I have an 07 FX4 with BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A on it. P275/65 R18 114T. Has anyone had a problem with the side of the tire by the tread starting to crack? I have almost 32k on the truck and these are the original tires, but they look to me like the tread is starting to come apart. I first noticed this on my spare (because I have to keep it locked in the bed of the tuck so that it doesn't get stolen), so I looked closer at the other 4 tires and they all pretty much look the same. I did a Google search and found some other complaints about it, but no one really gave a resolution to the problem. It was really only complaints on there. I have not taken to the dealer or to a tire dealer to ask them yet, wanted to see if there were a lot of these out there. Thanks guys! Terry

 

My truck came with the same tires. They were very weather checked and I did not feel safe with them. They were replaced with 34000 miles on the truck.

 

Ditto for the wife's explorer. They were 2 years old with 51k miles on them when I replaced them due to cracking in the tread and sidewalls. Plenty of tread on them otherwise, just didn't feel safe letting her - or anybody else - drive on them.

When I contacted a BFGoodrich dealer, I was told that was the nature of those tires, to deal with it, and wanted me to buy another set -- no thanks.

 

bad batch from 2004-2008...POS tires.

if you read back in the forums 3-4 yrs ago, you will find tons of complaints about those tires doing exactly what you are describing.


get a good set of LT tires and keep on trucking. I've had several set of BFG tires and i think they are all crap. Goodyear and Michelin for the win

 

Also, 275/65/18s are very hard to find this time of year. I couldn't get anything besides Coopers in my area (that I could afford anyways). I am pleased with my ATRs so far but they definitely were not my first choice. Though I have had many Coopers in the past. I got an LT in load range C, which was a perfect compromise for me. Plus you get a deeper tread with LTs. There are other helpful threads to read on this forum as well in regard to tire choices/sizing/load ranges etc. Whatever you choose, do as much research as possible. Good luck.

 

Well I agree with the Michelin being good tires and BFG's being bad tires but Goodyear doesn't have much going for them anymore in my opinion. At least not in the truck tires.

 

+1 for Michelin. Pricey rubber, but worth every penny. Sure they're not American made, yadda yadda, but when we're talking about my life, my vehicle, and potentially my family lives on the line, I'll gladly pay for good rubber.

But I'm also considering going with Toyo...but seriously...Michelin all day.

 

Thanks for all of the info guys! I will post a reply if something changes.

 

Hold on here.

1. Most Michelins are made in the US and Canada these days. Tire Rack has a specs section for each tire that indicates country of origin.

2. Michelin OWNS BF Goodrich and many of their tires are made in the same factory as Michelins. There have definitely been some poor BFG's in the past (especially cheap OEM type tires) but some of their new tires are excellent. I have a set of Long Trail TA Tours (recent design) on one of our vehicles and they are excellent after 27k miles, showing almost zero wear. And made in the US.

In recent years I have had great luck with both Michelins and BFG's on both trucks and cars. In fact, of the 4 cars in the household, 2 are on Michelins and 2 are on BFG's.

George

 

I see what you're saying George, and I'm still a fan.

But it's the same as calling a Camry "American made" when it's company is clearly foreign. It may be assembled here, but it's still not American made in my eyes.

 

When I bought my truck it had 29,500 miles on it and like new Goodyear Wrangler AT/S's on it. I was always trying to figure out why the factory tires had to be replaced so quickly. The spare is a BF goodrich rugged trail. I bet mine were part of the bad batch and they went bad quickly. Like Coskid, I had never had good luck with goodyear, but these on my truck have done very well. I have put 52,000 miles on them, plus whatever was on them when I bought it. They still got 10,000 or more in them and look good, no cracking or anything. So these have been very good goodyear tires. That being said, when I replace them I won't go with goodyear, too pricey. I probably will go with Cooper Discoverer ATR. I had good luck with them before. Mcdavis: Our neal tire is really pushing the Toyo tires. They are supposed to be good from what I have heard. But I want to stay with a raised white letter tire, and I really don't want my tire to say "Toyo" on it, That is just me, I guess I am kinda funny that way. It just sounds too Japanese for me to have written on my tires.

 

This is getting off topic, but the "American made" thing confuses the heck out of me these days. Which of the following leaves more money in the US:

1. A Camry made in the US
2. A Mazda6 made in the US (about 50 miles from where I'm sitting), or
3. A Ford Fusion made in Mexico

The Mazda6 is built in the Flat Rock, MI plant alongside Mustangs, and probably puts food on the tables of my neighbors. I'm guessing some of my neighbors who work for Ford HQ also get some money out of the Fusion.

George

 

actually i know many of you will disagree but i like the radial long trail by bfg. i despise any goodyear as i have seen way too many of them with cupped tread compared to other brands. (i have been in the car sales/service business for over 40 yrs). my bfg tires on my 05 f150 have 38000 miles on them with good tread remaining. i think the key to tire life is rotate and balance (i know that the cracking on the rugged trail is not normal). as far as michelin goes, i had a set on an 05 grand marquis which rode great but were shot by 30000 milles and i am not hard on tires. i guess the moral is buy what you can afford, keep them balanced and rotated and hope you get good service out of them.
jp

 

Take a look at the Firestones. I have a set of Destination LEs (255/70R15)on my '96 Chevy 1500 2WD and a set of Destination ATs (255/70R17) on my 2005 F150 4X4 SC. Great tires, highly rated on the Tire Rack owner survey. Firestone (owned by Brigestone) completely redesigned their tires in the aftermath of the Wilderness AT debacle a few years ago. They are worth a serious look.

 

As far as the American made thing goes, I take the time to look where it was made before I buy anything. If there is an American made alternative, I buy that one. The Camry's are assembeled in the US, just as some BMW's are assembeled in the us. But, the big money, (the manufacturing of parts and the profits), of both go overseas. Those products do put food on the table for several thousand americans, but, I'm an American.

Back to the tires.....Michelin OWNS BFG, and Uniroyal. So, if you buy a BFG, you are buying a Michelin with BFG wrote on it. Michelin is top of the line. There is no better tire and Michelin makes a large portion of their tires in the US. But you're gonna pay for it. I own and operate a small tire store, and worked in a tire warehouse for 15 years. A Michelin, BFG, or Uniroyal is the way to go. JMO