Tire advice needed

[Curly]

I'm going to replace the tires that came as original equipment on my 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500.  It came with Goodyear Wrangler P265/65-18 tires.  They have a max psi of 51 and max load of 2469 lbs (not bad rating for P series).

I want to go with an all terrain tire and likely an LT with at least a D rating.

I will probably get the tires from Discount Tire (unless somebody has a better suggestion).  I looked at Discount Tire's website and based on reviews I really have the choice narrowed down 2 choices and still considering others:

1) BFG ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2   (LT265 /65 R18 122R E1 RWL)

and

2) BFG ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2   (LT255 /70 R18 117S D1 BSW)

Now, I like the idea of a little bit taller tire.  The 255/70 will be slightly taller, but the weight is practically identical to the original tire on the truck because of it being skinnier.  So, I'm thinking fuel mileage will not be affected too much.  But are there any drawbacks I'm not thinking of for going with the narrower tire?

I could go with a taller tire (265/70 R18) I think, without having a problem with rubbing on the fenders.  But the tires are quite a bit heavier and I am worried about what that would do to my fuel mileage?  And my spare tire would then be quite a bit smaller so I'm thinking I'd probably rather stay with one of the other 2 sizes I'm considering.

BTW - my goal with the new tires is to have decent off road traction and the best chance of not getting flats while out hunting.  Will potentially be driving over rocky roads while hunting, but 90% of the driving will be highway.

I think I've come to the right place for opinions, so let them rip.

Thanks in advance.

[Magnum_Willys]

I don't think you can go wrong with those choices.  I was looking for a softer ride and better ice traction on a year-round tire and went with Duratracs - mine are D rated you can get E also  ( can also get C's or even P's which you do not want).

I'm on my second set getting 50k per set.  Will get a third no reason to change.  I put 35k miles a year on with a lot of commuting miles and have my original street tires on 20" rims I planned on using for summer but these ride so well I've never bothered to use the originals yet after 2 years.  Will next spring maybe - but you don't dare go off pavement with street P rated tires. 

[Moe the Sleaze]

A couple of years ago I had to run the same analysis for my Sierra 1500, decided to go with Michelin Defenders from Discount.  Since I drive notoriously rocky roads like Tarpiscan creek in the Colockum and Clemans mountain in the Umtanum, I chose the heavier sidewalls...I think they are D but they might have been E.  Fantastic tire!  Great performance in snow/rain and very slow to wear.  Rides well on the highway too.  I've become a true believer in Michelin.

[Alchase]

I'm going to replace the tires that came as original equipment on my 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500.  It came with Goodyear Wrangler P265/65-18 tires.  They have a max psi of 51 and max load of 2469 lbs (not bad rating for P series).

I want to go with an all terrain tire and likely an LT with at least a D rating.

I will probably get the tires from Discount Tire (unless somebody has a better suggestion).  I looked at Discount Tire's website and based on reviews I really have the choice narrowed down 2 choices and still considering others:

1) BFG ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2   (LT265 /65 R18 122R E1 RWL)

and

2) BFG ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2   (LT255 /70 R18 117S D1 BSW)

Now, I like the idea of a little bit taller tire.  The 255/70 will be slightly taller, but the weight is practically identical to the original tire on the truck because of it being skinnier.  So, I'm thinking fuel mileage will not be affected too much.  But are there any drawbacks I'm not thinking of for going with the narrower tire?

I could go with a taller tire (265/70 R18) I think, without having a problem with rubbing on the fenders.  But the tires are quite a bit heavier and I am worried about what that would do to my fuel mileage?  And my spare tire would then be quite a bit smaller so I'm thinking I'd probably rather stay with one of the other 2 sizes I'm considering.

BTW - my goal with the new tires is to have decent off road traction and the best chance of not getting flats while out hunting.  Will potentially be driving over rocky roads while hunting, but 90% of the driving will be highway.

I think I've come to the right place for opinions, so let them rip.

Thanks in advance.

I love AT/KO 2s, I would pick Number 1. the E rated (10 ply), I do not think you would go wrong with either though.

I have these

[thinkingman]

I just went through the same process and spend hours and hours researching.
I was really interested in the KO2 but ready many reviews that indicated the new tire wore much faster than the old one and there were several claims against BFG for this.
I also had great success with P-rated Michelin LTX AT2 on the same rocky basalt roads.
I didn't want to spend a grand on rubber so I started looking at Cooper and Falken. Both have excellent reviews.
Ended up with Cooper AT3W in a slightly narrower and taller profile, just like you.
Overland Journal picked the Coopers as their winner in a pretty thorough test and with rebates and free shipping from Discount Tire Direct the price was half of the BFG or Michelin tires.
No sales tax.

Just got them so no real experience other than much smoother ride than Michelins.

