Tires - Can't decided!

Which tires should I go for?

  • Duratrac Load C

    Votes: 14 25.0%

  • Toyo OC AT2 Load C

    Votes: 9 16.1%

  • BFG KO2 Load D

    Votes: 32 57.1%

  • Dick Cepek Fun Country Load E

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • Total voters
    56
John7M7

John7M7

New member
Hi guys,

First, let me tell you that I've read about every post that relates to this subject. I've been researching online for the last four weeks, and can't make the final decision.

I'm going to go with LT265/75R16 tires, with a 2" OME lift. This is a sure thing.

Now... which tires should I go for? Let me explain what I'm looking for:

- Conformable enough on road and quiet - no M/T !
- Tough; I want something that can resist abuse
- Great off-roading performance on dirt and rocks (no rock crawling), able on snow
- Able to handle muddy trails
- MPG! I really want to reduce the mpg by as little as possible.

So far here is my short list:

- Goodyear Duratrac Load C: like them a lot, concerned by the noise / mpg of such tire (mix between AT and MT)
- Toyo Open Country AT2 Load C: concerned by the potential lack of performance in the mud
- BFG KO2s Load D: don't really want to go with a D Load.
- Dick Cepek Fun Country Load E: well, I like the 3 ply and the off-road abilities, but Load E.. reduced mpg and power loss it is :/

I've researched all of these tires a lot, and here I am. This is not my DD, this is a WE vehicle / road trip one.
I'm in SoCal, might move to PA within a year.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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I need tires for my 4runner as well, but I've ran Duratrac's on my Xterra for years and love them, actually use them for DD tires and I get roughly 2 years or 60k miles out of them.

I'm needing tires for the 4runner in the near future, going to be driving it about half the time. Kinda having a hard time deciding but that is only because I'm being cheap. I'd get Duratrac's all day if I wasn't trying to cheap out, may just get them anyway because I already like them so much and they've proven themselves for me on the Xterra.
 
John7M7 said:
Hi guys,

First, let me tell you that I've read about every post that relates to this subject. I've been researching online for the last four weeks, and can't make the final decision.

I'm going to go with LT265/75R16 tires, with a 2" OME lift. This is a sure thing.

Now... which tires should I go for? Let me explain what I'm looking for:

- Conformable enough on road and quiet - no M/T !
- Tough; I want something that can resist abuse
- Great off-roading performance on dirt and rocks (no rock crawling), able on snow
- Able to handle muddy trails
- MPG! I really want to reduce the mpg by as little as possible.

So far here is my short list:

- Goodyear Duratrac Load C: like them a lot, concerned by the noise / mpg of such tire (mix between AT and MT)
- Toyo Open Country AT2 Load C: concerned by the potential lack of performance in the mud
- BFG KO2s Load D: don't really want to go with a D Load.
- Dick Cepek Fun Country Load E: well, I like the 3 ply and the off-road abilities, but Load E.. reduced mpg and power loss it is :/

I've researched all of these tires a lot, and here I am. This is not my DD, this is a WE vehicle / road trip one.
I'm in SoCal, might move to PA within a year.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The KO2s in that size are load range E, per the BFG charts.

I'd go Duratrac or KO2. I think my next tire will be a KO2, now that they make them in a 255-75-17 flavor.
 
I'll be going with Falken Wildpeak AT3W in a 265/70-17 for my '98 (on FJ Wheels)

Do a quick search on these tires and you'll find that they are apparently super quiet, but crazy good. I don't remember the ratings off-hand but they aren't LTs, so they should be decent on mpg.
 
I had hankook dynapro atms that lasted nearly 70k, quite, decent mps, good offroad on rock, sand and mud, mildly aggressive tread design.

Now I switched to duratracs and while they're aggressive offroad (more bit than dynapros), they do have a small amount of noise (though you really only hear it with radio off) and mps do take about 1mph of a hit. The blockier tread width is felt in the steering, a little more stiff than dynapros. The duratracs sure do get noticed by other truck drivers not so much the dynapros for what that's worth. I'd do either tire again, the dynapros if I wanted to eek out a bit mps with reasonable offroad ability while taking the duratracs if I wanted to ensure my offroading especially on mud/sand. Luck and enjoy. :cowboy:
 
Thanks for all your answers!

As far as the KO2s go, I saw some D loads online in my size, but not on the BFG website indeed. Their website is pretty shitty btw, so I might need to call.

The Hankook have really good reviews, but if I'm going with E rated then I can score better options for the same money or so I think. I have a beef with Hankook (all Seasons tires) so I'm a little biased to be honest.

What I like about the Duractrac is that I get lightweight tires with great offroad capabilities. I don't think the KO2s are better, and what I read seems to confirm it, but they would be much heavier and cost me mpg and power.
I'm really leaning toward a C rated, Duratrac or Toyo AT2. My only fear about the Toto, while being probably better on road than the Duratrac, is mud.
 
Have you considered the general grabber at2's? I really was considering buying the ko2's but couldn't justify the price of them. The at2's have a very similar tread pattern, almost identical. I have been very happy with them, and have had zero issues! My mpg dropped by .5-1.

My at2's


And on my buddies Tacoma, that is parked next to mine
 
I vote for Toyo because (1.) they're a Japanese company that manufactures in the USA in Georgia, (2.) who I've had good experience with in the past; (3.) their Open Country A/T also comes in a 265/75/16 in either load rating C or E depending on your needs, and (4.) has very good ratings in both the mud and snow.
 
