I went thru this learning experience and found the expensive tires aren't always all that. Ran BFG's on my 90 Cherokee and found they were slick on asphalt roads in the rain. After they wore, went to Coopers and those were much better. All that is posted on NAXJA a long time ago. Same login.
Note, most 4WD owners run street mileage 90% of the time or more - next vehicle was a 99 Forester AWD. The AWD was as good as lockers and I was getting away with things that stuck the Cherokee. While the appearance of traction tires is a svelte siren song, they don't even start to do the job of actual lockers, of any kind. I finally needed tires on it and here is were skimping on tires can work - I bought three more steel rim spares that had never hit the ground, set my alloys aside and ran the factory Geolanders. Ran me about $100 in 2018.
You can skimp, you just have to know how.
The Forester really spoiled me on traction yet two motors and an AWD transmission failure were enough. Bought a 2WD 05 F150, and the Falkens on it were bald, but roadable until I got stuck in my own front yard. After that, I installed a ratchet locker - yes, mine does clank, and it tears up the turf, but it also rooster tails snow quite well and doesn't get sideways. I bought Mud Claws in the factory size from Walmart - under $100 each then - and I can't say it's the open tread doing all the work. I mounted them myself on a HF manual tire mounter using ceramic beads to balance. Works well enough, a locker in the rear is about 70% of the game, not tires, in my experience.
This is my second F150, the first was an '80 which didnt take a tree limb across the cab well. Tornados are like that.
