At Les Schwab looking at tires. Since they and Toyo have split ways, they now have a house brand called Mazama. The Open Road AT appears to be the Sumitomo ATHave any of you used these tires? or know someone that has? Good bd or indifferent....LS still has a Back Country AT, which is a Cooper AT2. The Cooper AT3 is preferred choice, but Discount who is cheapest, does not do Front End llignments. LS does. As does Pep Boys that carries the AT3, but shop five blocks from work is not great to deal with. LS is three blocks. This one is a reasonable place to go. Other close by is firestone........Plan is to drop truck off at 7 am, pickup at end of day around 5pm. With tires and FEA done. hence choices....NO, I am NOT interested in Michiblow HT tires they claim are AT treads! Unless they make an XDE M+S in a 285-65-18! Or what ever the newest version is. i know they make an LR H in a 225-70-19.5! great tire!Thank youMarty

We’ve got some open road ATs kicking on some trucks. No personal experience but they seem round, black and appear to hold air. Last tires I priced at Schwabs last fall, of course they didn’t have Toyos anymore which was what I was after. Quoted me the Mazatlans or the Open Range or whatever it was and they were $10 more than Toyo AT3s and almost $100 more a tire than Nitto Terra G2 from Best Tire, whom was about the same as online. But mostly I wouldn’t spend my money at Schwabs anymore unless I had a gun to my head or it was a 2am loader tire repair. They’ve gone from premium prices to rip off, IMO. Fwiw I’ve had great service and decent prices from Best tire the last couple years. Covington store anyway.

I didn't realize they split with Toyo. I've always thought Toyos were really good tires but pretty overpriced at least from Les Schwab. Of course everything is pretty overpriced from Les Schwab. They are useful when you need something and you're stuck in a small town, though.I've been happy with Discount Tire for the last several years.

They have not split from Toyo, my local Schwab dealer is currently going to order me a set of Open Country at 3s they are on backorder. I had the open countries put on in a hurry up affair while on vacation and I'm trading them in on there 60 days trade off, they are under rated for my application and don't seem as stable towing as my old Toyos.

Garry&Gayle wrote:They have not split from Toyo, my local Schwab dealer is currently going to order me a set of Open Country at 3s they are on backorder. I had the open countries put on in a hurry up affair while on vacation and I'm trading them in on there 60 days trade off, they are under rated for my application and don't seem as stable towing as my old Toyos.So you had Toyos (whatever model), you got new Toyos, Open Country's you said, and you're "trading" them on new again Open Country's because you cheeped out and got the light duty models for your half ton and not the LT tires? What did I miss? Yes they have split from Toyo. Doesn't mean they can't order them. They could order a Goodyear or a Michelin or whatever if you wanted as well. Funny you mention that, because I just checked quick-see, they actually show a Toyo RT in one size locally (probably left over stock, since Toyo RT's are not great tires) and they don't mention the brand name, just like their marketing team has removed the brand names from the now 2nd tier tires they actually carry.Of which they have priced somewhere between the same as the most expensive brand name tires you can get and considerably higher than the rest of the excellent brand name tires you can get. They've gone the way of the other actual brand name tire shops like Goodyear and Firestone, with exorbitant prices and shameless up-sells ("required" up-sells in some cases, like brakes).Bottom line, anyone who shops at Schwabs anymore, either is unaware of their overcharging tactics or literally has money to burn. At least they are still good about free flat fixes and re-balancing, although on average if a person has 1 flat and 1 intermediate balance in the life of a tire, it's still worth nowhere near the upcharge cost.

Indeed. I've spent a lot of time defending LS over the years, but I can't anymore. I will say that in my experience their service has always been great and I've never had any issues with any of their products either. I'm not sure when it changed at our local store, but they constantly try to upsell unnecessary service or items. There are specific services I'll go there for, but I won't tire shop there. I've often wondered about their high priced second tier tires.

Mazama and Sumitomo tires | Good Sam Community

Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 07, 2021
blt2ski wrote:
Grit

The Mazama AT tires are also called Open Country. so Garry&Gayle may have put on the Mazama tire, which comes with a 60 day try it time frame. ordered in Toyo "Open Country" AT3's, will put them on when they come in.

With this said, I've found the Toyo tires no matter where I looked to be in the +$30-40 per tire range vs the Cooper AT3, with 5-10K more miles warranty.

LS FEA is about $10-20 less than the others, add in the as you note, +$10-20 per tire equal, While they are a bit more overall. From a park the truck 3-5 blocks from work, walk to and from, The overall difference is pretty minor ie $1750 vs $1700 at Discount> then Two hrs sitting getting the tires, then go to another shop to do FEA, 2-3 hrs.... or have spouse follow me to shop, bring me home, go shopping etc for 3-5 hrs, go back get the truck. The Cooper Back country tire was around $1650 IIRC. That has an older case, rubber compound, tread design.

At the end.....choose poison!

