Wood screw at corner of tread/wall and plugged -- drive it, or replace?

[drano38]

Analysis paralysis has these on the short list.
Continental Terrain Contact H/T -- some reviews say they are difficult/impossible to balance. But best Consumer Report rating last winter
Firestone Destination LE3
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S - probably more aggressive tire than I need for highway snow/wet/dry conditions.
Here's my spare: 255/70R16
Stock tires: 255/65R17
Height of both tires the same when I was installing the spare. So I'm guessing the 50 mph could be because it is not balanced. Or lawyers.

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[Chris M]

Analysis paralysis has these on the short list.
Continental Terrain Contact H/T -- some reviews say they are difficult/impossible to balance. But best Consumer Report rating last winter
Firestone Destination LE3
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S - probably more aggressive tire than I need for highway snow/wet/dry conditions.
Here's my spare: 255/70R16
Stock tires: 255/65R17
Height of both tires the same when I was installing the spare. So I'm guessing the 50 mph could be because it is not balanced. Or lawyers.

I had those Continentals on my '19 Ranger. Quiet tire, solid feel on the truck for sure, but they were difficult to balance and I actually had to have one sent back because of that. I did like them, and had it not been for that I might buy them again but when I go to replace my stock tires I'll choose something else this time.

 

[Frenchy]

Analysis paralysis has these on the short list.
Continental Terrain Contact H/T -- some reviews say they are difficult/impossible to balance. But best Consumer Report rating last winter
Firestone Destination LE3
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S - probably more aggressive tire than I need for highway snow/wet/dry conditions.
Here's my spare: 255/70R16
Stock tires: 255/65R17
Height of both tires the same when I was installing the spare. So I'm guessing the 50 mph could be because it is not balanced. Or lawyers.

Chances are the Cooper is not what you need. Can't speak for the Continental as I haven't ran those before. If you are liking the Firestone option then chances are that would be your best bet. Also you can still get the Rebate deal strait from Firestone if you get the job done at a Firestone Auto Care.

 

[taralon]

The Firestones are solid tires from the ratings and reviews online. I'm planning on the continental tires myself because they match my use in Colorado and have slightly better reviews and test results for packed ice/snow, and I have been very impressed the General RT43s (sister company) I've used on the last 3 vehicles we have had and the design of the TerrainContact is an obvious iteration of that design.

If you don't like the idea of dealing with possible balance issues on the continental then I think that the Firestones are for you.

The Coopers are going to be a lot like what you already have and possibly a little louder with road noise.

 

[Cabose-1]

I have 4 265 65 17 stock tires with 16k on them you can have for 200$

 

[drano38]

Thanks again for everyone's help, and @taralon for the Tire Rack info.
I decided to do 4 new tires, rather than one used, or 4 slightly used -- but all great info.
Firestone Destination LE3, stock size 255/65R17, ordered from Tire Rack - they had the best price and rebate I could find. Shipped to a local tire company and will have installed Saturday.
Hope Tire Rack's $88 install estimate is accurate. Ford's price after $100 rebate was just a bit more, and I'll have Ford do the alignment, so one-stop-shop at Ford may have been a great option too.
I'll get before/after pics since we all like pics.
Thanks again.

 

[Frenchy]

Thanks again for everyone's help, and @taralon for the Tire Rack info.
I decided to do 4 new tires, rather than one used, or 4 slightly used -- but all great info.
Firestone Destination LE3, stock size 255/65R17, ordered from Tire Rack - they had the best price and rebate I could find. Shipped to a local tire company and will have installed Saturday.
Hope Tire Rack's $88 install estimate is accurate. Ford's price after $100 rebate was just a bit more, and I'll have Ford do the alignment, so one-stop-shop at Ford may have been a great option too.
I'll get before/after pics since we all like pics.
Thanks again.

Remember, WHITE LETTER OUT!!!!!!

 

[drano38]

Ha!
If black sidewall were a choice, I'd have gotten them. Once I see my truck with the tires that came on it, I tend to like that look. But my previous 2 trucks (F-150 and Dakota) went from black sidewall to white or white outline, so I'm sure I'll like it after the initial "different look" becomes the new normal.

 

[drano38]

New shoes installed today.
Firestone Destination LE3, stock size 255/65R17
I asked them to balance the spare (had it laying in the bed), and they did it for free, and even put it back under the truck.
Firestone Destination LE3, stock size 255/65R17
White letters do look nice, and after awhile, I'll adapt to their look, vs the stock black sidewalls.
Driving the few miles home, the Firestone's feel firmer, and more road noise. But maybe they just need some miles on them.
Next week I'll have the Ford Quick Lane do an alignment.
Thanks everyone for all the advise.

Old tires the evening before:

And the new Firestone's.

 

[Frenchy]

New shoes installed today.
Firestone Destination LE3, stock size 255/65R17
I asked them to balance the spare (had it laying in the bed), and they did it for free, and even put it back under the truck.
Firestone Destination LE3, stock size 255/65R17
White letters do look nice, and after awhile, I'll adapt to their look, vs the stock black sidewalls.
Driving the few miles home, the Firestone's feel firmer, and more road noise. But maybe they just need some miles on them.
Next week I'll have the Ford Quick Lane do an alignment.
Thanks everyone for all the advise.

Old tires the evening before:

And the new Firestone's.

Double check the tire pressure against the door placard. Tires like to make more noise when over inflated.

 

[drano38]

Well, 37-38 psi was in them (and my door decal is 30 psi).
Not sure why a national tire chain doesn't read the decal . . .
30 psi set, and they do drive a lot better now ?
But overall, they did a great job on the install - about 30 minutes, and I was out the door.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Frenchy]

Well, 37-38 psi was in them (and my door decal is 30 psi).
Not sure why a national tire chain doesn't read the decal . . .
30 psi set, and they do drive a lot better now ?
But overall, they did a great job on the install - about 30 minutes, and I was out the door.
Thanks for the advice!

Will certainly like to hear a review after a set amount of time. It can help others with similar decisions

 

[TechEditor]

Memorial Day weekend road trip had me putting the spare on.
Picked up a wood screw, entering at a shallow angle into the sidewall -- bad place for a screw.
Small town independent repair shop said its not patchable (I knew he'd say that because of the sidewall).
I told him I'd plug it so I could use it as a spare for the rest of my trip --unless he'd be nice enough to do it for a fee. So he did -- used rubber cement, and even used a butane torch to melt the plug a bit -- he said it helps seal the plug.
And he recommended driving my plugged tire rather than the spare for the rest of my weekend trip since the spare is rated for 50 mph. So I put the plugged tire back on (drivers rear).
I put about 700 miles on the plugged tire over the rest of the weekend, with a lot of it 75-80 mph Interstate highway driving.
I still have the stock tires on my XLT Sport, 5/32" to 6/32" tread, 40,000 miles. 255/65R17 Bridgestone Dueler A/T
The repair guy recommended I buy a used OEM tire off ebay, and run that until I need a new set--gets more use out of the other 3.
I don't tow, or haul loads.
Should I:
1. Run the plugged tire for another 5,000ish miles until the stock tires are wore out
2. Buy a used OEM with ~ 6/32 tread to finish the life of the stock tires
3. Buy 4 new now
Here's some pics (the red fuzz on the plug is from the Tommy's drive-thru car wash yesterday)
Thanks in advance.

Technical Rubber Company (Tech) internal mushroom patch/plug will fix it.

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