Truck Tire

Initial Review, 17,000 Miles on Tires
March 11, 2013

I farm and ranch so Im on dirt roads and pastures all the time. The people that sold them to me said all the oil field workers are putting them on their trucks. I needed a good all around tire. I had them put on and the next day got stuck. The roads were not that bad either. I havent even got 17k miles on them and they are about bald. I rotate them quite often so they are worn pretty even. I have only had a few flats. The last one was a little piece of cable. These are 10 ply tires and something that small went threw them. I think Ill spend a little more money on a better tire if Im only going to get 17k out of them.

Initial Review, 7,500 Miles on Tires
December 24, 2012

I bought the WS70's last winter but it hardly snowed here in central Iowa, this year looked like it may repeat but then we just got hit by a blizzard and 12 inches of snow. The snow was the best part of the storm, it was the 2 inches of ice that was left on the roads after the snow plows went through that I thought would be the problem. I was very pleased and sometimes amazed how good these tires are, not once did I lose traction or start sliding around unlike many trucks and other 4wd vehicles that were in the ditch. I am still grasping that people don't buy winter tires in snow country or drive on bald tires year round, oh well I didn't need a tow truck to pull me out 3 days later. Buy these tires if you value safety of your family above all else. Now to the other details. Dry traction is a little on the spongy side and I feel the need to concentrate more but I expected that in a winter tire so not that surprised. Also I wouldn't go over 80 on these tires as it doesn't feel the safest. Overall these tire do exactly what they are supposed to do in the winter.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 29, 2013

outstanding tire, awesome in wis winters. my wife drives the truck in the winter as her bird sleeps the winter away. if she is totaly happy with them I am a happy camper. they are very quit at freeway speeds and she drives as if she is driving her Trans Am. No complaint as far as handling again would highly recomend. little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 23, 2013

Bought the BF Goodrich Radial T/A tire for my GMC Sierra 1500 2WD standard cab stepside pickup as a replacement for Goodyear Eagle GT tires that I religiously ran on for many years (only to learn that Goodyear stopped making that tire in a 15" when it came time to replace them.) I wanted the White Letter tire and as many of you are finding out, 15" RWL this is becoming a dying breed.

This was the first set of BF Goodrich's I have ever owned and I was pleasantly surprised how much better and smoother they ride vs the Goodyears. Dry pavement driving is great, and wet pavement is good and acceptable. I typically tone it down in wet weather just because you can't expect a light truck to handle like a car due to the light rear end.

The raised white lettering is not quite as big as what Goodyear does and the BF Goodrich positioning of the letters are closer to the rim, vs Goodyear, which positions the lettering closer towards the treads. Not really a big deal to some, but if you have attention to detail like I do, its worth noting the appearance difference. Also as a notation, the tire shop filled my BF Goodrich tires with Nitrogen instead of air.

After having owned these tires for over 6 months, I wished I had switched to them earlier based on their ride and appearance. Unless something unforeseen happens, I would be likely to repurchase and recommend to a friend

Initial Review, 34,000 Miles on Tires
March 29, 2013

This is my 2nd set of identical tires for my Supercrew. The original set came on it from the factory and lasted in the neighborhood of 65,000 miles - there was still life left but I was going on a trip so I went ahead and replaced them. This 2nd set has been equally great tires. My truck now has a little over 99,000 miles and the tires are in great shape. I fully expect the tires to last until I buy a new truck in a couple years. I would absolutely recommend these tires! And I would buy another set in I needed too! Fantastic wear!

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
March 30, 2013

I have had these tires on my truck for 2 years and 50,000 miles on them. I still have plenty of tread on them left. I should be able to get 75,000 miles no problem. I think these tires are great. I like how the sidewall sticks out slightly more then the rims to protect them. I would put this tire in the "buy" category

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I just got these tires and they made a huge difference. I had Cooper all terrains on my truck before and they were horrible. And they had really soft side walls s they made my truck drive like I was on ice all the time. These kumhos are very quiet and firm. There a very nice tire

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

I use these on my 4 wheel drive winter/ off road truck and with these tires driving in the snow barely affects the traction i get. It is just like driving in normal conditions. Even in mud and gravel i feel plenty of traction. A great tire in every day driving conditions as well. If you're looking for great all terrain tires these are the best you can buy. I've owned plenty of different brands and these are by far the best