As noted, the Mazama may have a softer sidewall than the Toyo, so it does not handle loads as well as a stiffer one, but could ride smoother empty per say. this would not be the first time I've noticed this issue in tires. Be it the same or different brand of tires.

Marty

Not trying to argue, but for $400/tire they better have been for your dump truck and not your new half ton.
The $10more I was referring to was the cheapo Schwabs tires vs the most expensive tires like Duratracs or Toyo AT/MT. Try $100 more per tire compared to known quality tries and even more compared to other China bomb cheap truck tires.

I’ve only been up here for 10 years. And when we moved here, Schwabs was ok. Now they’re as greasy and overpriced as anywhere, maybe more.
Here in the city, they have enough suckers that don’t know a valve stem from a valve job. And they’re well established enough that your average Joe customer will take awhile before they question good ole uncle Les….but they suck.

And Mazamas are Open Range, by at least that guy can get rid of them.
blt2ski
Moderator
Jul 07, 2021
Grit
Totals are all inclusive of tire, rebuild valves sensors, balance, front end alignment, 10% sales tax.....dump truck tires are $400-700 depending upon brand plus tax etc. Cheapest tires for pickup are 250 to 450. These are 300-340 base per. If I could find an XL vs only LRE, then they would be 40-50 less per when I find sizes I can do this with.

Marty
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jul 07, 2021
FishOnOne wrote:
Just the names Mazama and Sumitomo is enough poison to turn me away.

YUP, wonder where they are made???
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jul 07, 2021
Stay the HE!! away from LS. Tires of your choice from Discount and a quality frame and axle shop = GOLDEN.
blt2ski
Moderator
Jul 07, 2021
Cummins12V98 wrote:
FishOnOne wrote:
Just the names Mazama and Sumitomo is enough poison to turn me away.

YUP, wonder where they are made???

Eastern Asia, not where you're thinking or implying.

I'll have Coopers on by the end of day tomorrow. my son was trying to see if 305s would fit off of his truck, after we put a 2" leveling front struts Monday....the 285s will look better than stock 265s, fit the 8.5" rim better too. Still don't need 16000 lbs of tires under an 8000 have registered truck. Son runs his 305s at 35 psi or there about.

Marty
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 07, 2021
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Stay the HE!! away from LS. Tires of your choice from Discount and a quality frame and axle shop = GOLDEN.

Discount 285-65-18 LRE Nitto Terra graps, $277/ea, Discount tire. $230ish for 275-7018E.
One of the better ATs out there.
$337 for Schwab specials.
Sorry Marty, not to be argumentative, but you appear to be a frugal person and Les Slobs is now bottom of the list for value.

And don't even get me started on their "mandatory policy" of new pads, rotors AND calipers when all you may need is a set of brake pads!
blt2ski
Moderator
Jul 07, 2021
LoL grit.
Discount price for Cooper is 303?!? Or there about, with a high mileage warranty etc. Comes out a bit less per mile cost. You're right, I am frugal, not THAT frugal.
Don't forget, on top of the base tire cost, one has balancing, repair of the pressure sensor/valves stems if equipped in tires, sales tax, front end alignment. That nitto tire will still get close to or over $400 out the door!

Marty
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Jul 07, 2021
When Les had a stranglehold on Toyo tires around here our son wanted some Toyo's on his truck. Which we had run and had good luck with back when Les did have good value and good service. got a quote from Les, then went to Discount tire on a "fishing expedition" and Discount quoted almost $40/tire less on the IDENTICAL Toyo. They couldn't stock them or advertise them locally but the trick was they would order them from a Discount store in state that Les didn't have a store.

IMHO discount offers better prices, way better warranty than Les. Basically what Les was 30 years ago.

What discount doesn't have, that they should have IMHO is at least alignment services and at a minumum suspension evaluation services.
blt2ski
Moderator
Jul 07, 2021
For what it's worth, I have not bought anything in awhile from LD either. Mostly discount, and a private place for 25 years or so before owner retired.
Issue at moment with discount, is I'm trying to get best overall cost doing ALL the items including front end alignment due to a small lift, struts and having to disassemble front end parts....
Hence why to a degree discount is not part of process. I saw the new house brand tire at LS. Look like the coopers in many ways....
I've had, one of my son's has had the AT3 on our trucks, they've done well.

I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Marty
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jul 07, 2021
blt2ski wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
FishOnOne wrote:
Just the names Mazama and Sumitomo is enough poison to turn me away.

YUP, wonder where they are made???

Eastern Asia, not where you're thinking or implying.

I'll have Coopers on by the end of day tomorrow. my son was trying to see if 305s would fit off of his truck, after we put a 2" leveling front struts Monday....the 285s will look better than stock 265s, fit the 8.5" rim better too. Still don't need 16000 lbs of tires under an 8000 have registered truck. Son runs his 305s at 35 psi or there about.

Marty

Not either. I always have said if they don't have the company's name on them they are an imported tire.

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