broncobilly

Anyone here running Kumho tires on their first gen? I have been looking for tires for the 93 W250 4x4 I just bought in early July. Just Tires & Walmart seem to have good prices on Kumho. About $100 per tire, for MT's. Don't know if they are E rated? I don't know much about them, other than they are a South Korean company.
The other tires I am looking at in my price range ($140 ish per tire) are: Dunlop Rover RVXT (235/85R16, E rating) $136 per tire at Just Tires, BF Goodrich Commercial T/A all-season (235/85R16, E rating) ($138 per tire) Walmart, BF Goodrich Commercial T/A Traction (325/85R16, E rating) ($130 per tire) walmart, Super Sport HT (don't know manufacturer of tire?) (LT235/85R16, E rating) ($127.00 per tire) Walmart.
I would like to get 50K out of a new set of tires. Just Tires offers free rotation for the life of the tire. Walmart you pay per rotation. Any input is appreciated!

91.5CTDBanks

I have new BF Commer. tires on my 91 W250 and I do not like the ride. Very hard rubber compound. I think they are making the front end jump under braking.

MoparMarv

I got the BF Commercial T/As about 2 months ago. The ride it fine for me. sams wants 503 ish out the door, and discount tire will beat any price. I had some trouble with sams and went to discount tire and got them for 489.00 out the door. I have heard good things about kuhmos. I had them on my civic a while back and they were great. as for their big truck tires I have experience with them.

Mudcat

I had Kuhmo venture MTs 33x12.50-16.5 on mine when I got it. Very good wearing tire I got well over 40,000 out of them and they still had decent tread left. The only problem I had was keeping them ballanced. Seems like they were always vibrating even after a fresh rotate and ballance. I replaced them with Truxus Mts 255-86r16 and got just under 40k not a bad tire at all either. I have since went with the Uniroyal liberator 235-85r16 from wally world and really like the ride and drive. looks kind of weird with the small tires but I got them to drive not look at. Besides at 45k per year I can change them soon enough.

searcher

You may want to check Tire Rack. They have a great price on Kumho tires and they are e rated. If you need 4 tires then it may be worth the 100 mile trip to pick them up at their warehouse. You might want to check the 245's also. I just bought a set for my truck and they are great for 85 bucks apiece. The warehouse is in Southbend Indiana. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...=0&sortValue=0

broncobilly

Thanks all for the input on my tire post! Lot's of great input Think I have enough info now to track down some new rubber for the 93

G1625S

I've got some Kumho's coming from Tirerack...should be here tomorrow. 235-85's. Even after shipping and mount and balance, I'm still saving over 50 bucks from the local places!

mopar2ya

Ive always run the Michelin LTX MS on mine. I got 100-110K miles on a set and thats loaded miles and only rotated every 20K they ran so smooth and never wore funny. You do pay more, but its a excellent tire.

PapeCAT

wow if that's all your saving why don't you all support your local tradesmen!!!
I don't understand why everyone thinks that they can get such a better deal online when in actuality you have to waste so much more time and effort when the services are already offered by hard working penny earners at local business.
I understand you all aren't made of money but please do you think they would be working at a tire shop if they didn't need the $$$ to live

JimmieD

Excellent point and most excellent post! We were sold a bill of goods that the agreements allowing American manufacturers to do the foreign trade thing was going to be SOOOO GOOD! Now 90% of our products from supposedly American mfgrs. are coming from China [read that as JUNK]. Cheaper? not much. Worth the money? Very rarely. True quality? NEVER!

If we don't support our local vendors the same thing will happen throughout America. Soon enough there would be no local vendors of much of anything! Local businesses are there, where you live, and can personally assist you with the products, warranty issues and face-to-face technical questions. Sure beats trying to handle warranty issues on the phone, and where you box everything back up and ship it back to the seller!

As long as a local business has the product at a decent price, considering their volume, and isn't scalping me, they have my business. Next thing I know they have me on a first name basis, and then Preferred Customer! Yes, shop the Net for some stuff, but best to buy local when you can. It pays in the long run.

