Help with Tire Purchase

[BuckeyeGuy]

Hi All. I'm to the point where my OEM tires need to be replaced on my 2010 LE. I was able to get about 27K out of them, 2/3s of the miles being highway. The need has come at a bad time so I'm trying to find the best bang for the buck. In doing some looking online and at the B&Ms, it's come down to the BFG Touring T/A. I can get 4 from Sam's right now for about 400 out the door (they are running a special on BFGs this month). I've done a lot of reading trying to figure out something that I can't. Just above these in the BFG line are the Advantage T/As. Per tire they are ~18 dollars more expensive. I can't for the life of me figure out what is justifiying the cost delta. They have the same warranty, same features, and look about the same. The only difference I can see is tread pattern. For those wondering I am comparing like speed ratings. Does anyone have expereince with either of these? Anyone have another tire suggesting in the same price point of better?

[sarsman45]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeGuy

Hi All. I'm to the point where my OEM tires need to be replaced on my 2010 LE. I was able to get about 27K out of them, 2/3s of the miles being highway. The need has come at a bad time so I'm trying to find the best bang for the buck. In doing some looking online and at the B&Ms, it's come down to the BFG Touring T/A. I can get 4 from Sam's right now for about 400 out the door (they are running a special on BFGs this month). I've done a lot of reading trying to figure out something that I can't. Just above these in the BFG line are the Advantage T/As. Per tire they are ~18 dollars more expensive. I can't for the life of me figure out what is justifiying the cost delta. They have the same warranty, same features, and look about the same. The only difference I can see is tread pattern. For those wondering I am comparing like speed ratings. Does anyone have expereince with either of these? Anyone have another tire suggesting in the same price point of better?

If you scour the internet and check manufacture sites, there are tires (such as the Michelin X Radial LT2 or the above BFG) that are made specifically for wholesale stores that you would not find in the tire chain stores all around you. They are purposely marked that way to "protect" their investments from entering the market without them knowing, and to identify wholesale tires from tire store ones.

When I got my Michelins at Costco, they were $7 cheaper than the Michelin LTX2 M/S, which both have the same characteristics and warranty, yet the tread pattern is slightly different. Using the same compound formula, tire companies will create different molds to suit the user.

[JohnGD]

BFG is the budget brand of Michelin. Just make sure you check to see if they have tread wear warranty and reviews about noise and handling, for example on Tirerack.com.

Otherwise check out Michelin Pilot Exalto. It's got 45K mile prorated tread wear warranty. But at $141/each + installation and tax (at Costco) even after the $70 off coupon for four still much more than BFGs.

Are the OEM tires Bridgestones? If so 27K is about all they do.

Originally Posted by BuckeyeGuy

In doing some looking online and at the B&Ms, it's come down to the BFG Touring T/A. I can get 4 from Sam's right now for about 400 out the door (they are running a special on BFGs this month).

[BuckeyeGuy]

Just talked to BFG. The Touring T/A is the club version of the Advantage T/A with a slightly different tread pattern. I think I'll give it a try.

[BuckeyeGuy]

New shoes are on. I had to go with the more expensive V rated over the H rated. Sam's said that since Toyota calls for V rated if I put anything else on they won't honor the mileage warrenty (I was hoping to step down one rating and save a little money). I'll report back after a couple hundred miles on noise. Just driving back to work it seemed a little more noisy. But I think that's to be expected.