Stock (ish) Tires

[spenpet]

19 hours ago, newdude said:

 

Well, bigger doesn't necessarily = safer on a tire.  That comes down to proper air pressure, tread design (all season vs. all terrain), tire contact to the road, etc.  Going too big on a stock wheel can put the tire out of its rim working zone which can compromise how the tire sits on the wheel and its tread contact.  

 

Informational bits aside, if you are looking at the Michelin Defender LTX MS, in both stock 265/65R18 and 275/65R18, they are rated for wheel working width of 7.5"-9.5" wide wheels.  Tire companies typically measure the happy spot right in the middle, and Michelin has the section widths (side wall to side wall of the tire) measured based on an 8 inch wide wheel (stock wheels are 8.5").  So, long and short, a 275/65R18 is beyond acceptable to upsize on a stock wheel and would be safe to do so. 

 

As for perfromance, you may see a bit more on the handling side (wider tread) and you might get some slight tramlining (feels like you are on trolley rails) on pavement and concrete (my stock size Continental Terrain Contact HT do this on concrete).  Otherwise, I'd expect them to perform about equal to the stock size tires, but your judgement once you monted that size will be the true determination for your ROI on them.   

this is great insight, thank you!

[spenpet]

21 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

You've watched tire reviews from experts like Tire Rack? You may have noticed that much of what your asking is subjective. Even multiple testers don't always agree so they grade by general consensus. Things like steering 'feel' and tire "boom'. Turn in response and vehicle rotation through a turn are considered. 

 

Consumer reviews are individually more pointed but shotgun like in collective breadth.

 

However the Pro's do some objective testing as well. Stopping distances, skid pad and slalom times. I find it interesting that within in a category of tire the results while different are also quite small but safety is a matter of inches and feet and one tire of the three generally tested in a group will consistently have some edge no matter how small. Also interesting to me is there are tires whose objective test are a hair lower but have a 'feel' that inspires confidence so that a novice driver can actually get more from it that the uneasy feel of the higher ranked tire will let their internal warning lights obtain. 

 

They never test between groups but objective results are derived at the same test parameters. So printing off a sheet for each tire and then comparing only the subjective elements will render some usable results. 

 

Some things are just obvious. Some tire types and patterns are just inherently more noisy. Some like white lettering, some don't. Some prefer a treads look to another. 

 

A tip or two on consumer reviews. At least at Tire Rack they break the reviews into mileage groups. I look at reviews for a tire that have multiple reviews from drivers who exceed the warranty miles and drive some vehicle close to what I what to put them on. A review over 1 K miles doesn't tell me anything useful unless it is in comparison to the 70 K reviews. What do you think? If 10 guys get 70 K and are happy and 10 whine that they can't get 25 K before it wears out do you think it's the tire or the driver or the vehicles state of maintenance? Is it the tires fault? 

 

Tire threads go on for pages and pages and often end in heated exchanges and nothing is accomplished. They are going on your truck (or your wife's). 

 

All tires have this constant. They work best and last the longest on vehicles that are well aligned with tires properly inflated, rotated and occasionally balanced and driven by a rational adult. That last element can be hard to find .

 

I hope I said something useful in the 20 minutes to took to think and type this.  Now, I have grass to mow. Later and have a nice morning, eh? 

thanks for your response...and although i agree with most/all of what you said, I would be comparing the same tire, same tread, just a slightly larger version...so you are right...people get passionate about their tires (for some reason, im not really sure)...and everyone has an opinion...my opinion is i know the Michelin Defender is an ugly tire, but it just performs as good if not better than any other tire in that category...so i am getting that for my wife's vehicle because she doesnt care about looks or anything else...i am just comparing stock size to a slightly larger version...

[Grumpy Bear]

2 hours ago, spenpet said:

thanks for your response...and although i agree with most/all of what you said, I would be comparing the same tire, same tread, just a slightly larger version...so you are right...people get passionate about their tires (for some reason, im not really sure)...and everyone has an opinion...my opinion is i know the Michelin Defender is an ugly tire, but it just performs as good if not better than any other tire in that category...so i am getting that for my wife's vehicle because she doesnt care about looks or anything else...i am just comparing stock size to a slightly larger version...

Then it will be larger and heavier and take a bit longer to stop and a bit more fuel to wind up. For the same brand and a badge could be as little as a pound.  

 

I get it. I have Defenders on one of my cars and it's been a great tire. Fact is I've had few bad tires even among several brands. I've had different but not bad. Lifetime maybe one set that wouldn't balance and one set of Firestone 500's in the 70's that were recalled for defective belts. I already had them 10 K past the warranty point and they were working fine, wearing well and looking good and Firestone just bough me five new tires. COOL!  

 

I think one thing people looking a tire test forget is testers put those tires on their limits. Actually they go beyond their limits or they wouldn't know what the limit was. We just don't drive like that as a general rule. The other thing is the vehicle the tire is mounted to has a huge effect on things like skid pad numbers and braking distance. They are meant to ferret out the differences in the tires in a control (sort of) setting.

 

Anyway, wishing you well and enjoy the ride.  

[MaverickZ71]

From the specs on the Tire Rack website, the difference between the 2 sizes of Michelin Defender LTX M/S highway all-season tire listed above is 275/65R18 costs $34 more than 265/65R18, has 155 lb more weight-carrying capacity, weighs 2 lbs more, is a hardly noticeable 0.7 inch wider at the tread, is 0.6 inches taller overall, and turns 648 revs per mile as compared to 659 for the 'smaller' tire.  

 

Executive summary:  For the $136+tax extra that the 'taller' tires cost, you may have a very slightly softer ride over bumps, your steering feel at turn-in will be a little sloppier, and your acceleration, braking, handling, and fuel mileage will be a tad worse with the taller tire.  And your speedometer/odometer will be understated by 1.7% with the taller tire.  I'd go with the 'smaller' tire unless you just really need that additional 620 lbs of payload capacity, and then I'd still wonder if your stock axle and suspension was up to the task of the additional load.  But at the end of the day, it's your vehicle and your decision.  Happy motoring.  

Edited August 5, 2020 by MaverickZ71

[Grumpy Bear]

Personal story along this line. My 255R70/17 Bridgestone H/T are up for replacement. I've oped for a Perilli Scorpion HT in P265R65/17. One pound lighter, a half inch shorter and a half inch wider. That translated into a slightly less (2%) mass equivelant but a 5% lower inertia moment.   

[MaverickZ71]

17 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Personal story along this line. My 255R70/17 Bridgestone H/T are up for replacement. I've oped for a Perilli Scorpion HT in P265R65/17. One pound lighter, a half inch shorter and a half inch wider. That translated into a slightly less (2%) mass equivelant but a 5% lower inertia moment.   

Inertia moment?  You mean like getting out of bed early on a Saturday?  

[Grumpy Bear]

31 minutes ago, MaverickZ71 said:

Inertia moment?  You mean like getting out of bed early on a Saturday?  

Exactly like that!

 

[Texas Daddy]

Lots of good advice. While I would say looks are the biggest return, a lot of ROI depends on your current tire as well. My burb came with 265/65/18R112 Michelin energy savers (actually not bad for DFW hwy commute @ 85mph); going to Defenders in the 275/65/18R116 size would net me almost 1200lbs more load capacity at same speed rating, and still be a comfortable P metric tire. This is better for all 'truckery' be it hauling, towing, or off roading, and just makes for a tougher tire. I think I can get another year out of the stockers, but if a good sale comes up - Im jumping on the 275 defenders...