While that headline may have you thinking we’re putting our faithful 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup out to pasture, let me explain. When I said we were re-tiring our truck, I meant it quite literally.
Now as anybody who’s ever gone off in search of a new set of tires knows all too well, there are enough brands out there to make your head spin, to say nothing of the number of individual tire models. Then there are all the criteria that need to be factored into the decision, from weight and speed ratings to tread life estimates and, last but not least, price.
The two factors that rose to the top of my list of important considerations were fuel economy and noise/ride quality. We were going to be putting a lot of miles on our truck over the course of our adventures along The Scenic Route so I knew anything I could do to squeeze out a few extra miles-per-gallon and make the ride less truckish would make our lives better all the way around.
After much research, I settled on the Michelin LTX M/S2. These tires are not cheap, but they come with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty which means they should last us a good while. Their real appeal, however, is in how they perform.
These Michelins use a low-rolling resistance compound that’s boosted our fuel economy by between 1.5 and 2 miles-per-gallon over the past six months. While that may not sound like much, for a diesel-powered pickup like ours it adds up to more than $1,200 over the course of the 18,000 miles we expect to rack up this year (use this handy fuel economy comparison tool from the U.S. Department of Energy to get an idea of your potential savings).
What really has me sold on these tires is the difference they’ve made in the truck’s drivability. Ride quality is noticeably improved and the better braking performance has served us well in a couple of panic stops and long downhill stretches while pulling our 36-foot Kodiak 300 BHSL trailer. The fact that they’ve greatly reduced the tire noise level inside the passenger cabin is just icing on the cake.
In short, I’ve been extremely pleased with these Michelins and can honestly say that re-tiring our truck is one of the best decisions we’ve made in our travels along The Scenic Route.
