New Tires for a 14,000 mile roadtrip

[djpope09]

I seem to be in the minority as far as this forum goes for tires, but I'm running Firestone Destination AT2's and they are no louder than my Bridgestone all seasons that I had on before. They're also P rated, so relatively lightweight for an AT tire. If I remember right, they're only like 8lbs heavier than the Bridgestone all seasons I had on before, and they're 2" taller.

Have taken multiple 1000+ mile road trips with them and love them so far!

Mine had the Destination AT2's on it when I bought the truck 5 years ago (like exactly 5 years ago today haha). Now they have at least 55,000 miles and they still have about 5/32" tread left. They are pretty quiet and I've never gotten stuck in snow or anything like that. But I also don't do any hardcore offroading, just gravel/forest roads and city/highway driving.

That being said, if money weren't an issue, I would probably get Michelin LTX tires next like other people in the thread are recommending. Costco usually has a good sale on them every few months that takes off around $140 if Costco does the installation. If money were a concern, then the Firestone AT2's are a good alternative that is less expensive.

 

[DMX512]

I have had Firestone Destinations as well as a set of Yokohama Geolanders on a Jeep Liberty that I used to have ( I have since changed my ways, lol). They were good tires, considering I neglected rotations badly.
On my 2007 T4R SR5 I have run through a set of Yokohama Geolanders and currentLy on a set of Pirelli Scorpions. I really like the Yokohama’s and the Pirellii’s are shaping up to be as good as far as longevity, ride, traction etc... as the Yokohama’s.

 

[royal T4R]

I have 1000 miles on my 285/75/17 Wildpeak AT3W and they were as quiet as my old stock 265/65 road tires.

I already punctured the sidewall and it will be covered under warranty through Falken.

 

[0verland]

BFGs are gonna be loud, not ideal for a long ride.

Loud compared to what? A Prius?

I am going to second this. I just moved on from a job at a tire store and the head mechanic had KO2s, KM3s, and is on General Grabber A/Ts right now and loves them. He went from Salt Lake to Arkansas and said they did great. I put them on my mom's Ford Escape. I run KO2s in a bigger size C load. I still get just under 19 MPG on road trips and have NEVER noticed road noise. I put Falken Wildpeaks on my brother in laws 4th gen and he likes them, took a small hit to his MPG.

I'd say the Generals.

Right there with you. Coming from someone who had Michelin LTX M/S tires the set before putting on my current BFG KO2s I can speak from hands on driving. I noticed no real increase in road noise from them even stepping up to an E rated tire which is firmer than any C rated tire.




I would advise against the Michelin LTX for the simple fact that your paying more for a more limited capability. The LTX are all-season which is for a variety of weather conditions, dry and wet, from summer to LIGHT winter use.

The KO2s are not only just as good of a on road tire but are all-weather, providing excellent grip in both summer and winter. Not to mention the fact that it offers the ability of those one off times where you do want to go into an area where passenger all-season tires would be risky.

I'm not strictly advocating for only KO2s, I just think they are the best tire in this category. By all means explore other options, but I would go with an all-season tire vs all-weather passenger tire.

 

[isabellamor]

Nitto Tire Ridge Grappler, I’ve been running these tires for the last 5000 miles and it is worth my money. Everything about this tire is impressive, especially its amazing traction on the road. Also, I love the aggressive look compared to other tires that I have used before.

 

[JBend]

My vote is Toyo open countries. They've got a 60k mile warranty and are quiet on the road at 70-75mph. Great tires and if you're moving to Colorado post this 15k mile trip....you'll have plenty of thick tread left for the upcoming winter you'll be riding into. 3 months from now it will be October, basically November. I don't live in Colorado but I'm gonna assume snow will start to fall. They're also fairly cheap compared to some others and I've only ever heard good things about them. That's why I got a brand new set a month ago. Got them for about $172/tire. Compared to $248/tire for BFG ko2. Good luck! Have fun and be safe! More importantly, TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES FOR US.

 

[Bumbo]

Another vote for the Michelin Defender LTX M/S

If it's a road trip, then it's a solid tire. I took them to Yellowstone and back. Mostly all road, but we did find a couple trails along the way and they did great.

Before I took mine off there truck I basically abused them a lot off-road, performance was surprisingly good for a road tire. Obviously not my first choice for trail use, but if one happens to come across your path it will hold it's own.

I think a quality AT of your choice is also a good move. Really just depends on if trails and off-road driving is something you plan on dealing with regularly.

 

[Harlock]

I have no experience with them yet on a 4runner. But I have used Michelin LTX tires on a 1st Gen Ford Explorer (also a body-on-frame SUV) for years. The vehicle was my daily driver and it saw a lot of highway driving, visited quite a few parks and traveled a good number of dirt roads. It hardly saw snow and never did any rock-crawling. The tires were quiet, had good wet weather traction and lasted a long time. My first set had to be replaced after traveling 105,000 miles. The second set is still on the vehicle.

 

[rooneyy]

Just did a quick look up of the KO2's and found a decent deal. I am still looking at all these options!
KO2's

Thank you all for your input, this was more input that I was expecting so thank you so much!

I will be live streaming as much of this trip as possible actually. Really looking forward to it!

 

[Heffernan]

Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S

 

[rooneyy]

I love the variety of options and I appreciate everyone's opionions on what they like best and why!

 

[RonJR]

For a strictly road trip I'd probably look at the Michelins or Bridgestones, but it should be noted that the BFG KO2 AT's are NOT loud. They are whisper quiet until they get about 50,000 miles/4 years on them. I'm at 65K on mine with still 7/32 tread, so they last well. They are starting to make some noise now, however, depending on the road surface. Not really objectionable even now, though.

