So after 4 years and 36 and a half thousand miles, the stock Goodyear SR-A tires needed to be replaced on the truck. A quick look at TireRack.com showed the Goodyears are not rated well; with only a 3.8 out of 10 would buy again rating. That isn’t a very strong endorsement. While the Goodyear SR-A rode well and handled OK in all seasons; the low mileage to replacement and the across the board low reviews at TireRack.com definitely made me want to look around.
Prior to towing, I used Big-0 Big Foot AT tires for a bit more aggressive tread for my 1500 truck to provide better traction in the winter months. However, with the truck’s primary purpose of towing our rig during the summer months I am more interested in a smoother ride that is still decent in winter conditions. While I still want good performance during Denver’s winter driving conditions and traveling to the mountains for skiing; the 4 wheel drive, along with sand in the bed, keeps the truck going in snowy conditions. If road conditions are more than the truck can handle with all season tires, I really don’t need or want to be on the roads.
Research on TireRack.com for 265/60 R20s brought the Michelin Defender LTX M/S to the top. Looking down the list, I compared ratings to other tires and the Michelin kept coming to the top for an all round, good all-season tire. Other comparable tires were generally more expensive. I run the Michelin Defenders on my Yukon XL and I am generally pleased with their performance. Although the tires do spin in the winter, especially with the 2 wheel drive Yukon. Because of the winter difficulties with the Yukon the new Michelin Agilis Crossclimate caught my eye.
I run the Michelin Crossclimate on SoWeWentMom’s front wheel drive Ford Fusion and have been extremely pleased with the performance. They handle rain and snowy conditions very well; especially icy or snow pack roads. These tires did reduce the fuel economy of the Fusion, but the performance is worth it. Michelin designed these specifically to make performance in dry, wet, or snowy conditions similar. This reduced the challenge adjusting stopping distances significantly in bad weather. To their credit, without telling SoWeWentMom about that feature, she came home after a snowy day dropping the kids off at school and commented how she really liked that the car stopped in the same distance on slick roads as dry. I would say Michelin hit their target. Unfortunately, in addition to the reduction in fuel economy, the Crossclimate tires are only lasting about 30 thousand miles on SoWeWentMom’s Fusion. (SoWeWentMom: I LOVE the tires on my Fusion, I cannot begin to express how well they handle in the variety of weather conditions that Colorado can throw at you year round)
I came really close to choosing the Agilis Crossclimate tires for the truck. Then Robin at Big-O tires reminded me that the Agilis Crossclimites do not have a mileage guarantee, but the Defenders have a 50,000 mile guarantee. This caused me to pause and think about what I am using the truck for.
SoWeWentMom’s Fusion is driven mostly in the winter taking the kids to and from school. The tires for the Fusion were selected to handle Colorado’s mostly dry winters while still being able to handle some snow and ice. The truck’s primary purpose is to haul the trailer during the summer months. The intent is to have smooth, quite running tires that will last a long time while handling the weight of the trailer. The tires needed to perform well on dry and wet roads. While the primary purpose is summer towing, it is still my bad weather vehicle in the winter. Therefore the tires need to provide sufficient traction in snow and ice while in 4 while drive while not forgetting that all cars are 4 wheel stop.
Since I had already chosen the Defender MS2 for the Yukon XL for many of the same purposes I wanted in my truck as a tow vehicle, I decided to go with the Michelin Defender LTX M/S. They are rated very well, at the lower end of price for the highly rated tires, have a 50,000 mile guarantee, and I am already running them on my Yukon XL. While I have had a little trouble in the winter with the tires on the Yukon, the winter driving rating a TireRack.com for the Defenders is above 8 out 10 versus the Goodyear being around 5 out of 10. Since the Truck did fine in the winter with the Goodyears, the Defenders should only improve the performance.
Lastly, now that I now the Crossclimate come in a light truck version and since SoWeWentMom is driving the Yukon XL more in the winter for carppol, my next set of tires on the Yukon will most likely be the Crossclimates.
– SoWeWentDad
So We Went to the RV Show Blog is not affiliated with Big-O Tires, Michelin, Goodyear, or TireRack.
So We Went to The RV Show ... 