JimmieD

searcher

I am in agreement that you need to support the local folks who are trying to make a living when possible. What about the guys that work at the UPS center and the fellow that drives the UPS truck (assuming that he is not like us and just loves the smell of diesel)? They need to make a living to. What about the guy that mounts and balances the tires (little shop on the corner that does everything from tires to engines)? These people are local and trying to make a living. Waranties are just about useless. The few times I have tried to get a tire warranted, I gave up before getting anything. The only places I know of that actualy stand behind their product are Sears and Walmart. Ever go to Goodyear or Firestone for anything without them trying to sell you something else? As per the price, I see no reason why a Goodyear tire from Tirerack should be 25 to 50 dollars apiece less than the local Goodyear store. When I do find a good deal at a local independent tire store, I have never managed to purchase the item because they always have the same response (We are out of that item right now and we can get it in a couple of weeks). I guess my feeling on the subject is to support you local folks that work for a living, but don't pay for mismanagement or worse yet people who think they can gouge the workingman like they did before we had the ability to comparison shop the entire nation. In my case I am lucky enough to have a TireRack warehouse about 7 miles away.

G1625S

Have a little perspective on how others live and it's simple: the 50 clams I saved is the difference between making and breaking my monthly budget. Period. I literally could not afford another 50 for tires if I want to eat the last week of this month, but, I need tires now, leaving me little choice. As for the local tradesman, untill recently I worked at that shop on the corner busting tires and building engines, and I bought my last set of tires through my boss, from a local tire distributor. They were a 'cost-effective' tire but a 10-ply load range E just the same. I had the truck aligned the same day I put the tires on. I checked the pressure every 10 days and rotated every oil change (10k) I got 18k out of the set. Broken belts in every tire. The company said 10 ply tires do that, there's nothing wrong with them. So, on top of the 50 I can't spare, I also can't afford to blow another 500 bucks on a bargain tire that won't last when I can spend 425 on a middle of the road set that will likely last longer. For the exact same tire, the local shop wanted 580 installed.

So, think what you want about how if my work ethic were better I'd have more control over my finances, or maybe I'd be better off driving a 3-cyl yugo, since the maintainace is more in my price range. And that's fine--you saying/thinking what you want and me doing the best I know how in order to provide for my family is part of why we live here in the best country in the world: choice.

jrussell

I just don't feel a real big need to help support my local Discount Tire or Big-O franchise. They are usually owned by corporations and not tradesmen.

In a big city nobody goes to a mom-and-pop tire place, they go to Discount Tire, Big-O, and Walmart because they have the best (local) deals and good reputations. Why go into Discount Tire and have some salesman quote me a high price when I can go online and order the same thing for $50 less and no hassles?

The fact is, if people can get a better deal online they will. That type of competition (along with supply & demand) is what dictates the value of items. I, for one, am thankful that many things cost A LOT less now that the Internet is around. Perhaps I'm just biased though since I make my living on the net.

JimmieD

Oh, I couldn't agree more, guys!

I have lived in 2 tourist-trap mountain communities for the last 10-12 years and very few of the local scalpers get my business! Like I said: "As long as a local business has the product at a decent price, considering their volume, and isn't scalping me, they have my business." When they are simply price gouging and claiming that their cost is higher due to our location I know it's a crock, 'cause the trucks run right on past here to deliver discount priced goods up the road in any direction. WHEN POSSIBLE, AND WHEN YOU FIND A DECENT, HONEST & HARDWORKING LOCAL BUSINESS is what I should have said. Didn't mean to insult anybody's situation or intelligence, so apologies there.

JimmieD

PapeCAT

Touche
I see your situation has two sides.
I have purchased tires from Les Schwab out here in the west. They are the largest independent tire dealer out here, and I appreciate the type of service they give. For instance I brought a tire in for flat repair that wasn't purchased thru them and they fixed it for free. And fast. I will never purchase from tire rack or any other internet tire shop because I have Les Schwab. Sorry you can't get a good quality tire for a comparable (+-50 bucks) price. That's like a carton of cigs or a weeks worth of booze or a night out at the bar, isn't it.
I think the majority of working class people here in the states have to stick to their budge, none of us have money to burn for the most part. Some of the most wealthy people I know are also the biggest penny pinchers and hagglers. Perhaps that's how they ended up rich.