Heartsblood]

We're having a new set of Big O Big Foot (Cooper US) AT tires put on the f-350 tomorrow. 315 75 16 at $285 a pop. I'm just glad to have talked wifey outta MT's as it seemed like overkill. She was concerned that AT's were gonna look stupid. I couldn't care less - I'm more into utilitarian practical reasons for sepnding well over a grand on tires.... Jaysis. I'm looking forward to it tho'. Dunno if that's helpful or not but. Just thought I'd chime in. Good luck on your search!

[6x6in6]

Have your Discount contact price the Nitto Trail MT's
They are a load range E tire and your Ford with the PSD will like them better than the Cooper SST's which are a D rated tire.  May be wrong here with your tire size, but in a 35/12.50/18 the SST's do not come in an E rated.
The Mrs. has these Nitto's on her '07 Dodge with the Cummins.  40k on the ticker and at least another 20k to go.

Nevermind............
Nitto does not make an MT in a 16". 

[HUNT]

I just ordered Nitto Terra Grappler 285/70/17 delivered to my door for $850.  More of an a/t tire.  But they are 10 ply.  Load E

Discount tire online sells tires on ebay also...  Much cheaper than in the stores.  Not sure how they do it.

[Buckmark]

Have your Discount contact price the Nitto Trail MT's
They are a load range E tire and your Ford with the PSD will like them better than the Cooper SST's which are a D rated tire.  May be wrong here with your tire size, but in a 35/12.50/18 the SST's do not come in an E rated.
The Mrs. has these Nitto's on her '07 Dodge with the Cummins.  40k on the ticker and at least another 20k to go.

Cooper STT is avail in a Load "E" in the 285's, they also make a load d so do not buy those.

[jackelope]

The Toyo Open Country Mud Terrains will get eaten up by that heavy truck.... 

I just got a little less than 60k miles out of a set of Toyo Open Country AT's about the same size. Schwab told me I should expect 70k out of them. I work in a truck shop and am OCD about rotating and tire pressures and stuff so I don't why I only got 58k out of them but thats what  I got. They were really great tires in the snow and very quiet on the road but I don't think they're worth that kind of $$.

We've been dinking around online lately looking for the cheapest price on tires and we've found prices cheaper than Discount. We install tires for tirerack.com almost every day on all kinds of different vehicles. They have good prices but there are better to be found. My buddy bought his tires online at 4wheelonline.com and got the best price in town plus free shipping. You still would have to find a place to install them but that shouldn't be too much trouble.

[sebek556]

dont know how they wear but they look cool!

[Buckhunter24]

Another place you can check is the tire rack website. Ive never been on it but Ive heard that they have good deals.

[Heartsblood]

dont know how they wear but they look cool!

Wow. Stormtrooper.

[SemperFidelis97]

I have heard people swear by the Toyos mud terrains they all drive half tons by the way my Dodge 2500 diesel chewed a set of them up in about 35k.  To be fair to Toyo though I do haul allot with that truck.  I have the Cooper Mud terrains now, and I am at about 30k with them they are at about 60%. 

[Holg3107]

I would go with the BFG A/T KO. They ride great on the Hwy, last forever, and do pretty well off road, also they sell them at Costco at the best prices that ive found. They may not have your size on their web site but if you call them they will either have them or order them for you.

[buglebuster]

bfg at in 285, period! had a set put on my stroker at 40k and I just turned 100k and they still have tread. I tow pretty often to. Key to keeping any tire alive is rotation, I rotate mine like every 2k

[JBar]

Might want to check these Coopers out also. Probably my next set of tires.

http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light-Truck/DISCOVERER-S-T-MAXX.aspx

[predatorpro]

go ask those other companys that arent schwabs what a tire costs after warranty, new tire fee, disposal fee, mounting, balancing and having a moron put them on for you

[timberghost72]

I own a 1997 F-350 crew cab and have had both of those sizes on it. I started off with the Les Schwab mud terrain in the 255/85-16 and liked the size. It looked good and worked great. They do wear out fast though. I went to get them replaced with the same tire and size and came back to the store and my truck looked ridiculous. The tires were tiny. I looked at the size on them and they were the same size 255/85-16 but they were actually physically smaller (height and width) then my worn out ones. I talked to the manager and he didn't have an answer to why. The only tires he had (I didn't want to put my old ones back on) were the 285/75-16's so that's when I switched to that size. I don't like how this size rides compared to the 255's and also these are wearing out fast. I won't be buying from them anymore even though the service is ok. My next tires for the truck will be the BFG KM2's or possibly the Goodyear Kevlar MTR's.

