Best overall tire suited for Overlanding/Expo?

[IdaSHO]

Tire choice comes down to the type of terrain you will be experiencing. For me it comes down to Good ICE, SNOW, HIGHWAY performance; followed closely by Mud, Rocks. You have to make a list for yourself on what you require for a tire before purchace. Which is why I have my list and just seeking others Real world experience. I can read reviews on the Tire stores websites all day long till I go blind, but I am seeking reviews of people who are actually using their tires in the same way I intend to. Gives a little better insight into my decision making.

I have the same requirements, PLUS a good load rating, and have been MORE than happy with my latest tire purchase.

BFG Commertial Traction T/A

Stickiest non-studded tire Ive ever run for winters.

They are wearing great too.

I have a bit more than 20k on them now, and am just now seeing wear. If they wear the same all the way down, I could see these tires lasting 60k+

 

[Redline]

I have the same requirements, PLUS a good load rating, and have been MORE than happy with my latest tire purchase.

BFG Commertial Traction T/A

snip...

Agree, that is a nice looking tire, and has always interested me. Not many sizes offered, but if they make your size it's an interesting and different option. Glad it's wearing well on the old 7.3L PSD

 

[RMP&O]

I drove to Panama and back 2x on a set of BFG A/Ts. Not a single flat. I would say it is the number one pick for me for an overland truck.

If something like the KM2 works for you but you don't like performance on ice/snow. Sipe the inner rows of lugs. I did that on my Maxxis Creepies and it worked great. Places I would slide around in 4wd I now don't slide in 2wd. Tire sipers are cheap and it is not worth paying somebody to do it for you.

my 2 cents

 

[scrubber3]

I have had the BFG ATs and they were a decent tire. I have had Pro Comp MTs and they were good on the trail but noisy and swayed a bit on the road. I now have BFG MT KM2s and they are surprisingly good on the highway and the trail. I don't think that a radial tire can compete with them on rock either. They wear great and have good highway manners while maintaining off road integrity. My favorite so far though I cannot really comment on snow or ice performance since we have had such a mild winter as far as that stuff goes. These are the only ones I have had on my rig so far so I can only speak for these 3.

 

[Hilldweller]

Our mud is clay-based here ---- the STTs are the best tire I've used so far for overall travel.

If I didn't see much of the clay-mud, I'd say that my MTR/kevlars were the best. But they sucked so bad in the mud that it has to be mentioned. They were good in other types of mud, the silty stuff, the runny stuff.

Both of the BFGs I've used recently, the ATs and the KM2s ---- gotta say they sucked. The ATs turned to racing slicks in the mud and the KM2s to ice skates on wet roads. Hated them both and won't ever buy them again.

The worst I've used were the stock Bridgestones on the Jeep though. They were even worse than the General Grabber AT2s that replaced them ---- and the Generals were pretty bad.

From what I've seen on the trail, the Duratrac/KellyTSR/FierceAttitude is a great do-all tire. I wouldn't mind running them some time.

 

[magaw]

Hilldweller, we have a lot of clay where I live. I've read a lot of mixed info about the Kelly tsrs they look like they are siped to death, which is good, but how are they in clay? We have lots of red clay here in WV

 

[RMP&O]

A Bogger will clog in the clay. In Panama, they use chains.

 

[magaw]

Lol,... I used to run super swamper tsls, never boggers though. I agree any kind of tire can and will clog up under the right conditions. Really the problem I have with most mud worthy tires is the lack of siping and I don't want to do any home style siping. I am really on the hunt for a plug and play tire that is very mud worthy, that has siping and descent road manners, so that my wife can drive without being a nervous wreck. If it wasn't for that I would just run some kind of Nasty mud tire lol

 

[Buliwyf]

I'm also in an area where when it gets soupy, chains are the way to go. I also noticed on logging roads that chains are good protection. Fresh cut offroads with stumps and sharp new rocks are no place you can afford to spin a tire. Getting stuck and spinning your way through goo lasts about 2 minutes or so before something sharp cuts a groove through your tread all the way to your belts.

