600 bucks isn't a lot for tires these days...well, good ones anyway, but I need a new set on my 2010 Exploder 4x4. I drive it maybe 150 miles a week (my old 4Runner does most of the heavy lifting) back and forth to work. I need 235 70r 16. All-terrain would be nice but again the 4Runner has that covered and the Exploder won't see much off-road action. Some occasional snow...I live in the Southeast (not far from Scotty, actually).
Avoiding the garbage Chinese-based companies make but sorta ok with reputable brands' tires made in China. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
How about Cooper Discoverers? About $480 for 4 tires.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cooper-Discoverer-A-T-All-Season-235-70R16-106T-Tire/644468083
Thanks, Chuck. Yeah, I had those Coopers on my list. I don't know much about them though. They're a Walmart-exclusive tire made by Cooper, and I haven't seen much info about them. Supposedly made in Texas. I don't think I'd want Walmart doing the install and I'm not sure how that would effect any warranty.
You should be able to have anyone install them. When buying tires from WalMart (Douglas brand, made for them by Goodyear), what I do is just bring them the rims so they don't have to touch the car. Haven't had any problems but I just buy them for my older vehicles that have plain steel rims. I probably wouldn't trust WalMart with good/expensive wheels.
I'm leaning strong toward the Coopers. Visited 2 Walmarts today. Looked at the tire. "Made in USA" on the sidewall. First Walmart, service mgr told me his garage was a revolving door. He can't keep anyone. Second Walmart was a ways outside the city in the burbs. Completely opposite story. Mgr has been there for 20 yrs, and his crew are older guys, some have been there for 10 years (and I saw them). He printed me a quote for 4 Cooper Discoverer AT in my size, for $97.00/ea. (Rollback price in effect for this tire) Cost for everything except taxes...$500.00. Quote is good for 30 days. Tires have to be ordered. That Rollback price knocks $88.00 off the regular price. I doubt I'm going to find a better deal on a decent tire.
I had read that the AT was actually the AT3, before Cooper changed the model to 4s, XLT, etc. So I contacted Cooper via chat, and here is what I learned:
"Yes. The Discoverer A/T is a private label tire that we manufacture exclusively for Walmart for sale on the online marketplace and in their stores. What this means is that even though Cooper manufactures the tires, Walmart owns all the marketing, advertising, and warranty rights to that brand. If the need should ever arise that you would have to replace the tires under the warranty, Walmart would be responsible for processing the warranty.
Back in July of 2018, we introduced our new AT3 family of tire—the AT3 4S, the AT3 LT, and the AT3 XLT. These tires replaced the original Discoverer A/T3 tires. A couple of years later, Cooper and Walmart entered into an agreement where Cooper would be able to sell tires in Walmart stores and online at http://spr.ly/61772zjTwO. Walmart asked Cooper to provide them with an all-terrain tire that they could call their own proprietary tire and we suggested the old A/T3. They agreed, and after filling in the number three in the molds, we began making that tire for them.
The Discoverer A/T is the exact same tire as the original A/T3. It is made in the same plant (Findlay, Ohio and Texarkana, Arkansas), by the same dedicated Cooper employees with the same quality materials and quality standards as every other tire we manufacture."
I would go to Craigslist, Wheels and Tires section and see if somebody is selling "take offs", tires off a new vehicle they replace with bigger tires. They are effectively new and usually at a good price.
the Exploder won't see much off-road action
Then why even bother?
@dad2lm2 should be able to give you the rundown.
LOL...haven't reached that point yet. Actually, mine's pretty nice. It was a company lease I got for wholesale from a buddy who owns a car auction. Highway miles, maintenance records, blah blah. Still, if I were driving x-country tomorrow, I'd drive my '99 4Runner. The difference in quality is pretty obvious.
You wrote Exploder twice, so I took the hint.. LOL You may want good A/T for the snow, but that’ll depend on your real world usage. A quick google search reveals Michelins are over your budget - https://www.walmart.com/browse/auto-tires/23570r16-tires/91083_1077064_8595272_9000137?facet=brand%3AYokohama%7C%7Cbrand%3AHankook%7C%7Cbrand%3ABF+Goodrich%7C%7Cbrand%3AFirestone%7C%7Cbrand%3AGoodyear%7C%7Cbrand%3ABridgestone%7C%7Cbrand%3APirelli%7C%7Cbrand%3ACooper+Tires%7C%7Cbrand%3AToyo%7C%7Cbrand%3AMichelin%7C%7Cbrand%3AContinental%7C%7Cbrand%3AKelly%7C%7Cbrand%3ACooper%7C%7Cbrand%3ADunlop
Tough ask. Most of what is in your price range (especially from Walmart or Amazon) is going to be from China or worse.
We have had good success with Vredesteins on my daughters car; superb foul weather tire. They are a first rate European brand, comparable to Pirelli or Continental, but they are selling them at a discount through Tire Rack to build US market share. The model they have in your size (Pinza AT) is just above your price range, but probably worth it.
But don’t just look at sale price, take into account lifetime ownership. Go to the best local tire shop where you know they will support their product. See what they can do for you. (All it takes is one cross-threaded lug nut to negate a cheap sale price.)
Thanks. Yeah, it is a tough ask. If I were going to be driving big miles, I'd bite the bullet and expand my budget. But logging just a couple hundred miles a week driving to work...
Anyway, the Vredesteins look impressive and I appreciate the heads-up. I had never heard of them.
My local tire shop is a Firestone dealer, and that would be my preferred option. I put Destination A/Ts on my 4Runner a couple years ago and they have been a very solid tire. The guy who manages the place is knowledgeable and took good care of me. I spoke to him a month ago about tires/budget for my Exploder, and he suggested I wait a few weeks, because Firestone was adding a new tire to the lineup, named Suredrive. He said they are replacing the Primewell line, which he wasn't impressed with.
He said these Suredrive tires had done well in U.S. test markets, and they were going to be available in my area. They make a road and A/T tire. Both are within budget. I'm sure they are made overseas, which doesn't bother me as much as a tire from a Chinese company with no reputation and lots of question marks.
I plan to have another chat with the Firestone guy this week. Not much info out there on Suredrive.
Good. If a local guy you trust can take care of you and will stand behind the product, go for it
I bought some tires from Amazon for my Explorer. The brand was WestLake. They aren't as good as Michelin or Goodyear but they cost half as much. They are a little louder at 80mph but I don't usually drive it that fast anyways. They've been on my Explorer for years and the tires still have plenty of tread left. They ride pretty decent and hold in the rain. Exceeded my expectations. If I drove it on the highway everyday, I would put better tires on it. But they are good enough for my purposes.
Thanks Jerome. Glad your Westlakes are working out. I've heard some horror stories about them, but maybe the older ones are better quality. Pretty sure they are a Chinese company, and at this point, everything I've read about Chinese tire companies tells me to look elsewhere.