I like that Toyo tires are made in Georgia too. Do you run them on your rig?

For the Grabbers I actually discovered them a week ago and got really interested in them! Definitely less pricey than the KO2s, and reviews say they're as good as them. My issue with them is the fact that I'd need to get E rated ones...
How many plys do their sidewalks have?

Right now I'm running the 265-70R16 passenger tires that came on the truck.Would E tires be a dramatic loss of mpg and performance?

As far as the Duratrac being weak, some people say that yes, but I've never seen actual evidence of this being "a thing". And they get better reviews than KO2s on many sources.
 
I get 15-16mpg with E rated 315/70R17 KO2 tires, and my buddy gets the same mileage with 265/75R16 Duratracs. He loves the tires, but they're a little noisy to me. We have VERY similar driving styles too, FWIW. We've both dropped down to 14mpg recently. IDK if it's "winter fuel" or what, but it was an obvious drop. I went to a different station, and ran 91 this week, and my mileage seems to be better. It honestly seems like it doesn't matter how easy you are on the throttle on the 3.4; they just kinda "get what they get". YMMV, quite literally.
I love my KO2's, but the load rating definitely seems to deter a fair amount of guys(and gals?). 10k miles, and the little lettering on the SURFACE of the tread lugs is just wearing off.
7a658311090bb1817e029bf4812dce2f.jpg
 
Tyler James Inc said:
I get 15-16mpg with E rated 315/70R17 KO2 tires, and my buddy gets the same mileage with 265/75R16 Duratracs. He loves the tires, but they're a little noisy to me. We have VERY similar driving styles too, FWIW. We've both dropped down to 14mpg recently. IDK if it's "winter fuel" or what, but it was an obvious drop. I went to a different station, and ran 91 this week, and my mileage seems to be better. It honestly seems like it doesn't matter how easy you are on the throttle on the 3.4; they just kinda "get what they get". YMMV, quite literally.
I love my KO2's, but the load rating definitely seems to deter a fair amount of guys(and gals?). 10k miles, and the little lettering on the SURFACE of the tread lugs is just wearing off.
7a658311090bb1817e029bf4812dce2f.jpg
Click to expand...

Thank you for your feedback, it is really interesting since you really get to compare your tires with your friend's Duratrac. Is he happy with the size he chose btw?

Do you feel like your Load rating costs you some performance? Our engine is not a beast, but I'm good with it and I'd like not to reduce the perf too much.
 
If it's not your DD & only a weekend toy MPG's shouldn't matter. When I went from 31" A/T's to 33" M/T's I only lost 2mpg. No big deal for something that only gets 5000 miles per year on it. I went with D rated. My Hankook MT's were lighter than all of the other similar tires in it's class.

Duratracs are overpriced & have a weak side wall. If I were you I'd look at Hankook, Grabbers, Hercules & Cooper.
 
Scramble said:
If it's not your DD & only a weekend toy MPG's shouldn't matter. When I went from 31" A/T's to 33" M/T's I only lost 2mpg. No big deal for something that only gets 5000 miles per year on it. I went with D rated. My Hankook MT's were lighter than all of the other similar tires in it's class.

Duratracs are overpriced & have a weak side wall. If I were you I'd look at Hankook, Grabbers, Hercules & Cooper.
Click to expand...

The thing is, I will use it as an adventure vehicle, which can mean (and will mean) long, long road trips and exploration. So, the MPG matters not on a $$ standpoint, but for convenience. If the tank was 80 gallons, I wouldn't care, but with the 18.5 gallon of gas we carry, it does not take you very far.
I'm in on the Rotopax group buy to score a few gas cans to mount on my rack, but still.

Coopers, at least the ST Maxx, are interesting in the E range of tires. I will research them and find some feedback. Same for the Hankook, it does not hurt.
 
[MENTION=151207]John7M7[/MENTION]
My buddy fell in love with the Duratracs when he put them on his '98 12v Cummins tow rig. He's kind of a die-hard Duratrac guy now, but is considering the KO2's for his lady's 5th gen.
He doesn't want to lose any MPG, but seeing my MPG, he wishes he would have gone with a 285/75R16, and plans to in the future.
Performance loss is subjective, and I don't want to lead you in the wrong direction. My buddy just drove my '97 a couple weeks ago to see how the power was with the 315's, as well as see how the KO2's were in the highway. We went out on the highway, which is an immediate mile long gradual grade increase, and then took very roller-coaster hills route back home. Then I took his '99 on the Duratracs out on the same route. We agreed that power on both rigs felt exactly the same. We're both 29, and have had over 20 vehicles each. It doesn't make sense that they would have the same power and mileage with the tire size differences, but that is our experience(and what our mileage calculations say).
I will probably be the only one to give you this report, as many guys here say even the jump to a 285 was very noticeable from a 265.
I will say, I DO think 4.88 gearing should be done with 285's, and 5.29's with 315's. I plan to re-gear when I can afford to do so, but until then, I love driving my 4Runner daily, and the power doesn't bother me one bit.
His '99 with a 2" lift and 265/75R16 Duratracs-
4418a40023de1a68bfbe8cd841ff67b0.jpg
 
When I visit the Mojave Preserve and drive along that shelf road made entirely of volcanic rock, I'm glad I have the 3-ply sidewalls.
 
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