Tires: new tires, yokohama geolander hts, bf goodrich

Question
I have a new Toyota 4x4  tacoma access cab.So am buying  rubber.I live in
Washington state in the mountains.I need a good snow tire! Occasionally I load
the truck to the max.GVW 5350#.My driving is all highway. My tire professional ,
a guy who has put quality rubber on my various trucks for 1/2 million kms. with
no problems,installed as  winter tires 4,BF Goodrich LT245 75R16 1160 M S( load
range E). I thought they were kinda beefy,cost a tad more,on his say so I had
them put on my winter wheels and took it for a test. At 200Km they  handled
excellent.
Uh-Oh-Today at, consumer affairs. com website is a slew of complaints for just
this tire. Now,I am aware if you do not constantly check a heavy tire for correct
inflation/load issues you can destroy it in 10,000 k.or less in just the way these
complaints describe.I also know winter tires due to the soft composition should
be driven only in winter. But the roads up here are dangerous and this brand is
new to me - if there is an issue out there I would like to know about it.Before I
show these printouts of tread separation woes for my tire man to see next week( I
am returning to get a set of Yokohama Geolander HTS for my summer wheels
which I have had before, and love) , let me ask when it comes to winters, what
other choices are there for the job?

Answer
John,

You said:  "Now,I am aware if you do not constantly check a heavy tire for correct inflation/load issues you can destroy it in 10,000 k.or less in just the way these complaints describe."

That is true for ALL tires.  This is the most common reason for tire failures - underinflation.

I suspect you only read about YOUR tires.  If you were to read about other tires, you'd find much the same complaints - meaning there are complaints about everything and the only way to sort out if there is a problem is if there are MORE complaints about one particular product - and even then you'd have to factor in how many were produced.

And lastly - tire selection is highly dependent on your situation - the weather, your vehicle, the road surfaces - and they vary from place to place, even within a few hundred miles things can change.

So your best bet is to listen to your tire guy.  He hasn't steered you wrong yet.