Best tires?

B

backcountry_hunter

New member
Aug 8, 2016
213
So time has come (actually I have a lot of life left on my current radials but they're junk) fr me to get some new grips before season on my 4x4. This pickup came with some radial AT that is embarassing to even put AT behind it.... they should just call them grocery store tires....I know it's probably late in the game but I can have them on by early next week, just need to pick what.... In the past few years I've used:


Cooper AT's
Good year duratrac
BF Good AT's
Hankookh (not sure the model)
Nitto Terra Grappler


Currently looking at
Nitto Ridge Grappler
BF AT's
Duratrac
mickey thompson baja atz p3


When I had duratracs before I had them on a 3/4 ton diesel (10ply) and they howled something fierce. I've since downsized (don't pull like I used to) and have heard they ride quite a bit better on a 1/2 ton type tire. Never had the ridge grappler but the terra's were my last tire on my last truck and was impressed with the longevity. BF's are BF's... Never had the MT P3's and can't find a single thing about them on forums. There's plenty of reviews on MT's in offroad forums but certainly don't have a big hunting following.


I'm not a lifted, jacked up truck kind of person... I'll stay with the stock size but these will get me around forest service roads, BLM gravel, spring bear (snow/mud), etc... as well as asphalt. Any other reccomendations I should be looking at that people have been having good success with or comments on the current list?



 
I have no idea what the "best" tire is, but last year when I researched tires I ended up going with the BF Ko2. They are great all around tires. I pull, haul, bust drifts, drive on gravel roads. Pretty much everything you said that you do. I don't know what you are driving. I have an 01 Silverado, the factory tires are 265/75/16. I bumped up to 285/75/16 and haven't noticed any power loss or anything. I also lifted the torsion bars up 1.5 inches. Haven't noticed a "stiffer" ride like everyone said I would. just my $.02
 
What about Toyo At 2. They have a 50k warranty traction is great. Same price as duratracs. Will have way less noise. Toyo is Also who builds nitto .Toyo open country's are the perfect casings nitto has flaws. Coming from a guy that helped design Toyo at 2😀 Just my two cents
 
MT_Mulies: BF's were at one time (in my eyes) the gold standard of offroad tires. I had them on alot of different vehicles throughout the years. I know the Ko2's were a new design. Part of my quest for a tire is it's ability to handle snow/ice (I do a fair amount of winter driving) which the old one's never REALLY impressed me. Maybe I just pay attention as I get older too, maybe they're actually okay. Are you happy with your KO2's under winter conditions?


BC- I've never owned Toyo, know a few that have but all seem pretty happy. What has steered me away is I've never heard anyone say "boy those toyo's got me off the mountain or out of that mudhole under really sketchy conditions". Usually the people that have positive remarks center around the longevity of the tire and not neccessarily it's performance under adverse conditions. Interesting about hte relationship to Nitto though.  If that's the case I'd be more than willing to try them as I was really happy with the Nitto tires. I'm convinced they saved me from a really bad accident in a spring snow going over a pass.
 
I've got a smaller truck, but the Hankook Dynapro worked well off-road and during the Wyoming winters.  Got the Michelin Defenders before last winter and they have been excellent tires as well.
 
I also had the Hankook Dynapro. They were great tires and lasted me a really long time. My KO2s have been good for winter use so far. I've mostly been in rolling hills and fields with them,  but usually when I get into the mountains in the winter time if I know I'm gonna be doing any climbing I just throw my chains on before I need them or before I'm in 8 inches of snow climbing a hill. So I don't have any real experience with them hill climbing in snow. Last year in October during the deer hunt the tires did good at going up mountains and over rocks. I always get 10 ply tires so i don't have to worry about flats in the mountains. Flats can still happen, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I've put about 5-8k miles on them and they don't show hardly any wear. I know that isn't a lot of miles for tires, but they are holding up good so far. When I was in school my parents paid for my tires and they always got 4 ply. I had flat tires everytime I hit a grasshopper. I vowed to never buy crappy tires. So I always spend a good amount on good tires.
 
If you are looking for more offroad use/winter tire, duratracs are be hard to beat. I am currently running those on my half ton, have been for the past three years. Before that i was running terra grapplers, another awesome (harder compound) tire. For a half ton i like the dura's
 
+1


I've run the toyos and the nittos, and the toyos perform and wear better.

bigcanyon said:
What about Toyo At 2. They have a 50k warranty traction is great. Same price as duratracs. Will have way less noise. Toyo is Also who builds nitto .Toyo open country's are the perfect casings nitto has flaws. Coming from a guy that helped design Toyo at 2😀 Just my two cents
Click to expand...
 
Give the Toyo a chance and just so you know Toyo is the only tire that comes with a no questions asked 30 day trial. Every reputable tire shop has to stand behind that. Toyo will give that company credit if you take them off before 30 days for a ride complaint so the tire company that sold it does not eat the refund.
 