I forgot to add my fuel milage dropped significantly with the 285's

[PA BEN]

You might pay a little more for Les Schwab's but the road hazard warranty is the best. You have a flat free fix. Rotate free. Blow out a side wall they will prorate the cost of a new one. Been doing business with them for 27 years. Won't buy tire's anywhere else.

[netcoyote]

All four of my trucks ride on BFG TA/KOs. Great traction in snow and wear like iron. Usually get 60-70k miles on em. Three of the trucks are heavy full size diesels. Usually get 'em at Discount Tire but this time I may shop around a bit more. Funny how you get a little tighter on the budget when you retire. (pun intended) 

[huntnfmly]

I have been running bfg since the truck was new 1989 i have 3 1/2 sets the 1/2 set were used the truck has 285,000 miles on it over 70,000 miles per set thats why i got bfg again.Discount tire also has the warranty pro rated replacement free flat repair / balance / rotation if you pay $29 per tire you get full replacement for the life of tire also say your tires are pert near worn out and one blows out they replace them all cuz its not safe running only one new tire with others pretty much bald i did not believe that but thats exactly how they told me it was plus they price match off the web the last part about the warranty is prob bs but we will see but i did save about 200 with the price match

[briancorneal]

Cooper stt's are the way to go.  Bfg mudd terrain km2's are ok, but pricey, and lose tread quickly.  I've have my cooper's on for a looong time, and they still look brand new

[blacktailcrzy]

i love my cooper stts i have 37'' dose any one know where to find chains for them

[predator guy]

I just got 4 new Cooper SST less than 6 months ago, They replaced the BFG Radial Mud Terrain's I had on there. My truck rides better with those SST'S. You say those SST's lasted you for 60k miles, thats really good. I don't like Discount Tire as they are not in the business of FIXING tires, they just want to sell, so if you get a flat tire and take it to them to fix, chances are they won't and will tell you that you need a new tire. That's been my experience with D.T.

[timberghost72]

Cooper stt's are the way to go.  Bfg mudd terrain km2's are ok, but pricey, and lose tread quickly.  I've have my cooper's on for a looong time, and they still look brand new

How do those stt's perform offroad, snow, mud, rock, wheelin?   

Buy mud terrains for offroad use and stick with AT's for ride quality and wear on the road.

 

i love my cooper stts i have 37'' dose any one know where to find chains for them

You could try Six Robblees

[Buckhunter24]

i love my cooper stts i have 37'' dose any one know where to find chains for them

Schwabs in spanaway had chains for my 35" and there was a fair amount of room left. Not sure if they would fit 37s though. Also if you have a smaller set you could probably add some links

[Rick]

Les Schwab sucks. Their tires are overpriced,and they try their best to oversell,but they'll run out to do it.

Discount Tire can order any tire you want. I went in a few months ago and priced some Toyos from DT. They were about 30% less per tires than Uncle Les.

IMO,DT has customer service that rivals any Les Schwab I've ever been in.

[Happy Gilmore]

I've been pricing everything. I've gone to Ebay and see sets of BFG's for $850 but, then pay another $150 for mount/balance.

Les Schwab total installed price for a 285 mud tire (toyo) is $1,600 for my truck.

Discount tire is offering free repairs, rotations AND BALANCING of a BFG or Cooper for $1,000. (Cooper was $100 more than BFG on quote).

Before my Current Coopers I had Goodyear MTR Kevlar. They were HORRIBLE tires on the Diesel. At 20K they still had tread but, no traction. My Coopers bald have more traction on wet grass than those tires had with tread. I'd STRONGLY advise anyone from ever buying those unless you put them on a Jeep rock crawler and air them down to nothing.

First tire was a Toyo A/T 285 on my F-350. They lasted about 50K. They were ok but, I'm off road training dogs in wet grassy fields/mud and up in the mountains running around quite a bit. I have a little HOnda I kick around town in so, highway daily driving doesn't happen a lot anymore except for trips.

Thanks for the input, keep it coming.

[Happy Gilmore]

BTW, there are different versions of each tire and I am only getting quotes on E rated tires...

[jackelope]

$150 to mount and balance a set of tires is highway robbery.
 
Hap-Check your pm's.

[Happy Gilmore]

go ask those other companys that arent schwabs what a tire costs after warranty, new tire fee, disposal fee, mounting, balancing and having a moron put them on for you

I got paper quotes with all of the same features except the guys at Discount said lifetime BALANCING was included. Price for BFG's was $500 less than Schwab out the door with tax included. I really like the Schwab guys, the crew in Kent near 212th did all the trucks for the company I used to work for but, I cannot take a $500 hit just to be loyal.

