New Goodyear Wrangler Authority tires installed.

Long day. Left at 0800 this morning in the 4Runner with my utility trailer and UTV in tow and drove the 50 miles South to Clarkston, WA.

Dropped off the UTV at the shop for service, then headed to the Walmart there to have them install the Goodyear Wrangler tires I bought online from Walmart a month ago.

I've never been to that Walmart or used a Walmart tire center. They told me it would be around $50 to mount and balance all four tires since I bought them there.

The tire shop was empty when I dropped off my vehicle and they said it would be about an hour to hour and a half. Weird. Most places take about 45 minutes to mount and balance a set of tires.

My dad was with me, so we decided to walk to a Costco about a 1/4-mile away and do some shopping.

Came back about an hour later and the vehicle was still not ready. Went to watch the progress and could not believe how slow the tire guys were moving. Two of them took nearly two hours to mount and balance four tires. I told them to air them up to 42 lbs and they refused. Said they go by the sticker on the door. I pointed out that these were LT tires and needed more pressure. Sorry, can't do it.

When I finally got the vehicle back, I knew no way they were balanced properly. They didn't even wash the gunk off the tires. And they scratched up the coating on the rims. And they left fingerprints on the door.

I went to pay and the clerk said it would be $90. I told him I was told $50. He said only if I bought them from Walmart. I said I did. He asked for a receipt. I told him I bought them online and all the paperwork was taped to the new tires when I brought them in. Not good enough. I ended up showing him my online Walmart account which showed the tires delivered.

The entire experience was like an episode of a bad sitcom.

I went and picked up the UTV, got some sheetrock at Home Depot, then headed back home. As soon as I hit around 55mph, the steering wheel starting shaking and continued to about 62mph. Not balanced.

Got home and washed off the gunk, aired them up properly, and will have to take it to a reputable tire shop locally. I'm not making another 100-mile round trip to let a couple of mentally challenged Walmart idiots touch my vehicle.

Now, the tires weren't noisy and they look great, but I have no idea yet how they ride or perform since they weren't aired up correctly and I had around 3000 lbs I was trying to get home.

Will do a proper review after I get them balanced properly and in the dirt.

 

Thanks for the quick review.
I may buy these as I am in a pinch.
Let us know how it turns out.
Thanks.

 

I've never understood the logic here. I thought tire pressure was based on the tire size and the vehicle weight. At 42#, i would think it would be a harsh ride.

I'm on stock size KO2's, and running 35. The only reason I'm above door sticker recommendation is because I'm always carrying extra weight.

The tires look good. I noticed them at Walmart recently.

EDIT: also, this thread confirms my suspicion that buying tires at Walmart is not a good idea! I'll stick with discount tire.

 

I have been running Goodyear Wrangler's with Kevlar. I also go to a commercial truck tire shop to purchase, balance and install. I have to pay up for that, but tire service (rotation, fix flats etc) when needed is free. Surprisingly, I got over 80,000 miles on the last set!!!

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Goodyear Wrangler® All-Terrain Adventure With Kevlar

 

I believe that is a different tire.
Thanks but sorry.

 

I already cringed when I saw Walmart.

 

I know.
They are a Goodyear product.
Just made for Walmart.
Approaching cautiously...

 

Why are you considering them? Just curious.

 

Lost some big contracts this summer & may need to put a new set of shoes on an old plow truck.
Oh, these will not replace the Duratracs on our T4R! Never!

 

Buying tires from Walmart isn't bad. Just don't have them mounted and balanced by Walmart. But I suspect some Walmart tire centers are decent; just not the one in my area.

As far as tire pressure, I read a pretty intense thread on it either here or another TR4 site and the experts agreed that you need to run higher pressure in the E-rated LT tires.

I frequently tow a 2500lb trailer and the higher pressure is necessary. On the trip home with the lower pressures, it felt a bit unstable and not right. My dad said he could feel the difference just riding in it.

With the higher pressures driving into town yesterday, it felt like a different vehicle; much more stable and almost sports car like.

Maybe a harsher ride, but I've never been sensitive to that.

 

Yeah, it seems like common practice. I just can't understand why. It doesn't make sense to me, but I'm not an expert.

Also, mine are C rated, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I would agree that the Walmart installation is the worse part of that deal. After getting burned twice at a cheapy tire shop in my area (Mr P's tire), I would rather pay more and have people who seem to give a shit install my tires.

 

Another thing that I forgot to mention about the idiot Walmart tire guys is that they actually put on the install receipt is that the new tires will likely have rubbing issues.

The new tires are the exact same size as the factory tires...

Took it to a local shop that knew what they were doing and had them rebalance the tires at a cost of $60.

Tires are good to go now. Noise level is noticeable but not obnoxious. I towed a utility trailer full of tile and other home improvement supplies 50 miles and it felt very stable.

Ride is stiff, but nothing offensive to me coming from the world of real trucks and 4x4s with lifts.

In the middle of a bathroom remodel and won't get a chance to get into the woods and mud until October 10th when elk season starts and I go into the Idaho backwoods for a few days and sleep in a canvas tent.

Chance of snow Sunday, but probably nothing in town for another month at least.

Will definitely do a complete review with pictures when I do get to play in the dirt and snow.

So far, happy with the tires in daily commuting duties, but I do think that they are reducing my gas mileage by nearly 1 mpg. Will have to put another few hundred miles on them to be sure.

 

The tires look good. Please keep us updated on how they run. I had a similar bad experience at my local Walmart about ten or so years ago. I have never used them for tire related services since. Well I lied, I bought some trailer tires from them offline haha.

 

Wally Mart...…... There's your first problem - Ha...

I keep my (stock) tires set to the door jam sticker is that appropriate? I thought most (all?) tires showed the MAX pressure on the sidewall not the recommended everyday driving pressure?

