Tire Recommendation: Western NC

[blue$]

We live in the mountains of western NC. Our rural subdivision is all gravel roads, none maintained by the county. Roads are narrow, twisty and moderately steep in sections...including driveways, up or down.

Gravel is a daily given. Rain is frequent. Mud is not uncommon. Snow is usually just a few times a year...sometimes over a foot, usually less. (I have a steepish uphill driveway going out from the house to the road.)

Reading through the tire threads has resulted in analysis paralysis.

I'm not an off-roading hobbyist, but a forest road is not all that unusual since we are surrounded by state and national forest. And as I say, gravel is what we live on.

Prefer to keep stock 265/70 R17 in P Metric or light truck and am looking for the best all around tire, competent for non-extreme but occasionally challenging conditions.

If you've read this far, I'd appreciate your sharing recommendations for me to further research.

Thanks in advance.

 

[akalito]

you should check out the thread I started a couple of days ago about falken at3 vs KO2. A lot of good info on two of the most popular tires. Also alot of info on alternatives like the toyos

BFG KO2 or Falken Wild Peak AT3W

 

[SilverFox2020]

I live near you in Mars Hill and have had zero issues with my stock Bridgestone Duelers in any conditions including snow. I have never had to air down the tires to date. I too live up some reall steep gravel roads.@%1;

 

[Spec-7]

I'm on the other side of the mountains from you near Chattanooga. I'm running Nitto TerraGrappler G2's in stock size. I have been impressed with how the drive feel is relatively the same from paved roads to the gravel roads of the Cherokee National Forest. Road whine is a bit more than the stock Dunlops, but I've gotten used to it.

 

[Jivewalker]

KO2's work well, I'm on my 2nd set, got 90k out of the first. We vacation up in NC around Bryson and the tires have taken me everywhere I needed to go. A word of caution, if you change from the stock P metric tire and go to an LT, you will need to adjust air pressure up. For the KO2's on my 2012 TE the PSI is 44 to match the load rating of the stock P metric tires. By going to a higher pressure, the tires will absorb less of the small bumps and you will feel them more. It doesn't bother me at all, I like the feel, but you should be aware of that. Of course, if you off road, you should air down depending on what you are doing. Also, with the LT tires with a more aggressive tread, rotating at 5000 miles becomes even more important or they will get loud sometimes. Hope this helps you in your decision.

 

[blue$]

you should check out the thread I started a couple of days ago about falken at3 vs KO2. A lot of good info on two of the most popular tires. Also alot of info on alternatives like the toyos

BFG KO2 or Falken Wild Peak AT3W

I have been reading that thread all along, and it is partly why I started this one to see if I could tailor things more specifically to our setting.

Our Trail Edition Premium was delivered with the Dunlop Grandtrek AT20. They've been serviceable, but I plan to replace them with a better, more aggressive tire.


Thanks, guys, for the info shared so far. I know there is no one perfect answer, but I'd like to be able to buy and not suffer remorse afterward.



I should have stated that I'd consider both Light Truck and P Metric tires as replacements for the Dunlops.

 

[TONY_SR5]

I recently replaced the stock tires with Falken Wildpeaks AT3Ws. Love them so far. Great price, aggressive sidewall, balances well, smooth and quiet ride.

Whatever tire you decide to go with just make sure you shop around online for the lowest price and see if a local shop can price match.

 

[Polyguy79]

I’m going to represent the Toyo OC AT3 crowd. These are awesome tires. Very good on pavement or dirt. One of the best AT tires for wet conditions. Very quiet at highway speeds. These are miles better than their AT2 tires, which were good but not great tires. Do yourself a favor and at least look up the reviews on Google and YouTube.

 

[Sky]

I like the KO2's, put them on my 4Runner the day after I bought it.
Also have them on our FJCruiser, F350 and F150.
One thing to consider is if you travel much and need a tire- like I did in the middle of BF Utah last summer- KO2's are more commonly found than some of the other brands.

 

[Sgb020]

I have had great luck with Maxxis Razar At-811. It’s awesome tire great tread pattern, light weight, and a great price. Highly recommended.

 

[octanejunkie]

I've had good all around use form Hankook Dynapro ATs in dry, snow, ice, rain, gravel, etc - I think I got around 80K from my last set

For wheeling I use General Grabbers on a second set of rims

 

[Jivewalker]

Read this:

Perfect off-highway tire = LTX? What? | Expedition Portal

 

[ASUMTNEER]

I live up in the Boone area. IMO you can't go wrong with the KO2'a, TOYO's, Nitto's or the Falken's. Even a cheaper AT tire will do you just fine. Don't overthink it. If I were buying right now, I'd buy the most inexpensive name brand AT and go on.

 

[blue$]

And here I was foolishly hoping for some sort of consensus. :biggrin1:

I appreciate all the suggestions. Keep 'em coming. It's at least added additional candidates for the short list.

 

[octanejunkie]

I live up in the Boone area. IMO you can't go wrong with the KO2'a, TOYO's, Nitto's or the Falken's. Even a cheaper AT tire will do you just fine. Don't overthink it. If I were buying right now, I'd buy the most inexpensive name brand AT and go on.

I just got a decent discount on a set of 5 Falken Wildpeak AT3s in 245 75 R17 then I'll be mounting on Sequoia rims for my 99 @ $190 a tire. We will see how these do.

I love the Hankooks, however they were not great for wheeling.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[offshorebear]

I just replaced the stock tires. I have read every AT tire thread on the internet. There doesn't seem to be a clear winner. Maybe 2 years ago it was the Falkens when they were cheap, but they are priced the same as everything else these days.

I went with GoodYear Ultraterrains. Reports say they are as decent as any other AT, but they are light for their size which I think makes them a good match for a V6 4Runner.

I have worn out 2 sets of BFG ATKO2's. I don't like their wet performance after 15k miles.

I sold my last 4Runner with Cooper Discover AT3. They were good tires but looked very plain. Also a little heavy for a V6 T4R IMO.

 

[blue$]

I've got to say that the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 looks pretty interesting as well...and seems to get good reviews both here and elsewhere.

Not as aggressive looking as some, but seems quite capable.

As mentioned, it seems there are several worthy options...

 

[blue$]

Are most of you running P-Metric or LT on the tires you recommend?

 

[blue$]

Well, after much mental debate, I've gone ahead and ordered a set of the Toyo Open Country AT3 in P-Metric from Discount Tire. They should suffice for the kinds of driving I do and will encounter locally, as well as on road trips away from home.

Will be getting them installed mid-week.

Thanks to all for taking the time to give their suggestions, any of which would have been excellent as well, I'm sure.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I replaced my factory tires with BFG KO2 at 10k miles. I’m at 62k miles now and they look like they have half of their tread life left. Just like every KO2 I’ve ever owned, they perform great on wet roads and offroad.

I have Michelin Defender ltx tires on my 3/4 ton truck and have been very happy with them both on road and in red clay.

If I had to put a different tire on my 4Runner other than KO2s, it would be the Michelins.

I won’t have anything but LT tires on my vehicles.