[jackelope]

go ask those other companys that arent schwabs what a tire costs after warranty, new tire fee, disposal fee, mounting, balancing and having a moron put them on for you

We charge $60 straight up to mount and balance a set of 4 tires. We don't charge disposal, new tire fee(whatever that is), weights, valve stems, any of that crap.
Go ask  Schwabs why you can't do a brake job without replacing the calipers too. Morons is a strong word to use when the Schwabs guys won't do a brake job without selling new calipers. Every other shop in town doesn't "require" replacing the calipers but for some reason Schwabs does.
They think they have the market cornered on customer service because of their free rotations and balance, etc. Their prices are higher than anyone and they're not doing anything that anyone else isn't doing too...oh except making people buy brake calipers when they don't need them.
The only thing I don't agree with with Discount is when you have tire pressure sensors in your wheels they charge you to rebuild them when they replace your tires. I don't know what the need to do this is. We replace tires with TPM sensors in them all the time. As long as a guy doesn't break them, they work just fine when we're done.
 

[Caseyd]

Toyo M-55

[Happy Gilmore]

go ask those other companys that arent schwabs what a tire costs after warranty, new tire fee, disposal fee, mounting, balancing and having a moron put them on for you

We charge $60 straight up to mount and balance a set of 4 tires. We don't charge disposal, new tire fee(whatever that is), weights, valve stems, any of that crap.
Go ask  Schwabs why you can't do a brake job without replacing the calipers too. Morons is a strong word to use when the Schwabs guys won't do a brake job without selling new calipers. Every other shop in town doesn't "require" replacing the calipers but for some reason Schwabs does.
They think they have the market cornered on customer service because of their free rotations and balance, etc. Their prices are higher than anyone and they're not doing anything that anyone else isn't doing too...oh except making people buy brake calipers when they don't need them.
The only thing I don't agree with with Discount is when you have tire pressure sensors in your wheels they charge you to rebuild them when they replace your tires. I don't know what the need to do this is. We replace tires with TPM sensors in them all the time. As long as a guy doesn't break them, they work just fine when we're done.
 

That's funny. When I got there for a quote I asked about doing brakes too and I about passed out. Did them myself a few days ago. Turns out I needed a new caliper on the drivers front. I replaced all pads front and rear, two front calipers for $240 and a six pack of 16oz buds. Took about 3 hours for me to finish. Was really easy.

[Happy Gilmore]

Toyo M-55

Looked at them,

$355 each!!

[fair-chase]

Another vote for the Cooper SST's.

[timberghost72]

go ask those other companys that arent schwabs what a tire costs after warranty, new tire fee, disposal fee, mounting, balancing and having a moron put them on for you

We charge $60 straight up to mount and balance a set of 4 tires. We don't charge disposal, new tire fee(whatever that is), weights, valve stems, any of that crap.
Go ask  Schwabs why you can't do a brake job without replacing the calipers too. Morons is a strong word to use when the Schwabs guys won't do a brake job without selling new calipers. Every other shop in town doesn't "require" replacing the calipers but for some reason Schwabs does.
They think they have the market cornered on customer service because of their free rotations and balance, etc. Their prices are higher than anyone and they're not doing anything that anyone else isn't doing too...oh except making people buy brake calipers when they don't need them.
The only thing I don't agree with with Discount is when you have tire pressure sensors in your wheels they charge you to rebuild them when they replace your tires. I don't know what the need to do this is. We replace tires with TPM sensors in them all the time. As long as a guy doesn't break them, they work just fine when we're done.
 

Don't forget they will gladly leave your lug nuts loose on at least 1 wheel.  I can't count how many wheels I have retorqued on cars that recently came from them. Even on my wifes SUV. She was on I-5 when her LR wheel came off at 55 mph. It was at Schwabs a week earlier. Luckily she was able to pull off without any accident or other vehicles involved.

[Happy Gilmore]

go ask those other companys that arent schwabs what a tire costs after warranty, new tire fee, disposal fee, mounting, balancing and having a moron put them on for you

We charge $60 straight up to mount and balance a set of 4 tires. We don't charge disposal, new tire fee(whatever that is), weights, valve stems, any of that crap.
Go ask  Schwabs why you can't do a brake job without replacing the calipers too. Morons is a strong word to use when the Schwabs guys won't do a brake job without selling new calipers. Every other shop in town doesn't "require" replacing the calipers but for some reason Schwabs does.
They think they have the market cornered on customer service because of their free rotations and balance, etc. Their prices are higher than anyone and they're not doing anything that anyone else isn't doing too...oh except making people buy brake calipers when they don't need them.
The only thing I don't agree with with Discount is when you have tire pressure sensors in your wheels they charge you to rebuild them when they replace your tires. I don't know what the need to do this is. We replace tires with TPM sensors in them all the time. As long as a guy doesn't break them, they work just fine when we're done.
 

