Chevy & GMC Vans

I have 225/70-16 BFG KO's on stock alum wheels on 2003 ASTRO AWD

great tire but heavy and mileage drops.

ride is frm too and feel bumps but handle great and the stiff side wall instills confidence.

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idea for invention......make run a low rolling resistance comfy street tire that has threaded inserts where a extra off road outer diameter re tread could be bolted on for winter or off road use, kinda like a snow chain, maybe be a good adaptation of the 20 inch wheel craze ...with the large rim the extra tire outer tread could be bolted to the rim ....think outside the box....

astrozam, Good review, Just buzzin around here & tripped on it. Whats next? With winter coming up, just curious. Thanks, Jim

I had considered these tires for my '99. I went cheaper cause I found a Dean "Stinger" Radial that I really liked for like, $60 each.

My Dad runs these tires in a 235/75/15 on a '99 E150 Clubwagon. He is on his third set, with 240k miles (not KM) on the van. This includes the original set, and yes, he got right at 100k out of the first two sets. This last set isn't fairing so well, as Dad has never had an alignment, shocks, anything at all done to the van suspensionwise. Lets just say the front end is a bit loose. Other than a tune up, rear heater pipes, alternator and brakes, it's all stock. Who says Fords are junk??

Anyway, thanks for the review.

On another note, I think that the reason the right rear wears more and spins easier isn't because it's a "drive wheel", but it is due to the pinion torque pulling up on the right side of the axle, and down on the left. It is the opposite in reverse. The same effect can be seen on solid front drive axles, they tend to spin the left front going forward, and the right in reverse. It's like the driveshaft is trying to spin the entire axle housing.

It also seems to me that IFS vehicles don't seem to favor one wheel or the other with an open diff, prolly 'cause the pinion torque is transfered to the frame rather than the axle housing.

You can buy these exact same tires from canadian tire for 50-75 less per tire. they are re branded with the canadian tire name but they are the same tire. I have had the canadian tire brands on my last van and am running the michelins on the new van but they have only been on a few weeks. I love the grip. Bikehauler had a set on his V8 cargo van and they hooked up well. Very well once they got hot which didn't take too long the way he drove.

astroturf wrote:astrozam, Good review, Just buzzin around here & tripped on it. Whats next? With winter coming up, just curious. Thanks, Jim

Thanks Jim, don't honestly know what I'm going to do this winter,lol

astrozam, Thanks for the reply. Like I said earlier, good review and follow up. I have owned two sets of Mich Ltx Ms. One on a CJ5 Jeep and the other on a Toyota 4Runner. The tires performed very well in both cases. Well, when I got my Astro in December, I wanted a tire that would give me Michelin performance plus. I purchased the only all season tire that also has the mountain snowflake (at the time). It was the Nokian Tires WR G2 SUV tire. This tire is made in Finland and tested under the worse conditions. Long Story Short, I love em. Might be your next review? I hope so. Thanks again, Jim

After searching around for a long time, I picked up a set of 225/75/15's. With a full size spare, the set ran me just shy of 900 bones. Holy cow.

They rock!

They are really great. Could not be happier.

Got Pix ???

I have a set of MS 2's on my stock 04 RWD size 225/70/16
i figured i may end up trimming a fender or two but there is no rubbing whatsoever !
i also have the stock running boards which take up more space in the back of the front wheel well.
my ass end is stock but also has the jacked up look, what and where are the load levelers and can they be adjusted ? my van used to look like it was doing a nose dive but that was with bald tires, these ms 2's helped out a bit in that department and picked the front up a little but it still waay higher in the ass.

Hi All, My LT225/70-16 BFG TA KO's are still pretty good at 50,000 miles of wear on my 2 inch lifted 2003 Astro AWD, but I ordered some Michelins from Costco today, LTX M/S 2 in the P225/70-16 size. From the spec sheet the LTX M/S 2 weight is 31 lbf vs 35 lbf for the KO. I expect to get a smoother ride since I will be hauling lots of folks to a wedding this summer.

AP

I used to work as a mechanic at a tire garage and I specifically remember two things about Michelin Tires.
1. In the 90's Michelin claimed they had the softest tires in the industry so your ride with be much softer and quieter.
2. Because of there softer tire compounds the tires wore faster and if they went flat in at least 35% of the flats the tire tore when being removed for repair specially if fix a flat was involved. Because of this I have never bought Michelin tires.
However that was many years ago and Michelin owns BFG and I like BFG tires. If you can find them look for Hercules Terra tracs. Excellent tire all around many plow trucks run them, I had a set on my 4x4 S-10 and I loved them. Google them you will see a nice aggressive tread tire with no noise.