Truck Tire Time

[SoVT Joey]

You get your oil changed every 4K miles?

ya. Seriously. That’s aggressive these days. My diesel oil monitor system varies between 7-9k depending on how hard it works. My girls Porsche is 10k service intervals. And she drives the shit out of it.

[frorider]

Getting tires for the Transit camper van, 6900 lbs (not incl people) fully loaded for a trip; generally have run XL or E rated A/T tires at 55-60 psi. Got good performance and durability (50k+ miles) from my 245 70R17 Nitto Grappler G2 and may just get those again but looking for options. Like most of us, I’m looking for a reasonable combo of snow/slush and wet dirt road performance, low hiway noise, and decent tread life.

Falken Wildpeaks and Cooper Disco at3 4s don’t have the load rating or psi limit I need.

Kumho Road Venture AT52 might be more on road rather than Offroad oriented than the other hybrids I’m looking at. Haven’t seen much info.

Goodyear wrangler workhouse AT seems good, tire rack testing showed good ice braking but mediocre in hiway rain.

Sumitomo Encounter AT actually performed similarly to the category leader (Wildpeak) in tire rack testing. Never owned that brand.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac has deepest and widest channels here, nice for road slush, but is the hiway noise and mpg worse due to that design? Also most expensive.

Toyo Open Country AT III seems like a good all rounder; tire rack testing seemed to really like the hiway performance.

AFAIK these 5 are my only options….

[::: :::]

Getting tires for the Transit camper van, 6900 lbs (not incl people) fully loaded for a trip; generally have run XL or E rated A/T tires at 55-60 psi. Got good performance and durability (50k+ miles) from my 245 70R17 Nitto Grappler G2 and may just get those again but looking for options. Like most of us, I’m looking for a reasonable combo of snow/slush and wet dirt road performance, low hiway noise, and decent tread life.

Falken Wildpeaks and Cooper Disco at3 4s don’t have the load rating or psi limit I need.

Kumho Road Venture AT52 might be more on road rather than Offroad oriented than the other hybrids I’m looking at. Haven’t seen much info.

Goodyear wrangler workhouse AT seems good, tire rack testing showed good ice braking but mediocre in hiway rain.

Sumitomo Encounter AT actually performed similarly to the category leader (Wildpeak) in tire rack testing. Never owned that brand.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac has deepest and widest channels here, nice for road slush, but is the hiway noise and mpg worse due to that design? Also most expensive.

Toyo Open Country AT III seems like a good all rounder; tire rack testing seemed to really like the hiway performance.

AFAIK these 5 are my only options….

no nokian option near you?
Hakk LT3 is avail in 245 70/75r17

[adrenalated]

I haven't tried most of the other ones on your list but I can confirm that Duratracs are loud AF on pavement.
Great in dirt, great in snow (especially loose/deep/unconsolidated/slush) for the first 50-75% of their life, even better if you get them studded. But quiet on the highway they are not. Can't compare MPG with anything else as they are the only tire I've run in my current size.

[Toadman]

I tested a set of Toyo AT III's over the summer on a Chevy Silverado. They are decent tires. Not noisy. They are okay in wet but not quite as good as the Falken Wildpeak AT3W. Falken has the 4W coming out, but not sure if they are available yet.

Also tested the upcoming Les Schwab Open Range AT2. It's very similar to the Wildpeak. But with slightly better wet traction. Both built by Sumitomo. Both 3PMSF designated.

[auvgeek]

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT is worth a look. As far as I can tell, it’s essentially a new and improved Duratrac. In that it’s an aggressive AT aka hybrid with 3PMSF rating. No 245/70 17 size tho, just 245/65 17 E rated.

But I think the Falken Wildpeak AT3W comes in an E rated option in the 245/70R17 … ?? That seems like a good choice unless I’m missing something.

[mcski]

I’ve been really happy w my Toyo’s. Much smoother ride and gas milage than my BFGs. The feel grippy af but not harsh at all. I’d like to try out the Falkens but it will be hard not to just reload on the Toyos when it’s time.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Who knew the market for baller redneck tires that are quiet on the interstate was so broad!

Iron the flat brim, turn up the Maiden, jump out of the whip with the dopest Cotopaxi puffy with pants tucked in the Mucks knowing that a bit of hiway noise is the price you pay for #winning

Maybe just get a better stereo!