[2labs]

I'm on my first set of Cooper AT3. One year old and still look new! Very happy with this tire.

[Woodchuck]

I'm on my first set of Cooper AT3. One year old and still look new! Very happy with this tire.

On my 3rd set, Very happy with them.

[Alchase]

I had AT KOs for on my trucks for 30 years. Never had a set not go 60k miles. My last set of tires were the Cooper AT3s for the same reason, price.
I thought (and still do) that AT KOs were too expensive, got a great deal from Discount on the Coopers. Right away I noticed the side walls were not as stiff as the AT KOs. That can be good during daily driving, not so much when you want traction. The Coopers were fine for a daily driver, until last November I had a blowout, on the tread. I had never had a blowout. The Coopers had 37K on them, still had some miles left though. The Discount Tire guy gave me another great deal (buy three get one free) on a new set of AT KO2s.
I will say I much prefer the ATKO2s, but they might not be every ones choice, and price is a factor. The Coopers were decent tires especially for the price.

[Mudman]

Duratrac #1, AT #2.  Love the Duratracs but might not wear as well as your AT's.  No tire is better in snow IMOP than Duratracs.  Great all around off road, good in wet rain road traction and tough as nails on pit run and such.  Both good tires and street manners are good as well. My F350 did very well with them..

[cougforester]

Our company uses either the Duratracs or Toyo A/T 2's for forestry work. I put on the A/T 2's last February and have 57k on them now, and they're still going strong. Will replace with another set before winter though.

My driving is probably 75/25 highway/dirt and rock. They're quiet on the highway but have enough tread to get around well, haven't been stuck yet. Get the 10 ply.

[wadu1]

I'm on my first set of Cooper AT3. One year old and still look new! Very happy with this tire.

On my 3rd set, Very happy with them.

I've had Cooper's on all my hunting rigs and some family cars. Hands down the best I've used. My 2014 Chev Duramax 2500 is also due for new shoes and it will be Coopers.

[CarbonHunter]

I have been running Coopers on my '07 Duramax since '08. I had a set of BFG all terrains (10 Ply's) on it for the first year because I had always ran them on my 1500's but they didn't hold up on the Duramax. The Coopers at the time were $400 less for a set but they have gone up since then.

I've had issues with cracking the inside beads on a set of the coopers but Discount replaced all 4 under warranty. I overloaded the truck. 

The all seasons I have for summer hold up pretty good but I don't get very good mileage out of the snow tires. I just wore out my 2nd set of snow and will be looking for a different tire this fall. The snow tires are good on compact snow and ice but they suck in the mud.

[horsehunter509]

Might check costco for price. They carry the bfg tires and normally have good prices.

[Mossy]

I went 275/70r18 KO2 on my 2016 Z71 recently.


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[Mossyoak]

Number 1 would be my choice. I wish I could have got the BFG for my new truck in the size I wanted. Great tires!

[Curly]

Looks like quite a few suggestions for Cooper AT3.  It's weird, on the Discount Tire site it's almost like they don't want to sell Coopers.  When I do a search for tires that fit my truck, Coopers don't show up.  I can even do a search for specific sizes and Cooper won't show as an option.  But if I search by the brand Cooper I did finally get to see the options for Cooper.  They do have a LT265/65 R18  for $211.  I'll have to consider that.

[Curly]

I went 275/70r18 KO2 on my 2016 Z71 recently.


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Looks really nice! 

[Curly]

GOODYEAR WRANGLER ALL TERRAIN ADVNTR.    https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-wrangler-all-terrain-advntr/p/17595

Here is the description:

Goodyears Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar is a great truck tire for strength, all-terrain traction, and power on or off the road. This exceptionally tough tire uses a Kevlar layer and Durawall technology for extra strength to resists sidewall cuts and punctures. And to complement this durability, the tires tread design enables confident driving on the pavement or ground in all conditions. It uses traction ridges, open shoulder blocks, and biting edges to maintain grip and evacuate water, mud, or snow from the tread.


The above tire it's quite expensive ($261 ea).  But if my goal is to not have flats while hunting, would this tire be worth it with the Kevlar layer?    Would it be too stiff for a decent ride on the road in my half ton truck?  Seems like it would be great in a 3/4 ton? 

Lots of things to think about.  Thanks guys.

[chuck270]

You might want to take a look at the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W.  I just put a set on my 3500 Dodge with only around 4000 miles on them at the moment.  Best $ deal on an E rated All terrain Going and a 55,000 tread warrantee.   

I run BFG's on my jeeps and love every tire they make but money is money and all tires ware out eventually. 

