What's a good wheel/tire combo for on/off road?

[AnotherCO4Runner]

My 2001 SR5 has recently become my daily driver. I don't commute for work, so most of my pavement driving is short trips to the store or 200 mile roundtrips to the mountains. I am currently on fading Wrangler Duratracs, 285/75/16 on SCS F-5 rims. I will need new tires here shortly and would love to see what people think is a good wheel/tire combo that provides good performance at 65mph on the interstate and won't let you down on the trail. I am not looking to rock crawl, just don't want to get caught out in the backcountry.

 

[Trojan4x4]

My 2001 SR5 has recently become my daily driver. I don't commute for work, so most of my pavement driving is short trips to the store or 200 mile roundtrips to the mountains. I am currently on fading Wrangler Duratracs, 285/75/16 on SCS F-5 rims. I will need new tires here shortly and would love to see what people think is a good wheel/tire combo that provides good performance at 65mph on the interstate and won't let you down on the trail. I am not looking to rock crawl, just don't want to get caught out in the backcountry.

I dont think super swampers let anyone down before!

On a serious note, look into Coopers AT3 or STT Pro (more Aggressive). I currently have AT3's, the LT version comes with 60k mile warranty and they are plenty aggressive.

 

[Wedgy]

My 2001 SR5 has recently become my daily driver. I don't commute for work, so most of my pavement driving is short trips to the store or 200 mile roundtrips to the mountains. I am currently on fading Wrangler Duratracs, 285/75/16 on SCS F-5 rims. I will need new tires here shortly and would love to see what people think is a good wheel/tire combo that provides good performance at 65mph on the interstate and won't let you down on the trail. I am not looking to rock crawl, just don't want to get caught out in the backcountry.

What do you think of the Druratracs ?
I'm in the same position and don't want to shell out the $1,100 for BFG all terrains, but I know they stay quiet after many miles and have served me well off road.

 

[Nooga_Rock]

My 2001 SR5 has recently become my daily driver. I don't commute for work, so most of my pavement driving is short trips to the store or 200 mile roundtrips to the mountains. I am currently on fading Wrangler Duratracs, 285/75/16 on SCS F-5 rims. I will need new tires here shortly and would love to see what people think is a good wheel/tire combo that provides good performance at 65mph on the interstate and won't let you down on the trail. I am not looking to rock crawl, just don't want to get caught out in the backcountry.

I've heard good things about and plan on getting Cooper ST Maxx's

Also check out BFG KO2's

 

[Mudeprived]

My 2001 SR5 has recently become my daily driver. I don't commute for work, so most of my pavement driving is short trips to the store or 200 mile roundtrips to the mountains. I am currently on fading Wrangler Duratracs, 285/75/16 on SCS F-5 rims. I will need new tires here shortly and would love to see what people think is a good wheel/tire combo that provides good performance at 65mph on the interstate and won't let you down on the trail. I am not looking to rock crawl, just don't want to get caught out in the backcountry.

I don't care much for wheels since all wheels are round and spin with the tire but I would aim for the lightest wheel with proper backspacing.

As for tires, I have gone through a boatload of tires since the early 2000's. I am one of those dumbasses that wastes money by buying new tires every few years even if my tires are not worn out...cuz I get bored. :crazy: However, about 5-6 years ago I came across a tire called Goodyear Authority and bought it for my TJ. It performed so good in all conditions, including snow and mud, and I could find no faults in it. It was so good that I bought it for my XJ, and also for my 4runner. It excels in every condition, is predictable on ice, and wears very slowly. It's also cheap and can be found locally pretty much anywhere.

If you want an aggressive all terrain tire that is dressed like a mud terrain and performs exceptionally well in all conditions then try out the Authorities.

 

[Tatonka]

I had the Cooper ST Maxx’s on a Jeep before I sold it to buy my current ride (99 4runner) and loved em so I bought a set mounted on aftermarket wheels about two weeks ago...and learned some lessons.
1. Stick with Toyota rims. Fortunately they are cross compatible across multiple models and years. Our trucks come with rims that have a unique center bore size (106mm) and are hub centric. The closest you will find on an aftermarket rim will be 108 and they will be lug centric. It can be made to work...but is often a PITA and ends up involving changing lug nut type / hub rings/ spacers/ road force balancing/ searching for shops that will listen to you about the need for a special adapter when balancing. And even then it might not work.
2. The ST Maxx is an awesome tire on a Jeep but on my 4runner I felt like it was grabbing the road too much and pulling me around some. The noise that I would not of heard over the racket created by a jeeps soft top and complete lack of enclosure was noticeable in the Toyota. If you are building a mudder or rock crawler you might not care but if you are planning longer trips you might.

