Armstrong Tru Trac A/T tires

[Maverick2022XL]

Just pulled the trigger on a set of 4 225 65/R17 106H Armstrong Tru Trac A/T tires. I've been wanting to replace the stock Continentals with A/T tires that were the same size. These tires weigh almost the same as the Continentals so there should be minimal to no MPG penalty when I finally have them mounted.

On simpletire.com they run $87.99 per tire or $351.96 for a set of 4 all before tax w/free shipping. If anyone is interested they are running a sale on all Armstrong tires till June 30th at 25% off 4 tires or buy 3 get 1 free. I paid $263.97 for the set of 4 before tax and w/free shipping. That is crazy cheap for A/T tires that I decided to buy them now and will store them in the garage until I am ready to change the tires instead of waiting until they actually need to be changed. I should be able to get another 5 - 10k out of the Continentals still even though they have over 35k miles on them now.

Sponsored

 

[Maverickman74]

Post some pics when ya get em put on.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

Post some pics when ya get em put on.

Will do but it maybe awhile until that happens if I decide to squeeze every last bit of mileage out of the Continentals.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

Couple of other things I forgot to mention. First I don't know if this is considered good, great or okay but the tires are rated for 60,000 miles. Second they are covered by a 2 year manufacturer road hazard warranty which also includes road assistance. The road assistance is nice if you are outside the Ford warranty period and don't also have it elsewhere like as part of the insurance on the vehicle.

 

[SP1966]

If I read correctly those tires weight 31lbs, so they'd each be about 7lbs heavier than the stock Continentals. To what extent that'll affect efficiency I don't know, but they're certainly going to have some affect.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

If I read correctly those tires weight 31lbs, so they'd each be about 7lbs heavier than the stock Continentals. To what extent that'll affect efficiency I don't know, but they're certainly going to have some affect.

That is the shipping weight. The Continentals should be around 25 lbs these are 28 lbs.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

Review with some technical details on these tires.
https://www.autoguide.com/auto/in-t...-tires-consider-the-armstrong-tru-tr-44607604

One point that is false in that review is the Armstrong tires of today have nothing to do with the Armstrong tires of yesteryear outside the brand name. The original company has long since been defunct since Pirelli took them over and in 1995, Zafco International bought the brand name and has been producing them since. The experience in making these tires does not run as deep as the reviewer suggests.

 

[Uncle Fatso]

That sounds like a good deal. Might be good to check the date code to see if they are old stock.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

That is the shipping weight. The Continentals should be around 25 lbs these are 28 lbs.

To correct myself the Continental Pro Contact TX tires used on the Maverick weigh 24 lbs so about a 4lb weight difference.

https://continentaltire.com/tires/procontact-tx/specs

The equivalent difference in sprung weight is ~(rotational mass*3) so that is 4*4=16 then 16*3=48lbs. Leaving inertia differences out of it the MPG would in theory only deviate by me putting a cinder block in the truck along with 8 more pounds of weight. You'd get more of an MPG difference if appreciable by driving with a passenger.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

I did some reading and it is unclear if changing the tire weight with all other factors like wheel size and width remaining the same will not always result in an MPG drop. The clear cut case for dropping tire weight is in racing the truck on the track in 1/4 miles. For example reducing unsprung weight by about 10 lbs per wheel will reduce sprung weight by about 120 lbs which equates to at least 1/10 a second or 1 car length in a 1/4 mile.

Most of us aren't so it comes down to rotational inertia and how much off-road/city vs hwy driving. Heaver tire doesn't automatically equal a higher rotational inertia. Besides the treads grippiness, the weight distribution of the wheel including the tire will play a factor, more weight towards the center of the hub means less rotational inertia and more towards lip means more rotational inertia. I have no way of quantifying this. Some assuming rotational inertia changes the higher will need more power to accelerate so in mostly city, stop and go driving that is going to affect the MPG somehow whether that is an appreciable difference is unknown here. The flip side is higher rotational inertia based upon more overall weight, weight distribution or both could increase your MPG in mostly hwy driving. In this case getting heavier tires in motion requires less energy to maintain momentum.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

I'll get some pictures up in the next day or so but I changed the tires couple of days ago. They were noisy when when first driven on but that has decreased since I've put about 100 miles on them now. Unlike the Conti's when you drive over a dime you can feel it in the tire. There is also no question they grip the road much better than the Conti's. When going down steep inclines with the CC engaged the coasting speed has decreased by about half also I had the fortune or misfortune to drive in some torrential rain with them and they gripped like a champ with an inch or more of water on the pavement at 55+ MPH without any hydroplaning. I am also still averaging over 30 mpg at 55 to 65 MPH but it will take a couple of tanks of gas to see exactly how much if any of an MPG hit there is.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

Pictures as requested. Truck still looks stock with the new tires sans the tread pattern.

Sponsored