Tire Review: Firestone Destination M/T

OTR

Adventurer
I'm currently running a set of Firestone Destination M/T (285/65/18 E-rated) on a 2007 Tundra crewmax 4x4 (=big fat heavy truck) and don't think I could be happier with these tires. I purchased these tires in Texas from Firestone about 18 months ago. The main reason I chose these tires was due to the price, buy 3 get 1 free got me in the door. I will acknowledge that they do hummm at hwy speeds since they are a M/T tire. The noise these tires generate don't bother me and it maybe more pronounced on another vehicle since I feel my truck is very well insulated from road/wind noise (read almost Lexus quite with standard tires).

But this is the breakdown of my experience with these tires so far:
1. I am currently at 49,800 miles, at least 2,000 miles on gravel roads, on these tires and have about 2,000-3,000 miles of safe tread depth left.
2. I drive with a heavy foot, enjoy 381 hp and 401 tq, and curvy mountain roads.
3. I have towed 4000 lbs at hwy speeds about 15,000 miles with these tires.
4. I have driven with a 2000 lb camper in the bed about 12,500 miles paved and 1,000 miles gravel.
4. Tires have seen temps ranging from -45F - 110+ with no issues. I currently live in Fairbanks, AK and the tires did well last winter in the sub-zero climate. I had no issues with flat spots due to the cold weather or the rubber sticking to the ice after being parked outside after a long drive.
5. No chunking or chipping of the rubber.
6. No slices or gouges in the 3-ply side walls or punctures in the main tread area.
7. Tires have performed great in all terrains (dry, wet, mud, sand, and gravel) except rock climbing. Did I mention that I drive a big fat pig of a truck that would not do well rock climbing no matter what the tires were.
8. Tires balanced well and have been rotated only 4 times.
9. Acceptable snow/ice performance for my truck. My truck does have traction control, vehicle skid control, and ABS that will adjust to each wheel individually. So you may have a different experience on these road conditions.
10. I would recommend these tires to others due to my experience with them.

Overall I am very happy to have gotten the mileage out of these tires even with all the towing and gravel roads. I will be replacing them with the exact same tires this fall. I only wish I could replace them for them for the price I paid for them in Texas, about 50% less than my quotes here in Alaska.
 

RU55ELL

Explorer
This is exactly what I have been looking for. I don't think there is a single review of them on here other than yours.
 

HenryJ

Expedition Leader
I have six sets of the Firestone Destination M/T 235/85-16 in the fleet right now. They came in with the best price this year. So far the guys like them and they have been holding up really well.
Still a little soon to give a thumbs up, but it does look very promising at this point. I have two more sets yet to deploy.

Our trucks run 80% offroad in broken basalt and broken river rock roads. Everything from clay to sand in between. A brutal test for any tire.

Previously we have had very good luck with the BFG TAKO and the Goodyear MTR. Cost and supply have been deciding factors in the past, this year was no different.

More as testing continues :)
 

OTR

Adventurer
49,800 miles in 18 months. Wow. That's a lot of driving. Thanks for the report.

I try not to imagine how much I spend in fuel each year, I just fill it up and enjoy the drive to where ever I'm going. I did a little driving this summer. I had exactly 80,000 miles when I left for my vacation on May 15th and now I'm just under 100,000 miles. Maybe I'll do a 100,000 mile report on the truck this weekend.

I have six sets of the Firestone Destination M/T 235/85-16 in the fleet right now. They came in with the best price this year. So far the guys like them and they have been holding up really well.
Still a little soon to give a thumbs up, but it does look very promising at this point. I have two more sets yet to deploy.

Our trucks run 80% offroad in broken basalt and broken river rock roads. Everything from clay to sand in between. A brutal test for any tire.

Previously we have had very good luck with the BFG TAKO and the Goodyear MTR. Cost and supply have been deciding factors in the past, this year was no different.

More as testing continues :)

I'll be very interested on your thoughts with these tires. It sounds like your crew will put these tires to the test more than I did.

I/m curious if you purchase a road hazard warranty with the tires since you run them in an area that is prone to cause flats?
 

Redline

Likes to Drive and Ride
That's a very informative review on a tire I have read little about. Thanks for sharing.