In the end the shop I bought my first setup from was awesome about letting me exchange the whole thing and I swapped it for OEM 2017 4runner 17” trail wheels wrapped in BFG A/T KO2s that are 275 /70 r17. They are quiet on the road and should prove good Offroad as I plan to use my truck primarily for accessing camping and sites of interest that still involve roads ( dirt / fire roads / rough roads in Central America/ etc). The 275s are a perfect match with my stock 4:56 gearing and I’ve only lifted my truck 2” (OME 906 rears and Boss coil-overs up front).


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[Silver Supra]

I've had great luck with BFG A/T K02's. They are a fantastic all around tire in my experience.

 

[Acorn22]

Big fan of the Firestone destination AT tires. They don't look very aggressive but let me tell you, they do pretty damn good up here in Colorado. They've gotten me over multiple passes flawlessly (including pearl pass), and they also allowed me to get an average of 21 highway mpgs because they weigh only 41 pounds.

 

[AnotherCO4Runner]

What do you think of the Druratracs ?
I'm in the same position and don't want to shell out the $1,100 for BFG all terrains, but I know they stay quiet after many miles and have served me well off road.

I bought my 4Runner with them on there already, about 50% tread remaining. They seem to get louder and a little more squirrely as they age, especially in the ruts on interstate caused my trucks with snow chains over the passes. For the price I am reluctant to re-up.

 

[silver4est]

How would you say the aggressiveness of the tread looks compared to the duratrac? I’m pretty much sold on duratracs, loved them in the past. In search of new tires now and found a set of k02 275-70-17 for $500 or best with supposedly under 1,000 miles, they where on a 4runner and been sitting in a garage for the last year outside Detroit.
I can’t decide if I wanna gamble on those ko2 or snag new duratracs during the discount tire sale for 750-800

285-70-17 will not fit under TRD/906 lift will it? Don’t care to body lift. I am currently clearing 275-70-17 dynapro with no rubbing. I think the bumper has been moved forward

I've had great luck with BFG A/T K02's. They are a fantastic all around tire in my experience.

 

[Horsethief]

How would you say the aggressiveness of the tread looks compared to the duratrac? I’m pretty much sold on duratracs, loved them in the past. In search of new tires now and found a set of k02 265-70-17 for $500 or best with supposedly under 1,000 miles, they where on a 4runner and been sitting in a garage for the last year outside Detroit.
I can’t decide if I wanna gamble on those ko2 or snag new duratracs during the discount tire sale for 750-800

285-70-17 will not fit under TRD/906 lift will it? Don’t care to body lift. I am currently clearing 275-70-17 dynapro with no rubbing. I think the bumper has been moved forward

I don't currently have either tire, but I used to run 31" Duras on my 97 Grand Cherokee. I've also seen plenty of KO2's, a coworker of mine even has them on his JK.

IMO, the BFG certainly looks aggressive, mostly due to the sidewall, but the tread itself is not as aggressive as a Duratrac.

I really liked my Duratracs, though I put less than 10k miles on them before selling the Jeep, so I can't comment on how they wear or age. I was never a big fan of the appearance of the sidewall on them, but the tread was awesome and the sidewall DID aid with traction. Those tires we phenomenal in the snow, probably the best I've ever run. (I'm also one of those people who enjoys new tires on a 4x4). They were also smoother and quieter than the Cooper STT's (older style) they replaced. The Coops were also damn good in the snow, but they lacked the performance on ice and packed snow that the Duratracs had. With the Duras, even with a locker, I would have to gas it pretty good to get the rear to get sideways on packed snow, they bit that well.

On function alone I would definitely run the GY's again, though current pricing would probably stop me. When I bought them I had both a rebate and they were just cheaper back then. I think my 31's were only like $135 or so.

 

[Horsethief]

I don't care much for wheels since all wheels are round and spin with the tire but I would aim for the lightest wheel with proper backspacing.

