Yes more tire advice needed

VT4runnin

VT4runnin

New member
Preface: I live in Northern Virginia so I see all four seasons but winter recently has not been bad. I don't do any off-roading however I do drive "off road" at times to fish, camp, bike, and hike. The vast majority of my driving is on pavement. I don't like the look of the LE tires but I like the rims and want to keep those. I don't know much at all about buying new tires so I turn to you pros. I've scoured the forum for pics and info. What I've found - the LE has a 7" width so apparently there aren't many choices for tires and a safety concern if you move from a 245 to 275. From another post I've collected what seem to be the choices others are using. Are any of these tires overkill for my use? I just want a better tire that doesn't look like a road bicycle tire. I understand the effects on MPG and Speedo. I also don't want to lift or mod anything for a tire at this time.

nitto terra grapplers 275/55/20
BFG A/T
Michelin MS2 275/55/20
bfg rugged terrains 275/55/R20
Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology - seems to be the the only larger tire "recommended" for use with LE 20s.
 
Register to hide this ad
BFG All-terrain T/A are a great "on-road/off-road" compromise. They aren't noisy and don't excessively wear on pavement, and are great on dirt, gravel, and moderate 4x4 trails.

For even more "on-road" performance, BFG has a Commercial T/A that does okay in dirt and gravel, but not so much on 4x4 trails.

Rugged terrains are overkill for your needs.
 
Last edited:
Reino said:
BFG All-terrain T/A are a great "on-road/off-road" compromise. They aren't noisy and don't excessively wear on pavement, and are great on dirt, gravel, and moderate 4x4 trails.

For even more "on-road" performance, BFG has a Commercial T/A that does okay in dirt and gravel, but not so much on 4x4 trails.

Rugged terrains are overkill for your needs.
Click to expand...

Rugged Terrains are less aggressive that the T/A KO's.

IMO the best tire in your list is the BFG T/A KO but the best tire for your application is probably the Michelin LTX M/S2.
 
IMO the MS2 would be best for your driving conditions. I currently have them on my 3rd gen and love them. Quiet, handle well, great in rain, good in the snow. Like you mine see the occassional "offroad" to get to fishing holes and have never let me down. The first set I had got around 85,000 miles on them. Good luck.
 
jspagna1 said:
Really? What do you suggest. Doesn't look like a real aggressive off road tire.
Click to expand...

Any thing else is better then these Firestones. Let me first say Firestone customer service sucks more then their tires do. These tires don't grip in rain. Just a little moisture and you'll be struggling for control.

Buy another tire.
 
BFG ATs suck in the snow/ice. Poor mud performance as well, although it doesn't sound like that would be an issue for you.

My sister's bf has a set of Cooper ATs on his Ridgeline - he's on his second set and he says he's pleased with them - he uses his "truck" for about the same as you described.
 
Hellamatic said:
BFG ATs suck in the snow/ice. Poor mud performance as well, although it doesn't sound like that would be an issue for you.

My sister's bf has a set of Cooper ATs on his Ridgeline - he's on his second set and he says he's pleased with them - he uses his "truck" for about the same as you described.
Click to expand...

I'm going to risk sounding like a BFG fan boy but for your 1 negative T/A KO review you will find 50 positive reviews.

There is a reason why so many all terrain tires copy BFG's pattern. Also for many years they were the only all terrain with the sever winter weather snowflake endorsement.

And most all terrains suck in the mud but only few(like duratracs) do better in mud than the BFG's that I've seen.
 
Thanks for the responses! Looks like BFG and Michelin are the favorites so far. My only concern is keeping the stock rims and venturing away from the 245 size but from what I read its just the risk you take. Anyone have feedback on the Nitto terra grapplers?
 
Hellamatic said:
BFG ATs suck in the snow/ice. Poor mud performance as well, although it doesn't sound like that would be an issue for you.

My sister's bf has a set of Cooper ATs on his Ridgeline - he's on his second set and he says he's pleased with them - he uses his "truck" for about the same as you described.
Click to expand...
I had a set of BFG AT KO and I didn't really like them either. They weren't exactly round.
 
I had BFG AT KO on my Super Duty - and while they looked excellent and were great in the rock pile I used to play in - they were average at best. On pavement they felt harsh and significantly louder. On a soft trail, I thought they performed relatively well.

In the winter, with extra weight (sand bags) in the bed, the BFG AT KO rocked in snow and felt very confident. I took the truck to the Boundary Waters (northern MN) on a New Years/Snowmobiling trip and they were amazing in a foot of fresh snow. However, on packed snow (eg. highway roads) my confidence level wasn't that high.

Personally I don't understand why anyone would put BFG AT KOs on a 5th Gen 4Runner, let alone a Limited. Obviously a very personal decision.

I have the Nitto's and the ride is amazing. My Limited feels more planted and does great for the off-roading I do. The sidewall is probably not as firm as the BFG ATs - but worth the trade-off for city/freeway driving. They also perform well on packed snow.

The Michelin LTX M/S2 are definitely a good choice too. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
fxoffroad said:
I have the Nitto's and the ride is amazing. My Limited feels more planted and does great for the off-roading I do. The sidewall is probably not as firm as the BFG ATs - but worth the trade-off for city/freeway driving. They also perform well on packed snow.

The Michelin LTX M/S2 are definitely a good choice too. Good luck.
Click to expand...

What size Nitto's did you get? I really like their look. From what I've read, the limited has a 7" rim and increasing from a 245 to say a 275 works best on a 7.5" rim, if I understand the other posts I read.
 
I have the Nitto's in 275/55. Have about 25K on them and really like how they ride. A little more road noise, but not bad. Like the more aggressive look. I like you was worried about the larger size on the 7" rim and also upgraded to wider 20" rims.
 
x3 on the Nittos. They make a great tire. I had a set of 33" Mud Grapplers on my Tundra - I got a hair under 90,000km out of them. When I bought them, the tire tech mentioned he liked balancing Nittos because they're so well-built that they require very little weight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 378 (members: 0, guests: 378)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,309
Messages
3,554,075
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top