Tire Help

[Practical Approach]

I am looking for a set of tires for my chevy 2500 4x4.  I have had the Toyo mt but am wondering what experiences people have had with other mt's and At's.  I love the Toyo';s but they are a bit spendy. 

[ICEMAN]

Try this huge thread on the topic...

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,6285.0.html

[Rick]

I am looking for a set of tires for my chevy 2500 4x4.  I have had the Toyo mt but am wondering what experiences people have had with other mt's and At's.  I love the Toyo';s but they are a bit spendy. 

You get what you pay for with the Toyos. IMO,theres nothing out there that compares.

In case you didn't know,you don't have to buy them at Les Schwab. They want you to believe they're exclusive to them but they aren't. Try Discount Tire. They'll have to order them,but can have them in 2-3 days. I called Discount about a month ago for a set of Toyos. They were 30% less than at Les Schwab.

[whacker1]

And a more recent thread.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,50689.30.html

I am in the process of ordering new tires.  I was really pleased with the Pro Comp Mud Terrain, and have 41,000 miles on them.  I would like to try the Pro Comp Xtreme Mud terrain, but price might put them out of practical justification.  

I will likely know what I am selecting by Monday or Tuesday.  Mine is a F150, but I only buy 10 ply tires.  I like the Pro Comp X-treme mud terrains, because they are a 3 ply sidewall.  cooper STT's are also a 3 ply sidewall.  There are a few others out there, but I think it makes them hold up a little better. I blew the sidewall on my last set of Dunlop Mud Rover, so I have some added motivation

[tireguru]

If you want the Toyo M/T's they are on sale @ Les Schwab until the end of the month. They are built on a truck tire casing so they are heavyier duty than standard tires. Depending on the size you are running the Maxxis Bighorn is a good value on a traction tire but if you have run the Toyo M/T's it's tough to compare them to something else.

[ICEMAN]

Thanks whacker, I missed that one....seems every year we have a big ol' Toyo tire thread....

[jackelope]

I have the Toyo Open Country All Terrains on my truck and love them. 265/70/17 and about $1100 for the set of them on a 2002 1500 Chev truck.
The Toyo Open Country Mud Terrain tires we see cup real bad on the Dodge 2500/3500 trucks and a lot of guys don't end up liking them. They're not a problem on 1500's and smaller trucks like Toyotas. My bud is at 120k miles and on his 5th set of mud terrains and he won't be going back again to them. Thats the other down side, they wear out too quick for what you pay for them. With the easier riding IFS on the big Chev trucks they might not be as bad. We also see a few guys buying those Nitto Terra Grapplers because they are cheap. The problem is they can't handle the air pressure the big trucks tire pressure monitoring systems require to keep the tire pressure light turned off. They have a 45psi max or something like that and the Dodge 2500/3500 trucks are looking for 60-70psi to keep the light turned off. Those guys are stuck driving around with the tpms warning on all the time. Just a few things to consider....I'm not a tire expert by any stretch, just a few things we see a lot.
 

[jackelope]

If you want the Toyo M/T's they are on sale @ Les Schwab until the end of the month. They are built on a truck tire casing so they are heavyier duty than standard tires. Depending on the size you are running the Maxxis Bighorn is a good value on a traction tire but if you have run the Toyo M/T's it's tough to compare them to something else.

Why do the m/t's cup so bad on the h/d trucks and not on the little trucks? It's not lack of rotation.

[bobcat]

I like Cooper Tires. They're American made and reasonably priced. I got a set last fall for my truck from Discount Tire in Lacey. I went with the Discoverer ATR's and they've been great. Any other comparable tire would have been at least $100 more for a set of 4.

[Elkaholic daWg]

   I run BFG KM2 Mud Terrains and have always had great performance out of any BFG (Mud or All Terrain) on every truck  I've owned. Right on about swab being over priced. At Discount you can get 5 tires (spare) for the price of 4 at Les Schwab.

[Raul Duke]

If you want the Toyo M/T's they are on sale @ Les Schwab until the end of the month. They are built on a truck tire casing so they are heavyier duty than standard tires. Depending on the size you are running the Maxxis Bighorn is a good value on a traction tire but if you have run the Toyo M/T's it's tough to compare them to something else.

Why do the m/t's cup so bad on the h/d trucks and not on the little trucks? It's not lack of rotation.

