Help on tire selection

[Taco04]

My vote is Cooper st-maxxx's! I have run a ton of At tires over the years since my job is mostly off road. Any way long story short these are my favorite tires so far. Second would be BFG all terrains, the only tires I have not run have been MT and Dick Cepeks all though I have heard good things about both which are made by Cooper. Coopers and BFG's have a very stiff sidewall so not much give and a bit of a rougher ride but worth it if the tire goes out at high speeds. Also coopers will not chip out like the BFG AT's on roads with embedded sharp rocks. Coopers do make a bit more noise though not much more than the BFG. I hope this helps with your choice.

 

[Davemon]

Another vote for Coopers

My AT/3s are still going strong after 26,000 miles, and will probably make 60K easily (they have a 55,000 mile warranty). Road noise is relatively low, good traction in snow and ice too. I have the 275s in LT so the gas mileage has taken a small hit. A few other cons: the tread picks up gravel like a MFer, but this seems to be less now than when they were brand new. And I have one tire that is crazy hard to balance (takes 8oz per the tech).

 

[Plano26]

275/75/17

Very nice; like the look of the extreme's!

 

[RCFJ]

BFG AT KO's are junk. I bought one set new and one set came on my fj. They arent loud and mpg is pretty good but they are just about WORTHLESS in snow and ice. If that is a concern at all dont buy them. Duratracs are amazing in snow but mpg will drop. Goodyear silent armors are a pretty good option, quiet good mpg and miles better in snow than BFG.

 

[Maz]

I have a 2011 trail with 25k on the dunlops that came with the car. Want a good tire for my needs. I Drive 250 each week to fish and I go off road in the sand. Car is already great in the sand with the silly dunlops. I actually don't need to air down and usually only in 4wd without using low.

I have Nitto AT's on my Trail and can't speak to how they could drive in your New York winter. However I can tell you they're very good in sand, and just drove on a very soft beach yesterday. So not to worry about any big waves I was able to go right up a a steep sand berm to park well above the wet zone.

In sand you're looking for wide to float, and the Nitto has a very wide design. In fact when they were installed (stayed with stock 265/70/17 size) I couldn't believe how much wider the profile was over the stock Dunlops. You'd swear it an up-size.

The surprise was the Nitto is shockingly good in mud for an AT. The edges have every other tread block squared, and the next with a scallop to create lots of biting corners. I also was on on a narrow tree canopy trail yesterday too far in to back out.

Came to a long stretch of slightly dry mud with very deep ruts & tried to put one tire on a side, with the other on the high center. It was too slick and I keep falling back into the ruts while feeling the high center hitting the rig's bottom. I was sweating bullets, but the Nitto's just powered on through with no problem.

 

[RaginTxn84]

Forgive my ignorance (I've always loved the mud/trails, but my auto life has been spent on the street ), but I looked up LT on tirerack, and it said LT tires are meant for 3/4 - 1 ton load applications or heavy towing "little brother tires to TT tires" - so do LTs work better for off-road applications than P tires?

 

[Titanpat57]

Forgive my ignorance (I've always loved the mud/trails, but my auto life has been spent on the street ), but I looked up LT on tirerack, and it said LT tires are meant for 3/4 - 1 ton load applications or heavy towing "little brother tires to TT tires" - so do LTs work better for off-road applications than P tires?

Generally...yes

More plys make for a tougher tire in most conditions. Stiffer sidewall can mean less flex and roll in road conditions as well.

 

[MarkWalker]

Michelin

I have really had good luck with Michelin LTX MS/2s.

 

[RaginTxn84]

Titan - thanks for the reply and info!

I am running LTX 2s as well. Great road tire - pretty much best one you can have IMO - quiet, good mpg, long lasting.

I'm looking for a more aggressive AT as well - considering duratrac - from what I've read and what RCFJ said, I'm looking for something good for snow and ice as well as general trail and OR applications. Everything says this is the tire to go with cause you can add studs if it gets real bad. They're rated 50k (not including LTs) - so not too bad. Although those STT and MAXX look pretty nice as well...

 

[NinetwoNine]

I have really had good luck with Michelin LTX MS/2s.

I think these might be the best wearing tire known to man, and mud and snow rated I believe?

 

[Chsbrgr]

I think these might be the best wearing tire known to man, and mud and snow rated I believe?

Got an honest 92,000 miles on a set mounted on a Ford Explorer Sport Trac. (Weighs about the same as a 5th gen 4R). They did great in deep sandy desert washes. Great road manners. No clue how they are in the snow or ice. Makes me want to try the Michelin AT2.

 

[RaginTxn84]

I think these might be the best wearing tire known to man, and mud and snow rated I believe?

Correct - M/S rated (they don't have the RM snow flake however). They wear well and are my go-to for just "regular" truck driving. I would also be interested to know if anyone has tried the LTZ ATs