Has anyone replaced those dreaded Bridgestone's?

[K Whitman]

It has been a while since I have posted in here.
But one thing has been a long time coming...replacing the tires.
The Bridgestone Dueler HL's have been pretty bad since day one on my Denali.
They are 285/45x22 and are close to down to the bars with 17K miles on them.

They have always been horrible in the rain and anything less than AWD when the road is wet is asking to spin and slide constantly. I have them set to OE specs- 35psi(?).

Checking tire rack it appears the Michelin LTX is rated #1 followed by the Pirelli Scorpion in the OE size. I have always liked Michelin's although they seem to wear quickly. I had Pirelli Scorpions on a Tahoe 10 years ago and they rode a bit rough compared to the Michelin's they replaced.

Any thoughts?

Michelin.... totally changed the ride and great in the rain and no roll!!!

 

[Agent WD-40]

So my question is- Bridgestone tires are actually pretty good.
So why are the ones on an $80K Denali so bad?

Many OE's have their own set of internal requirements for tires (either driven by the specific vehicle and/or overall corporate requirements for performance, handling, MPG, etc). If you look there are often multiple versions of a particular tire - the "standard" tire and the variants that meet the specific OE requirements. The tires will have a specific marking to call this out. Check out this Car and Driver article to see more on that. That is sometimes why Tire Rack will show what looks like the same tire at slightly different prices.

As an example, Ford created a specific version of the BF Goodrich All Terrain tire for the Raptor. It was basically the same tire but with a softer compound to improve winter grip/performance. For the 22" tire on the GM SUV's I'm guessing GM (like many OEs) prioritized fuel economy over other factors (grip is a typical trade-off for low rolling resistance). There are many factors that need to be traded off to meet the specific goals: noise, ride, grip in many weather conditions, MPG, cost, load capacity, tread life, logistics of tire delivery, customer desires, OE relationships with tire MFG, etc.

I typically don't agree with the OE set of trade-offs on my tires and rarely pick the OE tire when I replace them. When it comes to MPG, sometimes the trade-off is some fraction of a MPG other times not. I've personally seen my MPG fluctuate by a ~2 MPG with different tires on my other vehicle. So you may notice changes when changing tires and you may not.

 

[ratedr120]

Bridgestone is together with Firestone, the tires are made in the same place.

Michelin owns BFGoodwrich, so every BFG tire is actually a Michelin


The tires that come on new cars are really only made to last 10-15k miles. They are generally a VERY soft compound for about 5k miles, followed by very hard rubber to make them last

Thank You For The Info I Definitely Appreciate It

 

[04ctd]

same thing for the 20's? 2wd 2013 Tahoe with 44k is needing some tires....may move to Nebraska, will need some wet/snow traction action

 

[georgebuhr]

Keep in mind as far as ride quality, the bigger the rim, the rougher the ride. That being said, although I've ran Michelins on our older Yukon for years, our shop recently started selling Toyo tires, and I'm pretty impressed with the quality of them so far. If you guys with the 22's dont need an LT tire, try the Open Country Q/T. Its a new touring tire that Toyo just came out with, and I would put it up against a Michelin for quality any day.

 

[thebishman]

Bridgestone is together with Firestone, the tires are made in the same place.

Michelin owns BFGoodwrich, so every BFG tire is actually a Michelin


The tires that come on new cars are really only made to last 10-15k miles. They are generally a VERY soft compound for about 5k miles, followed by very hard rubber to make them last

Your post implies that the Michelins will be no different than the OEM Bridgestones. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I placed the 22" Michelin Defenders on my '16 SWB Denali at 12K miles even though there was loads of tread left on the Crapstones. The total ride has been transformed. GM would save themselves huge warranty costs if they would spec the Michelin Premier or Defender as the OEM tyres, as many owners would stop complaining of the awful ride and noise at subsequent service visits.

To any owners out there who hate the low speed lack of compliance, and who want to obtain better handling; better poor weather performance; less noise, etc; do yourselves a favour and replace the dreadful Bridgestones with either of the Michelins.

Bish

 

[jarydM]

Your post implies that the Michelins will be no different than the OEM Bridgestones. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I placed the 22" Michelin Defenders on my '16 SWB Denali at 12K miles even though there was loads of tread left on the Crapstones. The total ride has been transformed. GM would save themselves huge warranty costs if they would spec the Michelin Premier or Defender as the OEM tyres, as many owners would stop complaining of the awful ride and noise at subsequent service visits.

To any owners out there who hate the low speed lack of compliance, and who want to obtain better handling; better poor weather performance; less noise, etc; do yourselves a favour and replace the dreadful Bridgestones with either of the Michelins.

Bish

I think you may have misread, or I lacked the seperation necessary to make it evident. Bridgestones and Michelins are NOT the same, in any way.

That being said, OEM style tires applied to *NEW* cars are all made the same, soft rubber compound for quietness, ride qualty, and traction, followed by a hard rubber compound so the tire *TECHNICALLY* lasts 20-30k


That being said, I have used goodyears fairly well, but if I'm putting on Tires its BFG TK for Offroad/All Terrain and the Michelin ATX, for mostly highway its Michelin Defender or BFG. I don't put Firestone/Bridgestone on anything.

 

[okfoz]

I have the Michelin LTX M/S2 on my 2007, and I like them a lot. I have about 30K on them and the tread still looks like new...

 

[DStarr02]

I also have to agree on the Premier LTX, they ride nice, decent on gas, and work offroad too

 

[ratedr120]

I Upgraded To 20 Inch Rims After Getting Rid Of The Stock 17 Inch Rims, I Had 22 Inch Escalade Rims But After Bending The Rim 3 Times I Switched Up.

