Almost time for new tires, what are you planning on getting after the stock tires wear out?

[Oafy44]

Did a 2” level and went with 285/65r20 recon grapplers.

34.8 tire.

I’m thinking I might be a tad happier if I went 295/60r20 with only a 2” level but I have no rubbing and the suspension is still great so maybe next set. I do like how much higher I feel looking out of the cab tho.

Range is around 2.0-2.5 around town in 50 degree weather. 1.6-1.8 in 28 degree weather

Anything above 55 I haven’t seen it better than 1.9.

The tires have been calibrated as well so I know my correct MPH ect.

 

[Hammick]

So guys may we have a minor emergency in Montana with our Lariat ER. Had a big puncture in the right rear General Grabber. Got it patched from the inside but you can see the patch through the tread. It's toast and needs to be replaced. Then noticed the the left front had a noticeable bulge in the center of the tread. The tire shop said it was toast and put the spare in it's place

I have an appointment tomorrow at Costco to get 4 Michelin XLT A/S-2 (Big Box store Defenders). I'm worried they won't handle the road up to our place any better than the Grabbers.

With a 1,200 mile drive between our two homes I don't think I could handle the highway noise of the KO2s or the range hit.

Any reason to think the Defenders would fair better than the Grabbers on rough rocky roads?

 

[Discount Tire]

@Hammick not sure how the A/S would work for you, but the new Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 has a mud and snow rating but the absolute best highway mannerisms. Very quiet. We have store locations in Helena, Kalispell and Billings to assist you. Don't hesitate to send us a DM on the forum if you would like our assistance.

 

[Hammick]

@Hammick not sure how the A/S would work for you, but the new Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 has a mud and snow rating but the absolute best highway mannerisms. Very quiet. We have store locations in Helena, Kalispell and Billings to assist you. Don't hesitate to send us a DM on the forum if you would like our assistance.

Thank for the info. We actually had a set installed at the Costco in Billings today. Almost impossible to believe but we had a third tire go flat today about 20 miles from Costco. Took three hours to get there after the flat (about 7 of the Neely tire worms, and ten stops to air up. Total nightmare. Ford should be ashamed for putting such crap tires on the Lightning.

The Defenders are by the far the best AS tires I've ever had. The five miles of gravel and then three miles of damaged road up to our place was night and day with the Defenders.

I have no idea why the Grabbers failed. Three ruined tires in two days. My last flat in a car was over 30 years ago. And no idea why the Neely plugs didn't hold. I've never had a problem with them. It seemed like the belts in these tires were separated not allowing the plug to hold.

 

[Pioneer74]

Thank for the info. We actually had a set installed at the Costco in Billings today. Almost impossible to believe but we had a third tire go flat today about 20 miles from Costco. Took three hours to get there after the flat (about 7 of the Neely tire worms, and ten stops to air up. Total nightmare. Ford should be ashamed for putting such crap tires on the Lightning.

The Defenders are by the far the best AS tires I've ever had. The five miles of gravel and then three miles of damaged road up to our place was night and day with the Defenders.

I have no idea why the Grabbers failed. Three ruined tires in two days. My last flat in a car was over 30 years ago. And no idea why the Neely plugs didn't hold. I've never had a problem with them. It seemed like the belts in these tires were separated not allowing the plug to hold.

With your long commute between homes, keep us updated on any range hit, please. I'm very interested in these tires when I need replacements.

 

[TomB985]

Thank for the info. We actually had a set installed at the Costco in Billings today. Almost impossible to believe but we had a third tire go flat today about 20 miles from Costco. Took three hours to get there after the flat (about 7 of the Neely tire worms, and ten stops to air up. Total nightmare. Ford should be ashamed for putting such crap tires on the Lightning.

The Defenders are by the far the best AS tires I've ever had. The five miles of gravel and then three miles of damaged road up to our place was night and day with the Defenders.

I have no idea why the Grabbers failed. Three ruined tires in two days. My last flat in a car was over 30 years ago. And no idea why the Neely plugs didn't hold. I've never had a problem with them. It seemed like the belts in these tires were separated not allowing the plug to hold.

I wonder if weight has something to do with it. The factory Grabbers are the lightest tire I could find on Tire Rack's website at 34 lbs. Every other tire in that size seems to be substantially heavier; those Michelins are 39 lbs, and my Destination A/T2s are 42 lbs.

The factory shoes are OEM-spec tires that are presumably altered for lower rolling resistance. Maybe this lighter, more efficient construction sacrifices some puncture resistance?

