Difficult Driving Conditions--What Tire?

[cmj685]

Guys,
Could use your counsel! Due to unexpected relocation this life-long Minnesota city boy with the gentrified 2005 4R and original Bridgestone Dueler H/T tires is suddenly going to find himself in the mountains, living at 7000 feet. on a four mile long gravel/dirt road which goes up 1000 feet from pavement. My understanding of the weather/road conditions is that the road tends to turn to very slippery mud when it gets wet (which fortunately is not constantly since it is the edge of high desert and not alot of precipitation). We have occasional snows, most of which melt in a few days, an occasional one or two which can be major. I may also have to do infrequent off-roading through cactus and etc. so the tires need to be tough. To add a kicker, it will be about 90 miles on the freeway to the nearest significant city to shop, so these tires will have to be able to get up and go not infrequently on a major freeway at high speeds (I-25 through Pueblo and Colorado Springs). One last thing: I don't give a rip how they look--just what will be the best tool for the conditions. Help! What tires do I need to stick on the 4R? I took a look at Tirerack to check it out in theory, but I know many of you deal with these conditions in reality every day and have some good experience and expertise to lend. Thanks!

 

[chayos00]

I can't say for certain a correct tire to choose, but I would imagine any good AT tire ought to work. I'm sure you've seen the BFG AT's, Goodyear Duratrac, or even possibly either one of there MT's.

Again I don't know which to choose but I would guess anything meaty.

 

[Toyodas]

I would suggest checking out all the AT offerings from the major brands that fit your needs and budget.

I currently am running 265/70/16 BFGoodrich AT/KOs on a 2002 Sequoia and they have been great in all conditions in 30,000miles that I've had them.

I also have 265/70/16's on the 1997 4Runner by Goodyear Fortera Triple Treds. If you don't really go off-road much than these too have been great and I would recommend them as well. Although not an AT tire per say they are great all season tires. I have 20,000 miles on them and they are perfect in wet weather, excellent dry, and OK in snow.

I've also heard excellent reports on Michelin LTX AT2 as well as Pirelli Scorpion ATs.

 

[chaz]

firestone destination at for a DD work well. 4X4REVIEW.COM: Firestone Destination A/T Review

 

[JB.]

I don't give a rip how they look--just what will be the best tool for the conditions.

I'll weigh in. You won me over with that line.:thumb3:

Could use your counsel! My understanding of the weather/road conditions is that the road tends to turn to very slippery mud when it gets wet (which fortunately is not constantly since it is the edge of high desert and not alot of precipitation). We have occasional snows, most of which melt in a few days, an occasional one or two which can be major. I may also have to do infrequent off-roading through cactus and etc. so the tires need to be tough. To add a kicker, it will be about 90 miles on the freeway to the nearest significant city to shop, so these tires will have to be able to get up and go not infrequently on a major freeway at high speeds (I-25 through Pueblo and Colorado Springs).

Don't know how tough the tire has to be but a good starting point would be a P-rated all-terrain (A/T) which would be tougher in the tread area and maybe a touch tougher in the sidewall. The A/T tread is a good compromise for all the conditions you mentioned. To go still tougher means going to a Light Truck tire (LT). Yeah, it sounds like a no brainer to just get a tougher tire but driving on LTs is a compromise in handling and some combination of comfort/statistical safety margin (because to do it right, you need 10lbs more pressure). I'd lean toward the P-rated all-terrain (they'll cost less, too) but you're probably going to be steered toward an LT so we'll talk about that.

Start with one that has a nylon cap overlay or ply. I'll spare you the background but it's just a safer, more modern construction. There's no reason to buy a tire these days without this, especially an LT. You won't find it advertised as it's like a car having seat belts in the 60s. Because of this, it's hard to know which tires have it and which don't. Tirerack usually mentions in the tire description that the belts are reinforced with nylon. Also, if the tire has it, it will be listed on the sidewall as tread ply material. Two very good tires that fulfill this are Nitto Terra Grappler (I believe it has two) and Bridgestone Revo 2, though there are many others.

