Down to ST MAXX and AT3
Thanks for this thread all! First post here...and apologies in advance for the novella by a newb
I just wanted to exhaust my tire research before dropping a chunk of cash down so your input is valued!
I've been researching tires for the past two months and have put countless hours into narrowing down tire choice for our 5th gen 4Runner. I put together an excel spreadsheet comparing various brands of AT tires by gathering spec data and reading user comments. After staring at this for days and just finishing getting through 84 pages of this thread, it's come down to the Cooper AT3 (LT265/70/17) and ST MAXX (LT255/75/17) both in load range C. However I'm flipping back and forth on what is the "logical" decision here. The last week I've been more and more sold on the ST MAXX.
Hoping to get some input and opinions based on all of your experiences.
Some background/context. I have only done mild off road travels but plan to do more challenging terrain in the future for longer periods. The 4Runner is stock as it sits and I'm still trying to burn off the factory Bridgestones that have been terrifying since day one on wet pavement. The stockers only see pavement, gravel, and dirt roads. Otherwise for winter I'm running Yoko Geolandar I/T GO72 with about one season left on them so not too concerned about winter performance for what I'm looking at now. Other plans for the near future is potentially upgrading to Bilstein 5100's and mild lift (1.75/1”
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Another factor to consider is that we don't drive the 4Runner a lot only putting on average 10,000 kms a year (approx. 6200mi). Other than a few shorter trips throughout the week, it really is used as our weekender, going camping/up to the cottage on dirt and gravel roads, and a few road trips throughout the year. We're quite loaded during these excursions and find the handling of stock suspension awfully soft (hence the desire for 5100s) and the tire performance unpredictable and generally meh (on pavement…they are definitely not well suited to dirt and gravel). There are also numerous trails within an hour or two that I want to start exploring so want something reliable especially when trucking around the family. To be honest though the truck sees more pavement now than dirt but I want to change that.
A few factors and questions remain and so want to throw some out for discussion:
1. Given my aspirations for more travel off road and a good reliable all round performing tire on/off road are my choices suitable? My logical self says the AT3 is the better choice however I've been reading all these reviews about the surprisingly great performance and positive traits of the ST MAXX.
2. Handling-wise on pavement it looks like the AT3 might be the “better” choice at the expense of durability (AT3 2ply) and off road performance. Not to say the AT3 doesn't perform well off road but I feel I'd be a little more anxious about hitting the dirt especially given my limited experience and would have to finesse it through a little more. One major pro of the AT3 is additional siping (reportedly full depth of lugs) for wet conditions but reviews on here suggest ST MAXX is also adequate…hopefully more than my stock tires. Is the siping full depth for the MAXX too?
3. AT3 is 47lbs vs ST MAXX 52lbs (as weighed by another member on here for the size I'm looking at). Either one is considerably heavier than the stock Bridgestones (approx. 38lbs) and I'm concerned about the negative impacts of weight, primarily handling, a reduction in stopping distance, and lastly fuel efficiency. For the latter, consider again we don't put many miles on this so not a huge concern in our situation but still want to factor it in.
Should I be concerned over the weight? Is this a major safety concern? My wife will also be driving this (she is a fantastic driver for the record) so want to ensure we are both comfortable with the change.
4. Cost difference between the two is $30. Cheapest I've found up here is $250 AT3 and $280 for the ST MAXX (not mounted/balanced) and they will Road Force balance for $25 a piece.
5. Does the C load range of ST MAXX still have the 3 ply Armor-Tek3?
Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.
