Help me decide on tires.

[NeilC]

This is not a will this tire fit thread because all of these will fit. I have 2.5 inches of lift in the front and 1.5-2 in the back. It is more of a question of how is this tire going to be to live with the 95% of the time that I am driving in town or on the highway. I want to start doing some trail rides on the weekends. I am in Louisiana which tends to have a lot of mud. I have narrowed it down to:

255/75/17 c load Firestone MT
265/70/17 c load BFG AT KO2
275/70/17 c Cooper AT3

These are obviously listed in order of aggressiveness. All are c load to soften the ride a little and keep the weight down.

 

[KidVermicious]

I run Rubicon takeoffs on my F150, C rated 255/75r17 BFG KMs mud terrains. They have a slight hum at freeway speeds, which is a sweet tradeoff for their cheap price and great offroad capability. I recently decided the C rating is a little wimpy for a full size pickup and I'll be stepping up to E for my next set, but the Rubicon takeoffs ought to be just right for you, and if you watch your classifieds you can pick them up nearly new for around $100 a tire.

 

[NeilC]

I have seen a set for sale on Craigslist but the rims were included. I did not want to go through the trouble of trying to sell them after I removed the tires.

 

[cpark_12]

Don't let a Load Range E tire scare you. I thought it would be a harsh ride and a huge amount of weight when I put mine on, but I was wrong. I got the 285/70-17 Cooper ATP in LR E and the shipping weight on each tire was 51lb. If I read correctly, that 275/70-17 AT3 you're looking at is 47lb each. I had the 265/70-17 AT3 C on my Runner before I went with the 285 ATP and the E tire rides much better to me. They aren't stiff or harsh at all!

Just throwing that out there.

 

[NeilC]

If I start considering Es, options really start opening up. Makes the decision even more difficult.

 

[czastrow]

I had to get new tires about a month and a half ago. I narrowed it down to the cooper at3, atp, and duratrac. I have heard nothing but great reviews about the at3, but I couldn't pass on the deal I got on the duratracs in a passenger load...255/75/17. Very happy with this tire so far. I might be moving up north so the snow reviews won me over. I checked a bunch of different sizes and this was by far the cheapest for me.

I see you have an 84 rabbit....I sold mine a couple years ago and really miss it. Very fun to work on!

 

[28.]

Don't let a Load Range E tire scare you. I thought it would be a harsh ride and a huge amount of weight when I put mine on, but I was wrong. I got the 285/70-17 Cooper ATP in LR E and the shipping weight on each tire was 51lb. If I read correctly, that 275/70-17 AT3 you're looking at is 47lb each. I had the 265/70-17 AT3 C on my Runner before I went with the 285 ATP and the E tire rides much better to me. They aren't stiff or harsh at all!

Just throwing that out there.

Agree.. I have those on our LX and love them..

 

[Troymclure]

I would go with the coopers. If youre worried about comfort, I would stay away from the Firestone MT's. Ive heard those are generally loud, and particularly bad in the rain and ice due to lack of siping.

 

[NeilC]

I too sold my rabbit. I used it mainly as an autocross car. I haven't updated my signature line in years

 

[Bama_Runner]

I have owned the Coopers and currently have the BFG All Terrain KO, but not the KO2. I love my BFGs. They ride great, look really good and will last a long time. I drive 95% interstate. I have put 15,000 miles on mine so far and they show no signs of wear. There is a little bit of roar but definitely not too loud. I want the KO2s now. The Coopers are quite but don't have the looks factor of the BFG in my opinion.

 

[edwardvmassey]

I've had the AT3's on both my third gen in 265's and my 4th gen in 285's and I dont think I'll ever buy another tire. Both sets were E's and I thought the ride was fine. You can always let a little air out if you want to soften it up, but these things have unbelievable grip. I replaced the duratracs on my 4th gen with the coopers after they saved my ass several times on snowy roads (see: rally driving) and they way outperform the duratracs. The road noise is minimal, the tire is not too plain, not too aggressive, and you get great traction in all conditions. See here: Where the Rubber Meets the Road | Expedition Portal

 

[t-man]

This is not a will this tire fit thread because all of these will fit. I have 2.5 inches of lift in the front and 1.5-2 in the back. It is more of a question of how is this tire going to be to live with the 95% of the time that I am driving in town or on the highway. I want to start doing some trail rides on the weekends. I am in Louisiana which tends to have a lot of mud. I have narrowed it down to:

255/75/17 c load Firestone MT
265/70/17 c load BFG AT KO2
275/70/17 c Cooper AT3

These are obviously listed in order of aggressiveness. All are c load to soften the ride a little and keep the weight down.

Go with some Hankook's. I loved my ATM's and now I have the MT's which are still quiet and road friendly overall, and aggressive as hell whenever I need them to be.

 

[Neumonic]

I did an enormous amount of research and ended up buying Cooper AT/3's just a couple months back, the tires are awesome and you will be hard pressed to find a bunch of negative reviews like all the other tires they compete against. A close Second place was the Duratrac's then a toss up with a handful of tires after that including the Hankooks, Firestones etc. I simply ruled out the BFG K02 because of their price being rediculously high compared to the rest of the field.

Size wise, I went 255/75 17. They ride very well and exhibit a little softness on initial turn in when making sharp turns at speed but hold true, It took me a little bit to get used to as I went from stock ride height, stock sized more of a street tire to a 2" lifted with taller sidewall AT setup. I run front air pressure at 35 and rear at 33 currently.

I would buy the AT3 again with confidence, just choose the size and load range that fits your environment and intended use.

 

[NeilC]

I would say that it is definitely a 2 horse race with the ATs with me right now. They are both sold by the closest shop. A big plus is the cooper is that they have a C load rated 275 70 17. The new KO2 seems to be the other horse. The KO2 seems to have addressed the complaints associated with the ko. It might come down to what the shop has in stock next week. Either way I think I will be happy. With the amount of street driving I do compared to offroad, I have pretty much ruled out the MTs.