OEM tires didn't last

[Mavster Mechanic]

By the time you get to 4/32 you are going to be hydroplaning in the rain!

What is rain? Never see it where I live.

You can counteract this to a small degree by adding more air to your tires. But agree, it's not for everyone.

And if it were horrible, wouldn't the legal limit be 4/32"?

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[Master Blaster]

Its all about driving properly. Other people can easily exceed the rated miles on the tires. Look at the federally-mandated UTQG number on the sidewall. All of the different factory tires sold on the Maverick are molded with between 500 and 680 UTQG. Multiply that by 100 and that's what the expected life is in miles. If you can't get that number of miles then there is nothing wrong with the tire and something is wrong with your driving.

 

[FordDiehard]

My factory spec Michelins are doing great so far. I expect I’ll get only 25,000 because I’m in the Appalachian mountains and am turning a lot.

My 25,000 estimate is based on 6mm useable tread because I always replace at 4 mm, I never go to the wear bars at 2mm.
I’ve used 1mm of tread and am at 4,600 miles.
4,600 X 6 =27,600 miles, yeah I’ll make it to 25K

I agree on the Michelins. My 23' Lariat just hit 30k and the tires still have plenty of life. I order a lot of tires at work, and I asked one of the reps who stopped by about the OEM Michelin Primacy vs the more expensive version of the same tire. He told me the OEM version are slightly softer to provide a smooth and quiet ride but won't last quite as long. I find that to be the case; I will definitely replace mine with the same Michelins when the time arrives.

 

[gjallen3]

I drove my truck for a couple hundred miles on the stock Continentals, and I couldn't stand them. They just felt "cheap" to me (kind of a mushy ride, seemed noisier than normal). I replaced them (and my original steel wheels) with some Cooper Endeavor Plus tires (stock 225/65/17) and the difference is really apparent. The steering feels tighter, the ride is firmer but not bouncy, and they are a lot quieter. I totally understand why people keep the stock tires and drive them til they're finished, but I bet a lot of people here on the MTC have noticed a good difference when they switched to something else. Heck, I bet even if you replaced the OEM tires with another set of Continental ProContacts from a regular tire store, they'd feel different than the originals.

I had those Cooper Endeavors on my Grand Cherokee and I absolutely loved them. When it Is time to replace my Conti’s I will be getting my new set of Endeavors at Sam’s Club. You really can’t beat the value.

 

[Darryl]

What is rain? Never see it where I live.

You can counteract this to a small degree by adding more air to your tires. But agree, it's not for everyone.

And if it were horrible, wouldn't the legal limit be 4/32"?

Tire safety in rain gradually deteriorates, so 5/32 would be safer than 4/32. So I think 2/32 was chosen because below that even the slightest amount of water on the road is likely to cause hydroplaning. Below 2/32 you basically have racing slicks . But I honestly believe that 3/32 or 4/32 would be a best practice limit in areas where there are frequent rains . i think many people replace their tires earlier than required because they likely experienced an unexpected loss of traction in situations that they felt they shouldn't have. I know I've been driving at speeds I thought we're safe for the conditions and felt that dreaded squirrelly feeling even though the tires were not quite worn to 2/32. That sent me to the store quickly

 

[Master Blaster]

What is rain? Never see it where I live.

You can counteract this to a small degree by adding more air to your tires. But agree, it's not for everyone.

And if it were horrible, wouldn't the legal limit be 4/32"?

The wear indicators are at 2/32", after which you may experience hydroplaning issues. Changing the tires at 4/32" is pretty extreme, and maybe more useful with terrible tire designs that cannot channel water properly. Thankfully Ford decided not to put wide tires on and instead kept the footprint pressures to more useful levels in snow and water. Adding additional tire pressure will reduce your footprint to a certain extent, reducing your traction. If anything, reducing tire pressure slightly would be more useful to retain grip in extreme rain instead of the opposite.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

The wear indicators are at 2/32", after which you may experience hydroplaning issues. Changing the tires at 4/32" is pretty extreme, and maybe more useful with terrible tire designs that cannot channel water properly. Thankfully Ford decided not to put wide tires on and instead kept the footprint pressures to more useful levels in snow and water. Adding additional tire pressure will reduce your footprint to a certain extent, reducing your traction. If anything, reducing tire pressure slightly would be more useful to retain grip in extreme rain instead of the opposite.

No.

More pressure is better in rain. The smaller patch is less prone to hydroplane. You want more weight on fewer inches. IE higher psi.
It may be counterintuitive.

But think water skis. Water skis make you intentionally hydroplane at lower speeds. You can hydroplane on bare feet but it's much more difficult & you need higher speeds.

Another analogy: you want tires to cut through water, not float on top.

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