Yet Another TIRE questoin

[Vincent Keith]

'08 Rubicon 255/75R17
My T/A KM's are done @66K miles (well they were probably done at 62K too)
In any case, they need replacing.

I'm suffering from analysis paralysis - and I need someone to smack me upside the head.

BFG in their infinite lack of wisdom has decided to not have my size - closest 265/70R17 (pretty darn close)
(that's probably closer to the KM when it was new than my used up tire is - I just can't get them)

This is from Discount Tire (which is sort of local)
There's a bunch of black Friday deals and I'm not sure how many of them stack
So locally - in my size I can get:
BFG KM - $179 (10% BF - 10% Mail-in)
BFG KO2 - 229 (10% BF - 10%Mail-in)
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac $185 (%10 BF, 10% Mail-in, $100 mail-in)
General Grabber X3 - $209 (10% BF, 10% mail-in)

Clearly the Duratrac is the least expensive, then the Original KM (the KM2 doesn't seem to be an option locally, at least not that I've found) I wasn't all that impressed with the puncture resistance on the BFG KM - I got a stone puncture when the tires had less than 15K while driving back from Race Track in Death Valley. So I'm sure I want to do those again, although I could keep my spare if I do which probably makes that the least expensive option.

I know we tend to pick things for Off Road use - but the truth is, that's at best 5% of my driving and probably not even that much. Being in the Pacific North WET My first priority is wet performance - and based on the reviews from Tire Rack - that would be the General Grabber X3 or the BFG K02.

Gotta make a decision no later than Saturday (24) when the sales end - Tomorrow would be better. I probably should have thought about this months ago, but here I am. So, If you have an opinion on any of those tires or you know of a better deal between Sequim and Bremerton WA - let me know.

Thanks,

 

[Wanderlost]

Good luck with your decision. Choosing tires is one of the most difficult we face. Sadly we have very little to contribute to your quest. We run Cooper STT pros on our FJ which are definitely not suitable for your needs. On our 4Runner we've been using Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Although they do fantastic in snow, ice, mud, and on the rocks, they do tend to hydroplane on wet pavement a little bit. Concerning the KO2s; We have no personal experience with them but have heard from those that have, they aren't all that great on wet pavement either.
Let us know what you ended up with!

 

[James Deaton]

I just pulled the trigger on Cooper Discoverer AT3’s for a Montero I am picking up next week. Discount Tire gave me military discount, 10% back on a Mastercard mail in rebate, and another 10% back on a Mastercard mail in rebate for getting and using a Discount Tire credit card with no interest for 9 months... lots of rebates to be had there this week.

The AT3’s are being superceded to the AT3 S4, but I wanted the original AT3’s, so they special ordered them.

James

 

[madcratebuilder]

I've looked at the major choices and have decided on Falken Wildpeak AT3W's in 265/70r17=31.6x10.4. Great rating for rain, snow and mud, They are reasonable quiet. I have been on Duratrac's and they are good with everything but rain, wet roads make me nervous.

 

[Graeman]

Here in the always sunny southwest the KO'2 have been great for me. The massive amounts of rain sp? that we get have not changed my thoughts on these tires - could be the lack of hp that I possess. In all honesty the BFG's have never let me down and it is hard to try something else just to save less than $100. Look for the tire with the best siping and if it has the snowflake rating on the sidewall then you know it will be an excellent wet weather tire.

 

[tritonl]

I just pulled the trigger on Cooper Discoverer AT3’s for a Montero I am picking up next week. Discount Tire gave me military discount, 10% back on a Mastercard mail in rebate, and another 10% back on a Mastercard mail in rebate for getting and using a Discount Tire credit card with no interest for 9 months... lots of rebates to be had there this week.

The AT3’s are being superceded to the AT3 S4, but I wanted the original AT3’s, so they special ordered them.

James

I just bought tires from Discount Tire, I did not think about the military discount, I should ask if the will give me the discount when I go have them installed.

 

[James Deaton]

I just bought tires from Discount Tire, I did not think about the military discount, I should ask if the will give me the discount when I go have them installed.

Likely they will :)

James

 

[Vincent Keith]

Likely they will :)

James

Yep, I'd be surprised if they didn't.
I've had nothing but great experiences with Discount Tire going back to the late 90's.

So, I'm hoping the significant number of positive reviews on the Goodyear Duratrac are more indicative of what I'll experience than some of the negative stuff I've read. I ordered 5. I considered going to a 285/70 but wider doesn't really help me and an extra quarter inch of ground clearance for an extra $150 didn't seem like a good plan.

 

[James Deaton]

I was one of those negative reviews, but I've since realized the noise was likely from a poor alignment, as the tires wear wearing bad... I sold the Expedition, so I don't have to worry about it anymore...

James

 

[madcratebuilder]

Yep, I'd be surprised if they didn't.
I've had nothing but great experiences with Discount Tire going back to the late 90's.