Lack of rotation. On the bigger rigs its a good idea do do it more offten. Most people go 4-5k miles befor doing a rotation.
If you keep up on them every 3k miles and cross rotate them (& rebalance) every other rotation. They dont cup.

Other recomandations
Mud Terain SXT's 
BFGoodwich  Mud Teraian KW2's 
Maxxix Big Horns.

[Rick]

I have the Toyo Open Country All Terrains on my truck and love them. 265/70/17 and about $1100 for the set of them on a 2002 1500 Chev truck.
The Toyo Open Country Mud Terrain tires we see cup real bad on the Dodge 2500/3500 trucks and a lot of guys don't end up liking them. They're not a problem on 1500's and smaller trucks like Toyotas. My bud is at 120k miles and on his 5th set of mud terrains and he won't be going back again to them. Thats the other down side, they wear out too quick for what you pay for them. With the easier riding IFS on the big Chev trucks they might not be as bad. We also see a few guys buying those Nitto Terra Grapplers because they are cheap. The problem is they can't handle the air pressure the big trucks tire pressure monitoring systems require to keep the tire pressure light turned off. They have a 45psi max or something like that and the Dodge 2500/3500 trucks are looking for 60-70psi to keep the light turned off. Those guys are stuck driving around with the tpms warning on all the time. Just a few things to consider....I'm not a tire expert by any stretch, just a few things we see a lot.
 

I run 34" Toyo M/Ts on my Ram 3500, fall through spring. No cupping or other funny wear. I think the problem is the shiatty front end on the Rams. Guys don't stay on top of the maintanance and as parts wear out they trash the tires. Its not the tires fault,its the lazy owners.

As far as the Nittos go,they're a sister company to Toyo. They share the same technology. They aren't a cheap tire. If the guys you see can't run more than 45 psi in them,they bought the wrong load range tires.  Load Range E Nittos have the same 80 psi rating as any other E rated tire. 

[carpsniperg2]

i have really liked wild country. we have about 10 rigs and have run all types of tires on them and they do everything from pavement to nasty rock. i have had nothing but good luck with them. i just looked at some for my newer truck and they have a 50,000 mile warrenty on them but they are still around 1200.00 not as bad as on my old truck about 1500-1800 tires are spendy thats for sure

[jackelope]

Rick,
Its not just the Rams that destroy those tires.

Lack of rotation. On the bigger rigs its a good idea do do it more offten. Most people go 4-5k miles befor doing a rotation.
If you keep up on them every 3k miles and cross rotate them (& rebalance) every other rotation. They dont cup.

Other recomandations
Mud Terain SXT's 
BFGoodwich  Mud Teraian

We've seen enough of them on the big trucks and have the maintenance history to show it's not lack of rotation. Even Schwabs recommends 5k mile rotations on those tires and they still do it. I have never heard of anyone ever recommending 3k mile rotates, nevermind balancing tires every 6k miles?? I have a hard time balancing tires out of the blue without a vibration complaint at all, nevermind balancing them for no reason every 6k miles.

[medic6]

Destination Mud terrain by Firestone come in an E rated 10 ply tire for 950.00 (buy 3 get one free)out the door.  I am putting some on Sat afternoon on my one ton dodge mega cab 315/70r17.  They got Great ratings/reviews on tirerack.com  They are so popular they are back ordered a 2 month.

I currently have toyo mt and they lasted 39,000 miles 295/70r17.

[Sportfury]

Here is a post I did about my Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,55736.msg684531.html#msg684531

Great tire. I am now running Nitto Terra Grapplers in 295/70R18 10 ply Load Range E. Haven't had a chance to take them off road, but on road they have good manners and do well in the rain.

[Greg30-06]

Just remember you get what you pay for.  By far the Toyo M/T is the best tire on the market.  I worked at a tire store for 5 1/2 years and never heard a complaint about the Toyo

[509er]

I just got 4 305/70/16 BFG KM2 tires delivered from Discounttire.com for $992.00 shipped to my door.  Try getting that from Les Slobs.  Toyos the same size are on sale for $1212.00 plus tax.  Toyos are good tires as long as you do not run them on a heavy truck.

[Rick]

 Toyos are good tires as long as you do not run them on a heavy truck.

Thats a crock of shiat. Toyos were designed for heavy trucks. Size for size they have the highest weight capacities on the market. The 34s on my Ram are good for 4000lbs per tire.

