Tire Recommendations - Let's hear 'em

KO2
Here's my 4th gen with KO2 275/70r17
 

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Go with Duratracs - I'm happy with mine. They're a good compromise between a decent mud tire, on road manners, and winter tire. It doesn't particularly excel at any one thing, but it does everything acceptably.

I've never been a fan of the BFG A/Ts - lots of guys around here run them, but I've always found them to be pretty poor for the type of terrain we encounter around here. I think they're so popular because the tire shops push them. I'm sure they're a good tire, but not for my purposes - they lack the mud performance of a more aggressive tire.
 
OP, my question would be two fold:
What tire would you recommend and
How many sets of tires have you purchased in your lifetime?

Would you rather hear from a guy that has purchased two sets of tires or
A guy that has purchased 30 sets of tires?

It also needs further refinement because a guy that has purchased a bunch of tires might be cominh from a sports car.

Asking opinions is fine as long as you know the qualifications of the people giving them.
 
Still running stock on my T4R but have another 4x4 that I run Toyo AT in summer (great all around tire) and Firestone Winterforce LT for winter. Thinking about Discoverer WT for T4R but little real life reviews yet and will try out the stock Yokos in winter this year.
 
There is no good tire for all year IMHO. In winter you put winter tire, in summer you put what you want like in your list. I like the Cooper ST Maxx for the low noise.
 
recommendations and scarcasm all welcome - I'm narrowing it down...

Real quick...Will a 32.76" (285's) diam tire rub with a 2" lift and stock wheels?
 
i'm in your neck of the woods, so i can appreciate the specific conditions you face. i had Duratracs on mine since new and they were great the first winter, and decidedly less so the next and next. they were breaking loose so easily their final winter it was crystal-clear that it was time to move on. not that i didn't like them, i just didn't love them.

personally, i'd consider the Coopers; either the AT3 or the ST Maxx. if you do a lot of highway miles as you say, they'll likely deliver the best compromise of on-road, off-road, and shïtty-road/snowy-road performance.

i don't think BFG makes any tire you could reasonably consider running year-round in New England.
 
i'm in your neck of the woods, so i can appreciate the specific conditions you face. i had Duratracs on mine since new and they were great the first winter, and decidedly less so the next and next. they were breaking loose so easily their final winter it was crystal-clear that it was time to move on. not that i didn't like them, i just didn't love them.

personally, i'd consider the Coopers; either the AT3 or the ST Maxx. if you do a lot of highway miles as you say, they'll likely deliver the best compromise of on-road, off-road, and shïtty-road/snowy-road performance.

i don't think BFG makes any tire you could reasonably consider running year-round in New England.

Hey Sandcrawler - Thanks for chiming in and I def. appreciate your regional perspective with the highly variable conditions northern NE'ers run into.

At this point I've narrowed down to AT3's in a 285/70/17 or OR Toyo Open Country AT2 285/70/17. I'd really like to find a more aggressive looking tire than the AT3's in a 275, but I'm coming up goose egg without jumping to a 10 ply tire, which I'm trying to avoid to cost reasons, road noise and it's just plain overkill for my intended use.

Appreciate all the comments on "another tire thread"
 
How would you compare the ST Max to the AT3 in regards to on road performance and noise?

ETA: nevermind. They only come E rated in the size I want and I don't want that much weight.
 
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95% of the time I'm on the streets and will barely get beyond basic dirt trails in my 4runner.

Toyo Open Country AT2s in 265/70R17 (31.5") or Cooper Discoverer AT3s in 275/70R17 (32.2")?

ETA: I like the looks of the Toyo more than the Cooper but I like the bigger tire and don't want to go to 285s.
 
I know you say you've got it narrowed down BUT, I'd go for the KO2's. I had a set on my Tacoma and they were great. Low road noise, excellent in snow (we get a LOT where I live), and they last a long time which for me is really important. Some of the other tires might be cheaper but my money is on the KO2's lasting longer (value for money).
I had a set of original KO's and they lasted well over 90,000kms before they finally needed to be replaced. I replaced them with the KO2's which are supposed to last 15% longer and are improved in nearly every way.
I also do 95% highway driving and I had a supercharger on the Tacoma. Lotta torque going to the wheels and the KO's still lasted as long as they did. I drove on the KO2's for a year and they were shaping up to surpass the KO's. Better traction when I did go off-road, and better looking too.

KO's vs KO2's



 
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Still running stock on my T4R but have another 4x4 that I run Toyo AT in summer (great all around tire) and Firestone Winterforce LT for winter. Thinking about Discoverer WT for T4R but little real life reviews yet and will try out the stock Yokos in winter this year.

I'm currently running a set of Cooper Discoverer A/TW tires in the stock size at the recommended pressure on the door card. I was mainly drawn to them by their touted winter performance and 50K mile warranty.

I've been pleasantly surprised by the A/TW thus-far. I've tried the General Grabber AT2s on another truck and really liked those as well in all conditions, but so far the A/TWs have been quieter and more responsive in the summer months. I was skeptical that they would do well in 90+ degree weather, but they've surpassed my expectations greatly so far. Off road performance has been great as well; they seem right at home in rocky, sandy, washboard, and/or gravel terrain. I expect that they'll do even better in the winter as well.

The only 'shortcomings' I can note right now are the fairly significant weight needed to balance them and the occasional pull or vibration at certain speeds. I'd chock the first up to the usual school of thought on All Terrain and Winter tires needing more weight to balance, and the latter up to the inconsistencies that some folks have noted in other threads on alignment, road conditions, etc. I'm sure there will be some minor adjustments at the 5k mi rotate and balance.

TL/DR: Cooper A/TWs may not have enough real-world reviews yet, and they haven't been out long enough for a good year-round review, but they've been great in almost every aspect so far.
 
TL/DR: Cooper A/TWs may not have enough real-world reviews yet, and they haven't been out long enough for a good year-round review, but they've been great in almost every aspect so far.

I'm planning on getting a pair of ATW's when my stock tires run out, so I really appreciate the feedback. I live in SLC, and on powder days the roads up to the ski resorts require snow rated tires. I'm going to get LT265/70R18 or LT275/70R18 on FN BFD wheels.
 

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