 

[Drak]

I used to run the BF Goodrich T/A KO's on a Pathfinder Sport for many years before I got the 4Runner.
Loved the fact that I never got stuck anywhere, ever.
But once they've hit their halflife, it's like driving a freakin' tank.
They're loud and the drive becomes obnoxious.
Yes I could drive anywhere anytime with no worries at all.
But who wants to feel like they're driving a tank after a year or two?

So...
I'm running the same basic program as you now.
3" lift kit with 18's.
When I lifted mine, I spent a lot of time researching tires when I switched from 17's to 18's.
Since 2014, I've been running Cooper Discoverer AT/3's.
Smooth as glass, a most enjoyable ride.
Not quite the beast the BF's were in adverse conditions, but the Cooper's hold up 80% as well.
And the ride is awesome smooth, night and day difference.
20% decrease in capability...1000% increase in ride comfort.
This was taken in 2014 right before the lift/transformation.

 

[m85476585]

Loud compared to what? A Prius?



Right there with you. Coming from someone who had Michelin LTX M/S tires the set before putting on my current BFG KO2s I can speak from hands on driving. I noticed no real increase in road noise from them even stepping up to an E rated tire which is firmer than any C rated tire.




I would advise against the Michelin LTX for the simple fact that your paying more for a more limited capability. The LTX are all-season which is for a variety of weather conditions, dry and wet, from summer to LIGHT winter use.

The KO2s are not only just as good of a on road tire but are all-weather, providing excellent grip in both summer and winter. Not to mention the fact that it offers the ability of those one off times where you do want to go into an area where passenger all-season tires would be risky.

I'm not strictly advocating for only KO2s, I just think they are the best tire in this category. By all means explore other options, but I would go with an all-season tire vs all-weather passenger tire.

The LTX MS2 never let me down in winter, until recently when I got down to just 4/32 of tread, but no tire is going to do well in winter at that tread depth. They aren't 3pmsf rated, but they work as well as any true winter tires I've used. I bet they would pass the 3pmsf rating of they tested them. They don't have super deep tread blocks, so they probably aren't the best in deep snow, but for any other winter conditions they are great. You can just add chains for deep snow.

The LTX tread pattern is much closer to the design of a winter tire, with lots of sipes, than the KO2 tread pattern with big tread blocks and few sipes.

I've taken them off road all around Colorado and Utah. I've only gotten stuck once (in winter with 4/32 of tread), and never gotten a flat.

I have around 50,000 miles on them, and they are essentially at the end of their life. They probably should have lasted longer, but maybe I abused them off road a little too much.

 

[rooneyy]

I used to run the BF Goodrich T/A KO's on a Pathfinder Sport for many years before I got the 4Runner.
Loved the fact that I never got stuck anywhere, ever.
But once they've hit their halflife, it's like driving a freakin' tank.
They're loud and the drive becomes obnoxious.
Yes I could drive anywhere anytime with no worries at all.
But who wants to feel like they're driving a tank after a year or two?

So...
I'm running the same basic program as you now.
3" lift kit with 18's.
When I lifted mine, I spent a lot of time researching tires when I switched from 17's to 18's.
Since 2014, I've been running Cooper Discoverer AT/3's.
Smooth as glass, a most enjoyable ride.
Not quite the beast the BF's were in adverse conditions, but the Cooper's hold up 80% as well.
And the ride is awesome smooth, night and day difference.
20% decrease in capability...1000% increase in ride comfort.
This was taken in 2014 right before the lift/transformation.

That's really good to know. I am going to price out these tires as well to see what kinda price I can get on them.

The LTX MS2 never let me down in winter, until recently when I got down to just 4/32 of tread, but no tire is going to do well in winter at that tread depth. They aren't 3pmsf rated, but they work as well as any true winter tires I've used. I bet they would pass the 3pmsf rating of they tested them. They don't have super deep tread blocks, so they probably aren't the best in deep snow, but for any other winter conditions they are great. You can just add chains for deep snow.

The LTX tread pattern is much closer to the design of a winter tire, with lots of sipes, than the KO2 tread pattern with big tread blocks and few sipes.

I've taken them off road all around Colorado and Utah. I've only gotten stuck once (in winter with 4/32 of tread), and never gotten a flat.

I have around 50,000 miles on them, and they are essentially at the end of their life. They probably should have lasted longer, but maybe I abused them off road a little too much.

My problem is i love the look of the M/T tires but they obviously come at a cost of comfort/tread life.

 

[JuniorPigeon]

I'm about to make the switch from a M/T to a "hybrid" tire, I think I've decided on the Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. I'll report back on road noise and capability with enough time lol.

 

[m85476585]

That's really good to know. I am going to price out these tires as well to see what kinda price I can get on them.

My problem is i love the look of the M/T tires but they obviously come at a cost of comfort/tread life.

A friend of mine got KO2s on their 5th gen, and at least when new they seemed almost as quiet as the LTX. I was surprised how quiet they were. I am leaning towards getting those next.

 

[aelarson]

I vote KO2 or Duratrac's.

My dad is running KO2's on his Tundra (which he absolutely loves, even with 60K miles on them and I love them too) and I am running my second set of Duratrac's.

Both are great tires and you really cant go wrong! Plus, just look at it...beefy!

 

[EHNWI]

Look no further... BFGoodrich T/A KO2. Done deal.

I am with you. I just got a new set of ko2's after running bigger Toyo MT's for a couple years and the ride is so much nicer. Tires are not loud, and my mpg has gone up a fair bit. It's so smooth.

 

[rooneyy]

I vote KO2 or Duratrac's.

My dad is running KO2's on his Tundra (which he absolutely loves, even with 60K miles on them and I love them too) and I am running my second set of Duratrac's.

Both are great tires and you really cant go wrong! Plus, just look at it...beefy!

Damn i love the look of those Duratracs!