The Toyos are probably the single most popular tire on the Dodge diesel forums. Its rare for some one to have a complaint about them. The guys that bitch are the guys that are running 500hp and have to haze the tires at every stoplight,or the guys that are running the 1/4 mile with them.

[509er]

  Toyos are good tires as long as you do not run them on a heavy truck.

Thats a crock of shiat. Toyos were designed for heavy trucks. Size for size they have the highest weight capacities on the market. The 34s on my Ram are good for 4000lbs per tire.

The Toyos are probably the single most popular tire on the Dodge diesel forums. Its rare for some one to have a complaint about them. The guys that bitch are the guys that are running 500hp and have to haze the tires at every stoplight,or the guys that are running the 1/4 mile with them.

Most Dodge guy do love them.  I am not talking weight capacity, but referring to the treadlife.  Most of the guys I know own Superdutys, and any of them that have run Toyos have not had good things to say about tire wear.  I have not run them on my truck but my brother has, he is a senior master tech at our ford dealer and has many Superduty customers that have run them with the same results.  Antlerking ran them on his Superduty and was not real happy with tread life.   On the other hand I have a friend that has a Dodge diesel that has good luck with them, but his is kinda a I-5 four wheel drive.

[Antlerking]

let me invest into toyo stocks before anyone buys a set cause you will buying a set twice a year and there stock will skyrocket   I got 13 k miles on my toyos before they were gone and that is rotating them every oil change! never again, the worst tire ever made hands down IMO! That is running them on a superduty 

[washelkhntr]

let me invest into toyo stocks before anyone buys a set cause you will buying a set twice a year and there stock will skyrocket   I got 13 k miles on my toyos before they were gone and that is rotating them every oil change! never again, the worst tire ever made hands down IMO! That is running them on a superduty 

Have to agree. My Superduty, hated them!  I got about 15K out of them. I went back to BFG Mud Terrains.

[predatorpro]

I am looking for a set of tires for my chevy 2500 4x4.  I have had the Toyo mt but am wondering what experiences people have had with other mt's and At's.  I love the Toyo';s but they are a bit spendy. 

You get what you pay for with the Toyos. IMO,theres nothing out there that compares.

In case you didn't know,you don't have to buy them at Les Schwab. They want you to believe they're exclusive to them but they aren't. Try Discount Tire. They'll have to order them,but can have them in 2-3 days. I called Discount about a month ago for a set of Toyos. They were 30% less than at Les Schwab.

yeah with no warranty, and not all toyos are exclusive to les schwab just certain designs like the eclipse, it all depends on what you are wanting to do, what kind of terrain your driving on, how aggresive you drivethings like that

[high country]

I have never been a fan of any tire schwab promotes as they seem to sell credit as opposed to quality. I have been through a boat load of tires on all my rigs and the one I keep going back to is the bfg radial all terrain. I run a set of dura-tracs on my dmax in the winter as I got them for a song from my fleet dealer. I have never found a mud tire that was not totally scary in snow when it had more then 20k miles on it.....toyo inclusive.

[jackelope]

Thats a crock of shiat.

It's not a crock of shiat...

[jeepasaurusrex]

I just picked up a set of 6 Bridgestone Duravis R500 at Costco for $1300. So far, love em. And they are made for heavy hauling for long periods of time. They wont wear out too fast. I had Toyo M55s on there before. Hands down, these are a better tire.

[Greg30-06]

I just picked up a set of 6 Bridgestone Duravis R500 at Costco for $1300. So far, love em. And they are made for heavy hauling for long periods of time. They wont wear out too fast. I had Toyo M55s on there before. Hands down, these are a better tire.

Yeah maybe for highway only. In that case you might as well go with the toyo m 54

[timberghost72]

Rotation, especially cross rotation is important on mud terrain tires. These tires are not designed for concrete driving situations with the large lugs and the contact area on the ground. Added to the fact that most 3/4 to 1 ton trucks come with shocks that are too weak which can cause wheel hop which aids in the cupping process.  

[wsucowboy]

I have the toyo open country tires on my 89 yota and I love them so far. Good out when your wheeling and a smooth drive when you on the pavement.

