Decision paralysis with choosing tires
 

Hi,

Apologies in advance for another thread asking for tire recommendations.

I have a stock 2000 SR5 4x4. The previous owner put Michelin XLT A/S about 48k miles and 4 years ago. The tread on them is around 4/32 right now and I'm about to go on a 5k mile trip and with winter already here, I think they are due for replacement. I put about 10k miles on them in the last 5 months and I've liked them so far. I am considering getting the same set again, but I'm wondering if they should have lasted longer than 50k miles. The warranty is supposed to be till 70k miles.

Some requirements/driving habits:
- A lot of highway since I go on a lot of road and camping trips, so I'm looking for good mpg and a quiet ride
- I take forest roads whenever I come across one. The Michelins were great when I took some forest roads in the Michigan UP
- I live in the northeast, so winter and snow performance is important
- I'm planning on doing a trip out west and I'd like to do some of the mountain passes, e.g. Engineer Pass

The Michelin XLT seems like an option that checks all the boxes - there's also a $150 promotion at Costco, but after reading around the forums and seeing all the various letter designations, I'm second guessing myself.

Any suggestions would be very helpful!

The forum discussions seem to be focused more toward beefy AT tires. Not likely what you (or I) are interested in. There is less talk about general DD use tires, but when it comes up the Michelins are generally top of the list. If you have liked them maybe consider them again. I think the mileage you got is pretty darn acceptable. Biggest thing against the Michelins seems to be cost.

I have Yokohama ATs but they fit into the same category as your Michelins and would be no better.

If you think you'll be driving on all types of terrain, which it sounds like you are, go for an all-terrain tire as the most aggressive tread pattern you will need.

I'm coming to the end of my BFG KO2's at almost 50k miles, and they have been great to me in all conditions. Albeit, I haven't had a lot of experience with them on the snow as a current desert rat. The KO2's were also very quiet for the first 25k miles or so, but then started to generate some nose.

In all likelihood the Michelin's you list will suffice. But if you plan on getting onto anything slippery or sharp rocks, that's when I'd suggest looking at an all terrain pattern such as the BFG KO2's or the Falken Wildpeak AT3's (not sure which variant).

This is just my opinion. Your milage will vary.

I LOVED the Falken AT3Ws I had in 265/75R16 SL. They were quiet on the highway, relatively light, and did great the few times I had them offroad. They are also supposed to be really good in the snow (triple snowflake or peak or whatever) but I never got to use them much in the snow.

I've warmed up to the KO2s I have now, but I think the AT3Ws would be a better choice for what you're doing.

I have Yokohama's and they have been great to me so far after 4 years. I actually have H/T tires (let the flaming commence) because I rarely ever drive in mud/snow so I can understand the want for something that performs very well on asphalt but holds its own when off. There is no tire that does above average on dry, wet, snow and off-road so you have to compromise somewhere. I decided to compromise on snow traction since I don't get snow where I live and the H/T (which is still mud and snow rated) does fine off-road but I don't do anything too technical.

Pretty much any Michelin tire is top notch for on-road traction and cannot be beat. I agree about a Yokohama being a sideways move, they are pretty much the same tread life & patterns. If you go for a more aggressive tread like an A/T tire instead of A/S you might start to lose wet traction & braking ability.

For your requirements, these are much better suited: (quite, yet off-road ready with side snipes for mud, sand, snow) long lasting and did i mention quite?

Michelin LTX A/T2 Tires | Michelin

I like my Sumitomo Encounter ATs. They were cheap, have been fine for light offroad (aired down), and ride great on the highway. I’m 2/3 into the life of these tires with no complaints at all. Just another option to consider.

Decision paralysis with choosing tires
 

I went from 16’’ Michelin’s to 17’’ Falkens for half the price and don’t really notice a big difference. Worth a try is my say.


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My previous job had me driving 40k miles a year so I went through tires a lot. I ended up sticking with Coopers in the end for durability on/off road, road noise, value. I put together a spreadsheet of the data below comparing overall weight (impact MPG, braking, wear/tear) and size. Maybe it will help you too. Rim weights are the 16" TRD Fake Beadlock and the 17" TRD rim (my current rims and the rims I have waiting for tires).

*copy/pasta looked like crap so had to upload an image. Message me and I can email a copy of the xlsx if wanted.

http://www.toyotaoff-road.com/media/...heet.1459/full