what is your go-to tire?

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avgjoe624

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I can only vouch for the trail grapplers, especially the load range E versions. theyre extremely tough and quite amazing on the trail. They are however, an aggressive tread that a lot of people aren't a fan of.

Ive been looking into Ridge grapplers, which seem like they would be a great tire.

and if nothing else,, I know BF Goodrich produces some great tires, but theyre a little pricey for me
 
I'm on my 3rd set of BFGoodrich All-Terrains, first 2 were the old KO tyres, current set is the KO2.
I do a lot of driving on unsealed (gravel) roads and in my experience, nothing else handles and lasts like the BFGoodrich tyres.
I also do a lot of sand driving and the BFGs are quite good in the sand too, they are a bit more aggressive than I would like for sand and not quite aggressive enough for some of the thick muddy clay we get over here, but like everything on an overlanding rig, it's a balancing act.
 

Enthusiast I

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I run two sets of tires for my Jeep JKU which is my DD as well, one for winter and one for summer. In the summer I run ProComp MT2s. They have an aggressive tread that is seemingly able to get through and over anything. I've never had a problem with them but they are a bit noisy. I kind of like that though and the kids know when it's me coming down the street. I've taken long highway trips with them and they were fine. Last year I drove from MA to CO. Lots of pavement in between but once in CO I was ready for some trail riding and I encountered some serious mud in the Pawnee National Grasslands. I'm pretty sure these tires had a lot to do with me getting through it easily.

In the winter I use Cooper Discoverer M+S. They are awesome for New England winters where you're more likely to deal with icy conditions as much as snow. These tires are quiet and after running MTs all summer it feels like I put slippers on my Jeep for the winter. Grippy slippers though.

Gas mileage for both tires is pretty much the same. I do use a Super Chips to calibrate the engine when switching.

Switching between tires is easy because they each have their own set of dedicated rims. The Coopers are on my stock Jeep rims and the ProComps are on aftermarket rims. I'm getting a lot out of them too. This will be my fourth summer with the ProComps and there is still lots of tread left on them. This is my third winter with the Coopers and I'll easily get another couple winters out of them.

I'm considering selling the ProComps this spring, just for a change, and trying out a set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers.
 

64Trvlr

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I have 2 sets for my Willys, a set of 34X9.50 15 Super Swampers and a set of 33X10.50 15 BFG KO2s. I like both but the KO2's are a better all around tire. The Swampers kick ass in the mud and slush.
 

USStrongman

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My take on tires. Asking what kind of tire to run without knowing the conditions is like asking a stranger which girl to date... while swiping on Grind'r.

Personally I am not a Nitto fan. They are not priced competitively and many buy them for reasons listed here: Looks. They may work but at a cost that is not comparative to many other brands.

KO2's IMO are the best solution for good to great performance in nearly any environment and especially as a DD. 49k on mine and they still have another 10k easily. 315/70/17 runs in the $246 for C Load and over $300 for E Load.

Best, easily balanced, looks, behavior and more importantly, many many manufacturers and bloggers are trying the Milestar Patagonias and loving them. I like mine. They look the business, work well in every environment I have put them in (no snow yet) DT has them at $222 for a 315/70/17. 285/70/17 have been as low as $134 at Wallyworld.

I am looking for a 34" tire now as my Milestar 285's are not quite enough for me. I have been eyeballing the Kenda Klever KR601 in 35/10.5/17 flavor which does two things: saves me a little weight from a traditional 35/12.5/17 tire and reviews are giving it big thumbs up in the noise and wear department. $184 for a 315/10.5/17 on Amazon. 34" narrower tire but IMO, not a true pizza cutter.

If I were to go all in, it would be the Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003. Best looking tire in the offroad category IMO with reviews that make you think its made in heaven and brought down here by angels. 315/70/17 runs in the $240 range.
 

Billiebob

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what is your go to tire and why?
I was into 33s, 35s for years but now swear by tall and skinny. Bought these last summer. 7.50R16s. My gas mileage went from 17mpg if I stayed under 60mph to 22mpg at any speed. Thats an extra 95 miles between gas stations. The ride is better. Way better stability thru slush, standing water or snow drifts. I'll never fall prey to the ego, marketing, advertising, hype for big LTs again.

Plus these should last an extra 15K miles.
25% less expensive, 33% longer life than 33s.

DSC_0013.jpeg
 

Trail_pilot

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I ran Goodyear Duratracs for years and loved them. got great tread wear out of them, but I grew out of them. ran Mickey Thompson baja MTZ for a while and they worked great ad had surprisingly good tread wear as well, however I bought them used and they started to crack after a few years ( they were probably close to 15 years old ). Now I am on the Cooper STT pros and They are great, but I dont know if I am going to get the same tread wear out of them that I did with others. That being said they bring me everywhere I need to go and I have driven them from Toronto ( about 2 hours north actually) to Rausch Creek and back with no issues and lots of other wheeling trips along the way. they probably have close to 10000 km on them right now because its not my daily driver anymore but so far they are working great.
 