[Happy Gilmore]

GOODYEAR WRANGLER ALL TERRAIN ADVNTR.    https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-wrangler-all-terrain-advntr/p/17595

Here is the description:

Goodyears Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar is a great truck tire for strength, all-terrain traction, and power on or off the road. This exceptionally tough tire uses a Kevlar layer and Durawall technology for extra strength to resists sidewall cuts and punctures. And to complement this durability, the tires tread design enables confident driving on the pavement or ground in all conditions. It uses traction ridges, open shoulder blocks, and biting edges to maintain grip and evacuate water, mud, or snow from the tread.


The above tire it's quite expensive ($261 ea).  But if my goal is to not have flats while hunting, would this tire be worth it with the Kevlar layer?    Would it be too stiff for a decent ride on the road in my half ton truck?  Seems like it would be great in a 3/4 ton? 

Lots of things to think about.  Thanks guys.

I had a set of Goodyear Mud Terrains and they were hands down the worst tire I've owned. They were ok when new. After 20K they would not move the truck on wet pavement. I've since gone through a set of Cooper SST's(loved them) and now I'm on my second set of BFG KM2's (mud). My opinion, overall the BFG is my favorite. I've had the following on my F-350 PSD; Wild Country AT, Goodyear MT, Cooper SST, BFG KM2, BFG KM2. I've got 250K on the truck. Worst to best.... Goodyear, WildCountry, Cooper, BFG. My Wifes Duramax is on Cooper AT/s and our dog truck(Duramax with box) just ditched poorly worn Wild Countrys for BFG KMO's. The Wild Country's that came on the truck(bought used) were chunking out. Small popcorn kernel pieces of rubber were coming off the tires. Schwab blamed the truck for the problem. This was along with the period of time I had issues with the POS Les Schwab Fuel Brand wheels breaking. Switched wheels, new BFG's are wearing flat as a board and no broken wheels in 10 trips to field trials and almost 15K miles in last 6 months.

[Caseyd]

I've run cooper ST MAXX and Duratracs on my gmc. I liked them about equal

[Special T]

Pull the spare out from under your truck and check what size it is.  I will bet it's a 16" tire.
There are not as many tire options for heavier ply in an 18" wheel. Not to mention how expensive they are. You can likely get new tires and wheels in a 16" for the same $ or less new than 18". 17&20" seem to have more truck rated ply offerings if your brakes require more room than a 16". The rim size of your spare will tell you what fits and a tire size that is close. If it were me I would run away from an 18" wheel on a pickup.. I know my father's Ford 150 has them.

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[quadrafire]

I went 275/70r18 KO2 on my 2016 Z71 recently.


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What........You got rid of my bedliner? 

[Curly]

Pull the spare out from under your truck and check what size it is.  I will bet it's a 16" tire.
There are not as many tire options for heavier ply in an 18" wheel. Not to mention how expensive they are. You can likely get new tires and wheels in a 16" for the same $ or less new than 18". 17&20" seem to have more truck rated ply offerings if your brakes require more room than a 16". The rim size of your spare will tell you what fits and a tire size that is close. If it were me I would run away from an 18" wheel on a pickup.. I know my father's Ford 150 has them.

That is a good idea.  I did look under the truck yesterday and noticed that the tire was not the same tire as the other 4.  I did not look close enough to see what the exact size was........I did notice that the spare tire area had a little more room available to fit a larger tire than what the spare was.  (A google search just told me that the spare should be 265/70 R17)

I had just about decided on the Cooper AT3 in 265/70 R18.  Price is way cheaper than BFG's. 

I'm not sure 16" wheels will fit. 

One thing about going to a taller tire (265/70 R18 vs 265/65 R18) is that the spare will be 1" shorter.  But if I do have a flat, wouldn't it be okay to drive a short distance on the shorter spare?  At least use it until getting somewhere to fix the tire?  Or should I plan on buying a 5th tire in 265/75 R17 that will match the taller height of the 4 main tires?  OR look for 4 new 17" wheels to mount new tires on? 

That could be a good option.  That way I could keep the stock tires/wheels for use the rest of the year when not hunting.  The tires are still like new with only 25,000 miles.

hmmmm......  more decisions.

[Magnum_Willys]

I got on craigslist and got a set of 17" wheels for my traction treads.  Kept the 20's I had for street.

[Special T]

Depends on which tire receives a flat. Doesn't matter in the front, and in the back you can get away with it for a little while. It's only an inch difference in height or close putting the difference at about 3%. Not good for running long term but I'd do it In a pinch.

Do some shopping 17" have become fairly common so there may be enough of a price difference to justify buying some 17" wheels. 2c

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[Special T]

It's probably a little too new or nice of a truck, but... You could likely get 4 17" steel spares to use and buy tires for those... I'm personally a fan of steel wheels and consider all my trucks work trucks and don't care for how nice they are.

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[Mossy]

I went 275/70r18 KO2 on my 2016 Z71 recently.


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What........You got rid of my bedliner? 

Yeah unfortunately....first time trying a chevy too. Kind of wish there was an undo button for things like that!