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 12, 2013

Tires have been on the truck for 6 mo. and 6000 miles. I am very pleased with the tires so for. They still look new and ride very smooth. Tire Rack is the only way to buy tires.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

I live in minnesota and i have not had these tires on my truck that long. But i have found they are dang good tires in the snow for a "mud tire" i have not tried them out yet in the mud just because i put them on in the middle of winter so far the tread wearin gis good havent had them long enough to tell only about 8000 miles.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
March 04, 2013

Have purchased a set of 4, every year for the past 10 years. These are the only tires I 'have to have'. Use on work vehicle as well as personal vehicle. I am a rural carrier 150 daily miles Conditions: snow, ice, drifting snow, slush, gravel, sand, rocks, manure, and mud Vehicle Type: car and 4x4 truck I use these tires until they wear out in usually 5 to 6 months. They do wear quickly during warm weather, but last longer if the winter is colder (below freezing). If used on the interstate, they will start to sound loud at higher speeds of 65mph. These are quiet for snow tires and do not affect your gas mileage much. No complaints with the handling. No lean when cornering. Please rememeber these are not sport tires so I am compairing to average all season radials. I use two sets per year, but this is hard stop and go driving over multiple kinds of road terrain and with vehicle weighted down with mail. Tires only last 6 months for me, even the all season radials. Everyone in our office now uses these tires, even those who are not carriers. We all swear by them. I have never had to stud them. They always get me thru everything. One co-worker has been using them for three winters now. Says he may be able to make it thru a fourth. Puts them on in Nov and removes them in early spring. I recommend these tires to everyone.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

These tires are OEM from Ford when I purchased my truck. I read lots of reviews about them and was quite worried about the upcoming Minnesota winter do to what I felt was a high number of bad reviews. However after I have had them for over three months in the deep snow, cold, slush, freezing rain I am VERY happy. Are they as good as a dedicated snow tire? Of course not. Are they as good as a dedicated off-road tire? Nope. But are they a great all around tire supplying above average traction for 90% of driving conditions? Yep. People who complain about the traction of these tires are either really really bad drivers or are comparing them to a single use tire. I will have to wait and see how they wear long term. Last thing, for the people who are disappointed Ford puts these highway oriented tires on a truck, don't blame Ford, blame the EPA for forcing companies to make products the public doesn't want. Its all about the MPG's.

Initial Review, 42,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

Our Touareg came with 255/60-17 tires from Dunlop. They were throw-aways well before 20K miles. The corners wore off quickly and they became very noisy. This is with the tires inflated to their maximum suggested cold pressure. The replacements were the same size, but from Goodyear. They, too wore the corners off in about 20K to 25K miles and became noisy. Again tire pressure was maintained at the top end of the cold pressure range. The third set was yet another manufacturer and the same size. Same story.

So, for tire set #4, I went to the alternate size 235/65-17 and bought the Generals. It was my guess that the wear problem was suspension related relative to the tire width. These narrower profile tires were better in snow, wet and hard pack/ice. They handled just fine on a 5000 pound truck, but not quite as responsive as the wider, lower profile tire. They've been more than acceptable for towing (5000# fully loaded car trailer) and fine for City/Highway driving. Further, they've been far more comfortable and quiet throughout the 40+K miles so far.

We've gotten more than twice the milage out of these Generals than we got out of any of the previous tires. The product is excellent, but the change in tire profile is what has saved these tires. They aren't as wide and haven't sheered off the corners at all. Treadwear across the entire face is very uniform.

So, if you own a Touareg and are fed up with tire wear, noise and harsh ride, consider going to the taller, narrower profile. There's not much downside and the improvement is very good. Further, the speedometer is spot-on accurate with these tires compared to the original lower profiles. I gave the Altimax Generals mostly 9s with a couple of 8s and 10s. These have by far been the best tires yet in about 120K miles of driving. They probably will see us through the Summer and Fall, but will be replaced before next Winter.