[ICEMAN]

I just picked up a set of 6 Bridgestone Duravis R500 at Costco for $1300. So far, love em. And they are made for heavy hauling for long periods of time. They wont wear out too fast. I had Toyo M55s on there before. Hands down, these are a better tire.
[img]http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/10375249/129_0805_02_z+4x4_truck_tires+bridgestone_duravis_r500_hd.jpg

How do you know they are a better tire when you just got them?  Does the M55 you had before have the same design as this new tire?.. Comparing apples to bananas?

[high country]

I hope your bridgestones duavis last a lot longer then the revo's I had. mine rode awesome and hooked up like a drag slick on pavement, but lasted about as long as an ice cube in a bbq.

[jeepasaurusrex]

The Toyo M55s have about the same tread design. But the Bridgestones have a bigger shoulder block that helps carry the weight better. All you weight is over the sidewalls and that is where it needs the support. This is where the M55s fell short. The shoulders wore off quicker than the center tread. The Revo is a light truck tire. What vehicle was it on?

M55 for comparison.


Duravis R500HD

[Greg30-06]

They are nowhere near the same tread desighn   the m-55 is a mud terrain tire and the other is an all terrain tire!! no comparason

[high country]

the m55 is a tough tire to beat, but slick when it wears a bit and $$$, plenty tough though.

revo's were on my 2500 cummins 4x4

[high country]

you can't buy mud tires hoping for good tread life. mud tires are for driving in mud and ego boosters. I run swamper on my jeep because it sees no asphalt, I have two sets of skins for my pickup, because I drive the thing on pavement most of the summer and use it to hunt and haul my sleds. my 4 runner that is 50% daily driver 50% off road wears bfg all terrains, because that is the comprimise tire I have found to work best. there is no one tire does it all. it will either wear fast, be loud and hook up in the nasty, or wear like iron and get you stuck in a mud puddle, anything in between is a comprimise and that is where personal expierience and taste come in.

[MikeWalking]

The Toyo M55s have about the same tread design. But the Bridgestones have a bigger shoulder block that helps carry the weight better. All you weight is over the sidewalls and that is where it needs the support. This is where the M55s fell short. The shoulders wore off quicker than the center tread. The Revo is a light truck tire. What vehicle was it on?

Inflation/Air pressure issues??

Don't know if I should bother to chip in, my GC Laredo is a lot lighter than what most of you seem to be driving. But I'm on a set of Toyo Open Country A/T's 23500-24000 miles. Still have 40-50%. I've been crossing one Pass or another during some of the worst weather we have had in the last two to three years and they hold the road like they were on rails. Just wrecked one on a FS road, picked up a rock that would have made a great arrowhead, at least 3 other rock flats including 2 on the same trip, one going up the hill, one coming down.

Not sure what they next set will be...

[Grizzly95]

All you weight is over the sidewalls and that is where it needs the support. This is where the M55s fell short. The shoulders wore off quicker than the center tread.

That is where proper inflation comes in. If driver habits will have all the difference in the world. And anyone buying tractions should never expect them to last as longs a an all terrain. I worked at Schwabs for 10 years and am going back to work for them in the next week or so. When I worked there I always told traction customers to rotate more frequently, I would say 3000miles and cross rotate.
  Another huge factor is that people put a taller, wider tire on and do not consider that that tire needs a wider rim. If you put a wide tire on a narrow rim you need to run a lower air pressure to create a flat wear, otherwise you will wear the centers out. I ran 37" SSR Swampers on a full size chevy on a 10" rim, a little narrow for the tire so I ran 10psi in the tires year round, loaded or not. Never a problem and lasted great for a soft rubber traction.
 Also after a truck has left the dealer the front end will never be in that near perfect shape again, from mile number 1 the front end components begin to wear, shocks, tie rods, ball joints, bearings, bushings, springs, and even brakes. I doubt there is one person on here that inspects their front end every rotation or few thousand miles. I did the stuff for 10 years and didn't do it myself! And don't expect the tire tech to do it when they rotate them either, I tried to on every vehicle but when things are slammed ass busy there are things that get overlooked.
  And then there are diesels........the torque new and chipped diesels is amazing and tire wearing. You don't realize how the rear tires wear under that much torque, they actually kind of smear (lack of better description) on the road when you leave a light or stop sign.