Sent from my Turbo 850 Flatbrimed Highhorse

[SoVT Joey]

I run studded duratracs in the winter and I run nitto Ridge Grapplers in the summer. I tried Toyo open country at3 and they seemed to wear really fast on my truck. My buddy had the same thing happen to him. But I know people that have them on SUVs and get great life…. Maybe the weight of the vehicle plays into that. We both have 1 ton trucks. I think the ridge grapplers wear very well, I get about 45k per set and they are pretty quiet for a tire that does as well as it does in the mud. I ran them for a winter at one point and they were no where near as good as a duratrac. I don’t notice the road noise at all, but my truck has sound screen in it and that makes a huge difference, I can’t even hear my diesel in my truck like when I get in one of the work trucks.

[frorider]

Thanks all, great info. I carefully wrote my wish list to make it clear I know the usual trade offs, just looking for a decent compromise.

My AWD cars have always had 2 sets of rims and dedicated snow tires, but for the #vanlife rig that makes no sense since I’m in all kinds of climates on a regular basis.

The Toyos and Sumitomos seem to be the top two on the list. It’s easy to get this tire size in general but I’m not finding XL or D or E ratings for tires other than the 6 above. Given that my rig is light by 4wd diesel van standards, I don’t need the GVWR of these burly tires but friends who have experimented with LT sidewalls have found the van to get pretty squirrelly in turns. I figure predictable handling is more important than the truck like shudders I get on pavement cracks with these overly stiff casings yeah??

[El Chupacabra]

It’s easy to get this tire size in general but I’m not finding XL or D or E ratings for tires other than the 6 above. Given that my rig is light by 4wd diesel van standards, I don’t need the GVWR of these burly tires but friends who have experimented with LT sidewalls have found the van to get pretty squirrelly in turns. I figure predictable handling is more important than the truck like shudders I get on pavement cracks with these overly stiff casings yeah??

By XL, do you mean P-metric "XL" tires? I would've thought any P-metric tire would be too light duty for a 7000# AWD van.

Are you stuck with using only the 245/70/17 tire size? Can't fit a 245/75/17? Because there are a lot of those...
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...er=17#allTitle

[auvgeek]

Yokohama G015 and Falken Wildpeak AT3W are both E rated in 245/70 R17 size. I would pick one of those two personally, depending on whether you want better highway or off road performance. I suspect the G015 would be the better one for your usage.

[Falcon3]

By XL, do you mean P-metric "XL" tires? I would've thought any P-metric tire would be too light duty for a 7000# AWD van.

FWIW my Express AWD has a GVWR of 7300 and dry curb weight around 5700lb. I've got 115 weight P-metrics on it now and it's perfect. It had 121 LT's on it when i bought it and it rode terribly. I've got it lifted too, but have no problem going fast around tight highway corners with minimal tire squirm. Even 4-wheeled it in Moab to some rocky campsites and never had any issues with tire durability or flex.

I've put 40k on General Grabber ATX and they've been good on highway, low noise, great in snow, awesome on gravel and dirt, very durable sidewalls.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

If you can bump to a 245/75/17, take a look at the Michelin Defender LTX M/S. They'll go anywhere off-road (in a van that I'm assuming isn't lifted/used for legit off-roading) than the tires mentioned above, but will be quieter, better in snow, get better MPGs, and last far longer.

FYI there's also a newer tire, the Defender LTX M/S2, but I don't think it comes in your size yet.

[3PinGrin]

If you can bump to a 245/75/17, take a look at the Michelin Defender LTX M/S. They'll go anywhere off-road (in a van that I'm assuming isn't lifted/used for legit off-roading) than the tires mentioned above, but will be quieter, better in snow, get better MPGs, and last far longer.

FYI there's also a newer tire, the Defender LTX M/S2, but I don't think it comes in your size yet.

I got almost 80k out of my Falkens, and others have stated the same. Better sidewall protection too.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Falken's def seem good. I almost bought a set recently, but they only do E for my ride, which is overkill for me. They also did terribly in the Tire Rack snow test (for what that's worth). I agree they'll likely have better sidewall protection. I'm not sure if frorider's Transit gets rowdy enough for that to matter? Of course, the Falkens win on looks. You gotta be ready to concede mall crawler vibes with the Defender.

[Falcon3]

Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail AT is a new one that comes in 114T in 245/70r17. I think I'm going with this for my Express.

I liked my General ATX but want narrower and a little more road-oriented. Unfortuantely as frorider says, most of the 245/70R17 are either 121/119 E-rated or 108/110 P-metric. I really like the ~115 range I have now but don't want to stick with a 265 width. There's only a couple options in the XL 114 area in this width in a 70 or 75 profile.

