Buying tires is a pain

[peter78]

What is up with the cooper love on this site? I swear we have reps on here just promoting them or something...

I agree, I have had bad luck with Cooper. A couple days ago, I saw the program "OverHaulin" on the TV. They re-did a Ford Bronco and then they put Copper tires on them and I thought Cooper must have donated them, why else would you put them on.

Maybe, they are getting better.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Yeah, I put a set of cooper all seasons on my grand am and they didn't last very long. I probably won't go for them again.

 

[cj80cruiser]

Cooper makes a lot of tires.......Mickey Thompson, ProComp, mastercraft....i used remember the others but can't at the moment.

 

[brian2sun]

COOPER COOPER COOPER!! haha J/K. I don't know, I thought the STTs were great personally. Why didn't you guys like 'em? I had some Mastercraps that were horrible traction-wise, but they lasted me about 2 years/25K on a DD in the mountains and that's good for around here where there isn't more than 100 yds of straight, flat road anywhere.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I give props where they're due;I'm not a fan of BFGs on the street but off road they are a very durable tire and handle rocks very well and nothing looks better with white letters out BFGs when the truck is standing still..........

..........but that being said and having driven on BFGs on various vehicles (mostly Toyotas) since the early '90s and them being the "IT" tire other companies have made huge strides with their A/T tires and ever since trying out a set of Nittos back in '05 on my 4Runner I never looked back at a set of BFGs again and really won't if they don't update their hydroplane resistance with a different but bold A/T tread pattern that works better in the wet which always felt greasey on wet pavement and while they wear like rocks they drive like 'em too after a few years.

I really got solid performance on and off road with my TGs but the BFGs would still be the tougher tire off road but did well and once back on the pavement they were very grippy (low 40k miles should be expected) on dry pavement and had a good margin of error when it came to hydroplaining and had better turn-in-bite than the BFGs.

Now with the Duratracs I intitially was looking at another set of Nittos but the Duratracs caught my eye and saw the price was very competitive with the TGs and almost $200 cheaper than the BFGs plus I wanted something more agressive off road but maintains the road manners of the Nittos.

Well,10k miles on the Duratracs in a year and I give them thumbs up but I hoping they perform well through this winter with some miles on them but so far I'm getting good wear. I did get the C load rated version and it's been fine off road and I keep 'em at 37psi and get no sidewall flex and handle higher speeds quite well and heavy rain the have better control than the Nittos.

The Nittos were better on dry pavement and is still a good tire for a DD with will shrug off the occasional rough trail and take you back home with no issues.
I am liking my Duratracs and am looking forward to another winter storm or 10 and they've done well and were worth the price.

OK,gotta run since the wife is going to give me the stink eye if I don't get off the damn compter or something like that. :whipping2

 

[JB.]

There is only one tire, the BFG T/A.....and mainly, street as thats where EVERYONE spends the better part of their driving they work remarkable.

You get points for uniqueness. I don't think I've ever heard KOs presented as a street tire (other than for looks, don't get me started).

I like their off-road design, but going to Revo 2 was a very noticeable improvement in all aspects of road handling and that's just the LT.

 

[CO_FlyFisher]

...and really won't if they (BFG) don't update their hydroplane resistance with a different but bold A/T tread pattern that works better in the wet...

(emphasis mine)

That is a big part of the reason I'm looking at something different this go-around. The BFG did OK wrt hydroplaning when new, but once down to about 3/4 to 2/3 of the original tread they broke loose noticably sooner. It seemed especially bad in slush. I know how to handle that situation, but I worry my wife (with the kids) will panic and hit the brakes (WRONG!).

Being honest with myself, I haven't done nearly as much offroading in the last few years as I thought I would have (kids can really change your schedule and free time), so I'm after better on-road and poor condition performace versus off-road this time in a tire. The GY DuraTracs were a strong contender, but I'm a bit leery of their higway performance and longevity. It is now almost certain that I'm going to go with the GY Wrangler Silent Armors, and I've found a great price on them (I'll disclose once the deal is done, IF I get it to go through). FOR ME, the Silent Armor seem to be the best compromise and the most aligned to my goals (plus the best price of the bunch by a long shot if I get it).

I just wish that load ranges below "E" in LT tires weren't being phased out in favor of P-metric, but I digress.

 

[theizzardking]

i have the geolanders mentioned earlier in this post and they are a great tire for on road i've had them for about 3 years now, well my parents had them for 2 years and i had them for the last year on the same truck, with that i burned through them in a just under a year but then again i drive about 40K or more a year 100 mi a day back and forth to work then a little more than 250mi every weekend for various mountains and such and i do a 5K road trip every year as well so it adds up pretty quickly, but back to the tires, they are very good for on road but pretty sad for off road they will just spin in some wet grass and might as well be on slicks in deep snow, but is great for plowed roads and slush.

personally i won't be buying them again as i'm looking for a more aggressive off road tire , but if i was buying a road only tire i would think it would be pretty hard to do better for the money.

 

[zcruiser]

I like their off-road design, but going to Revo 2 was a very noticeable improvement in all aspects of road handling and that's just the LT.

Second that...

