Replacement Tires 255/55 19

After 55,000 miles on the Michelin Synchrones, it was time for new tires. I use the vehicle mainly on-road, and since Costco carries Michelin, I felt the most prudent thing to do would be to mount new Synchrones all-around.

This is where my problems began. Costco notified me that Michelin is no longer producing the Synchrones in my size (NOTE: Tirerack.com still has a few left). Not to worry, I am sure Michelin's new replacement tires for the Synchrones, the Michelin Latitude Tour HP, would work our great. Turns out these $300 tires are also not available because they are back-ordered with no ETA on their availability.

Since, running on steel belts tends to spark; I went on-line to DiscountTire Center. I have always been impressed with my dealings with Discount Tire Centers, so I ordered the Pirelli Scorpion ATR in 255/55 19. They had good reviews, a reasonable warranty, and four tires were about $200 cheaper. The next day I was called by a DiscountTire center employee and told that Pirellis are back-ordered and unavailable.

I was beginning to think I was going to have to drive on the rims. After a couple hours of research on-line, I found the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in 255/55 19. They were cheap, had a great warranty, and were available. Discount Tire Centers mounted the tires on my vehicle last week. I will post a follow-up on the tires in the up coming weeks.