I bought my truck used with 18.5K on the clock, and the factory rubber was about halfway gone. They all matched, though, so I'd guess they're durable enough for regular highway service. My XLT is a full 1,800 lbs heavier than my dad's Supercrew STX F150, and about 1,000 lbs heavier than other brands' half tons. You might be that use case that benefits from thicker construction of an LT-metric tire.

I've been disappointed in the efficiency I've gotten out of mine on these Firestone A/Ts, though. I may switch to the OEM tire next time around if I don't see similar numbers to everyone else when it warms up.

 

[Hammick]

I wonder if weight has something to do with it. The factory Grabbers are the lightest tire I could find on Tire Rack's website at 34 lbs. Every other tire in that size seems to be substantially heavier; those Michelins are 39 lbs, and my Destination A/T2s are 42 lbs.

The factory shoes are OEM-spec tires that are presumably altered for lower rolling resistance. Maybe this lighter, more efficient construction sacrifices some puncture resistance?

I bought my truck used with 18.5K on the clock, and the factory rubber was about halfway gone. They all matched, though, so I'd guess they're durable enough for regular highway service. My XLT is a full 1,800 lbs heavier than my dad's Supercrew STX F150, and about 1,000 lbs heavier than other brands' half tons. You might be that use case that benefits from thicker construction of an LT-metric tire.

I've been disappointed in the efficiency I've gotten out of mine on these Firestone A/Ts, though. I may switch to the OEM tire next time around if I don't see similar numbers to everyone else when it warms up.

The only thing I can think of other than me being cursed is that I damaged them in October. I had a load of flooring forked into the bed and the onboard scales told me I was a couple hundred lbs over weight. Banging up the last three miles of damaged road may have compromised the belts.

My other theory is that they are just crap tires. The guy at Tirerack wasn't fond of them and said they were quite a bit less $$$ than the Defenders.

 

[Hammick]

With your long commute between homes, keep us updated on any range hit, please. I'm very interested in these tires when I need replacements.

Will do. We are headed home Wed and will be traversing the charging desert on I-25 from Buffalo, WY down to Cheyenne. The long stretch from Sheridan to Casper then Casper to Cheyenne is what steered me away from the KO2s.

 

[mefly2]

So guys may we have a minor emergency in Montana with our Lariat ER. Had a big puncture in the right rear General Grabber. Got it patched from the inside but you can see the patch through the tread. It's toast and needs to be replaced. Then noticed the the left front had a noticeable bulge in the center of the tread. The tire shop said it was toast and put the spare in it's place

I have an appointment tomorrow at Costco to get 4 Michelin XLT A/S-2 (Big Box store Defenders). I'm worried they won't handle the road up to our place any better than the Grabbers.

With a 1,200 mile drive between our two homes I don't think I could handle the highway noise of the KO2s or the range hit.

Any reason to think the Defenders would fair better than the Grabbers on rough rocky roads?

Why do you think the KO2s are noisy ... little difference to our ears from the OEM Hankooks.
Range is down only slightly - speed has more effect than the tires for us...
... and we LIVE in Montana full time! Of course, if you read it on the internet ... efficiency may drop by .5-1 % ...

 

[Hammick]

Why do you think the KO2s are noisy ... little difference to our ears from the OEM Hankooks.
Range is down only slightly - speed has more effect than the tires for us...
... and we LIVE in Montana full time! Of course, if you read it on the internet ... efficiency may drop by .5-1 % ...

My neighbor has a set on her Tundra and she says the noise is noticeable. I'd love to drive a Lightning with KO2s and find out for myself. Thanks for the info on the range. Very surprising it's not a big range hit given their weight.

 

[mefly2]

We are on our fourth set of KO2s on a variety of trucks ... happy, happy, happy!

 

[Discount Tire]

With the soon to be released KO3, it would be nice to compare it with the KO2 on the Lightning.

 

[mefly2]

With the soon to be released KO3, it would be nice to compare it with the KO2 on the Lightning.

Yes, it wold be nice to have a side by side comparison.
KO3s are out around here but cost to ship from supplier to retailer is high. We didn't want to spend the extra $$.

 

[Hammick]

With your long commute between homes, keep us updated on any range hit, please. I'm very interested in these tires when I need replacements.

Trip home was 1,200 miles. Didn't notice any reduction in range. These are great tires and I highly recommend them. Right at $1,095 installed at Costco (MT has no sales tax). That includes 5 year road hazard warranty, lifetime rotations and balancing and nitrogen. There was an $80 instant coupon and I'm not sure how long that promotion is for.

 

[rdr854]

I noticed today that Ford is now equipping the Lariats and certain XLTs with Good Year Territory HT tires instead of the General Grabber tires. The Good Year tires have the 116T rating and are Mud and Snow rated.

Do not know how good they are or what the mileage rating is.

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