 

[BobDobalina]

I have a 16 Yukon with the 20s. I had Revo AT2 on my 15 Tahoe and they were great. No louder or harsher than stock. So at 6K miles I get some Revos put on my Yukon. They were awful. Loud as hell and handled bad. Luckily Bridgestone has a 30 Day try and buy. I went to my local Autotire and had Michelin Defender Ltx put on. Loaded the Revos in back of truck and took back to Firestone for 100% refund. Michelins ran me $981 out the door for 275/55/20. The ride and handling are superb and quiet as can be. I'll take pics later

 

[Shadow17]

Just to report back, the wet weather handling is amazing with these tires.
As I said in the original post the OE tires spun badly in the rain ever since the beginning.
Even aggressive starts when dry caused the tires to break loose.
We have been receiving a deluge of rain up here and I can accelerate just as aggressively on wet roads as dry.
I have always known how good Michelin tires are (at least the ones I have owned), but I never imagined the wet weather characteristics would be so much better than the Bridgestones.
As someone else mentioned previously, I would highly recommend switching to better tires.
It was every bit worth the $1200 spent!

 

[BlackDenaliXL]

Just drove down from east of Toronto to the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Michelin Defenders did not let me down.

First day I drove through snow and slush for a good 4+ hrs. Traction was great. I didn't once lose confidence in the tires.

Second day it down poured most of the day, and once again, the tires acted as expected. Great wet traction and inspired confidence.

Third day was dry and sunny and traction and handling were great.

What I can say, is that the yukon xl is a fantastic road trip vehicle and paired with the Michelin Defenders, it's even better.

 

[08HoeCD]

I'm getting Michelin Defenders when I'm due for new tires.
Case closed.

 

[okfoz]

Personally I have the LTX M/S2 on my Tahoe, the LTX M/S on my wife's Buick Rainier, the LTX M/S was a little more (slightly) noisy on concrete, and the M/S2 is a little better than the M/S. I had the Michelin Cross Country on my Rainier before the M/S2 and I absolutely loved those tires. I think the Premier tires are a 60K mile tire rather than the Defender LTX Tire is a 70K tire. The Premier may be a quieter tire because it may have a softer compound.

EDIT: I have noticed that the new LTX tires they now offer are now "Defender LTX M/S" Where I just have the LTX M/S tires, the Premier tires were not available when I got my last set. Also I have noticed that over time the tires are actually slightly quieter now than when I got them, so they have gotten better with age IMHO.

 

[Shadow17]

From what the installer told me- the Premier uses a softer compound. It is supposed to be bit quieter and handle better than the Defender. However the Defender will last longer. Oddly the Premier has a higher load capacity than the Defender. Not quite sure why on that one.
So they both have trade offs of sorts.

 

[okfoz]

The Higher load may be due to more plies, or how it is constructed.
I went to tirerack.com and I compared the Premier LTX, Defender LTX M/S and the LTX M/S2 and it appears that the Premier is not for off-road at all (for me no biggie)

Comparing the two here is what the site states, advantages
Premier LTX
+ Hydroplaning resistance
+ Wet Traction
+ Cornering Stability
+ Steering Response
+ Ice Traction
+ Less Noise
= Dry Traction
= Deep Snow Traction

Defender LTX M/S2
+ COST is about $ 25 less each.
+ Better for off-road
+ Light Snow Traction
+ Ride Quality
+ Tread-wear (70K vs 60K)
= Dry Traction
= Deep Snow Traction

With the exception of Tread-wear these two models beat my LTX M/S2 tires in every metric, and the MS/2 only beat the Premier LTX but not the Defender LTX M/S.

 

[ts0293]

It has been a while since I have posted in here.
But one thing has been a long time coming...replacing the tires.
The Bridgestone Dueler HL's have been pretty bad since day one on my Denali.
They are 285/45x22 and are close to down to the bars with 17K miles on them.

They have always been horrible in the rain and anything less than AWD when the road is wet is asking to spin and slide constantly. I have them set to OE specs- 35psi(?).

Checking tire rack it appears the Michelin LTX is rated #1 followed by the Pirelli Scorpion in the OE size. I have always liked Michelin's although they seem to wear quickly. I had Pirelli Scorpions on a Tahoe 10 years ago and they rode a bit rough compared to the Michelin's they replaced.

Any thoughts?

I bought a 2013 Escalade CPO last month after 15 years with a 2002 Denali that I bought new and really loved. Thought I had made a bad mistake - the Escalade ride was sharp and jiggly and the mag shocks seemed confused or befuddled. Steering was vague and not confident. Put on a set of Michelin Premier LTX 22's and the thing now rides and handles almost as good as the Denali - I don't think the 22s can match the 17s for ride - the 22s are really truck 'high heels.' 36,000 miles on the Duelers and they had life left, but the ride is now waaaay better and no regrets. The Duelers were noisy and that is much better as well. Don't know how the Duelers ride when new, but have to wonder 'what was Cadillac thinking?' Highly recommended: LTX Premier.

 

[abond2014]

So im curious has anyone tested these Premier LTX's on snow/ice yet because here in lovely freezing Massachusetts it gets quite messy in the winter, I'd be curious to see because the quietness you guys are stating these tires are sounds great but id worry about how they handle come snow/ice

 

[okfoz]

My LTX M/S2 are not rated as high as the new Premier LTX, and my tires are great in the snow. Especially in AWD or 4WD. 2WD I get around ok, I would probably get a set of dedicated rear Snow tires if all I had was 2WD.

My wife has Goodyear snow/Ice tires on her 06 Buick Rainier and those are fantastic for getting through the snow and ice, AND they are even more quiet than her LTX M/S (not the 2) Michelin Tires. The only down side is they are soft, so they wear quickly, otherwise I would leave them on her Rainier all year long.