Tire Brand Decision - GENERAL VS MICHELIN VS COOPER?

it’s not just snow, but temperature too. A winter tire is simply better on bare roads when it’s cold.

but I hear you, my tundra wheels were challenging to lift up onto my tire rack on the wall. I’m looking to hang them lower or roll them into the back yard.

I may look into an all wether tire that’s winter rated. Not the best, but perhaps a reasonable compromise

 

I don't think that's entirely true; it depends on how cold. If you're in Canada and experiencing sub zero temperatures, I would agree with you.

I think an all season like the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 still out performs a winter tire on dry cold surfaces 20F and above.

 

its 100% true all day, all night. 7oC and lower it makes a difference. And yes I’m in Canada so it can get cold.

drive on all seasons in -40 and hammer your brakes @80km. All seasons are like frozen hockey pucks, lol.

the all weathers remain quite pliable when cold.

 

It's not 100% true all day, all night - speaking from the experience with two cars that have/had winter tires.

There are a lot of variables in play for the ambient temperature range of 20F to 45F in dry cold conditions.

Tire performance is greatly determined by the target tire temperature - and ambient temperatures will impact this. Winter tire performance starts deteriorating above 40F measured at the tread/tire.

If you're just pulling out of your driveway when the ambient temperature is between 20F to 40F, sure, the winter tires may, initially, out perform all seasons in dry conditions. They may also continue to out perform all seasons if you're driving locally at lower speeds and never have the opportunity to heat your tires up.

But that's not necessarily going to hold true 10 minutes afterwards on the highway. When I'm driving on the highway for 10+ minutes, my tire temperatures are usually 20F-30F above ambient temperatures per the active TPMS readout on my instrument cluster. In wet conditions, my tire temps are usually 5-15F above ambient temperatures.

Even under track conditions, I would much rather have a max performance summer tire like a Michelin PS4S or Continental ECS 02 in 40F dry conditions than an all season because I will be able to reach a target tire temperature of > 80F even if the ambient temperature is 40F. This is even more critical in wet and cold conditions at the track (ie. Watkins Glen International in the early spring or late fall where it may be 35F with mixed rain/sleet). You have to have the car control skills to be able to drive your car closer to the limit in order to get heat into your tires.

Getting your tire tread into the optimum temperature range is what, essentially, unlocks the max performance you can get from the tire. This principle still applies to winter tires and all season tires.

If the ambient temperature is below 20F, then sure, you may never have the opportunity to get your tire tread into the optimum range for an all season. But I would submit that in dry conditions at 20F or greater at highway speeds for 10 minutes or more, an ultra high performance all season like the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 will out perform a winter tire.

 

Just curious....has anyone ran the skinnier 265 tire? wonder how they handle on our trucks? I'm getting close to needing new tires and these new Michelins sound interesting

 

I have the Grabber ATx in 275/70 r 18. I live in south central texas. They have held up very well for 2.5 years. They do very well in all roads conditions and even decent in a little snow. I would recommend them!

 

got any pics?!?

 

yes stand by

 

with Method 705

 

Looks good! 33’s are perfect

 

I have a 2.5 lift on the front so they look a little small. Was going to go up to a 34 next time i need tires. Not sure when that will be though cause these Grabbers still have 11/32 on them after 2.5 years.

 

Another 33" Grabbers, in action: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...5-gen-tundra-today.713/page-2602#post-2995242

 

Do you have the LT or standard ones? I’m really considering the 275/70 18 non LT Grabbers that come on the f150 tremor. Pretty much the lightest 33” option out there at 46lbs.

 

LT. Load range E. For a truck with a weight rating of 7200 lbs I would at least get the LT tire.

 

You don’t need anything more than a p rated tire for any tundra as far as load capacity

 

100%….but the problem when you go up to 275 or bigger most tire manufacturers do not make SL, just E

 

I’ll chime in for the Michelin Defenders as well. I’m about to put a third set on my 2016 1794. I tried a BFG tire last time after e recommendation from the Discount Tire guy, but went back after 2 weeks and replaced them with Defenders. The ride was not as smooth and I experienced a notable noise (higher) level. After reading all this, I’ll go with the Defenders, but the high school kid in me wants raised whit letters even though they are PITA to keep clean (I spend all my browsing time in the Detailing Forum

 

Well I pulled the trigger this afternoon!

Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT 275/70/18’s should be here by Monday.

Pics to follow!

It has been a great dialogue and I have learned much thanks to this great group! Thanks for all the information from all.

I will keep up with how the tires are in the future.

 

Great choice. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Awesome! Are they getting shipped to your house or tire store? wondering if you can weigh one if it comes to your house. I like the coopers, just hard to figure out why they are so much heavier than the alternatives. Wondering if that weight is correct.

 

100% with you! They are getting shipped directly to Discount Tire (my son works there), and I was already planning to weigh the tire before it is mounted lol!

 

I'm running those Coopers in an E load range on my Sierra 2500 and they're great.

 

Wheels:
FN BFD Gloss Graphite
18x9
22.4 lbs.
+20 Offset

Tires:
Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT LT275/70R18

Stock 2023 SR5