:help:

It is time to replace the Steeltex originals and I'm inclined to buy Michelins for the treadwear. Primarily road use, gravel and paved, rarely snow here in NC.
I'd like to buy from Sams because they offer the road hazard warranty even on truck tires which means something to me since one of my tires now has a cut into the cords.
Has anyone bought Michelins from Sams? I would stay 245 or consider 265 but I think Sams will only put on 245.
Looking at the Michelin web site, they say they have NO TIRES in OEM size! HUH? Sams is selling LTX A/T and X Radial LT.
My friend bought LTX M/S locally and loves them. It looks like they have the highest wear rating.
I can't figure out what tires to buy. Any advice on which style, and whether to go to 265, is greatly appreciated.

I just put Michelin LTX 265/75/16E's on my stock rims, replacing the stock 245/75/16E Bridgestones that came from the factory at a little under 500 miles on the odo. Bridgestones rode badly and felt like they were square. The Michelins ride great. Much smoother, no road noise. I was looking for Bridgestone Revo's, but couldn't find any in stock locally. I've used Michelins on other trucks and been happy with them so didn't have a problem getting these again. From what I've read, the Revo's might be a better tire, but the Michelins are pretty good too, with a good rep for wear.

Is there a warranty issue with going to 265s? I seem to recall hearing that but I don't know if that was fact or fiction.

I have bought Michelins from Sams. No problems. They offer a better price if they have the size you want in stock. Different stores stock different sizes. LTX AT will last forever. I got over 100K on a set on my '93 6.5L 3/4 Chevy. Twice the mileage of Sumitamo and Bridgestone.

I bought Michelin LTX M/S 265's from Sams... they didn't have them in stock, but it didn't take long for them to come in (I wasn't in a huge hurry anyway). Excellent tires! 265's are approx 3400lb rated, whereas 245's are approx 3000lb rated. I tow a heavy Sunnybrook 5th wheel, so I wanted the extra capacity.

From everything I read on the LTX M/S's... they wear moderately fast for the first 30-50% of the tread life, then wear like iron for the rest, generally lasting 75-100k miles, maintaining good performance all the way through.

Paul.

Don't buy tires from a French company.

My wife's cousin works for Michelin and is an engineer responsible for the formula for many common Michelin tires, i.e. Xone, Xradials, LTX, etc. He has told me that the tires sold at Sears, Sam's and Wal-Mart are NOT of the same quality you would get at a tire store. His suggestion is to go to a tire store, select a tire that you want and get the order number and quote, then go to Wal-Mart and have them order that tire. Wal-Mart will beat any price by 5% and you will get the better tires along with the Wal-Mart guarantee good at any Wal-Mart in the U.S. It's a bit of a hassle, but it was worth it in my experience. Good luck.
JP

This is interesting to hear. When I called Michelin several years back to ask that same question, I was told by someone in tech support that the tires are the same, but named differently for the club stores so not to directly compete with the franchise dealers. Now you have a good source that says otherwise.
My main reason for thinking Sams besides price is the road hazard warranty which also covers truck tires.
I think I'll go with 265s if they will sell them to me.
Are 265 OK on stock aluminum rims?
Will the dealer give me warranty grief?

2Fast2,
265s will fit, but it is not recommended especially for hauling or towing. Having said that, many on this board will tell you that they run them just fine without problems. If your truck did not come from the factory with 265s then it is possible the dealer will refuse to work on a drive train performance issue until the stock size is installed. Lastly, I believe you will have a difficult time getting Sam's to install non-recommended tire size on your truck. This sorta depends on the store, but I know Wal-Mart won't do it and Sam's is part of the Wal-Mart family. Hit or miss. Also, back to Michelin, remember a tech support person for a company is NEVER gonna say one of their products is inferior to another....never. I suppose it's like oil though, if you change it and the filter regularly and don't abuse the vehicle you probably won't notice any difference between low buck dino & syn oil......extreme environments aside. Up to you......good hunting.
JP