[jeepasaurusrex]

My front end was almost completely rebuilt prior to the M55s going on. New ball joints, TRE, etc. Had a front end alignment done. The tires were always ran at the proper PSI. It is difficult to rotate the tires on a Dually, You cant go front to rear with them. Only side to side. I'm not knocking the M55s, they were good tires. I towed my travel trailer with the Bridgestones yesterday and it did seem to be more stable. The tires are the stock size.

I am sure I will get a longer tread life out of these tires as they are designed for the heavier loads. Being mine is a Diesel Dually, makes even more fun. 

[Special T]

2 Comments Michelin who owns the BFG brand spends 5% of sales on R&D twice as much as the next competitor Goodyear @ 2.5% my brother in law is a farmer in E wa and utilises his tires 50-50 on off road which is unusual for most consumers. He got 17kmiles out of the toyo and 35k out of the BFG all terain.

There is one large tire that wears exceptionally well on and off road, its downfall is it cannot fit many newer vehicles. it is the Goodyear 37x12.5R16.5 Wrangler MT it has a load range E. It is the current tire the military uses for the Hummer. I have several full size friends that road the hell out of them and have lasted A LONG TIME! They may not be as aggressive as a Super Swamper or other dedicated off road tire but i believe for a true mixed use they provide some of the best of both worlds... I know one guy that uses these tires and tows a goose neck with his older dodge and a 4 horse plus tack room trailer around. Bad thing is they have to go an a 16.5 rim which are not common, and they will not fit over the new brake calipers on the 03 and newer Dodges... The tires can usually be bought used very reasonably, however the wheels in aluminum fancy styles are lacking... new steels from anywhere run about $75 ea.   

[whacker1]

Well I finally finished the Tire Dilemma. 
I currently have 265 / 75 / 16 Pro Comp mud terrains in load range E.  Very happy with these, but the best I could find them for was $965 out the door.
Toyo Mt were around $1250
BFG KM2 were around $1150
Cooper STT were $1150

The cheapest MT tire we could find was the Hancook Dyanpro at around $860.

Owner of the Tire shop, and friend, got the idea to look at different tire sizes.  The two we looked at were 255/85/16, which is about 33.1 inches tall by 10 inch wide tire.  No good options.

So then we went to a 235 / 85 / 16, which is 31.7 tall by 9.3 wide

My current tire is 265 / 75 /16, which is 31.6 tall by 10.4 wide

So the net effect on price with the 235 / 85 /16 were significantly less

Maxxis Buchshot was $665 out the door
Goodyear Fierce Attitude was $700.
BFG KM2 were about $900

I ordered the Goodyear and added $40 for siping as they are not pre-siped very well.  I didn't lose much on load capacity as they are still a 10 ply tire.  Aggressive mud terrain, which owner of shop currently has on his Tahoe in the 255 / 85 /16 and says they are quiet.  I should improve gas mileage with Narrower tire, and I didn't give anything up in height.  I am having them put on later this week prior to departing for Montana, and will let you  know how they do.  I am very excited as it took me a lot of research to figure out a way to save money and get close to what I wanted.

[BLUEBULLS]

let me invest into toyo stocks before anyone buys a set cause you will buying a set twice a year and there stock will skyrocket   I got 13 k miles on my toyos before they were gone and that is rotating them every oil change! never again, the worst tire ever made hands down IMO! That is running them on a superduty 

I agree, if you run them on a heavy rig, especially on gravel, they suck!!!
I don't see how anyone that has owned them can argue that.

most people buy them for looks.

[spookgus]

Over the years I have sliced and popped many brands of tires on rocks. Spend two weeks in the far end of the firing center or drive 50 miles of rock road every other day for fuel in Montana and I need all the spares I could bring because of rock breaks, until now. I am on my second set of M55 10ply and have not popped one, except for the time I backed over the top of the snowmobile trailer. I am glad the trailer was empty. The M55 10ply maybe ugly, ride bad and wear bad but they always get me home.

[archery288]

I have a set of the cooper discoverer stt's on my 05 Tacoma.. 35x12.50x20..  I have about 25k on them with more than half the tread left.. Constant rotation and they are wearing very nicely and evenly!  Only thing is, I took a couple chunks of a few knobs on two tires when I ran over my nephews bicycle in the driveway one night with front and rear tire..   But they didn't pop and it mangled his bike so I can't complain!    

[JBar]

   Mom! Big mean Uncle Jon ran over my bike! 

Was thinking of trying out the STT's next go around at least I know they will stand up against a kids bike