What Tires Should I Put on my Truck?

[hank4elk]

For me, treadlife is a secondary concern when selecting a tire. I don't like surprises when conditions really go to Hell. It's a trade off. Highway manners, or off road capability. mtmuley

Yep,that sums it up. I chose between the Kendas & SST maxx,$ did factor a bit but not much.
I loved the hwy ride on Michilens,but forget it after a year. If I get 2 or 3 years out of any tire here I am lucky, regardless of miles.
3 yrs on the Kendas now on the Tacoma & just worn round a bit.
Siped,but not overly.
What snow ,ice & mud?.......so far only 3 flats ,all from a 20p spike & 3" roofing screws...

 

[Anschutz]

I'm on my second set of Cooper AT3s. I got a touch over 30k on my last set but neglected the rotations so the fronts wore quickly on the inside. On this set, I have about 10k and am rotating every oil change. I have them on a Dodge Ram 2500 CTD. I have gotten onto some hairy trails that I would prefer my Jeep but they grip well on rocks. I also really like them when the roads get snow on them or the trails/roads get muddy as they clear the mud really well.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

I recommend bfg ko 2 all terrians,,,3 ply sidewall,e rating 275-18 runs about $230 each if you have a discount tire by ya in Montana,,bfg are great,though I always go mud t/a myself,,the all terrians are quiet,good in snow,decent in mud,and wear shouldn't be too bad.

 

[beginnerhunter]

I think they were around $200 more per set than my Grabber AT2s... but that may not be too much more for tires, I don't know.

Yeah that's about right. Maybe more depending in the size. I guess that isn't much if we're talking about $2000 optics, etc.

 

[JLS]

The ST Maxx is by far the best tire I've ever used on snow and ice. Icy highways and deep snow mountain roads are both no problem. I also have mine siped. Boots and tires. Don't skimp. mtmuley

I sipe the Duratracs on my work truck, helps a lot.

 

[LuketheDog]

The ST Maxx is by far the best tire I've ever used on snow and ice. Icy highways and deep snow mountain roads are both no problem. I also have mine siped. Boots and tires. Don't skimp. mtmuley

mule, how are they on snow and ice without the siping?

 

[Big Fin]

Still undecided. Loyalty to how well Coopers have performed is part of the consideration. Since I live in a snow belt, snow and ice performance is weighted equally with off-road performance.

I'll keep looking and researching. I've been seeking out tire shop owners who carry multiple brands and ask what they think of the their two top brands I am considering. In that process, it seems the shop owners lean toward Cooper or BFG for a use similar to my use. A tire shop owner posted on the YouTube thread and he had some very good input.

I know this is strange, but here is why I am leaning away from BFG. A guy who works for BFG lit me up (on Facebook) for driving a Nissan. Until then, I was strongly considering BFGs, even though I've been running Cooper tires for 20 years without problems. The Nissan engineers have suggested I try BFG for my use.

Strange reasoning, I know. It just rubs me that a person working for a tire manufacturer would light a guy up over the model of truck he drives when said guy is in front of thousands of people trying to objectively select a tire (tires he will buy with his own money and not influenced by spiffs). I suspect a plenty of hunters with similar needs as I have will look at what I decide on and possibly consider the chosen tire when making their next tired purchase. If I don't go with BFG, they can thank some dude who works for them for acting like an ass, however stupid that decision might be on my part.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

Ive had several sets of bfg over the years and am sold on the tri-gard 3 ply sidewall feature,they have worked well for me,,,also found that all my bfg so far are usa made.im sure youll like all-terrians bfg once you try them.

 

[JLS]

I saw that comment. What an ass, and I don’t blame you a bit if you opt for something other than BFG over it. The tire market is competitive enough that acting like a dick on Facebook won’t help your company’s cause.

There’s a very good chance I’ll try mtmuleys recipe of siped ST Maxxs for my next set.

Edit: mtmuley I think I asked this already but do you center sipe or full sipe?

 

[mtmuley]

mule, how are they on snow and ice without the siping?

Don't know about an unsiped tire. I've always had it done, and I have the whole tire siped. Pretty common practice around here regardless of tire type. mtmuley

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

Yeah that's about right. Maybe more depending in the size. I guess that isn't much if we're talking about $2000 optics, etc.

Good point. Still a great tire though! And being an accountant, I would assume that Randy is probably concerned about the price of nearly everything he uses

 

[beginnerhunter]

Still undecided. Loyalty to how well Coopers have performed is part of the consideration. Since I live in a snow belt, snow and ice performance is weighted equally with off-road performance.

