Hey Everyone,

New to the forum, but have been looking in from the outside for quite some time now. I just bought a 2007 SR5 V6 with 74000 miles on it in great condition. Installed the Daystar Budget Boost (love it!!) on the front last weekend and got those ridiculous running boards off there. The Runner is in need of some new shoes and I am torn what to do. I am going to be moving from KC to Buffalo, NY next month and know that I'll need a good All-Terrain tire once I get there, especially for snow once that starts rolling in. I will be on pavement for the majority of the time, but I do plan to do some mild to moderate off road adventuring. I also am going to stick with stock size 265/65R17 in light of preserving fuel economy.

Here's my dilemma, I want a good quality tire that offers good on-road performance in all conditions without sacrificing much if any mpg, preferably minimal road noise but I don't mind some humming, good off road/rain/snow performance and I am always trying to be cost conscious. So here are my thoughts on tires I'm currently considering and I'd love some input from folks that have or had these tires:

BFG A/T KOs: great, great tire! I've had them before on my Jeep Cherokee and they performed flawlessly for ~60,000 miles. Great all around traction and more than enough for my needs. Minimal road noise. However, they are the most expensive of the lot by a good chunk at about $230/tire. Even though they are more expensive up front maybe they'd pay for themselves in the end by lasting longer and offering what I want and like.

BFG Rugged Terrain: seem to be a good tire. I have seen mixed reviews about them however in regards to performance and road noise. They do come with a 50,000 mile warranty which is pretty nice. I don't think they look quite as good as the A/T's but still have a nice aggressive sidewall and tread pattern, plenty for my needs. The price is right at about $165-170/tire.

Nitto TG: I don't know a ton about this tire. From what I've seen on here the folks who have them usually seem very pleased with them. They also dont look as good to me, but again have plenty of aggressive tread for what I'd be using them for. How's the performance? Road noise? Longevity? Also, looks like the price is similar to the Rugged Terrain at about $165-170/tire.

Any and all advice or feedback is welcomed. There are certainly other tires from different brands that I didn't discuss here and am willing to consider, but these 3 are topping my list currently. I know there are tons of threads discussing this topic, but in the interest of time which is short for all of us I figured I'd ask here. I just wonder if the extra $250 for the BFG A/T's is really worth it...

Glad to be a new member of the forum! Thanks in advance.

Welcome to T4R.ORG!

I just sold my BFG Rugged Terrains, but it was only because i wanted a tire with more meat on it. The Rugged Terrain tires are great tires. They had less road noise than my previous Yokohama Geolander street tires. Very quiet, and extremely smooth. I can't speak for performance on snow or ice, but i was very pleased with them. I had changed out my suspension and went to the BFG A/T KO's.

I can't really speak for the Nitto's except for what i had read. From what i had read they became louder with wear.

Another tire that i almost went with was the Toyo Open Country A/T II. Those seem to be really good tires. I almost went with those, but couldn't find anybody in town that had the Extreme version for me to see in person. I didn't want to order them without seeing them first, so i went with the KO's. Here is a good thread on those tires.

Toyo Open Country A/T II

I went with the Rugged Terrains and haven't looked back. From what I have heard and see on friends/families/forums vehicles the Nittos are nice at first but as momo said once they start to wear they become extremely loud and sloppy. I "settled" on the Rugged Terrain due to the price, practicality, and the realization that I'm not going to be climbing up any mountains. I mean I have taken it off roading and such and nothing EXTREME, but they have handled it well, seem to wear evenly/slow. They are a less extreme A/T tired, but do the job. And when you do get them caked in mud and snow the tread and tires do look pretty cool. Good Luck!

Cooper Discoverer AT3 would be the best tire for you. It's currently the #1 AT tire on the market, the prices are reasonable, and they are made in USA. Plus, I think they have the highest mileage warranty in the category. They look mild in pics...but the tread is actually open in a manner that lets the tire bite hard in all surfaces.

I have run BFG KOs on two or three 4x4s and I'm not impressed. They are miserable in mud, and are not good in snow either. The interlocked pattern would hold the mud/snow and would not let the tire bite going into corners. Terrible tire for wet/mud/snow in my opinion.

I've used over a dozen of the popular tires on the market and there are many great ones. I just pointed out Cooper AT3 because it's the top of the food chain right now.

I've never had a pair of BFG AT but I just finished a set of nitto terra graplers 265/70/17. Really great tire but the road noise was fairly noticeable, And was able to get 53k out of them.

Just bought a set of rugged terrains and love them so far. I've seen a boost in mileage (10-15%) have the road noise is drastically cut along with a much better ride. I would recommend them, here are some pics

Thanks so much for all the input already! It sounds like looks aside, the BFG A/T KO's should not be my top choice. Like I said, I was having a hard time justifying the extra $250 up front for essentially a better aesthetic tire, rather than getting a better all around performing tire. Also, I'm not a fan of the TGs getting louder with age. My current tires (the ones that need replacing) are noisy as hell for a mild all season tire so I don't want any more of that. I will look into the Toyo Open Country and the Cooper AT3s. I really appreciate the guidance. Looking forward to others' thoughts. Thanks again!

Golfin, your pics are making this a lot easier of a decision! Thanks so much. Have you done any suspension work, leveling kits, etc? What size are your Ruggeds?

There are a couple pics of mine, when i had the Rugged Terrains and Daystar Spacer lift, in this thread. Mine were 265/65 18

momo.75's '03 Sport 4.7L V8 Build

I have BFG Ruggeds as well, mine are stock size and just completed a 300 mile road trip to cape cod on them and it was great, very smooth and quiet. Last winter in north NJ was very snowy and i have no complaints they performed very well, much better than the stock tires i had on the year before. I aslo have a 2.5/1.5 daystar installed and 17x8 ATX crawl wheels which are a .5" wider than stock. (check my album for pics)

To second what momo.75 said earlier, I'd say you should consider the Toyo Open Country A/T II.

I just picked up a set in the 265/70/17 flavour and they are incredible. Keep in mind that these are the older cousin of the Nitto Terra Grappler as Toyo Tires makes Nitto Tires.

Ive seen and heard that the nitto wear quick and get loud.

bfg at ko a great tire.

rugged terrain not enough aggressiveness

I went with the toyo at2.

KS: I haven't done any suspension work to the runner. They will rub but ever so slightly but that is occasionally at max turn and almost all the time if the suspension is really tweaked (and wheels turned all the way in one direction or the other). 265/70/17

Glad the pics helped.

If you're moving to Buffalo I'd stay away from the BFG A/T KOs. They're no good in the snow (speaking from experience). I can't speak for the rugged terrains, but my boss has them on a Silverado Z71 and likes them. I have Terra Grapplers, and here's what I think:
Off-road - No complaints, I been in mud, snow, sharp rocks, etc. Never been stuck, never gotten a flat, absolutely no chunking. I've had them for about 15k and they still look new.
On-road - Lost about 2 MPGs (I also upsized to 265/75/16). They are noisier on the highway than Good Year Silent Armor, but nothing like a mud tire.