Quote:
Originally Posted by rickrunn
I have had the best luck with the Firestone Transforce A/T, usually 40,000 miles. I tried the Michelin's a couple of times but only got about 45,000 miles so for the price I went back to the Firestone. I have never had an issue with them
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I've gotten good mileage out of the Transforce A/Ts that come OE on my Rams but....they have a hard rubber compound. Good mileage but ride hard and, as I found out about to leave on a trip to FL, that hard compound doesn't like hitting a hole in the road - it cuts/gashes pretty easy. Found that out on a Sunday going over the truck about to leave on Monday. Found a new one about an hour away but.... The new truck has them as well and they are hard and noisy. I've got about 13k on it and they will be gone at 20k with Defenders in their place (unless I read something more positive about the Sailuns).
As far as the Defenders (an I can't defend their prices
) one thing that makes them better than most, IMO, is the full depth siping. All tires have siping on the tread but if you look closely it only goes in a bit. The Defenders are full depth which makes them 1) less harsh, 2) grippier, 3) better snow/ice performance and 4) less noise over the long term. Those are all just my opinion but after using most brands of tires in all kinds of situations it's hard to beat them. Of course YMMV and I'm sure it will.