Tire Suggestions

[WickedZJ]

I'm looking at getting new tires in the next month for my 2000 Tahoe. I live in Iowa so we get a lot of rain and snow. I have ran the Goodyear Wranglers with silent armor on my old jeep and my wife's Grand Cherokee and they seem to work pretty well. We are getting more and more into getting the family out into the woods and offroad when we can. Other than the GY's are there any other recommendations for a good AT tire that works good on the road, in the snow, in wet weather and offroad. I know there are the BFG AT/TA KO's but for some reason I have never really liked those tires.

Any help would be great. I know there is a lot of knowledge on here and experience with different tires so I had to ask.

 

[7wt]

There is a handful of guys on here that have the GY Duratracs and are very happy with them. Might be worth considering.

 

[85CUCV]

I know your looking for other recommendations.......but I went with the Good Year Silent Armors on our Grand Cherokee. I think they are a pretty good AT tire.

 

[WickedZJ]

Yea I am thinking it will probably be the GY's again. I was just looking for some more options.

 

[Outback]

Hello Wicked. I have so far gone through a set of GY MTRs with Kevlar and a set of Cooper MTs both in size 285/75R16. The GY MTRs didnt last very long nor did the Cooper MTs. Each set lasted about 25K. But then again these see allot of highway miles with moderate off road use and allot of heavy trailer towing. I had the Cooper MTs siped when I bought them and they gave very good winter traction in some extreme conditions. The GY MTRs were not siped but also gave good winter performance. Saturday I had a set of GY DuraTracs installed and drove 250 miles to home. They had excellent road manners with just the slightest tire noise. More so than my new set of BFG ATs on my Dodge. I wanted these tires to try them out and see how well they do in the winter time. They are supposed to be better than there Off Road brother with Kevlar in the snowy road stuff. If so then they will be excellent. I havent had them off road as off yet. So far Off Road the GY MTRs with Kevlar did excellent in all types of terrain and soil conditions. The Coopers also did very well and I have no complaints. My BFGs on my Dodge have performed excellent in the loose rocky soil I have here in Nevada. Of course I know they wont perform well in mud as most ATs dont. Its a trade off and since my Dodge is 90% on road I will live with not so great mud performance of the ATs. I will have another set for the muddy conditions we have here in the Spring time. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[cocco78]

I put a set of nitto terra grapplers on my 1/2t Silverado. I have about 35k miles on them so far and they are wearing great. Very good snow traction as well, they also do pretty good off road. I live in upper MI and was driving 100 mile round trip ever day for the last 3 winters and these tires rocked in the snow. I will buy them again for sure. I bought them online, discount tire if I remember right. I want to say they were under $500 shipped for 265/76r16 load range E. I would take these hands down over the bfg at's...

 

[WickedZJ]

I have read a lot of different places people being concerned about the sidewall's on the duratrac's being thin. Has anyone had a problem with this?

Also ,I know this is gonna sound newbish, What load rating should I look at for a 2000 Chevy Tahoe. Right now I don't tow anything but in the near future I may tow an 18' flat bottom boat (not sure of the weight)

 

[strider3700]

I managed to put a wire staple through my almost brand new (5500km) kevlar silent armors. It was right at where the sidewall and the tread contact. That hasn't left me feeling the best about how tough these tires are. Other then that I like the tires. Grip isn't the best at 65 psi though, they want to slip on wet grass at that pressure....

 

[WickedZJ]

Just got done ordering some LT/265/75/16 Duratrac's. Should be here in about a week and we'll go from there. I read a lot of good things about em here and on other sites. They are supposed to be excellent in the snow as well so should work well. Once I get them I'll post up impressions and keep everyone updated on them. Thanks guys for the help.

 

[tommudd]

I like my Duratracs better than any tire I have had in the past 5 to 7 years. Had them on last winter and they went where the BFGATs the year before would not, clean well. Had them at a couple of off road runs and they did good in the mud as well.
Over 16,000 on them so far and very pleased!
Good looking tire as well

 

[hillbillyjake]

i have had very good luck with mastercraft courser at's. the tread may be a little tight for more strenuous off road conditions, but for everything else you listed they are great. i have had a set on my wife's fj that i have only rotated once and there pushing 50k and have good enough tread to run this winter.

i will more than likely put a set of these on my 2000 tahoe this fall. load range e if i can.

i have also looked at the dunlop maxx traction mt. it seems to be a cheaper version of the duratracs. the bad part is the buzz on here is that they are going to be discontinued.