Playing in the park or on an offroad trail is one thing, actually getting to an offroad jobsight or camp ground is another. For the latter, I prefer running less agressive tires that work in more conditions, like snow on road. And then when needed, chain up with some heavy duty mud rated v-bar chains.

Nothing tears up the earth like a good set of chains. (For real traveling, Not for playtime use in parks or private/groomed trails.)

 

[Hilldweller]

Hilldweller, we have a lot of clay where I live. I've read a lot of mixed info about the Kelly tsrs they look like they are siped to death, which is good, but how are they in clay? We have lots of red clay here in WV

That family of the Goodyear tire has a stronger AT bias than MT --- but the ones I've seen do pretty well.

Like the others are saying, a more dedicated MT (aired down) or a set of chains will have you getting out of the truck less often in the clay soup.
And if you do have the sharp rocks and other nonsense, I'd go to the STT. The sidewalls on the TSR/Duratrac/Fierce feel flimsy to me.

 

[eric1115]

Lol,... I used to run super swamper tsls, never boggers though. I agree any kind of tire can and will clog up under the right conditions. Really the problem I have with most mud worthy tires is the lack of siping and I don't want to do any home style siping. I am really on the hunt for a plug and play tire that is very mud worthy, that has siping and descent road manners, so that my wife can drive without being a nervous wreck. If it wasn't for that I would just run some kind of Nasty mud tire lol

You might consider Interco's TrXus MT. I've not run them personally, but they seem to be a good mix of sloppy performance, plenty of factory siping, and a good stout carcass.

 

[Hilldweller]

You might consider Interco's TrXus MT. I've not run them personally, but they seem to be a good mix of sloppy performance, plenty of factory siping, and a good stout carcass.

They're loud, don't balance at all, and get flat spots in the cold.
Not any better than STTs in the mud too; at least Swampers are good in mud.

 

[eric1115]

They're loud, don't balance at all, and get flat spots in the cold.
Not any better than STTs in the mud too; at least Swampers are good in mud.

That's good to know. I had considered them, but they did not end up making my top 2-3. In the end I was more than willing to give up some mud performance and sidewall toughness for road manners, but I've always wondered just how much difference there is on-road between those and a good aggressive AT like the Duratrac, FCII, or ST Maxx. He seemed to be asking for merely tolerable road manners, and I was under the impression that the Trxus was. Have you run them on one of your vehicles? What was your experience?

 

[Hilldweller]

He seemed to be asking for merely tolerable road manners, and I was under the impression that the Trxus was. Have you run them on one of your vehicles? What was your experience?

Stumpy had them on his XJ and tried his best to wear them out as fast as possible.
We wheeled together often and each ride started with a diatribe by him about how bad the Trxus was.

Here he is on a sloppy, partially frozen hill --- wearing the Trxus, front locked, rear open:


Here I am after him with the Goodyear MTR/kevlars, open diffs front and rear. I'm running about 5 psi lower than him:

 

[daveyboy]

I'm also in an area where when it gets soupy, chains are the way to go. I also noticed on logging roads that chains are good protection. Fresh cut offroads with stumps and sharp new rocks are no place you can afford to spin a tire. Getting stuck and spinning your way through goo lasts about 2 minutes or so before something sharp cuts a groove through your tread all the way to your belts.

Playing in the park or on an offroad trail is one thing, actually getting to an offroad jobsight or camp ground is another. For the latter, I prefer running less agressive tires that work in more conditions, like snow on road. And then when needed, chain up with some heavy duty mud rated v-bar chains.

Nothing tears up the earth like a good set of chains. (For real traveling, Not for playtime use in parks or private/groomed trails.)

Growing up as a kid, my Dad did road construction/logging in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. That is exactly how he used to outfit and operate his pickups. I thought it tragically uncool at the time running a more "streetable" tire.

To ripoff Mark Twain, the older I got the smarter he got... .