Cheap low profile tires?

[tracer]

Could someone recommend any good low profile tires - 295/75/R22.5? I've been looking at Bridgestone but our shop guy says, Cnd$530 each. And that's the price with the network discount ... I'm pretty sure U.S. dealers have more reasonable pricing ...

I need tires that have around 40.6" overall diameter. This will give me the perfect RPM at slow speeds (I prefer driving at 57-58 mph). My current regular 22.5s have the diameter of 42" and at 59 mph I do 1,300 rpm with CatC15.

295s were the original tires my truck had from the factory. There's a sign on the door to this effect.

Thanks!

[GMAN]

Yokohoma makes a good tire. They are usually easy to find on the road and prices are quite a bit less than Bridgestones.

[Bigmon]

I see ads for $189 for tires out here. It looks like they are from China, Korea and Japan

[GMAN]

There are several foreign brands that seem to do well. Double Coin and Ching Ching come to mind. I have tried both and have been pleased as to the wear. I paid $189 for the Ching Ching tires for my step deck. They are 255/22.5's. Another brand you may check are Cooper. I don't recall trying them on my tractor, but have on my step deck. So far they are wearing well. There are also some good Korean tires on the market. I think Kuhn are made in Korea.

[tracer]

I see ads for cheap chinese tires in our "Truck and Trailer" magazine (Canada). The prices are very low. I called them up but the guy said tires were from China I wasn't sure I wanted them. G-Man if you say you tried them and they wear well, I might look into them again. Just don't want to spend close to a million dollars on 10 tires with a brand name

[GMAN]

I used to not consider any tire not made in the U.S. Goodyear and Kelley changed my mind. I had a problem with 3 Goodyear tires on one of my car haulers some years ago. Goodyear would not stand behind them. A few years ago I had Kelly's on my tractor. Nine out of 10 cracked in the side wall. They never stood behind them. According to them all 9 were due to curbing the tires??? They could never explain how an inside tire on my drives could be curbed. Since then I have been experimenting with various brands. I have had good wear out of Dunlop. Often times these Chinese and other foreign brand tires are made by companies who are partnering with some of the major brands. So far I have had good wear out of all of them. I prefer buying American, but when I can get as good or better wear out of a foreign brand and spend several hundred dollars less I will go with the foreign brand. I had a problem with steers on a Double Coin. The distributor exchanged them with no questions asked. That is the only time I can recall having a tire company replace a tire without a hassle. I also had a problem with Generals on my step deck. They came on my step deck from the factory. Every one of them had a strange wear pattern. The tire manufacturer said it was a trailer problem. The trailer was new. I still spent $100 having it checked by a dealer. There was nothing wrong. I put Ching Ching tires on it and haven't seen the same wear pattern. In checking with the dealer where I purchased it, Transcraft has switched tires. They still put Generals on them but a different model. That tells me that there was a problem with the tire. I paid $189 for the Ching Ching tires. Generals were much more expensive. I blew 2 of those Generals at the same time and had to purchase 2 Bridgestones. I paid about twice or more for those tires on my national account. I like Bridgestone tires, but see no need to pay double for them. I think that I still have Bridgestones on my KW. When the time comes to replace them, I will be going with a different brand. It isn't a matter of quality with Bridgestone. It is only a matter of economics. By going with another brand I will save at least $100+ per tire.

For the price savings I would try the Chinese or Korean tires and see how you like them. You can buy them for little more than the price of a retread.

[tootie04]

The more we buy imported stuff the less our dollar will be worth. We all need to start buying "MADE IN THE USA" again.

tootie

[special k]

I would try BF Goodrich DR444's a lot of guys I know run them and like them as a cheaper alternative to Michelin's but not as cheap as the off brand ones. I would really consider staying with the higher profile tires. I don't live that far from Cambridge and my tire dealer will hardly give you anything for a low-profile casing because there isn't that high of a demand from the retread shops. MacKinnon should be able to get a better price than that for you on Nat'l account especially if you run the same size as them. At my shop a 11R22.5 DR444 goes for $400 and the casing is worth around $50

[solo379]

We all need to start buying "MADE IN THE USA" again.

I actually never quit, it's just getting harder and harder to find those labels anymore... :sad:

[tracer]

thanks to everyone for the tips. I just saw Flying J advertise tires "from $230". .. might try buying from them. The idea of experimenting with brands appeals to me.

[GMAN]

The more we buy imported stuff the less our dollar will be worth. We all need to start buying "MADE IN THE USA" again.

tootie

I agree, at least in principal. The problem is that it is getting more difficult to find quality products made in the USA. I think we are capable of making the best products in the world. The problem comes in when they cut too many corners to raise profits. There are so many manufacturers who have lowered their standards and shipped manufacturing facilities abroad. When a US manufacturer refuses to stand behind their products, then we begin to look else where. I pay 1/2 the price of Goodyear when I buy Double Coin. I had a problem with a new set of steers and they exchanged them with no questions asked. If I had the same treatment from Goodyear, then I would probably still be buying Goodyear tires. It has been many years since I have bought a Goodyear tire. Their decision to not stand behind their product has cost them thousands of dollars, just in my business. With the cheaper tires, I can essentially buy about 2 of them for the same price as Goodyear. If the cheaper brand doesn't stand behind their product, then at least I haven't lost that much money. Companies such as Goodyear are shooting themselves in the foot by not standing behind their products. What I find interesting in buying some so called American products is that they are often made abroad, or at least components are made in another part of the world. These companies need to start being loyal to those who are loyal to them. If they expect us to buy their products then they need to start producing quality products that are truly made in the USA.

[tracer]

Yokohoma makes a good tire. They are usually easy to find on the road and prices are quite a bit less than Bridgestones.

GMAN, thanks again for the tip about cheaper tires. I talked to our shop tire guy and he was able to give me a very good price on Yokohama tires. I'm switching to low profile and will use Yoko on the drives and Michelin on the steers. The best part? Our accounting agreed to give me an installment plan, where they will just deduct $650 from each biweekly paycheck, so I don't have to come up with any cash upfront. Beautiful!

So, if you guys ever see a yellow International 9400 crawling along at 57-58 mph - you know who it is

[allan5oh]

Next time try some XDA energy tires, 40.5" overall diameter, 513 revs per mile.

They're a little pricey, I think you can get them for $340 on a national account. The thing is you'll save more then that with lower rolling resistance.

These are the most efficient drive tires, other than super singles. They're actually more efficient then running steers on the drives, according to michelin "fuel savings calculator"

[tracer]

Next time try some XDA energy tires, 40.5" overall diameter, 513 revs per mile.

The tire guy put Michelin XZA-3 on the steers ... they're pretty good on fuel too; I have Yokohama TY517 295/75/R22.5 on the drives. The funny thing though is I only lost less than a mile per hour in speed. I did 59 mph at 1300 with 11R22.5 tires; now it's 58 at the same rpm with lp tires.