 

Had these tires on my old ranger in college. Loved them...great traction, they are pretty quiet for how aggressive they are, and I got somewhere around 50-60k miles out of them.

 

Went on an elk hunt last week and got into some thick greasy mud on the way up to the camp. I was in a caravan with my dad and brother with all three of us pulling trailers of around 2000 lbs. Dad had a 2005 Chevy 1-ton dually with Toyo M55 tires. Brother has a 90's Dodge with aggressive Big O ATs.

In the worst uphill sections, dad had to engage 4wd, and brother stayed in 2wd, but was spinning and fishtailing. I stayed in 2wd and despite the traction light coming on a couple of times, I never lost control and the rig stayed planted. I was happy with the performance. Didn't have a chance to unhook the trailer and do any trails, as I had my UTV for trail duty, so no real test of their off-road performance.

I am still looking forward to seeing the snow performance.

So far, I happy with them in all areas but one; they absolutely killed my gas mileage! I commute about 30 miles a day and was averaging just over 20 mpg. Compared to my former vehicle, I was saving about $50 a month in gas. Now, I am averaging around 17 mpg. I thought part of it was due to the switch to the "winter blend" fuel this time of year that usually sucks a couple of MPGs out of rigs. So, I ran a couple of tanks of ethanol-free premium and it went up to just over 18 mpg.

Due to the extra 12 lbs per tire and more aggressive tread, I was anticipating some drop in MPGs, but not quite this much.

Overall, I think they are a decent tire and do a great job off-road and look great, but I will likely try something different next time around.

 

Lay off the skinny pedal!

Just kidding. I'm not sure how you drive, but I didn't notice any difference from the Dunflops to the KO2's. But, apparently I drive like a Grandpa

 

Actually went into the woods today and took a mild road to my favorite mushroom-hunting spot. It's been raining for a couple of days, so there was plenty of mud. We have a higher clay content around here, so the mud is sticky and greasy.



Went to where I needed to go and never needed 4wd. These tires are amazing off-road! I turned the A-Trac off and stopped in a mud hole, going uphill, and was able to power out of it in 2wd. Passed by a lifted Ram diesel with the ridiculous 20" rims and wide AT tires and he was sliding all over when I pulled over and let him by.

Every tire packs up with mud out here, but these seemed better than others I've tried. Better than the Goodyear DuraTracs on my Yukon.









Took it down an old skid trail which was mostly wet grass and no slippage at all. Was really happy with the articulation of the stock suspension and the overall performance on a pretty mild trail.

I put it in 4wd to try and get some mud to fly up and cover the rig for posterity sake, but these tires just refused to break traction. Very impressive in the mud for an aggressive AT.





Supposed to get some snow next Monday, so that will be another benchmark for them to pass. If they do well in all snow conditions, and seem to be wearing fine, then I can recommend them.

 

Glad you're still liking the tires! It sounds like they're treating you well.

 

Yeah, I could have done worse for $600.

The big test will be commuting to work in snowstorms this winter. I get off at 6am and have to commute 15 miles on a rural highway that doesn't always get plowed by then, and is subject to some pretty massive snow drifts. I'm often the one breaking trail in a foot of new snow at 6am on a Sunday morning, so we'll see how well they do, lol.

 

Maybe I can get a job at Walmart. I have half a brain.

 

There went all my questions. Please excuse my mistakes.

One quick one I cannot get A-trac in 2wd only 4 low. Am I mistaken?
Also, what should my wife use during a storm to get around (she is coming from an AWD vehicle).
Sorry for the mess.
Thanks in advance!

 

Great explanation of the different modes and features here...

https://trail4runner.com/2018/01/30/5th-gen-4runner-off-road-features/

Basically, if road conditions are bad, your wife should be in 4-HI.

From the referenced article:

When to use 4HI?

4HI is great when you need more traction and control that does not require ‘crawling’ speeds. Snowy roads, slick roads, and muddy roads are all good options to utilize 4HI. Any time you need to go at speeds of less than 5-10 mph you should probably shift into 4LO.

My wife totaled a new Nissan Pathfinder years ago because she was in 2wd and hit some black ice with the cruise control on. The rear tires broke loose and the vehicle started to go sideways before the cruise kicked off and she could regain control. She never once ever used cruise control again, in any condition, which was annoying, lol.

 

I'm pretty sure A-trac can be used in any mode. Check out the explanation posted by @MountainMan

There's some good information in there!

 

Great link @MountainMan
More comments & questions tomorrow.
I will try a-trac in 2h also.
Lots to learn on a new vehicle. Let me know if you want me to start a new thread... Actually, I will tomorrow. It is a subject all new owners need to know!

 

I believe A-Trak is 4 low only.

 

ATRAC is 4-LO only. There is also Traction Control. They operate differently. Traction Control cuts the power to the wheels when it slips. ATRAC allows the power to stay the same but pulsates the brakes to transfer power. Traction Control is active in 2 and 4-HI. 4-LO takes Trac off and you can activate ATRAC.

 

I stand corrected.

See, that's why I said to read the article in the link. I almost linked the same article until I looked at the link in the earlier post.

Apparently, I'm due to read it again

 

From the owners manual: Bolded is my edits

System operation

1 Part-time 4WD models:
Stop the vehicle, shift the shift lever to N and shift the front-wheel drive control lever into L4.

Full-time 4WD models:
Stop the vehicle, shift the shift lever to N and then push and turn the four-wheel drive control switch to L4L.


The active traction control system automatically helps prevent the spinning of 4 wheels when the vehicle is started or acceler- ated on slippery road surfaces.

2 Press the “A-TRAC” switch to activate the system.

At this time, the “A-TRAC” indi- cator will come on.

To cancel the system, push the switch again.