Don't forget they will gladly leave your lug nuts loose on at least 1 wheel.  I can't count how many wheels I have retorqued on cars that recently came from them. Even on my wifes SUV. She was on I-5 when her LR wheel came off at 55 mph. It was at Schwabs a week earlier. Luckily she was able to pull off without any accident or other vehicles involved.

I'm sure stuff can happen anywhere- The company I used to work for always used Schwab on all of our fleet and we never had any issues or problems. Nothing but great service. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. If you want a great store the guys on East Valley in Kent are A++. They cared for our brakes, alignments, trailers and tires on about 15 dually trucks/trailers switching to snow tires and new tires a few times a year. The company discount was big compared to what I have to pay now- Can't afford it without using the company name for pricing....

[Bean Counter]

I'm with Jack. If people are happy with Les Schwab then by all means be loyal. I tried them out a few times when I was a youngin' and never was quite as happy there as I have been at Discount. 

[Craig]

I just bought some Nitto Trail Grapplers for my truck ( don't hsave them on yet ). They look great and Discount tire matched some good prices i found online. I had Nitto Terra grapplers before and they were a great tire. I think Toyo makes Nitto.

[jeepasaurusrex]

I am running Bridgestone Duravis tires on my F350. I got them at Costco. They beat Les Slobs by about $400 on a set of 6. I like them better than anything in that price range that Swabbies had. They are wearing great and ride just as well.

[Cylvertip]

I have a 99 F250 stroke that is sporting 35" Cooper SST's.  They seem to be wearing ok - time will tell.  Traction is as good as the BFG MT's, just not sure if they will last as long.

   Prior to that though, I have run two sets of 35" BFG MT's on the truck.  Loved them.  Got 70k out of one set and sold the second set with 60K on them for like $200.  They still had 1/4 inch of tread.  The only reason for the switch to Cooper was that when I went to put new tread on for winter, there was no stock of BFG's to be found as it was right when they were switching tread patterns.  Rotate them at every oil change ( every 5K) and the BFG MT's will do great. 
Most places will rotate and balance for free and do a prorated road hazard warranty if you ask for it.  To compare tire prices, I always ask for those to be included in the "out the door" price - that way nothing creeps in at the end. 

   Scwab is always way higher priced  - apples to apples. I have had some shady stuff tried on me by them - like trying to sell me a new set of shocks and struts that I "had to have" because mine were wore out - even though it had all been replaced within the last 1000 miles.....  They will still fix you flats for free even if you did not by your tires from them.


Walmart has good pricing too.

[swanny]

+1 for another Discount Tire fan. They price matched my current Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires that I found online for about $60 less than in store. Every time I have gone in there to get them rotated it's been quick and painless. They get the car in and out and don't make me wait for hours on end just to swap the tires like Schwab does.

[Happy Gilmore]

After a few other recommendations for tirerack.com I checked them out. Still more $$ than Discount and no type of warranty or service available. I've decided to go with Discount. I searched and searched last night and cannot find any pricing lower than Discount Tire. They are easily $500-600 less than Schwab for apples to apples. They are $200-300 less than Costco for the same exact tires.

I'm thinking I'll have a level kit put on first. Maybe next week. Got to get the head gasket job done on my GF's Honda. Finishing that today. I had every car in the stable broke down last week. My truck break job, her Honda blew a head gasket. My Honda needs a new distributor(I hope that is all).....all at the same time....what a PITA!! 

[thinkingman]

I vote for these....http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=LTX+A%2FT+2&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=675R6LTXAT2V2&tab=Sizes
Discount will match the price or you can have them shipped and save the sales tax.
I have had great luck with Michelin LTX A/T's on three different vehicles.

[Armadillo]

if you cant decide go with the michelin LTX M and S,,,very nice tire.. Get the E load tires they're 8 ply and good for 60k on a 3/4 ton 

[FC]

if you cant decide go with the michelin LTX M and S,,,very nice tire.. Get the E load tires they're 8 ply and good for 60k on a 3/4 ton 

I had a set of these a couple trucks ago, they were amazing in ice and snow.

[Armadillo]

yessir they are! The rubber that michelin uses is much higher quality. A lot of tires get cracked from the sun after a few years,,,not the LTX

[CMG]

Another vote for Bridgestone Duravis tires. They were on my truck (New) when I bought it. I now have 85K on the tires, they need to be replaced but there is still decent tread. I should be able to get through the summer. The wear bars are not showing yet  I tend to get as much out of a tire as I can. I don't tow as much as some of you, but i do tow our trailer (9.5K) 15+ times a year, and Avg. 28K miles a year on my truck. I will be replacing them with the Duravis. I do travel over the passes quite a bit in the winter time to snowmobile and ski, they have very good traction on the snow/Rain and ice. Also do a fair amount of travel on gravel roads and they have held up with no visible tread notching.