It appears the Road-Trail AT is replacing the AT3-4S for p-metric sizing, which makes sense. The AT34S couldn't (IMO) compete with the Falken or KO2 in the true-AT world, and the city-going Tacoma and Subaru crowds want something to still look aggressive while behaving more like a street tire.

[jmedslc]

no nokian option near you?
Hakk LT3 is avail in 245 70/75r17

i have a very strange wear issue on my recent Hakka 8 tires - not truck tires tho- they're on the Subaru. Check this pic. The tread has cracked at the base where it meets the sidewall, all the way around the tire, on all four tires. It's not like the hakka 8 is a new tire. maybe bad batch of rubber?

I'm unsure if i want to put them back on this season and Discount tire tells me no warranty, no credit, nothing, even tho they're only 4 years old and still have 9/32+!!

[jmedslc]

no nokian option near you?
Hakk LT3 is avail in 245 70/75r17

i have a very strange wear issue on my recent Hakka 8 tires - not truck tires tho- they're on the Subaru. Check this pic. The tread has cracked at the base where it meets the sidewall, all the way around the tire, on all four tires. It's not like the hakka 8 is a new tire. maybe bad batch of rubber?

I'm unsure if i want to put them back on this season and Discount tire tells me no warranty, no credit, nothing, even tho they're only 4 years old and still have 9/32+!!

[SchralphMacchio]

Dude that looks pretty bad, seems too young to be rot? Plus your sidewalls look fine. That looks like it will separate at some point soon. Looks like a definite warranty issue to me.

https://www.nokiantires.com/consumer...ited-warranty/

I would go back to Discount with a copy of this warranty policy and demand to speak to the manager and ask why they aren’t following the Nokian warranty process on this.

If the manager gives you the runaround I would raise a stink with Nokian USA:
https://www.nokiantires.com/company/contact/

Note that Nokian says any dealer can process a warranty service.

[Falcon3]

I'd email Nokian with your date code/batch code and see if they've had any recalls. Where do you store them in the offseason? This is the type of dry rot you'd expect in a room with an electric motor like a furnace blower or other ozone-creating device.

[frorider]

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT is worth a look. As far as I can tell, it’s essentially a new and improved Duratrac. In that it’s an aggressive AT aka hybrid with 3PMSF rating. No 245/70 17 size tho, just 245/65 17 E rated.

But I think the Falken Wildpeak AT3W comes in an E rated option in the 245/70R17 … ?? That seems like a good choice unless I’m missing something.

Turns out tire rack.com guy was wrong, the Falken comes in XL and E versions (80 psi). They just don’t carry the E.

Someone asked about sizing up - 245 70r17 fits but going bigger would require some more significant pinch seam trimming. With all the options available I’m not feeling the need to go bigger. Unless it creates some in between load rating options maybe.

Falcon3’s comment is right on — I’m looking for something in between. E rated is overkill. I do get into some very remote areas (it’s the part time 2011 era F150 4WD transfer case and front drivetrain, truetracs front and rear) in NV and Utah, so I prefer a heavier casing & decent sidewalls.

[east or bust]

Pulled the trigger of Yokohama G015s today. Pretty stoked to not have to worry to much about when I put my snows on, or take them off in the spring.

[The Reverend Floater]

Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail AT is a new one that comes in 114T in 245/70r17. I think I'm going with this for my Express.

I liked my General ATX but want narrower and a little more road-oriented. Unfortuantely as frorider says, most of the 245/70R17 are either 121/119 E-rated or 108/110 P-metric. I really like the ~115 range I have now but don't want to stick with a 265 width. There's only a couple options in the XL 114 area in this width in a 70 or 75 profile.

It appears the Road-Trail AT is replacing the AT3-4S for p-metric sizing, which makes sense. The AT34S couldn't (IMO) compete with the Falken or KO2 in the true-AT world, and the city-going Tacoma and Subaru crowds want something to still look aggressive while behaving more like a street tire.

I feel like this has been discussed ad nauseam but I'm a Cooper guy. From our old plow/ranch truck to my F250 DD, I've been really impressed by their manners and performance. I run pretty aggressive tread (StMaxx) for spring mud/snow but my buddy runs the Trail AT and loves them.

[Buzzworthy]

Still loving my Wildpeaks on the Tundra, great on snow, great in rain, great off road. A little loud on highway but that’s what the radio volume controls are for. Wearing great too. Sooooo much better than my previous Nittos. Those wore horribly compared to Falkens.