+1 ON THE HANKOOK DYNAPRO BUT FOR SNOW AND ICE GO WITH THE DYNAPRO ATM THE DYNAPRO MT NOT BAD FOR QUALITY BUT ONLY GOOD FOR MUD NOT GOOD ON SNOW AND ICE
 
I have been very dissapointed in most tires life these days.None have gotten near the life stated. I do know a guy that got 45k on his 50k Cooper AT3's,but his are mostly travel miles all over the west.
I used Michelin LTX on the Tacoma for years and even got 70k on one set and that was in CA adobe to Sierra rock & snow.Many x-country trips too. Used to be $60-100a tire & now $200+.
Moved to NM and needed new set and found they do not last long anymore.  30k and I was getting flats & sliding in mud.
Had to have more grip here.Switched to Dura-tracs and loved them for a year then they started losing big chunks of tread and were not even 1/4 worn. Switched to Kenda Klevers 2 yrs ago and am very happy with performance and they are hardly worn. Only draw back is the rough hwy ride,but even a NM interstate is as bad as any road elsewhere.And not made for hwy or bigger rims.
325k on my go to hunt rig,the Tacoma.
Now I have a F-150 off road 4x4 for everyday,Sunday go to hunt rig and the Michelin LTX that were on it have gotten many rock breaks and was looking for new ones.these are not 10 ply ,but P rated.Which means Park ON Pavement in NM.
These NM dirt roads ,which most every road in NM is, will eat anything. I looked at what folks have on there bigger trucks and how long they last & perform. Read every review I could find.
It was a choice between Cooper AT3's or Yokahama Geolander AT GO15's ,both E or Q rated ones as there is no real 6-8 or 10 ply rating anymore.
Ordered the Yokahama Geolanders last week.$40-50 less each than Coopers.Almost identical in performance & life.
I just had to watch how many folks were at the local garage getting fixed or tire tire condition. All the Goodrich,Toyos,Goodyears were like slicks in this mud. Dura-tracs w/Kevlar work great but are way high priced.The big name off road expensive ones do not last.
The Coopers ,Yokahamas & a few others last,work and perform here.
 
I have Mickey Thompson Baja and absolutely hate them. Ride like a boat, super heavy and so loud you can't drive with the windows down. Only have 20k on them and less then 1/4 tread left.

I ran Cooper St Maxx 2 on my last truck and put 60k on them and still had life when I sold the truck. Very quiet aggressive tread tires. Will be what I buy in the future.
 
Baz55 said:
I have Mickey Thompson Baja and absolutely hate them. Ride like a boat, super heavy and so loud you can't drive with the windows down. Only have 20k on them and less then 1/4 tread left.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that... I did cross them off my list due to mostly (from what little I could find) being a soft, gummy, noisy tire that wears quicker than others. They have a heavy following in the sand/rock off-roading circle but that's about where it stops. I'm more interested in snow/mud/General up and down mtn road performance. As of now I'm leaning toward either BF Good AT KO2 or dura trac's. I loved the duratracs on my diesel and they actually wore down really well, they just howled like a banshee on asphalt :mad:
 
Went down to the Gila for a load of firewood today on the new Geolander AT GO15's.Excellent on wet & dry pavement with very little noise. Right thru a giant mud puddle in the FS road & did not even slow down. Tires worked very well with a truckload of wood too.
 
I’ve got Goodyear Assurance TripleTred. They’re fine, have good traction on wet and dry pavement and do very well even with snow and ice.
 
My wife bought me tires. She just took it upon herself to help me out since I was working so much.  While I was researching AT tires, she went and bought me a set of Michelin LTX all seasons. I was horrified. I now owned the streetest, most mall crawlingest tires ever. You know what?  Those things kicked butt.  I drove some nasty ID trails, followed some modded Jeeps up a goat trail.  I got better mpg, less road noise, and awesome lifespan. My next set, I got Michelin all terrains and they are also great, but noisier and I took a small hit in mpg.


I think I'll do all seasons again.  Heck. 99% of my driving is on the roads.  I'll buy my tires for that. 
 
I bought my Tundra new in '12 and it came with those mall crawler tires listed as "AT's", blech!


The first set of replacement tires I put on was the Hankook's and I liked them well enough. This winter I put a 3+1 leveling kit on and went to the BFG ATKo2's. I used to use them on my Jeeps back in the day and I really like having them. My only complaint is the amount of rocks they hold onto while driving dirt roads. I hear them flying off after I get to the pavement and I really feel badly for the cars behind me, good grief! I actually dug out my mud flaps that I removed a while back and am considering putting them back on until after hunting season.
 
I've had the BFG ATKo2's for just over a year now on my f150 and love them plus i think they look really sharp on my truck. One thing i will say is i'm getting at least 1mpg less than i was before on my stock tires, but i can live with that.
 
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