 

[Martinjmpr]

When I had my Tacoma I replaced the worn out factory BFG Rugged Trails with Yokohama Geolander AT-Ss in 2007. I also went to a tall/skinny tire (235/85/16 which is about a 32" tire.) I thought they worked very well, even in rocks and dirt when I was in Utah (Canyonlands - Maze District) and of course they are made for snow so they do great in that kind of condition.

My 4runner currently wears BFG KOs in 265/75/16 and they seem to work very well in all conditions. I will most likely stick with the BFGs when its time to replace mine, however I may go to the 235/85/16 size since it's often a little cheaper.

And as to Discount: You know not to take their first offer, right? In my experience, they always come down on price.

 

[NickF]

I give props where they're due;I'm not a fan of BFGs on the street but off road they are a very durable tire and handle rocks very well and nothing looks better with white letters out BFGs when the truck is standing still..........

..........but that being said and having driven on BFGs on various vehicles (mostly Toyotas) since the early '90s and them being the "IT" tire other companies have made huge strides with their A/T tires and ever since trying out a set of Nittos back in '05 on my 4Runner I never looked back at a set of BFGs again and really won't if they don't update their hydroplane resistance with a different but bold A/T tread pattern that works better in the wet which always felt greasey on wet pavement and while they wear like rocks they drive like 'em too after a few years.

I really got solid performance on and off road with my TGs but the BFGs would still be the tougher tire off road but did well and once back on the pavement they were very grippy (low 40k miles should be expected) on dry pavement and had a good margin of error when it came to hydroplaining and had better turn-in-bite than the BFGs.

Now with the Duratracs I intitially was looking at another set of Nittos but the Duratracs caught my eye and saw the price was very competitive with the TGs and almost $200 cheaper than the BFGs plus I wanted something more agressive off road but maintains the road manners of the Nittos.

Well,10k miles on the Duratracs in a year and I give them thumbs up but I hoping they perform well through this winter with some miles on them but so far I'm getting good wear. I did get the C load rated version and it's been fine off road and I keep 'em at 37psi and get no sidewall flex and handle higher speeds quite well and heavy rain the have better control than the Nittos.

The Nittos were better on dry pavement and is still a good tire for a DD with will shrug off the occasional rough trail and take you back home with no issues.
I am liking my Duratracs and am looking forward to another winter storm or 10 and they've done well and were worth the price.

OK,gotta run since the wife is going to give me the stink eye if I don't get off the damn compter or something like that. :whipping2

37 psi? Holy crap :roadkill:

 

[Champ306]

While I have not owned a vast variety of tires myself, I have tried some different ones. Everyone likes their own set of shoes, no doubt about that. I have seen many other tires used off road, good and bad, like many of you here, overall I still stand by the TA KO. I have seen it go through too much snow, mud and rocks, while maintaining street dignity. But this is my belief. NOT yours.

Nittos seen cup badly. Duratracs look very inviting, have not tried them. REVO's, ugh, dont get me started, worked good in snow, but everywhere else they were a big fail. heavy, loud, and oh yeah, heavy. felt like I was driving a 10 ton dumptruck.

you really have to AT compared to AT's. not KM2's compared to Duratracs/TA/Revos etc. or some other kick ass off road specific tire.

 

[BTO]

I love shopping for tires. I just hate paying for them.

+1 on the tirerack for research.

 

[brighton]

Hankook Dynapro ATM,QUOTE] Be Careful with those tires. I have them on my wife's Honda Ridgeline and they are SUPER soft if you did not get the E load. I had a punchure strait through the middle of the tread from stones on a dirt road at a RALLY. And the sidewall is super weak too. But for on-road and mild off-road they are fine. Great in the snow too.

 

[arracado]

Buying tires is a pain! Most local places only had tires I had never heard of before (aka CRAP), and I wanted to get a set of tires I'll be happy with. After a lot of research, I ended up going with General Grabber HTS. $665 out the door...they'll be installed tomorrow. I think I made a good choice given my driving conditions and it seems like a good deal.

 

[dh4Runner97]

4Runner All Terrain tires in Less than "E" rating

I'm in the same boat right now. Looking for A/T also, but in LT265/75/16. Tires have gotten friggin' expensive!!!

My choices have narrowed to:
BF Goodrich A/T TA KO
Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor
Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac
Bridgestone Revo

All are good tires in their own right. I currently have the BFG (with 43,000 on them), but the load range "D" in 265/75/16 are no longer made! :wtf: Grrr...

The top three in the list all have the mountain/snowflake symbol (unless you go to load range "E" in the BFG), which is quite important to me here for both getting to/from work when roads suck and for getting to the playground otherwise during the winter. Decent A/T performance is also required as I do take the rig into the back roads of the CO mountains at least a few times a summer, not to mention Elk hunting. However, I also do a fair amount of city and highway driving, which has me re-thinking the DuraTrac (supposed to be a great tire otherwise).

My only real complaint with the BFG after having them is wet performance. This is a well-known complaint, as the tires don't really have well-defined water evacuation channels. This causes them to hydroplane easier, in heavy rain and especially in slush. For this reason (and the fact I'd have to go back to 265/70/16 to get load range "D" in the BFG), I am strongly considering a different tire this time around. After a couple weeks of thought on this now, I'm heavily leaning toward the Silent Armor in load range "C", but the decision is far from a done deal.

CO_FlyFisher: I felt your pain when reading through your post. I'm looking at the exact same situation, albeit a few years later. What decision did you end up making? Thanks.