time for new tires.... but how to choose?

I just had Cooper AT3's installed today $652 including M&B and disposal plus I'll get an $80 repaid card. The Firestones that were on it were badly worn and extremely noisy(wub wub wub wub wub) from that odd wear pattern. These Coops are lovely!:thumb3: 4600 shocks and alignment on Thursday.Then we're headed to the mountains this weekend so I might get a little bit of dirt/gravel mileage. Along with highway and rain according to the forecast.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the BFG All-Terrain K/O. I had them on my Tacoma and loved them. They performed well, they look good, and when I had one fail due to me waiting too long to replace it, it failed well (front driver side blowout at highway speed with no loss of control).

I was planning on buying a set for my "new" 4runner as well. Is there something I'm not aware of about this tire that makes it a poor choice?

Brique said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the BFG All-Terrain K/O. I had them on my Tacoma and loved them. They performed well, they look good, and when I had one fail due to me waiting too long to replace it, it failed well (front driver side blowout at highway speed with no loss of control).

I was planning on buying a set for my "new" 4runner as well. Is there something I'm not aware of about this tire that makes it a poor choice?

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I've had several sets of BFG Radial All-Terrain T/A's, and the later style BFG All-Terrain TA KO's, on a few different 4wd vehicles. They are a good tire. Durable, strong three ply sidewalls, classic looks. Snow traction was decent, dirt traction generally good, Ice traction less so. One area where they didn't excel in my experience, is hydroplane resistance. Hit a good puddle at highway speed, and they tended to stay on top of the water.

There are lots of tires out there. Here's a basic description of the three main types that most people choose for a 4runner:

Mud tires: Look cool, are great in mud, and generally good off-road. May or may not do well in snow, depending on the particular tread design, snow consistency, etc. Generally do poorly on ice. They are noisy, and have high rolling resistance so your MPG will suffer. Usually wear faster than a more mild tread design.

All-terrain tires: A compromise between a mud tire, and a highway/all-season tire. Usually they are better on snow and ice than a mud tire, because they have more biting edges and siping than a mud tire. They are quieter than a mud tire. They have lower rolling resistance than a mud tire, so all else being equal, you will get better MPG with them vs a mud tire.

Highway/ All-Season tires: Usually the best riding. They are quieter than an A/T tire, have the lowest rolling resistance, so your MPG will be better than either of the other two tire styles. Some Highway/all-season tires like the Michelin LTX M/S2, and Toyo Open Country H/T, have lots of siping, and sharp edges in their tread designs. They are both good in snow and ice, resist hydroplaning very well, do well off-road as long as you aren't driving through lots of mud, last a long time, and are nearly silent rolling down the road.

The downside is that to some they look too tame to consider them.


There are also specialized high-performance road tires, and winter tires to consider. High-performance road tires aren't used much on a body-on-frame SUV, because it's a poor starting point if handling is your main concern.

Winter tires are great in snow and ice, and in temps below about 45° F. Above that temp they wear fast. If you drive on snow and ice covered roads for a good part of the year, I'd consider winter tires, and then swap to a different set of tires, when the roads aren't a frozen wasteland.



Tires are all about compromise. You just need to decide what compromises you're willing to accept.

bluecollarjock said:

enjoying this thread.....I have 17" tundra rims and 265/70-17 BFG ATs but they are dry rotting they are so old I guess or the Cali heat......I have room for 285s I think, maybe need wheel spacers or was thinking maybe new rims since wheel spacers are so expensive if I do go to 285s. I want an AT but want to wheel, but not much mud in Cali....

Here seems to be my problem looking at tires in 265 or 285, you either can get P rated (which many threads on various forums say will not hold up to airing down and rocks, wheeling etc), or they jump to E range which folks say for a 3rd gen will be too stiff and heavy....

Are there many options in C range? My BFGs are C range, but now they do not make them!

I was looking at Cooper S/Ts, as they do have them in C range in 265/70 17 and 275/70 17 I think which are just tad taller and wider....and not a bad price! But some reviews say they are noisy.

The new Fun Country's look nice, so do the Mickey Thompson ATP3s or something, but they are pricey.....

