Not Another Annoying Tire Thread!

[MikeinCincy]

Ok guys, I know this has been beaten to death, but I REALLY need some tire advice. PLEASE post your opinions. I'm desperate here. I have a 2006 T4R SR5 4X4 with the stock 265/65/17 size tires (Bridgestones). I want to stay with this size, and I'm aware this limits my choices. I mainly do on-road driving, but want to venture out on some trails soon (nothing major). Also, I want a good tire for the snow. Here's my conundrum. I had my heart set on the Revos, but I have heard they aren't the greatest in the snow (says numerous people in this forum). I also am looking at the Goodyear Tripletreads, but they aren't even an A/T tire (however, they are good in the snow). Further, I have stumbled upon the Pirelli Scorpion ATRs, which are highly rated on TireRack, but some people say their reputation isn't the greatest. My head is spinning here from reading over this forum for the past week trying to get ideas. Thank you so much guys. Sorry for the annoying noob behavior.

 

[keylay31]

I feel like I just started this poll 2 days ago...

 

[MikeinCincy]

Yea, I saw that when I was doing my investigation. Not many people responded to that thread. I'm just really torn between these three tires and would like some insight. However, it seems like not many people will post their opinion.

 

[alaskaman]

This is a pic of Interstate 80 after it's closure westbound. This is an unplowed freeway. The Scorpions were competent. I don't know about Revos and I assume that much of your choice is personal feel. look closely at the ratings and perhaps go to America's Tire and look at em. For my 2 cents worth the key word for Pirellis is Road Feel.

Good Luck.

 

[TeryT]

After NUMEROUS threads on the subject (but you knew that!), in my mind it comes down to two premium tires in the stock size: Revo & Michelin LTX A/T 2. The Michelin was pretty much designed as a Revo fighter. Both have superior technology and good wearing. (UPDATE NOTE: reviews on Tire Rack for the AT2 are so-so - many express disappointment with exessive sidewall flex!)

 

[MikeinCincy]

Thanks a lot guys for the information. I think I'm going to throw the Tripletread option out the door because it doesn't seem like it would be a good off-road tire and I have heard that the tread life isn't that great either. So I'm basically going to narrow it down to the Revos and the Scorpions. I guess it's a toss-up from here. Once again, I appreciate your feedback. This forum is a great place to get free information.

 

[MikeinCincy]

Come on guys. Over 100 views and only 4 votes?!?!? Vote, vote, vote!

 

[MikeinCincy]

For those of you guys saying something else, what tire do you suggest?

 

[Climb14er]

Having driven in a lot of snow and 'severe' off road over the thirty two years here in Colorado, I came to the conclusion that many AT tires are simply too much for the 99% of the hwy and street driving we do.

In my Toyota pickup, I've taken the LTX M&S tires up many difficult passes and roads here in Colorado inc. to the 10,300 ft mark, just below Jaws #1, three times on the Lake Como road.

When I climb the high peaks here, 99% of the travel is on paved roads and there I want comfort, safety and good fuel mileage.

I put a set of the Geolanders on my 4Runner and couldn't stand them. They felt heavy, unresponsive and had radial pull.

I then went back to Michelin Cross Terrains, the kin to the LTX M&S and could not be more satisfied.

What I'm saying might be contentious to the board but I definitely think that most who drive 99.9% of the time on paved roads yet who want a beefy, all terrain tire, that's their choice but I think it's overkill for the paved street and even the off road driving they're doing.

Being the libertarian I am, it's their money, their fuel and I respect their decision.

But real life experience has shown me that I can do better with an all season, high quality road tire in my 4 x 4's in situations most would never think of venturing to.

 

[MikeinCincy]

I really appreciate your response Climb14er. Maybe you're right. I should be looking at all season highway tires instead of A/T tires. I just wanted an aggressive tire and I have heard that all season tires are called so because they suck in all seasons. I guess I'll figure it out. Many are saying the Revos are more of an on-road tire with off-road capabilities. This sounds more in my ballpark. I could always check out the Michelins, but they seem really expensive.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I love my Nittos and in the snow they are quite predictable when they do break loose. Just this morn I was messign aroudn and drifting and controlling my truck with light throttle inputs. The Nittos don't continue to slide and grip quite well even when I've tried to slide them on purpose.