LTs come in load ranges which describes how much pressure they can hold but it's also a fairly direct measure of toughness, as well. The ranges you'd encounter would be C,D, and E going up the toughness scale. It differs from tire to tire but many get significantly heavier in the higher load ranges and some have constructions that add to stiffness. I doubt you'd want a tire that weighs well over 50lbs (stock tires are about 40lbs).

If you want a bottom line recommendation: Nitto Terra Grappler in P-sizing. Outstanding tire at a very good price makes this a nearly unbeatable combination. If you don't care all that much about the savings and want to go LT: Bridgestone Revo 2. It has an S speed rating, is a 47lb fairly comfortable load E, has a full width nylon cap ply, a wide rain groove, and a deep tread pattern with wide outer lug voids that are effective in mud (for an A/T) but extremely quiet on the highway.

 

[cmj685]

Thanks for the input guys! And JB, thanks for all the excellent info!

 

[gm350reratliff]

Based on your conditions, I would recommend the BFG AT or the Goodyear Duratrac. Both in load range E. I haven't personally used the Duratracs but they get good reviews on this site. I have had many sets of BFG ATs and they always impress me in situations just like yours. Another tire that gets really good reviews is the Hankook Dynapro AT. I haven't used this tire either though. The hankooks come in a 255/75/17 variety that may give you a little edge when the road turns to goo and in the snow. I have found that a skinny tire works a little better in conditions like these. 4runners are pretty capable on their own so just about anything with decent tread will work good. I had mine in some nasty mud/slush/snow right after I first bought it with stock dunflops on and it did amazing.:roadkill:

 

[G.I.G.]

I'm glad JB pointed out the differences in P-rated tires and LT-rated tires. This is often overlooked when the discussion of H/T's vs. A/T's vs. M/T's comes up.

I can speak specifically to the two A/T tires I've had on my 4Runner: the Bridgestone Revo's (P-rated) and the Goodyear Silent Armors (LT-rated).

I think M/T's or even LT-rated A/T's might be a bit overkill for what you're looking for. Previous to my current set of LT-rated Goodyear Silent Armors, I owned P-rated Bridgestone Revo's and they were a great tire for rough roads, snow, etc. I did a fair amount of 4-wheeling with them as well and they did great. I moved over to a larger set of Goodyear Silent Armors when I put my lift on. I wanted to have a little more piece of mind when 4-wheeling which is why I went with the LT Silent Armors.

Both tires have performed great for me, both on and off road. The Revo's were a bit quieter than my SA's but that could partially be due to the LT rating on the SA's. Leftyguns21 recently bought some P-rated Hankook DynaPro A/T's which he seems to like and are a little more friendly on the wallet. Really, I don't think you can go wrong with any good, P-rated A/T tire for what your intended use is. Best of luck.

 

[CO_FlyFisher]

From recent research, the difference between P and LT is about to get a LOT bigger. C and D load range LT's (and below) are being phased out. E's are a bit on the stiff side for our trucks (they're designed for 3/4 and 1-ton pickup trucks).

If you want further reading, I have a thread in this sub-forum regarding what I've found.

 

[JB.]

From recent research, the difference between P and LT is about to get a LOT bigger. C and D load range LT's (and below) are being phased out.

It's always been bigger, though for different reasons, than widely appreciated as it was not simply a steady progression of load ranges as most people seemed to treat it. If the load range trend is true, it might be a good thing as it will make the difference between P and LT more obvious.

E's are a bit on the stiff side for our trucks.

They don't have to be. See my reply in your thread.

 

[MikesToy]

I'm confused. Are you in MN or CO?

 

[cmj685]

I'm confused. Are you in MN or CO?

Mike,
We have homes in both places. But moving from Minnesota now permanently to our Colorado place so its an all new situation!

 

[Medvedko]

I have the Michelin LTX A/T 2 tires (After reading excellent reviews from tire rack and my local tire shop)and I have been struggling with them for 2 winters now. I actually had better driving experience with the tires that came stock on my 06 4Runner which I think were the Dunlops.
As for the Michelins, when the roads aren't plowed and snow is super deep they are good, but when the slush and ice come they failed big time.
Braking performance was terrible in both conditions.
I am just going to shell out the cash and get a dedicated snow/winter tire and be happy this year, I'll probably go with the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1's.

Good luck.