Tow vehicle tire review

[gammaland]

There are many threads on tires here for tow vehicles and it seems to come down to a few tires, the BFG K02, Michelin Defender and newer Michelin Agelis seem to get most mentions. I was on the fence as my K02’s were just about to the wear bars at 30k miles and we have a cross country trip planned. After reading many threads about tires I decided Michelin was the new tire. I liked the white letters and tread design of the Defenders but the Agelis seemed to be a better fit as they were designed for heavy vehicles and towing. I’m driving an F250 6.7 powerstroke.

Although they have only been on a week I had to post my initial thoughts. I went with Agelis, night and day difference to the K02’s. Ride is quieter and smoother but I expected that going from an a/t tire. What I didn’t expect was steering is far easier when still or low speeds and the difference in fuel mileage. I was getting 16.5 average for the last year, I reset with every fill up. I filled up the morning of my tire install and have been averaging 20.3 since. No changes in my driving habits at all. I am floored by this. I hope my tow mileage increases! I will try to report back later this year as I will be 5th wheel towing about 10k miles this summer. I hope they last longer than 30k.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by gammaland

There are many threads on tires here for tow vehicles and it seems to come down to a few tires, the BFG K02, Michelin Defender and newer Michelin Agelis seem to get most mentions. I was on the fence as my K02’s were just about to the wear bars at 30k miles and we have a cross country trip planned. After reading many threads about tires I decided Michelin was the new tire. I liked the white letters and tread design of the Defenders but the Agelis seemed to be a better fit as they were designed for heavy vehicles and towing. I’m driving an F250 6.7 powerstroke.

Although they have only been on a week I had to post my initial thoughts. I went with Agelis, night and day difference to the K02’s. Ride is quieter and smoother but I expected that going from an a/t tire. What I didn’t expect was steering is far easier when still or low speeds and the difference in fuel mileage. I was getting 16.5 average for the last year, I reset with every fill up. I filled up the morning of my tire install and have been averaging 20.3 since. No changes in my driving habits at all. I am floored by this. I hope my tow mileage increases! I will try to report back later this year as I will be 5th wheel towing about 10k miles this summer. I hope they last longer than 30k.

I'm a fan of the Michelins and have had good experiences with the LTX; smooth and quiet. Unfortunately I need/want an all season with the mountain snowflake so I've been using the Goodyear Duratracs. A couple points;

- I find that new tires automatically ride smoother and better than worn out ones regardless of brand

- I hate to burst your bubble but IME, based on having a small fleet of trucks for 30+ years, there is no possibility of a tire change alone having the kind of mileage impact you are seeing......it has to be pressures/conditions/usage or a combination of those things. If I thought I could get anywhere near a 4mpg improvement, I'd change my whole fleet's tires tomorrow!

Cheers,
Dave

[Gr8bawana]

Glad you're happy with your new tires, but there is absolutely no way you gained almost 4mpg with them.

[TravelSolo]

I have towed the most with Toyo AT3 on my 2500HD and got 55k miles out of them and I replaced them right before the wear bars. 50k is the warranty for the size I have. They were quite and smooth but wet traction fell off with mileage. I've read that the tread gets harder as the blocks wear and time goes on. My experiences seems to agree with that. Doubt I would buy again.

Currently running Falken Wildpeak AT/4W. 60k warranty. So far so good. I had the AT/3W (same basic design) on my other vehicle and they wore well, maintained wet traction their whole life and were smooth and very quiet. I really like these tires.

[gammaland]

I’ve used over a half tank of fuel now and it seems to be settling in at 19mpg around town, not sure why the first week was that high but still love the increase. Can’t wait to put the 5ver on it.

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by gammaland

I’ve used over a half tank of fuel now and it seems to be settling in at 19mpg around town, not sure why the first week was that high but still love the increase. Can’t wait to put the 5ver on it.

Are you relying on the readings from the LIE-O-METER in your truck for your fuel mileage readings?

In my 17 years of ownership on my truck I have never ever relied on the LIE-O-METER in my truck. The MPG in the truck reading is usually 3 to 4 MPG higher than hand calculated actual numbers are.

I can alter my fuel mileage numbers a couple of ways between fueling periods. The first is to drive like an old lady and do not accelerate fast at stop lights. The second way is to eliminate unnecessary idling of my truck and no short driving distances.

Just saying.

[CharlesinGA]

My LT Defenders were getting old with mid 2017 dates on three of the four. One I replaced due to curb damage and the new one was 2019 dated. I put the new ones on the front and rotated the front to the rear. In a few months I will replace the two on the rear and move the 2019 tire to the spare rim. I am quite happy with the way the new tires drive and ride. When I had my motorhome, I replaced the Firestone LT tires due to premature sidewall cracking caused apparently by "tire shine" the dealer had put on the tires. I installed Michelin Defenders, and the ride improved greatly and the MH handled better. It was a 2006 Sprinter chassis, class C Winnebago View.

I used to think Michelins were all hype, but I am sold on them now. Wished they made ST tires!

Charles

[660catman]

The defenders are highly recommended on the truck forum I follow. I myself have used the Michelin LTX AT2’s on my last three trucks. My last set had 176k kilometres on them when I replaced them before winter. The AT2’s are a mild looking AT tire compared to some. Quiet and durable.

[Stircrazy1]

Originally Posted by jimcumminsw

Are you relying on the readings from the LIE-O-METER in your truck for your fuel mileage readings?

In my 17 years of ownership on my truck I have never ever relied on the LIE-O-METER in my truck. The MPG in the truck reading is usually 3 to 4 MPG higher than hand calculated actual numbers are.

I can alter my fuel mileage numbers a couple of ways between fueling periods. The first is to drive like an old lady and do not accelerate fast at stop lights. The second way is to eliminate unnecessary idling of my truck and no short driving distances.

Just saying.

if both before and after are accurate then yes it can be believed, its the actual milage thats in question from some of the meters (my truck is pretty much bang on) but I have seen others that are not, but weather it is out or not the amount is accurate so the 4mpg difference will be believable, its just the actual milage that will be different but it should still be 4mpg apart.

[Stircrazy1]

I ditched the KO2's also years ago in favour of the Sailun terramax A/Ts.
got the same thing, quieter, lasted almost twice the milage actually have better traction in ice, snow, gravel, wet conditions, and mud, little bit better milage, but they are still a A/T tire, but best of all at the time they were 1/3rd the price which is initially why I decided to try them. Now I am on my 3rd set and the first two lasted over 50000 miles

[gammaland]

Completely confused at this point. Yes I know they call it a lie-ometer but when you are using it as a comparator and not actual mileage it should be ok. So the milage fun has worn off, after two tanks of fuel I am right back to where I started at 16.5 mpg from the lie-ometer. I haven”t a clue as to why the meter gave such a euphoric readout right after new tires were installed? I fuel up and reset the mpg meter the same as I have for years then drove 100 yards to the tire shop. Other positives I mentioned are still in good standing with me.