 

[MikeinCincy]

RonMAIDEN, are the Nittos a pretty aggressive tire? I don't see them on Tirerack for my OEM size (265/65/17).

 

[kurt1011]

i love my revo's...as far as snow is concernced - i think the Revo's do great - very similar to BF AT's...i am sure the mud terrans would be better but not practical for me. The Revo's do have more tire noise than stock - but not too bad.

 

[MikeinCincy]

Kurt, how do your Revos do in the snow? I recently read a thread where a member talked about how his T4R handled beautifully in the snow and he attributed it largely in part to his Revos. But at the same time, I have read that Revos aren't that great in the white stuff. I am almost certain that I'm going to end up getting the Revos, but the only thing keeping me away is the fact that people have complained about their snow-handling capabilities.

 

[MikeinCincy]

Ha, Kurt, I'm sorry. I misread the first part of your post. So the Revos do handle pretty well in the snow? I'm sure they would do a whole lot better than my stock Bridgestones that's for sure (And I don't even think those are too terrible).

 

[toyota4life]

Assuming you are willing to forgo offroad performance, I highly recommend the Michelin LTX M/S.... Im on my second set on my 3rd Gen and have no complaints. Long tread life (70K on my last set), excellent in the rain and snow. I love these tires, but then again, I cant imagine that they are a good offroad choice.

 

[MikeinCincy]

toyota4life, how about the Michelin LTX A/T 2? They will fit my stock size. Do you know anything about that tire? Thanks for you response.

 

[TeryT]

If there's something that beats Revos for less money . . .

In my mind, the tires to beat for all-around are the Revos. I would like to find a good replacement that wasn't as expensive, but so far haven't. I also haven't had much ongoing experience in the snow with them, as I live in Scottsdale AZ. But, we were caught in high country AZ near blizzard conditions last winter. The highway going through Salt River Canyon was a mess, with people sliding sideways off the road, trucks jack-knifing, etc. I don't know how much to attribute to the 4Runner vs. the Revos, but the vehicle never faltered in several hours of white-knuckle driving conditions, and seemingly did as well as people with chains!

As I said, I keep looking, but haven't found much that compares to all around capability. I've had them off-road several times, pulled a travel trailer over 15k miles and they now have around 52k miles on them. I fully expect to get at least another 10k on them, as the tread still has about 45% left.

(BTW: To those that say they loose their wet traction after significant wear, it's rained pretty good around here the last 2 weeks, and they never showed any signs of slipping.)

 

[TeryT]

toyota4life, how about the Michelin LTX A/T 2? They will fit my stock size. Do you know anything about that tire? Thanks for you response.

This was my only other real consideration for stock size, other than the Revo. It came out a few months back, and the tire mgr. at Costco was quite high on it. However, there are now several negative reports on Tire Rack about this tire having a very mushy feeling sidewall. If that's not much of an issue for you, it might be worth considering, but it is still a pretty new tire, and even much vaunted Michelin can occasionally make a bad one. Revo has been around a while.

The price diff between the AT2 and Revo is marginal, as they are both considered a premium tire.

 

[MikeinCincy]

TeryT, I think I have my mind made up. I am 99% sure I am going to go with the Revos. Although there have been a few users that complained about the Revos in the snow, the large majority of users feel that they actually handle quite well in the snow. Living in Cincinnati, it's really a toss-up in terms of how often it's going to snow and how much. Last year we had some really big snow days and quite a few of them. Obviously if I lived in NY or CO, I would get a dedicated snow tire, but I don't. The Revo sounds like it's exactly what i'm looking for (A good on-road tire with some off road capabilities and good in the snow). Thanks a lot for all of the information you have provided. I really appreciate it.