So, I'm hoping the significant number of positive reviews on the Goodyear Duratrac are more indicative of what I'll experience than some of the negative stuff I've read. I ordered 5. I considered going to a 285/70 but wider doesn't really help me and an extra quarter inch of ground clearance for an extra $150 didn't seem like a good plan.

After 18 months the only negative I have is wet road traction, off roadway are fine, highway noise is great on my truck. Traction in rain from a dead stop is poor. My next set is going to be Falken AT3W's, lt275/70r17 c rated at $740.

 

[Vincent Keith]

I was one of those negative reviews, but I've since realized the noise was likely from a poor alignment, as the tires wear wearing bad... I sold the Expedition, so I don't have to worry about it anymore...

James

I often wonder if there isn't some interaction between a specific tire and specific vehicle that creates a harmonic vibration - Virtually every tire I researched had been panned it as being unacceptably loud by someone, and a lot of people rating them as "quiet".

 

[MazeVX]

I often wonder if there isn't some interaction between a specific tire and specific vehicle that creates a harmonic vibration - Virtually every tire I researched had been panned it as being unacceptably loud by someone, and a lot of people rating them as "quiet".

There's also the width of the rim that has a influence on how the tire is rolling, the pressure you choose, the road surface and the bushings in your suspension and probably 20 things more that will or will not have influence on the noise, road grip and wear

 

[Overland California]

'08 Rubicon 255/75R17
My T/A KM's are done @66K miles (well they were probably done at 62K too)
In any case, they need replacing.

I'm suffering from analysis paralysis - and I need someone to smack me upside the head.

BFG in their infinite lack of wisdom has decided to not have my size - closest 265/70R17 (pretty darn close)
(that's probably closer to the KM when it was new than my used up tire is - I just can't get them)

This is from Discount Tire (which is sort of local)
There's a bunch of black Friday deals and I'm not sure how many of them stack
So locally - in my size I can get:
BFG KM - $179 (10% BF - 10% Mail-in)
BFG KO2 - 229 (10% BF - 10%Mail-in)
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac $185 (%10 BF, 10% Mail-in, $100 mail-in)
General Grabber X3 - $209 (10% BF, 10% mail-in)

I wouldn't bother with the KM tires unless you're getting the new KM3. I'm a big fan of the KO series. I had 8 years and 80k miles on my KOs and now roughly 10k miles on my KO2s. I'm probably a 60% highway / 40% off road split and they work well in everything. A big deciding factor in the all terrain over mud terrain tread pattern was snow and ice highway driving. The KO series works really well in the Sierras in the snow.

The only problem you might have is thick clay mud, but you may have problems with the KO and Grabber X3's there as well. You'll just have to pull winch line a little earlier with the KOs.


Good luck!

 

[whiskey7backroads]

I have had the Grabbers and BFG on Tundra and Jeep. Last time I tried Cooper STT Pros. I will never go back. My two cents worth. If going in cold a lot might not be best choice but other then that its my tire from now on.

 

[madcratebuilder]

I often wonder if there isn't some interaction between a specific tire and specific vehicle that creates a harmonic vibration - Virtually every tire I researched had been panned it as being unacceptably loud by someone, and a lot of people rating them as "quiet".

You bring up a very good point. I think wheel base, vehicle weight and weight distribution all have an effect. My ZR2 has 265/65r17 Duratrac oem, most ZR owners rate them as quiet and a small percentage say loud. I don't get it. Road surface most be the difference.

 

[Fozzy325]

Can I get some feed back on Wrangler DuraTrac tyres? these look to me as the only tyre which is all terrain for my 2016 Land Rover LR4 HSE Lux 255/55/19 that I can get, all the rest are SUV road tyres

 

[James Deaton]

My Duratracs wore terribly, even after alignment. I think i’m the minority though. That was on a 2003 Ford Expedition.

James

 

[Desert Runner]

Can I get some feed back on Wrangler DuraTrac tyres? these look to me as the only tyre which is all terrain for my 2016 Land Rover LR4 HSE Lux 255/55/19 that I can get, all the rest are SUV road tyres

Mmm... interested in their wearability on heavier rigs. My understanding is better on lighter rigs,....... too soft (sidewalls) that need higher PSI pressure to work correctly on heavier full size rigs.

 

[Desert Runner]

My Duratracs wore terribly, even after alignment. I think i’m the minority though. That was on a 2003 Ford Expedition.

James

Wow....thought they would wear better on a medium/light duty full size. I had heard about 2500/3500 AND Excursions.

 

[James Deaton]

I was saddened by that also. I check my tire pressures every week, and kept them at 40psi on the road and 25psi off road.

It could have been something else going on though. I had it aligned, but it always seemed to steer heavy, and I wasn’t sure how much faith I had in the alignment shop I went to.

James