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
March 13, 2013

I feel like I am in a monster truck with these things on. Dry traction is great, wet traction is great... Snow? Like a hot knife thru butter... I feel confident with this tire. The noise? Loud and I love it. I can be heard a mile away. If you want quiet tires, these aren't for you.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
March 07, 2013

It's hard to imagine a better tire. After 30,000 the tread is FLAT across and hardly worn. I have had people look at them during oil changes and mark "like new" on the worksheet. NO Vibration at all. I regulary drive in Utah where some roads have an 80 mph speed and are amazed. They ae probably the only tire I would do that on in 120 degree heat and a full load of people. As far as snow goes, no need for winter tires, they are amazing in deep snow. Quiet, safe, smooth, long wearing. If I ever need tires for a light truck, I know not to even shop around for anything else, why bother? Steve

Initial Review, 70,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

GREAT TIRES..THEY MADE MY TRUCK RIDE BETTER

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

Deep snow In 4WD mode: Good traction for take off, cornering and braking are not as good as take off. To be fair braking and cornering are far better than the other traffic on the road in deep snow, it's easy to accelerate past other traffic and to stop and turn. It's just the traction afforded during take off doesn't match the cornering and stopping (probably the 4WD engaged vs 2WD mode). I found my self sliding off the road in deep snow when traveling much faster than traffic. If I slowed to slightly faster than the average traffic I didn't slide in corners and had no braking lockups at all.
Wet conditions 2WD: No hydroplaning through the life of the tread, good braking and cornering in the wet, take off will spin the tires pretty easily but it's a pickup truck so that's expected.
Dry conditions: Good traction for take off, good braking and cornering. In the dry it's a very good tire. Under emergency braking to the point of activating the antilock system the tires tracked straight with no extra input needed maintain directional control. To be fair stability control in the Tundra may have played a part but, in the particular instance a lady pulled out of a gas station in front of me and the guy in the lane next to me. We were both a 40 mph and slammed on the brakes as we fully expected to hit her. She froze when she realized a truck and car were coming at her and that she was about to be hit. We both stopped about 3 to 8 inches from hitting her. The Tundra and Bridgestones didn't slide or slew and no one was hurt. I heard the tires from my truck and the car next to me skidding as the antilocks pulsed on both vehicles.
Ride comfort is very good, steering response very good, tire noise is good but sometimes on concrete the noise is a little louder than asphalt. Tire wear has be good 50,000 miles and there is still some left before the wear bars. Now that they are near the wear bars there is some hint of hydroplaning but they are all but worn out. Light Offroad good

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 11, 2013

This is my second set of these tires. My first set I had on an Acura RSX and they handled amazingly well with that car. So I purchased for my new FWD Mazda 3 Hatchback and mounted them on my stock rims. These tires are amazing in the snow. The car handles like an AWD car now with these tires.

I did some winter camping with friends that had 4WD trucks and to get to the campsite, you had to drive up a pretty steep snow covered dirt road, then drive down a snowmobile trail. The combination of these tires, traction control and manual transmission helped me get up the hill and to the campsite no problem. My friends with the 4WD trucks were making fun of me for wanting to try it, until I got to the top of the hill....they were pretty impressed.

For the price/functionality...buy these tires.

Initial Review, 7,063 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2013

I love these R-S3's. I used Falken Azenis RT-215,s and Falken Azenis RT-615 in the past. My car is used a lot on the track. I am an Instructor at the Driveway Austin Track in Austin.

The compound appears to be of an R type as shown by the graining of the tire and lack of tire noise. The grip in dry weather is very good. The Falken 215's were good for the first 3 laps then they would degrade in grip. I found the Falken 615's to be even worse than the 215's. These Ventus R-S3's are far better than the 2 Falkens. The grip is there for much longer the the Falkens.

Even on the limestone laced asphalt in the Austin area they have good grip. There is a section of road that is very slippery even on a hot dry day that cars routinely spin out on. These tires grip well even on this slick section of asphalt.

On the track they work great they make my feel car as though I put $2000 dollars into it. My car is front wheel drive so it really over works the front tires but the R-S3's very well through my 5 to 15 minute stints. With these tires it is a lot easier to go fast and the under steer is reduced as well as oversteer. I am able to apply power when exiting the corners than before. Turn in is also much better.

I have not noticed any problems in the rain. As for noise they generate a little from the tread pattern. The Falken 215 was the quietest tire I ever had.

The R-S3's come with a lot of rubber on them 11/32nd which is just fine for because I also drive my car to the track 6 days a week 48 miles round trip and after 7063 miles.

I try to stay away from directional tires to avoid getting saw tooth due to rolling in the same direction it's whole life. The tread blocks get stair step and the tire can become loud like an off road truck tire but these have not done this! I rotate just front to back and they are still quiet just a hint of tread block noise.

The price is great and I am happy with the wear. I will be buying these R-S3's again and again.

Joe Williams