I'm struggling with the decision of which tires to get. I'm driving myself kind of nuts reading thread after thread. The stock BFG Rugged Trails have about 41K on them and about 8/32 of tread left, but they are showing a lot of cracking and have some sidewall damage, so its time.

I use my truck primarily for commuting in the city (lots of 70mph highways around Phoenix), and occasional towing up to 10K. If I'm going on an unloaded highway trip I take the wife's Jetta TDI more than half the time. I only drove 12K miles last year. My offroading in this truck consists of dirt roads. Cost and longevity are not primary concerns, although the less money spent the better. I'm interested in something that will allow me maintain the fuel economy and towing ability while giving a smooth ride and good wet traction.

I've been shying away from the 126 rated E tires because I thought they would ride harder than the 121 rated tires, the guy at Discount tire assured me that I wouldn't notice the difference based on the rating alone. My truck is a regular cab, so maybe lighter than the quad cabs, definately lighter than the Megas. I'm not willing to run a D rated tire.

I'm also torn between sticking with the stock 265/70R17 or going to a 285/70R17. I like the look of the larger tire, but it isn't worth losing fuel economy or towing ability. Most of the 285/70 threads suggest that the larger tire is not detrimental. Here are the tires I'm looking at with pros and cons, in no particular order:

265/70R17 E Michelin AT2 - Stock size, should ride great and provide good traction without negatively effecting performance. ~$1080 installed. Con: stock size, read elsewhere that the tread is narrower than my stock BFG's.

285/70R17 E Nitto Dura Grappler - Smooth highway tread should maintain low rolling resistance, read that these run narrow for a 285, read that they ride smooth and have good wet traction. ~$900 installed. Con: larger size issues, may ride hard at 3750# rating and thick sidewalls.

285/70R17 E Bridgestone Dueler Revo 2 - Great reviews, stock 121 load rating. ~$1060 installed. Con: currently backordered, not a huge concern but read that treadlife is not great, sidewalls look kind of lame.

285/70R17 E Hankook Dynapro ATM - Some good reviews, lots of sipes in the tread, looks cool, 50K mile warranty. ~$900 installed. Con: Some bad reviews about tires out of round, more aggressive tread than I need, may ride hard at 3750# rating and thick sidewalls.

285/70R17 E Firestone Destination AT - Looks like a good compromise tread pattern, stock load rating, good reviews. Price undetermined. Con: Tires are not stocked by Discount, price at Firestone auto care center is outrageous.

So that's where I'm at. I'd like to buy something soon so I can stop reading tire threads.

Thanks,

Mitch

 

Sounds like you've done your home work. Maybe your overthinking it a bit. I tend to do that so I know your pain. Personally I like the Nitto's I have been leaning that way when it's time. I have read far more positive experiences then negative on the Nitto's. Remember ride quality can be adjusted with air pressure. Nice thing with E's is that you have more pressure to adjust (80PSI max). I know that adjusting a tires air only by 10 lbs can make a big difference in ride. Just remember to put air back in when hauling heavy.

Also, I wouldn't worry about fuel to much. I lost about 1/2 mpg when I bumped up to a 33". I got it back with my smarty, but only if i am easy on the go pedal. My wife has a TDI also so if I want fuel economy I drive her car.

Let us know what you decide on and how you like them.

 

I got the Bridgestones because they were the cheapest at the time. Buy 3 get 1 free. Don't bother, the original equipment BFG's were better all around. They pretty much suck in the snow and don't look as though they are going to last. I've got about 15,000 mi on them and they show quite a bit of wear. Went to 285s and the mileage dropped a bit too. Got 50,000 miles out of the OEM's.

 

I have had no problems with my Bridgestones, I have 32k on and they still look new, my dad has almost 25k on his set and no problems. They are not great in heavy mud, but all around one of the best tires in my opinion.

 

I usually overthink $1000 decisions that I'll have to live with for 3-4 years I wish I could try out each set for a week or so to see what is best. Unfortunately the guy at the tire shop won't go for it. The Bridgestone offers a 30 day safisfaction guarantee, I wish the Nitto's did.

I made a mistake with tires on my last truck, getting 18" E rated BFG's for a half ton because it is what was available, and although it was corrected in the long run it was a major PITA and wasted a lot of time.

 

tire rack has bridgestones instock

 

Michelin for me always now, they always balance, tried all kinds of others, and always come back to the Mich. get good mileage, great traction in the wet.

 

Availability is improving, yesterday tirerack was only showing availability shipping from LA, now they are shipping from NV. Tire Rack is $997 shipped, then I have to pay for mount/balance, etc. Discount's labor fees added up to $148 for all 4 mounted and lifetime balanced with new stems, disposal, etc. I'd pay the same walking into Discount and buying them, which totals out to $1145 with tax. Costco can get me the bridgestones out the door for $1060, and there was a $60 mail in rebate the last time I checked. I'll call Costco and ask them if they show availability on the revos yet.

 

This is a case where you get what you pay for. I only use Michelin LTX M/S. Great tire on dry pavement and heavy snow. Long lasting. Smooth/quiet ride. Available in E rating. I'm on my third set.

 

Mine was equipt with the michelins and they cracked real bad.
My Firestone Tansforece make make it 60k...

 

.boB,

I've had the LTX M/S on a truck in the past, they did work great. The LTX M/S has been discontinued and replaced with the MS2 tire. They put a 70K warranty on the MS2, so they should still last plenty long. I looked at the MS2 briefly, but it appears that they made them into more of a dedicated road tire. I prefer something with at least a little dirt traction on my 4x4, I think even the Dura grapplers have more dirt traction than the MS2.

wiskeyIV,

I can't blame a manufacturer for how stock tires perform. Stock tires on mass produced vehicles are the bottom of the barrel regardless of which name is on them. As long as they are cheap, black, and hold air the OEM will slap them on.

 

Me to I love my A2s
Jim O

 

2 weeks ago I got Hankook ATMs at S&S and they were so squirmy, it was scary. About the time I thought I was used to the squirrelly handling, I nailed it on a curve coming out of a roundabout and I was all over my lane and over the curb. I got them changed to Mich. ms2s the next week. Craig

 

Craig,

Where is there a roundabout like that in the Phoenix area? I found some small ones on the 179 south of Sedona, but none in the valley I can slide the truck around on.

 

I just put on 285/70R17E Nitto Dura Grapplers. They dropped my rpm about 150 or so. The ride is just a hair harsher but the difference is hardly noticeable. They balanced out fine and traction seems to be pretty good for what I drive on.

I had been looking around and took my time deciding which tire as well and am satisfied with what I got.

I've been through 2 sets of the stock Michelins. I had the first set replaced under warranty when everyone started noticing cracks in the sidewall. I wasn't able to find a dealer around here that would let me change to a different tire so I went back with the same. I'd read that Michelin had taken care of the problem and tires after a certain date were ok. My tires were after this date but I'll tell you after about 8k on the new tires I started seeing more cracks.

I decided $1k in tires would be better than the stock tire failing and causing a crash.