 

[Outback]

The side walls for sure are thinner than say there off road brother MTR with Kevlar. But its always going to be a trade off. There is NO perfect tire. Since I do allot of winter driving I wanted something more geared for that at this time. The MTs (any MT) are great off road but they wear faster and dont have the traction im looking for during winter time all though the Coopers did fairly well after they were siped. I ran a set of the Bizzacks (bridgestone I think) which are winter only tires and are excellent on the roads but sucked on anything remotely off road. Now Im trying the Duratracs. I may run these during the winter and switch out to the MTRs with Kevlar for the Spring and Summer time. If they work well off road and excellent on road winter driving then that will be my combo for hear on out. Today I ran them on some moderate off road trails and they performed excellently. Want to see how they do in some mud and sand. Again no tire is perfect and you will have to try and figure out what works best for your driving conditions.

 

[WickedZJ]

So I got the Duratracs installed on wed night. Picked it up thursday and was very pleased with the ride. The firmer ride for the E rated tire definately stiffened up the ride just the right amount. On Saturday morning the wife and I dropped off the kids at grandmas and headed out for a 450 mi trip camping and hiking. The tahoe rode great the whole trip, tires handled the highway travel really well. We ran around about 10mi. of gravel roads with varying grades and they never missed a beat. So far I am very happy with them and look forward to see how they handle the snow.

 

[cavedave]

I deliberated much over my last tire purchase. What I have is a 95 YJ with a mere 2.5" of lift. Plenty for my needs. What I needed to replace was a half used set of Maxxis Buckshot Mudders measuring in at 32/11.5/15. When I purchased the Buckshots, I was kind of under the impression that bigger was better. Since then, I've built my YJ for long distance and heavy loads, and not so much for mud pits and rock cliffs. What I decided I needed came before I actually found a tire (and wheel) combination to fit my needs. I new I wanted a tall and skinny mud-terrain set-up with a high weight allowance. What I found I needed was a 235/85R16 E, which is roughly a 32/7.5/R16 E. These are some tough tires. They are commonly found on duely trucks, or heavy weight utility vehicles. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money, which unfortunately you have to do if you want 5 new wheels and tires. So I found the correct steel wheels off a cop car (4.5 on 5, 17x6), and I ordered my tires off an internet based retread site. Retreads cost HALF as much, and they use less energy to produce than new tires. The only thing I wouldn't do with retreads is put them on a Bugatti Veyron. Other than that, they are just as reliable. As far as performance, these tires grip and dig all day. On a long distance trip across technical ground, I used to have to use 4 high to maintain traction with my old Buckshots, now, I can do the same terrain in 2 high, which saves on fuel cost and drive train abuse.

It's a long post, I apologize, but I'm really pleased with these tires.

 

[fifthcircle]

I deliberated much over my last tire purchase. What I have is a 95 YJ with a mere 2.5" of lift. Plenty for my needs. What I needed to replace was a half used set of Maxxis Buckshot Mudders measuring in at 32/11.5/15. When I purchased the Buckshots, I was kind of under the impression that bigger was better. Since then, I've built my YJ for long distance and heavy loads, and not so much for mud pits and rock cliffs. What I decided I needed came before I actually found a tire (and wheel) combination to fit my needs. I new I wanted a tall and skinny mud-terrain set-up with a high weight allowance. What I found I needed was a 235/85R16 E, which is roughly a 32/7.5/R16 E. These are some tough tires. They are commonly found on duely trucks, or heavy weight utility vehicles. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money, which unfortunately you have to do if you want 5 new wheels and tires. So I found the correct steel wheels off a cop car (4.5 on 5, 17x6), and I ordered my tires off an internet based retread site. Retreads cost HALF as much, and they use less energy to produce than new tires. The only thing I wouldn't do with retreads is put them on a Bugatti Veyron. Other than that, they are just as reliable. As far as performance, these tires grip and dig all day. On a long distance trip across technical ground, I used to have to use 4 high to maintain traction with my old Buckshots, now, I can do the same terrain in 2 high, which saves on fuel cost and drive train abuse.

It's a long post, I apologize, but I'm really pleased with these tires.

I am glad I just read this "LONG POST". Tomorrow I am going to order 235/85 retreads. I would guess the same exact tires you have. Can you post or PM me a pic of them on your YJ? I would like to see them on a vehicle other than the Land Cruiser shots I have found :ylsmoke:

NEVERMIND.... I looked at your pictures. I like them! This is a just the pic I wanted.


To the OP, wickedzj - POST SOME PICS!!! Also, are you going to do the "chalk test" to figure out what pressure to run?