I went it to my local tire store and the service guy Harlon and I lifted
the rear on a jack and ran it in 1st gear. He pointed out a ripple movement
on the inside of one of the tires. Stopping the engine, we could see where
the tread was worn almost smooth along an inch or two of the inside edge.
The tread was separating from the carcass.

Harlon pointed out that it doesn't make sense to pay for high mileage
Michelins when I don't drive the van much. The Michelins are 7 years old
and only have 41,500 miles on them. There was a good amount of tread left.
He talked me into Cooper 215/60/16 Ultra Touring tires. The load rating is
1521 lb and they were about $30 each less than Michelin Defenders. They're
made in USA!

Just driving home I'm happy at how quiet they are. The steering resistance
is noticeably less than the Hydroedges. I don't know if that is a good or
bad thing as far as performance, but it's probably easier on the power
steering rack.