Okay, well I think we are talking about the same thing. I guess I just call that stuff dirt. It's more like clay dirt. When it gets wet, it cakes up on your shoes. I have a lot of that type of dirt around my house.
If you think about it, since probably all the continents were formed by lava flows at one point in the past, I would think that "any" dirt that is on the ground is some form of broken down lava, whether it comes from Hawaii or not.
So to me it is just "dirt", but if you want to call it lava dust, I think that's technically correct. But if that's the case, whatever dirt you have anywhere in the continental US, is also technically "lava dust" as well.
But, to my way of thinking, ground up black lava like they have at the black sand beaches is more like "lava dust" or lava than brown clay dirt.... But I think we are just looking at the same thing in different ways.
Last edited by 05TundraDC; 06-25-2009 at 06:06 PM.
Im confused. Is this thread about good wet traction tires or Lava dust? Lets give the guy the advice he is looking for. Cheap tires will always leave you wanting. Looks, performance or durability. My experience with michelins is that the really high mileage tires like the LTX seem to be a little harder compound and suffer a little in the cold and wet traction dept. Could realistically get 80,000+ miles though. I also owned a set of cross terrains on an SUV that got about 56,000 miles on them that had excellent characteristis in summer, snow and wet. Even decent in muddy road off highway use. However the SUV had a better weight balance front to rear, the tundra is more front heavy with front engine and empty bed so rear tire traction will always suffer due to this. Adding a shell may help with traction when getting new tires as it adds some weight to the back. Hope this is helpful.
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Spend the money and do it right the first time!!!!
Yokahama Geolendar H/T. Cheap, good ride and handling, good in wet, last a long time.
Been there done that. It is NO GOOD in snow, but everywhere else it is a great tire.
Currently running Firestone Destination A/T (around $110 a tire) and find it a very good tire. After 20+K on a 5400 lbs truck the tread still looks brand new, good in rain, snow and mild off road.
Im confused. Is this thread about good wet traction tires or Lava dust?.
It is all the same. while oil makes a lot of conus interstates slippery, their interstates do not have the same traffic. the "dirt" is what I found to be most dangerous during a rain storm. In "winter" they get some heavy storms but light rain most of the time. I use to drive through it with my top down and never get wet unless I had to stop for awhile. So my answers are based on that. I excluded any talk of cold or snow as it is what is not relevant. And this thread has managed to stay on topic more than many. I hope this clarifies it for you.
I was impressed by the destination A/T. the only model I liked from the destination name. But I was looking at them as a winter/ snow tire when I take off the all seasons when the flurries fly. Probably a great choice for tn.
Yea, I was looking at those A/T's the last time I was there at Firestone. The sales guy told me it's a much better tire. I would not recommend the L/E's, because as I said previously, it has poor traction.
But the A/T's do cost quite a bit more, probably around the same as the Michelins they sell at costco.
Tomorrow I will go to costco and see exactly which model Michelins they have. I failed to remember but I believe it's the only tire they carry in a size that will fit my Tundra. Once I get the model, it will be easier to compare/discuss whether maybe I should get those or the A/T's instead.
I just read someone said the A/T's were $110 a tire? I think we pay a premium here, I swear it was a lot more. I think the LE's cost me maybe $120 each, but they should cost less than the A/T's. The Michelins I saw at costco were running close to around $200 a tire, I think.
Last edited by 05TundraDC; 06-25-2009 at 11:21 PM.
However the SUV had a better weight balance front to rear, the tundra is more front heavy with front engine and empty bed so rear tire traction will always suffer due to this. Adding a shell may help with traction when getting new tires as it adds some weight to the back. Hope this is helpful.
I am well aware how weight affects traction. When I went to graduate school in Spokane Washington and drove my 5.0 mustang in the snow, it got terrible traction because it was rear wheel drive but the engine was in the front. In addition to adding snow tires I added several large bags of wood pellets in the rear to help with traction.
But I think the difference is night and day. You're talking about me driving a 5.0 mustang in snow and ice, so of course the weight configuration of the engine relative to the rear wheels is going to be multipled like 100 times and I had the traction problems I was having.
To the contrary, I never had serious traction problems with that car when it was raining or it was dry.
I view the Tundra in a similar light. I don't think I should need to go to the extreme of adding weight to the bed or a camper shell to help with traction. We're not talking about driving on snow or ice here, just plain and simple rain.
I believe better tires are the fix for this relatively mild traction problem - not added weight in the rear (which I would consider if I were driving on ice or snow).
I think I could save about $150.00-$200.00 by getting the destination A/T instead of the good year silent armor, but that's here in Tn. don't know about where you guys are.
Ok, I went to costco. The 2 models they have are the Michelin X-Radial LT for $195 a tire (ALL SEASON), and the 2nd one is the Michelin Lattitude Tour (ALL SEASON), which is also labelled as a LUXURY/SUV tire.
Anyone have experience with these 2 tires and how they might compare to the Destination A/T? I'm sure the A/T is around the same price range...
I think I could save about $150.00-$200.00 by getting the destination A/T instead of the good year silent armor, but that's here in Tn. don't know about where you guys are.
I got them with some special deal at Firestone, but they are the narrower ones: 265/75R16. I wanted a taller and narrower tire for traction. At Kingsport you dont need that (unless you go off road), I have realtives living in Rogersville and it seldom gets bad down there. I am in NY
I got them with some special deal at Firestone, but they are the narrower ones: 265/75R16. I wanted a taller and narrower tire for traction. At Kingsport you dont need that (unless you go off road), I have realtives living in Rogersville and it seldom gets bad down there. I am in NY
Yeah my crewmax factory tire size is 275-65-18 so I will probably stick with that. I could see the tires you bought working well in N.Y. I do go offroad here and there but we don't have that much snow down here anymore.
I agree with the guys talking about the destination A/Ts, I don't think they are cheap tires. I run Toyo OPen country HTs and love em, but I have a few friends with different trucks who run the destinations and they swear by em. In wisconsin you can get a set of Destinations put on for $475-500, I would have gotten them but I got a great deal on my Toyos and decided to try em.
I live in Fla and figure the weather would be about the same. I was looking for a tire that gave me good traction in the wet with high resistance to hydroplaning, road noise comfort, and ride comfort. I was looking at the Michelin ATX M/S (sears has one that's supposed to be an exact match for it but Sears branded for a little less) the reviews from some of the people that had both did not rate the Sears tires as well as the Michelin dealer tires. In the tire test done by several suppliers rated the General Grabber #1 in the categories I was interested in where the Michelin's were a ways down the list (still in the top ten). The Generals actually came in at $300 cheaper. I did all my pricing online then called local dealers to get there price. My best price online was between #512 and $524 shipped with a prorated road hazard warranty. After calling around I got a set of 4 mounted, balanced, life time rotation, repair, and road hazard (not prorated) For $625 The tire size I went with 265 70R-16. Sorry for the lengthy post. Only down side to these tires is they don't do well in snow or ice (guess I'll park it when that happens here) Good luck with your hunt
Re: Cheap vs. Expensive Tires for Tundra
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