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FirefighterGeek

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  1. The replacement of the control module seemed to work. I haven't had anything like it in a long time. I've wondered if it wasn't a new-car thing that once parts got worn in went away. I'm at 40,000 miles now -- many of them really challenging winter roads between Maine and Nova Scotia in some of the toughest conditions I've ever driven in. I spent 7 hours driving south along the Bay of Fundy and then back roads of Maine to get home during a winter storm that switch between freezing rain and sleet the whole way on the factory tires as they were nearing the end of their life. That was a long day. I bought new Michelin SUV all seasons shortly after. The vehicle has been fantastic.
  2. So I got a call back from a rep at Michelin. He made the following points, which I’ll post here in order of usefulness to me: Michelin has a money back gurantee. If you don’t like the tires they’ll take them back at full price within (30 I think) days — INCLUDING THE MOUNTING AND BALANCING COSTS. The Defender LTX M/S is designed for SUV and Crossover applications, so it isn’t too radical a departure and for the area I live and for driving I do is definitely a recommended choice. He does not recommend, for example, the Premier A/S even though that is usually a top choice. His personal experience is that he doesn’t see noise complaints with thar Defender LTX, though it will likely be a bit more noise than the OEM, it shouldn’t be too noticeable... however... Michelin does do noise testing across its tire line, however as there is no industry standard for how they test or how the measure and report the result, they do not make that data public. for me, point 1 closes the deal. I’ll give tbose a try in a few weeks and take a long drive up to the northern end of I-95 so I can measure both milesge and noise subjectively. It will be a few weeks, but I’ll write up what I find.
  3. I was able to get the attention of a Michelin marketing type via Twitter, and apparently they're going to have a "senior representative" contact me about my technical questions. I'll let you all know what they say.
  4. The thing about this statement, is that not everyone is the kind of driver who can tell the difference except in extremes. I'm more inclined to advice from someone who does prefer to pay attention to that sort of thing, than someone who just notices when things aren't working well. I think for the average driver, driving around suburbia, it makes very little difference what tire they pick. For me, taking 7 hour drives fairly regularly to places north of the Bay of Fundy in sometimes challenging conditions, the difference can be more important.
  5. You guys know that when you mention switching to some brand, that each of them makes dozens of different versions of tires and they're all entirely different from one another, right?
  6. Interesting. Same year, same model, same sub-model but mine has the 19" Contis. Those Michelin Latitude HP don't rate very well at Tire Rack at all. About middle of the pack for Crossovers.
  7. Well, I've been in Maine 25 years or so now, and for the last couple of winters I make regular trips 350 miles (each way) to the Canadian Maritimes where my daughter is in college. So far, I've been fine without putting snows on any of the AWD cars I've had. I did put snows on my wife's van when the kids were younger, but she's also driving an AWD now and doesn't need them.
  8. That's a pretty awesome tire for an OEM. I didn't realize the Defender LTS M/S was available in 13.
  9. The problem with tiretest and tirerack and so on, is that I'm looking at a change in category, so the top rated "noise" value in one won't necessarily compare to the top rated noise value in the other. I really want to hear from people who have made a similar switch and see what they're saying the impact was.
  10. Yeah. The ones I'm considering are definitely not economy focused, low-resistance tires. That's why I'm asking about other people's experience in terms of road noise and mileage impact. Michelin Defender LTX M/S The ones I'm replacing are. Continental ContProContact
  11. No, what we consider "a dusting" in Maine, shuts down your city until it's gone and the puddles are dry. ? The only Michelin tires I've had trouble with are the new "Premier A/S" that are supposed to be so great. On one car we had two fail with sidewall problems, and another car very limited tread life. I was not pleased, given their expense.
  12. I've got a '17 Escape Titanium. It came with the 19" Continental ContProContact tires. They suck. It's one of the very few things I don't like about this vehicle. Oh, they're fine on a dry highway. It's just that with about 1/2 the tread gone, they are very prone to hydroplaning in even a little water. If you hit a film of water on one side, they pull the vehicle way too hard in that direction. Don't even try to use them in snow or slush. They simply cannot clear slush at all. I just finished another long drive home from the Canadian Maritimes, about 4 hours of which was in snow and slush and I had to slow way down - far more than usual or else I would just be driving an air-boat. So.. I'm considering a much more aggressive tire -- but curious as to how much of a penalty I'll pay in terms of both mileage and (much more important to me) road noise in dry conditions. These are what I'm considering: 1. Michelin DEFENDER LTX M/S (usually have good luck with Michelin, though the "Premier" model sucked) 2. Goodyear ASSURANCE WEATHERREADY (haven't bought goodyears in decades, didn't used to like them) 3. BF Goodrich Advantage T/A 4. Yokohama AVID ASCEND GT Has anyone switched from the ContiProContact to one of these? How much louder were they? Did you take a mileage hit?
  13. GREAT choice on the Ranger. I have a 2017 Escape Titanium with the 2.0-L turbo. It's the most impressive engine overall that I've ever driven. Ford's "Dual Scrolling" turbo kicks in smoothly at much lower RPM than old school turbochargers so there's almost no noticeable "turbo-lag". Instead of waiting for the power to come on, it feels more like just driving a vehicle with a big power engine. The power is just there. I had the same questions before buying. I was worried especially given that they engine has auto-shut-off for economy. To me, that made no sense with a turbo as I'd always learned in the past that you needed to idle down and cool off a turbo before shutting a vehicle down. These things just aren't true anymore. The engine is designed for it, just like the starter and flywheel are vastly improved to meet the new challenges. I've put 35k on mine so far and it's amazing. I can pull 3500 pounds -- and have. I've got a 750 pound trailer that I loaded with a full yard of damp loam and had no trouble with it. If anything, I think the weight limit has more to do with stopping power due to the overall weight of the Escape. Certainly it had no power problems. When I'm not pulling and I put my foot down, the thing leaps forward like a 70s muscle car and rockets off the line or when passing. Driving in Northern Maine toward Canada on the long, empty, far northern end of I-95, I can set the cruise control at 85 and it runs smooth and quiet at only about 2300 RPM. As long as I watch for moose, there's really nothing in the way (though at 85 the mileage does drop into the lower 20s). On long drives, when I'm behaving, I've averaged 28 mpg round trip to D.C. (about 800 miles) and about 31 MPG to Michigan through Canada. Slow down to 60mph and I get 31-33 mpg. It really is amazing.
  14. FirefighterGeek

    bad weather

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