Billiebob

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have to dis-agree with you.
you know, not everyone puts big tires on for "ego" "marketing" or "hype"
there are those who DO venture out further than some people, places where a 7.50 will leave you walking.
i can pretty much guarantee you my 42's will take you places a 7-5 can only dream of
View attachment 135296
if that's your jeep in the photo, i can understand why you don't like bigger tires. it's not made to handle 35's unless you do some serious mods to it
and mileage and wear all depends on the truck. if i was to throw the stockers on my crew, my mileage would go down, them big tires slow my revs down by 6-700rpm. my '90 gm stepper (in the photo) came stock wit 245's and gets 15 mpg's. i been running 285's for 20 yrs and i get 15 mpg's.
as for stability in diff conditions, i think that is a matter of personal preference. i find the ride much better and more stable with wider rubber myself, you don't even notice pot holes or speed bumps with big tires..some like to dig down and sink, some like to float and stay on top.
my last set of 285 BF M/T's were on the truck for 18 yrs, and my truck is prob one of the few that truly has spent almost half it's life off-pavement. my 38's have almost 50k on them and even worn still have more tread than a new tire. those 42's in the pic i bought in '06, got approx 25 k on them and will still be using them for quite some time yet.
and some of us are just not afraid to drop coin on our rigs, why anyone would care is beyond me, it's not their money
gotta luv those lugnuts.

sure maybe 1% of the guys buying monster tires use them but as an overlander I know leaving it stock and picking a different route will lead to better reliability and less breakage. My "use" sees me putting on 24K miles a year and towing 2000# for 8K of those miles. If I was building a weekend warrior..... which most of my 4x4s were..... I'd keep doing the same thing and my TJR would be on 37s by now. But my use, objectives have changed over the years and I no longer care when guys are to shallow to understand the advantages of a stock rig on skinny tires.... a few of my "friends" are incredibly shallow.
 
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Anak

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Skinny vs wide is an interesting debate.

I had a friend who was a hardcore proponent of the skinny tires. Sadly, he is no longer with us. Slid off a wet mountain road and died in a ravine.

I don't think there is any question at all about which to choose if dealing with sand.

But everything comes with pros and cons.
 

Louiston

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have to dis-agree with you.
you know, not everyone puts big tires on for "ego" "marketing" or "hype"
there are those who DO venture out further than some people, places where a 7.50 will leave you walking.
i can pretty much guarantee you my 42's will take you places a 7-5 can only dream of
View attachment 135296
if that's your jeep in the photo, i can understand why you don't like bigger tires. it's not made to handle 35's unless you do some serious mods to it
and mileage and wear all depends on the truck. if i was to throw the stockers on my crew, my mileage would go down, them big tires slow my revs down by 6-700rpm. my '90 gm stepper (in the photo) came stock wit 245's and gets 15 mpg's. i been running 285's for 20 yrs and i get 15 mpg's.
as for stability in diff conditions, i think that is a matter of personal preference. i find the ride much better and more stable with wider rubber myself, you don't even notice pot holes or speed bumps with big tires..some like to dig down and sink, some like to float and stay on top.
my last set of 285 BF M/T's were on the truck for 18 yrs, and my truck is prob one of the few that truly has spent almost half it's life off-pavement. my 38's have almost 50k on them and even worn still have more tread than a new tire. those 42's in the pic i bought in '06, got approx 25 k on them and will still be using them for quite some time yet.
and some of us are just not afraid to drop coin on our rigs, why anyone would care is beyond me, it's not their money
Yeah, this guy said the same thing about his 42's.

My work truck proved him wrong. :smirk: His truck wasn't set up for a man's size tire.

FB_IMG_1575333783679.jpg
 

Daryl 32

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Because my X is still a DD and because I've had good luck with them in the past, I've been running the Cooper Discoverer AT3. They are pretty quiet and we take family trips in the X regularly. They are also quite affordable and have decent tread life.

I'm considering trying the Falken Wildpeak AT3W on my pickup this go-round though. I've got a buddy who's having good luck with his set, but they do seem stiffer than my Coopers.
I have to agree with Terry

Our F250 sees way more paved roads then dirt on a daily bases. I have tried other tires BFG and Hankook, both were good but wore out too fast for me.

The Cooper AT2's and AT3's are quieter and last a much longer. AND THEY WORK GREAT off pavement! I am very pleased with how they work.

All the tires we run are "E" rated.

They got us up this with no issues and more.

Baja 0209.jpg
 
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