I'll keep looking and researching. I've been seeking out tire shop owners who carry multiple brands and ask what they think of the their two top brands I am considering. In that process, it seems the shop owners lean toward Cooper or BFG for a use similar to my use. A tire shop owner posted on the YouTube thread and he had some very good input.

I know this is strange, but here is why I am leaning away from BFG. A guy who works for BFG lit me up (on Facebook) for driving a Nissan. Until then, I was strongly considering BFGs, even though I've been running Cooper tires for 20 years without problems. The Nissan engineers have suggested I try BFG for my use.

Strange reasoning, I know. It just rubs me that a person working for a tire manufacturer would light a guy up over the model of truck he drives when said guy is in front of thousands of people trying to objectively select a tire (tires he will buy with his own money and not influenced by spiffs). I suspect a plenty of hunters with similar needs as I have will look at what I decide on and possibly consider the chosen tire when making their next tired purchase. If I don't go with BFG, they can thank some dude who works for them for acting like an ass, however stupid that decision might be on my part.

Being a millennial, I would probably be inclined to ignore the comments of some silly truck fanboy loyalist, especially online. I mean, I love Toyotas but I'd be willing to try pretty much any manufacturer. Except FORD (Found On Road Dead!!!!). jk

But I have admire your principles. If I were a Cooper guy I'd probably go with the ST Maxx which is M+S rated.

 

[JLS]

Siping tires will reduce the tread life, particularly if you drive a lot of gravel. This set of Duratracs has about 30k miles on them, with a fair bit of gravel driving. You can see they are chunking out a little bit, but it significantly improved performance on packed snow and ice.

If you drive a lot of coarse gravel or scoria, I would probably center sipe instead of full sipe to protect the shoulder lugs.

 

[Don Fischer]

If there's one thing every thread like this shows is that every brand has it's champions! Something about siped tires. I drove over the road trucks for a lot of years. When siped tires came out the guy I worked for got them, super in the ice and snow. Then I went to delivering RV trailer's with my pick up, 2000 Dodge 3/4T with diesel. First winter I got siped tire's. In that case they were not worth it to me, took them off and got studded tires, much better. I suspect the problem was lack of weight. Even though the truck was very heavy, I think it may not have been heavy enough! Studs are not fail proof either. You get stupid on ice and you can get them sliding. But if you are on some surface that you just need a bit to get going or out, stud's work well.

Off road in snow I use a dual purpose hiway/road tread. Be quieter on the high way and get enough traction to be alright off the road but, they reach's a point where only chains will do. When you reach that point don't fool around, chain up all around!

I also would say don't fool around with tire's load range D is the only way to go if your gonna be hauling weight. I had to get a new set one time and thought I'd save a few bucks with load range C tires. Couple hundred miles down the road I took them off and went back to D. Problem was the side walls on C's were to thin for hauling much weight and had a lot or flex in them when loaded.

Something to keep in mind about tread, don't care how aggressive it is you will sooner or later find the road condition, ice or wet snow the will render them useless and your gonna need chains anyway. And a though on installing chains, don't wait till your sure you need them on, put them on before that. Wait till your sure and you might already find yourself in more trouble than you care to be!

 

[BrentD]

Randy, I drive a bit like you do. I like BFG's just fine. I haven't used Coopers. My guess is that there isn't really any significant difference between them and probably half a dozen others. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

I will say that I put an emphasis on road noise (or lack thereof) because my hearing is terrible. It really helps me have a conversation with someone when the tire noise is less. If Coopers were quieter than BFG's I'd switch to them - but the BFG's have always done well in this department when I have looked at Tire Rack ratings.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

If you do go with bfg all-terrians,I definitely would not sipe them,,they do great in the snow unsiped.plus youll have reduced tread wear life.

 

[Husker hunter]

I love my nitto ridge grapplers. Had them 2 years now 25k on them & still 80% tread

 

[MTGomer]

I put about 70k on my first set of ST MAXX and am about 10k into my second set. I’ve never had a flat. And I’ve been all over hell and then some.

 

[mtmuley]

I put about 70k on my first set of ST MAXX and am about 10k into my second set. I’ve never had a flat. And I’ve been all over hell and then some.

Bad ass tire the ST Maxx. mtmuley

 

[MTGomer]

I put about 70k on my first set of ST MAXX and am about 10k into my second set. I’ve never had a flat. And I’ve been all over hell and then some.

Joke is on me....

About 5 hours after making this post, I went to pass somebody. Up ahead there was golden colored stuff in the road. Looked like some scattered straw or hay. It was screws. Thousands of them covering the road. People all over the sides of the road changing tires too.

Mine were fine upon first inspection.

Today I noticed two stuck in my LR tire and a check of the air pressure shows I’ve lost 15 lbs. to the shop it goes tomorrow.