The things I carry in my truck - just in case ...

[dogtag]

my 2007 dodge caliber came with Firestone OEM tires. i put 88k miles on them before needing to replace them and it wasnt because the tires were junk, its because i was working almost every single day of the years i had them and IF i had a day or two off, i certainly had other things to do around the house and family that took precedents over rotating the tires...

You should only change front to rear on same side.
Going to opposite side means it rotates in the opposite direction
and shortens life of steel belted tires.

[lyman]

my 2007 dodge caliber came with Firestone OEM tires. i put 88k miles on them before needing to replace them and it wasnt because the tires were junk, its because i was working almost every single day of the years i had them and IF i had a day or two off, i certainly had other things to do around the house and family that took precedents over rotating the tires...

my 93 Saturn SL2 came with Firestone Firehawk GTA's and they sucked, , as in sucked horribly,
got more road noise and flats with that set of tires than any other brand on any other vehicle,

I replaced them with Falkens, quiet, sticky, and no more flats

[Allen]

Back in the 70's Firestone made some really dangerous tires (Firestone 500's). I had all 4 come apart within a couple of months.

Firestone has made some really good tires too. I bought a used car and the dealer had just put on a new set of Firestones. I remember thinking "oh great". They turned out to be some of the best tires I ever had so from then on I bought that specific make from Firestone until they stopped making them.

The way I drive now (25 miles a week) anything round will do.

All tire manf's have made good and bad tires. I remember when Sears first started selling radial tires. They were made by Michelin. You could drive by any Sears automotive store and see piles of exploded tires showing wads of steel. These were customer "complaints". I wouldn't buy Michelin for many years. Now, they are OK.

[dryheat]

Michelin did make some crappy tires. I remember going to a tire shop run by a guy I sort of knew. He had Michelins on sale. He acted like he was doing me a special favor. "Their Michelins!" Like they were Marilyn Monroe or something. Didn't last anytime at all. The name doesn't matter, it's the ply and a couple other things that are stamped on the sidewall that matter. Yup, in the old days you crisscrossed the tires when rotating. Radials you don't.
Well, since we're on the subject; I used to by BF Goodrich. I remember when they were $50/ tire. But, I only put about 10K miles on the truck a year. They never wore out, but the AZ sun would bake them til they cracked all over and basically were petrified. They they rode hard and made an awful racket. Now I buy cheap tires (less than $200 per these days) that I will toss away before they turn to rock.

[Allen]

BF Goodrich does make good tires and you're right, they dryrot soon. The rubber compound tends to be soft which is good for traction but not good for long life.

My F-150 4x4 currently has a set. They will dryrot before wearing out even though the truck stays out of the sun under a carport. I will replace them with the same brand because they ride really smooth and don't make the racket that so many mud grip tires produce when driving on asphalt. They have become rather costly though.

That's only when they are fresh. Like you say, when they dryrot they become hard and cracked to the point they won't hold air even though the tread life may be good.

My farm truck, an old 1990 silverado with < 150K miles, I don't drive much so I will buy the "off brand" tires for it.

My wife's car has Michelins. It came with them new and she insist sticking with what works. Personally I don't like them. Perhaps to make a smoother ride the sidewalls are thin. This makes the tires sag a little and appear to be low on air but aren't. Otherwise it doesn't matter much. The car only leaves the yard about 3 times a month to make very short trips.

[lyman]

the tire to 'have' was the Radial T\A's on a sporty car when I was young,

my Coopers all ran Continental Run Flats, (was lucky to have them last 18 months, but I drove those cars hard)

my Civic came with Conti's on it that I replaced with Goodyear Assurance , good quiet running tire,


I have run nothing but Dunlaps on my Tundra and T100, w\o issues

[PWC]

How Datsun got its name:
A Japanese car maker went to a well known German advertising company for marketing their automobile. The stipulation was they had to have the name in 24 hours. The German head of marketing replied "Dat sun eh...." Thus was born a new Japanese auto.

[PWC]

In 1975 in Tacoma WA, a local Toyota dealer was offering a $100 for a new motto for Toyota.

I offered "Brought to you by the same people that brought you the second world war". Not only didn't win but got a nasty gram back. Full disclosure, I have had 3 Toyotas and am now driving a 2023 Toyota and all have been outstanding cars.

[RED]

I worked at a Phillip66 Station while in college. Tubeless tires had come about in 1955 or so and we had a tool that would fix flats on tubeless cars from the outside. It would be hooked to a strong compressor and inject a plug into the tire that opened up like a umbrella and seal from the air pressure inside the tire. Worked good on nails and screws.

I also did brakes and tune ups. I received top pay $1.27/hour.

In 1993, I was selling auto repair equipment. One of my favorite money makers were Aamco 4,000 brake lathes. Making a long story short, they weighed over 400 lbs. I was loading one for delivery when a wheel fell off the dolly and landed on my foot. I have been hospitalized for this over the past 30 years and came close to losing my leg!




Sh:t happens!