I have Bridgestone tires on one trailer due to having to buy them after blowing out tires on the road. So far they are wearing pretty well. I had good service out of Michelin's, but I think both brands are over priced. I can purchase the off brands for less. The Double Coins that I use on one truck have worn very well. They are designed just like the Michelin's but for more than $100 less, even at national tire discount pricing.

 

XZA2 and XZA3 are completely different tires. Night and day. I've heard bad things about the XZA2's, but nothing bad about the XZA3's (other than the price)

 

You are absolutely right Rev...XZA3's are directional, like a motorcycle tire... WAY different. So far as I know the XZA2's are not.

 

All 50 tires I have on the road are Michelins, and wouldn't have anything else ! Lot better ride and real good wear.

 

I would hate to pay your tire bill, Walking Eagle.

 

I think, Michelin tires are the best. I don't tell that because I'm french, but
they have a very good longevity, they are more expensive than others but you do more miles, and some buyers want to buy a used truck with michelin tires.

 

The 280 is about their best tire now. They changed the 260 and it's been warranty after warranty for our Bridgestone rep.

 

You're not always comparing apples to apples when you ask different o/os what tires wear the best. Someone already mentioned the roads their driving on- the roads you run and the weight you carry will all affect tire life. So will proper alignment. You get a bad alignment and it doesn't matter WHAT kind of tires you put on the truck- they're not going to last for spit.

We've had enough bad alignments that we'll only use Laserline. There was a guy in the Phoenix area we used from time to time until the last time when his shop monkeys did it wrong and that just didn't sit right with me- if you're going to have employees, they need to do it right if you want my business. The Laserline guys are in Idaho, SLC, and Ohio- they charge a fair price and we've never had a problem- I know one of the other guys on the board used the Idaho guy a year or so ago after I posted about them and he was happy with the alignment- can't remember who that was...

 

Rev, do you run centramatics or something like those on your steers and drives? I had centramatics up front (they came on the truck) but I ended up taking them off and getting them balanced the old fashioned way and it fixed the shaking but I'm concerned I'm going to be losing out on miles now. I'm thinking of putting them on my drives (M726EL) but I'm still undecided. My Steers have 40k on them and drives have 20k, so I'd like to get centramatics now before it's too late.

 

Yes - I'm running Centramatics on every position on the tractor.