Rusty TLC:
I assume you are looking to buy these at one of our local Les Schwab Tire centers? I really like Les Schwab as a company and get great service from most of their stores. Partially because of their business plan and also because of the 'Frequent Tire Miles' I accumulate by buying, selling, & trading lots of tires
In general I'm a fan of Toyo tires having bought 4 sets recently: two Open Country M/T (265/75 & 285/75R16), one set of M55s, and a set of Open Country A/T also in 265/75R16, but the Toyo M/T is the tread that really has my respect.
The M55 is a commercial traction tire, not very aggressive/not very mild at the same time (or at least I think that was the intent of the designers). I could look in my notes and give you the tire's weight as well as that of the other tires I have tested, but it is a relatively heavy tire (not necessarily bad). It has a chip resistant tread compound and is popular with mining and logging type operations where the tires are worked hard, loaded heavy and abused (as relayed by my Les Schwab Boys). This seemed like a good endorsement along with the one old review I found on the internet.
I purchased a set of these about two years ago in my favorite size, 255/85R16 for my portly '96 F350 Diesel. My M55 purchase was toward the beginning of my tire buying frenzy during which I have bought and tested about seven sets of treads on three different vehicles over the last few years. I could email the text from the M55 article I wrote, but my abridged and updated comments here may more helpful.
The M55s started on my F350, and later were on my '05 Jeep LJ. I had them for about 5,000-miles before I traded them for some back-hoe work, but I had them long enough to form some strong opinions about them. My neighbor has them on his 2003 F350 Power Stroke and he likes them much better than the BFG A/T 315s he has on 10-in. aftermarket wheels.
Noise:
It was not as noticeable on my loud, old F350 but the M55 is pretty loud, which was much more noticeable on the Jeep. The tone is like a over-the-road semi-truck tire singing when on the freeway, though not as loud. I have had more aggressive tires that have similar volume but with a different, more pleasing tome to my ear (Toyo M/T).
Balance:
Of the four sets of Toyos I have recently run the M55s took the most weight to balance and were the least smooth going down the road. Again the two sets of Toyo M/Ts beat the M55s, requiring less weight and riding smoother, truer down the road. Of course this could have just been the set that I had and the ones you buy could be much better... I know its not my wheels.
Wear?:
I didn't run them long enough to learn how well they will last but a bet at least average, 35k+ or much more, depending on the load, driver, etc. Lots of people love the M55 because it is reported to last a very long time.
Traction:
They were good in on-road snow and dry/wet pavement and dirt. I never had them in anything too challenging but as you can see from their void ratio they will certainly fill up with junk should they be subjected to lots of slimy wet stuff.
Would I Buy Again? Probably Not...
I really wanted to love the M55, but my experiences showed me it was not as well rounded a tire as I would have liked, nor did it balance or run down the road to my satisfaction. Have you noticed the the center tread ribs have much less tread depth because because of the added rubber linking the blocks together? Obviously this is for strength and durability for the designed commercial applications but I'm not sure it is best for most recreational users.
Other options:
I assume you don't want or need a super traction tire or you would be looking at a different tire. I recently bought a set of Maxxis Bravo MA-761 all-terrains as my 'street' tire for my 4Runner in 255/85. I really like them so far. They are less aggressive than the M55, but all the 8-ply and 10-ply sizes of the Bravo 761 have a three ply sidewall. These are heavy, stout tires. I put these new Maxxis' on my F350 last month for a week of abuse and testing antelope hunting: heavy travel trailer towing, then fast dirt/gravel roads, slow rocky roads (with 30-psi front, 20-psi rear), and a 200-mile 80+ MPH freeway round-trip with no load (but tire PSI up). These are also apparently chip-resistant as we incurred only a few tread divots in 274-miles off-road miles. A afternoon trip in my buddies new Dodge/Cummins with new Toyo M/Ts and me driving over the same trails with the same tire psi also resulted in a few tire chips in his Toyos. These Bravo A/Ts are now at home on my 4Runner and I will have sipes cut into them before winter. I plan to put a lot of miles on these.
I really like the Toyo M/T and would strongly suggest you consider a set if you want a traction tire, even over the M55. I think they offer better ride, balance, and traction with few if any compromises compared to the M55. They are more civilized and quieter than a BFG M/T and about the same volume as the M55. The two sets I've owned have always balanced very well with little wheel weight and I've had them on a few different vehicles and wheels. I sold my 285 Toyo M/Ts to the guy that bought my Jeep but I still have the 265/75R16 set, and they are currently on my F350 with no wheel weight added, as my Centramatic balancers are more than up to the task of keeping these balanced. The only possible negative I have found with the Toyo M/T is that since they are so stout, they have a stiff sidewall and can ride a little firm depending on your ride preferences (meaning they are an E-load-range tire, and the sidewalls are stiffer than the average E-range tire). I tend to prefer a softer ride and more flexible sidewall but I also don't over-inflate my tires, only inflating to the required psi for the load at the time. The tough sidewalls seem to help keep the beads seated, I have had my Toyo MTs down to 8-9 PSI without bead-locks (they actually need to be at much lower pressure than other tires because they are so stiff).
Redline