As for tires, I have gone through a boatload of tires since the early 2000's. I am one of those dumbasses that wastes money by buying new tires every few years even if my tires are not worn out...cuz I get bored. :crazy: However, about 5-6 years ago I came across a tire called Goodyear Authority and bought it for my TJ. It performed so good in all conditions, including snow and mud, and I could find no faults in it. It was so good that I bought it for my XJ, and also for my 4runner. It excels in every condition, is predictable on ice, and wears very slowly. It's also cheap and can be found locally pretty much anywhere.

If you want an aggressive all terrain tire that is dressed like a mud terrain and performs exceptionally well in all conditions then try out the Authorities.

I 've seen those before and really like the look of them. They're exclusive to Walmart or Costco or something, right?

I'd consider putting a set on mine (if/when I get one, haha, still searching).

How's the noise level, and was there much of a mileage penalty? (they look like they could be heavy)

 

[Tatonka]

I like a lot of what I see about the Duratrac except for the 2 ply sidewall that can be punctured by sticks on the trail.


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[Silver Supra]

How would you say the aggressiveness of the tread looks compared to the duratrac? I’m pretty much sold on duratracs, loved them in the past. In search of new tires now and found a set of k02 265-70-17 for $500 or best with supposedly under 1,000 miles, they where on a 4runner and been sitting in a garage for the last year outside Detroit.
I can’t decide if I wanna gamble on those ko2 or snag new duratracs during the discount tire sale for 750-800

285-70-17 will not fit under TRD/906 lift will it? Don’t care to body lift. I am currently clearing 275-70-17 dynapro with no rubbing. I think the bumper has been moved forward

Here's a crappy pic of the KO2's on my 3rd gen.

And a pic from the google...

 

[silver4est]

I’m curious about the duratrac sidewall being thin. According to specs
SL=4 ply
C=6 ply
E=10 ply
Shouldn’t a C duratrac be equal to a bfg C?

I like a lot of what I see about the Duratrac except for the 2 ply sidewall that can be punctured by sticks on the trail.


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[Scramble]

Yokahama A/T's or Hankook A/T's both great tires & wont break the bank like overpriced Goodyear's or BFG's. DTD is having their E-Bay bi-yearly sale right now & you could probably get either for 1/2 the price of BFG's.

 

[Scramble]

Hankooks $608 - beat that...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NEW-LT28...185746?hash=item2c7ed0fa12:g:ER8AAOSwq2VanWwQ

 

[Scramble]

OK, I beat the above...Yokahamas $592 These came on my 99 Limited & have been awesome in the snow & heavy rain. I'm very impressed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-NEW-LT28...ash=item489059eed2:g:-ewAAOSwxEtanWxC&vxp=mtr

 

[Tyler James Inc]

I love my KO2s. I have 30k miles on them, and I expect to see another 30k. I've had them in mud, snow, ice, lots of rain, etc- they've never let me down. Other than the fact you'll always be surrounded by the same tires on other rigs, I love em.
My buddy and I were out playing in 2'+ of fresh powder. He has a 2016 JKU Rubi on 315/70R17 Duratracs, and I'm on the same size KO2. He actually got stuck- even locked fr/rr- when turning around, and I had no issues- even open fr/rr. For the record, his Duratracs are a good 15k miles newer than my KO2.
I'm not claiming it's only the tires to blame, but it does say something.

[MENTION=135317]rkntoy[/MENTION] has STT Pro in 37", and he's not 100% happy with them. I don't remember what he said they sucked in, but i think it was either rain or snow.

I love my KO2. I wish I didn't love them so much, 'cause I'd really love a more aggressive tire. I'd also love a tire that ran true to size, but oh well. For example, a 37x12.5 is the biggest KO2 made, but I'll bet it's closer to a 35" than a 37". My 315/70R17 is "33.4" according to BFG, but was only 33.5" BRAND NEW. Same height on the vehicle or off, and that's with 42PSI.

Also, careful when talking about/comparing load ratings and sidewall ply's. The load range E KO2 is not a 10-ply, and the tire in load E weighs the exact same as the load C. I've heard many times people talking about the "heavy load E..." "...get the lighter load C..." etc, and that's not necessarily always accurate.
Tire technology is evolving, and its not as straight forward as it once was.

Edit-
I didn't address wheels. As others have said- make CERTAIN whatever wheels you do get are HUB-centric(106mm bore), and the lighter- the better.
The higher the backspace, the better your handling and tire fitment will be. Your wheel bearings will also last longer. There is a limit- don't go over 5" backspace.

 

[RedSled]

I am happy with this setup.