I think this thread might need to be added to the tire FAQ links page.
 

phatman

Observer
totally underrated tire. I've ran these tires for two years, have over 40,000 miles on them. I run them on a 07 Tacoma long bed that's is my RV only, meaning they get a full load in the bed, and at least some off road every trip. they have been great and still have 1/2 tread on them. I really wish they made them in a 255 because I've been rubbing the side wall on my bump stops and need a smaller size.
 

HenryJ

Expedition Leader
...I/m curious if you purchase a road hazard warranty with the tires since you run them in an area that is prone to cause flats?
We do not. We purchase through the government program when ever possible. All service work is done in house. The manufacturers do cover warranty claims.
Thus far the Goodyear MTR with their puncture proof technology have been hard to beat as far as punctures go. I had one come in with six nails. The only complaint was that the driver had to air it up every week or so. The liner on these tires is very soft and sticky. Hard to burnish for a patch as it grabs the wheel. That is how it seals so well to the intrusions. I have not found another tire with such a soft liner.
That soft liner is not the only answer. The BFG case is tough. nothing seems to penetrate it. I had no problems with Coopers case for puncture resistance , but I did get a batch of the Discoverer M/T that had the porous cases. I am not going to trust those again anytime soon. Those were all replaced with the short lived STT.

Resistance to flats is of primary concern for me. A three ply sidewall is a must. More than a couple flats is a deal breaker for me, if it is normal service. I have had several tires fail that test. The less expensive tires that Les schwab has to offer are good examples. The Toyo hold up better , but still seem to suffer punctures rather easily. The Goodyear Workhorse is about the same, but has shorter lifespan.

Tire tech has come a very long way. Flats are not nearly as common as they once were. It is not unheard of to wear out a set of tires with no flats. I like that :)

Next in line behind puncture resistance is resistance to chunking. Tire design and compound can help this. I have stopped trying to figure this one out. The tires that look and feel like they should do well have failed me time and time again. Some that I though might fail did fine. I find that the best way to know for sure is mount them up on my most severe duty rigs and see how they work before I invest in too many for the fleet. It usually doesn't take long to know. If they are poor performers, I'll move them to a loaner vehicle to serve out their life in a less harsh duty.

It is actually kind of fun to have a nice way to test tires.
 

OTR

Adventurer
Unfortunately I'm unable to get another set of Firestones because they are on national backorder. I waited for over a month and still could not get a delivery date and being up in Alaska you can add several weeks after a warehouse gets them in. I don't understand why a company would have a product on back order for so long. You would think that they would want the product ready, especially going into the winter season.

I was going to go with the BFG KM2's, but the rubber basically falls apart under extreme cold weather according to several local tire shops and they don't recommend them or even stock them. I briefly thought about the Cooper SST, but they get very bad ratings for their snow/ice/cold weather traction and cost $400 each. So, I went with the Goodyear MT/R w/Kevlar in a 275/70/18. I hope that they live up to their reputation and I get as many miles and smiles as I did with the Firestones.
 

mb1k

Observer
Informative review and information. Got here from a search looking for Destination info. Just brought home a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that came with the 245/65R17s. I currently have the Cooper Discoverer AT3s on my Commander, run Wranglers on both same Commander and WK Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wranglers on my CJ7 and BFG ATs.

Initial impressions on the 2016 version is favorable on the road handling side. Quiet. Need a apples to apples on the same vehicle to see if they're quieter than the Coopers but I'd have to say that they're just as quiet. At least. The are only noisier on hard braking where you'll hear the familiar AT wheel hum or howl slowing down through 40 to 0. Hard braking only.

In sand, mud and rock I aired them down to 15 psi climbed some 20 to 25 degree plus hills, rocks and lose Southern Utah red sand and my only complaint was that some of the wet sand and mud didn't clear as easily as the Discoverer, but again that's a 255 versus 245 tire on two different vehicles. See the footage here (at 10 secs mark) of the debris/dirt collection.
[video]https://youtu.be/4N7V3GY4K9M[/video]
Conclusion, I'll wear these ones out and then see about replacing them with another set of Coopers or maybe going back to BFG KO2s.
 

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