Anyhow, nice thread...money is tight so I should be realistic here haha...and I do want decent mpg and noise, so trying to find options in 265 or 285 that are C range, not too heavy, but strong enough to air down and hit the rocks....

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I would agree that E rated can be pretty harsh with some tires. I had a set of E rated MTs for a few months and hated them. The Falkens that we mentioned above are 285s that come in a D rating. I've had them for a year now, and they are awesome. Nice and smooth, absorb bumps in the road, are dead silent on the road, and hold up well off road. And like I said, they're relatively cheap compared to some of the other options.

Thanks for the detailed reply, 02SE.

The Nitto mud grapplers are great and last long but out of your list I think the best performer are going to be the Mickey Thompsons but If you are going for the best bang for your buck the dulers are by far the tire that is going to last the longest! my buddy has them on his one ton dodge 4x4 and he has close to 40 to 50k miles on them and they are just now getting to the wear bars!

Cooper AT3, Nitto Terra Grapplers, and Hankook Dynapro ATM all fit the bill for what you are looking for. I have owned all 3 and have nothing bad to say about any of them. Currently I have the Hankooks on my 4Runner because it had 1 new one on it when I got it so I just bought 3 more.

01thunder said:

good question. i too need tires and favor the LTX 2's but i am sure there are more options out there. coopers look good. the revo's are nice too. i too would like something quiet but meaty. what tires are US made?

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Coopers are made in the US. I'm not sure about the others.

Cooper AT3. I have those on my 2004 Lifted 4Runner. Make no noise, Never got stuck with them in the mud, Little to wear after being on for about a year and a half. They look really good too with the white letters out. In my opinion go for the AT3s.

ah pittsburgh. i love the city. where then, can i buy these coops? i see they have a rebate which is great.

i noticed on the copper site they offer 2 AT3's; for SUV and an LT tire. which is better and which to choose?

01thunder said:

i noticed on the copper site they offer 2 AT3's; for SUV and an LT tire. which is better and which to choose?

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I run the LT tires, load range C (265/75 16). If you drive on the road all the time the SUV tire is probably fine. The SUV is 'P' rated (I guess for passenger?). I think it is 4 ply and the LT is 6 ply, so it's a little tougher, for the sharp rocks, thorns, and other nasties you might encounter off-road.

98OzarksRunner said:

I run the LT tires, load range C (265/75 16). If you drive on the road all the time the SUV tire is probably fine. The SUV is 'P' rated (I guess for passenger?). I think it is 4 ply and the LT is 6 ply, so it's a little tougher, for the sharp rocks, thorns, and other nasties you might encounter off-road.

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that's what i thought. and at 182/ea compared to 144, 144 is right up my alley, especially with 80 rebate. and i can take these to any discount tire and have them m/b for free?

I don't know how the Baja STZ are, but my Baja Claws wear very quickly. I'm not a fan.

My mom just got the Coopers and 3k miles very little wear shown. I think they will be my next purchase.

01thunder said:

that's what i thought. and at 182/ea compared to 144, 144 is right up my alley, especially with 80 rebate. and i can take these to any discount tire and have them m/b for free?

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I would note the LT tires have a lot more tread than the SUV tires. Mine have 30K on them and I think they have just a little less than the new SUV tires. But they both have the same mileage rating so you should be fine with the SUV tires.

What's everyone's thoughts on buying tires from Costco?

98OzarksRunner said:

I would note the LT tires have a lot more tread than the SUV tires. Mine have 30K on them and I think they have just a little less than the new SUV tires. But they both have the same mileage rating so you should be fine with the SUV tires.

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An old thread resurrected, but why the heck...

Just ordered a set of Coop Disc. AT3's from treaddepot.com. For the p rated, 4ply I paid 116 ea., 537 w/shipping. 100 more for m/b and alignment (because I'm lifting and replacing suspension parts) at a locally trusted tire shop. The 6ply c rated are 137 ea. TODAY an instant $40 discount applies but will expire at midnight. They also have free shipping on Goodyear and Toyo brands.

Thats a great deal. I just to my P265/70 ATP to Rausch creek. Very rocky, tree roots and stumps every where. I aired down to 20psi and abused them pretty good, they did awesome.

Coopers rock