Dunlops almost killed me today. Little help pls...

*Disclaimer* Please be advised that the OP in the following post is not insinuating in any way that all Dunlops tires suck, or that you or your truck sucks if you have them. Also please note that the Dunlop tires in question did not ACTUALLY try to kill me. They are made of rubber, have no central nervous system, and are therefore incapable of experiencing true malicious intent or attempting the physical act of murder. As such, the OP acknowledges that any incident that happens on the road is actually a result of his or her own reaction to a given set of stimuli, and does not blame Toyota Canada, Dunlop Tires LLC, or Canadian Dad, personally for this minor incident.


Ok so, I realize there are many threads dedicated to tires on here, so many in fact that for a TW newb like myself, its quite overwhelming. Considering my Dunflops tried to kill me this morning by Hydroplaning across 2 lanes in heavy water/light slush, I need to get these things off of my truck asap and I wondered if you guys could offer a little help.

First a little background info. I have driven across Canada 4 times in my life, driven daily in all major cities for decades, have never been in a major accident, and consider myself a VERY good driver. What happened this morning was definitely due to these crappy tires. I was travelling at a reasonable speed (85km/hr) and did not make any sudden maneuvers that would cause a loss of traction. Just slowly changed lanes and bam, off she went.

So I am reading that the Michelin MS are the choice of most people on here for a good all season so but I want to be sure. I will be driving 95% tarmac, 5% gravel. My main expectations from a tire will be as follows in order of importance:

Wet Traction
Fuel Mileage
Noise Level

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

P.S. I already *edit* (politely suggested to my salesman that Toyota offer a choice of tires upfront in the future)*edit* These Dunlops retail for $200 each! So for an extra $200 total I could have a really good tire instead of a POS.

 

My cheap Mastercraft Courser STR's have been a good tire for Winters wrath. Drive the Dunflops on dry roads. Summer is almost here; drive carefully and keep your eyes peeled for next Winters tires.

 

I appreciate the input man, but I'm the type of person who is willing to spend the extra money (even if I don't have it) on a good set of tires. I have had them in the past, and they are worth their weight in gold in my opinion. We spend thousands a year on insurance, why not spend a few hundred more for a little assurance?

I will sell these online. They have about 300kms on them and still have the rubber nubs on them so I should get $400 minimum toward the new tires. I will buy a good set of winters in the fall as well.

P.S. Steve, that Cap you have is ballin'.

 

Yup, the Dunflops are a death trap on anything other than dry roads and you just found out first hand.

 

I have Michelin LTX M/S2 and love them! They are very quit very good traction in all the conditions I have been in here in colorado and defiantly great on the gas milage. I do recommend them.

 

Heavy water/light slush = < 85kph

Dunlop A20's are < 110 ea. online - yes, they are cheap in all respects.

 

Yes like any new truck the stock tire are semi worthless most any thing is better if your in Newfoundland you need damn good tires! I run Firestone Winterforce in the winter. The day before the first day of spring we got another 16" of snow. I am replacing my stock tires this time when I switch back and I think I am going with Kuhmo from past results very good tread ware (600) and nice handling.

 

Tirerack has them for $98

 

I went with the Michelin AT/2 over the M/S2. I think you can't go wrong with either though. Super quiet, 60k or 70k warranty, great traction in wet and dry.

 

They aren't death traps, I drove them one winter on ice here in Oregon, until I got some rims for my snow tires. There are definitely better tires than that one, on that I agree. Actually this winter I didn't even bother to take off the dunlops , trying to get my money worth n wear them out, dang they are lasting too long. I'm carrying chain just in case,but still zero problems.

 

The dunlops suck in snow

 

2008 winter, I was in 2wd on them on ice , the Volvo behind me lost control and hit a guy chaining up. OSP officer had to back up 1/4 mile or more when I flashed my lights to get their attention. To me its not worth toeing the line w ice on an econo asr. I just call it for the type of tire it is , it wasn't meant to be an offroader or an ice tire.

 

Exactly

They are a dry weather , highway tire which is why they suck on snow like I said

 

Being overly cheap but clever, I kinda appreciate that they are lasting me. Once they wear out I'm thinking of getting some Duratracs for some crappy roads I drive up to go hiking.

 

Michelin's are great if you want to spend the money...Revo's are the only other tires I have experience with and they are great but not much cheaper...

 

Michelin LTX M/S is a great tire for wet traction, quiet ride, and long wear. Can't say for sure if they're *great* about fuel mileage vs. other tires - but they're not a *bad* tire in that respect.

 

I hear ya Dan... It was shifty on the roads here this morning. I am looking at either BFG Ko's or duratracs. Both seem to have good Treadwear although I am leaning towards the duratracs for the better off road capabilities.

 

You could pick any high rated AT and be happy. In all honesty, new AT's are all very capable and it comes down to brand loyalty and looks IMO. I don't think you could go wrong.

A short list would look something like this:

Hankook Dynapro AT
Cooper AT 3
Toyo Open Country AT 2
Bridgestone Dueller AT Revo 2
Michelin LTX MS 2

I left some notable TW favs off this list: BFG AT, Duratrac etc. because you said 95% highway. I personally am not a fan of the BFG when compared to all the new technology out there and the Duratrac is overkill for what you want.

 

I have these too, very quite for the amount of tread, and excellent in rain, like I'm on rails on highway interchanges. I see almost no snow on a regular basis, but they are great in slushy snow on dirt/gravel trails and forestry roads.

Sasquatch11 has them too, and he is a Saskquatchewanean, in icy igloo land. He is very happy with them, too.

 

quiet