Hankook Dynapro AT-M 2 ply a concern?

[PrecisionX]

So I've been looking for all terrain tires for my soon to be lifted R50. I decided on Hankook Dynapro AT-M given I had heard some good things and they are $121 ea instead of BFG All Terrains are $181 ea. I'm in New England and plan to do some mild venturing but my buddy is trying to convince me to not get the Dynapro because they are only a 2 ply tire and says I'm asking for a blow out on a trail. Should I go with something else in 265/75/16?

 

[cdthiker]

well.....

I run the Danapro ATM's in 10 ply on my regular cab tacoma over kill ? perhaps. But they have 70 thousand miles on them with still a third of the tread.
Oh not one blow out and I would say about ten thousand of those miles were off pavement.
Best AT I have ever run.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Ehhhh. I think two ply is pretty light for four wheeling, especially if you're on more rocky trails. I'd tend to agree with your friend. Check out the Cooper AT3 and the General Grabber AT2. In my opinion, they are the best AT tires for the price. The Grabbers tend to run a lot cheaper than the BFGs (my 285s cost me like $850, mounted and balanced) and are actually a bit better than the original BFG ATs. The Cooper AT3 is a less aggressive looking tread, but it's performance is top notch, especially when you consider they are some of the least expensive treads available. I'm a big fan of that tire, especially if you live somewhere it snows.

Both are great choices, and the price is right.

 

[PrecisionX]

I'm looking for bang for buck but also am not the type to skimp out and get something like a Kelly tire but I think the BFG AT are overpriced and I've had a set before. We get a LOT of snow here.

 

[trollhattan]

I've had BFG AT tires (they only came at E-load for that size) and I agree that they are overpriced/overhyped tires. I did lot of snow driving with those tires and were pretty disappointed with them. I also took a hit on mpg, road noise, and ride comfort. I've considered getting the Hankook ATMs but ended up with Kumho AT51. They both come in P and LT so if you not comfortable with 2ply rated P tires, you can get E load LT tires, which may be overkill for the weight of your car.

 

[proper4wd]

You guys are on about two different things. Load rating "ply" is much different from sidewall construction "ply".

The Hankooks referenced are also available in LR E "10 ply".

I would not buy any "P metric" tire for truly tough off road use.

 

[Overland_Ranger]

I run the pro comp xtreme a/t tires and I have nothing but good things to say about them. I off road alot in the summer, i spend time on forest roads, and they are awesome in snow

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G800A using Tapatalk

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I'm looking for bang for buck but also am not the type to skimp out and get something like a Kelly tire but I think the BFG AT are overpriced and I've had a set before. We get a LOT of snow here.

You guys are on about two different things. Load rating "ply" is much different from sidewall construction "ply".

The Hankooks referenced are also available in LR E "10 ply".

I would not buy any "P metric" tire for truly tough off road use.

Both tires I mentioned are high quality tires by respected and trusted manufacturers. They're not some of my favorites because they're inexpensive, they're some of my favorites because they are solid, good performing tires that have proven themselves to me through firsthand experience. That being said, I have no personal experience with the Hankooks, so I can't really say how they stack up. Since you said you get a lot of snow where you are, I'd strongly suggest taking a good look at the Cooper AT3s. They are seriously good in the snow, and I've been really impressed with their off road performance as well.

As for what proper4wd mentioned, he's right. You have two different types of plies. If it has a load rating that makes the tread a 2-ply construction, you're asking for flats left and right. I'd stick with load range C, D, or E (6, 8, or 10 ply) for off road use. If you can find a range D tire in that size, I think that would be an optimal balance of toughness and comfort.

As for sidewall plies, that is a concern, but it's generally a lesser one. The BFGs, Cooper ST/ST Maxx/STT, Toyo ATII/RT, and a couple others have 3 ply sidewalls which are super tough, but tend to be stiff and deform less around obstacles. The 2 ply sidewall tires have, you guessed it, weaker sidewalls, but I think that's not always as big of a deal as it's made out to be. I have several hundred miles over very sharp granite with my 2 ply sidewalled General AT2s, and they haven't given me any flats thus far. Some people wheel harder than me though, and require tougher tires. Just kind of depends.

 

[cdthiker]

Valid points.

I can speak to the BFG and the grabbers.
The Hankooks blow them out of the water in the snow. I live in the Mountains in idaho at 5100 feet. Needless to say we get a lot of snow. Some places in the mountains have gotten 6 to eight inches of heavy wet snow over the last few days. The hankooks and I went out today and did about 25 miles of service roads at 6-7500 feet.
Even 2/3 of the way worn down they did their job with style. I am debating if I want to run them for one more winter or not just because of how old they are. still awesome in the wet and heavy but on glazzed up roads they just are not as good as they used to be. But hey they have 70,000 miles on them or close to it.
Those tires have been in just about every thing you can think of. I admit that me running the 10 plys on a regular cab tacoma 4x4 is over kill for the weight of the rig and yep the rid is a bit stiff. I got them because I had a series of blow outs one summer and was sick of it.
The atm's do much better in the snow and gravel and the sharp stuff then the other mentioned brands. I ran all of them except the at3's on work trucks in the high desert of utah. We got it all. 3 feet of snow, shale gravel mud you name it. I think the grabbers were much better then the BFGs and the hankooks are better then them. I am also looking at the at3 for my next set but with how awesome the ATMs have worked out I might just stick with what works. We also ran duratracs, stts maxis big horns MK2s short of mud or extreamly deep wet snow I think I would still stick with the Hankooks out of all of those just because they just last forever and the last few mentioned are over kill. However the duratracks I think you can run studs in and I would run a set if they would just last longer.
finally. Every summer and fall finds me flogging my little taco all over the mountains pulling every pound of that 3500 lbs rating in fire wood. I run with wood int he bed and more in a trailer down some of the most twisty narrow rutted out roads i have been down. even under load and stress I never had a problem let along a side wall problem.
Cant say enough good stuff about them
blame the fat fingers for the spelling and grammer and feel free to PM if you want more info \

 

[Kmrtnsn]

.....As for sidewall plies, that is a concern, but it's generally a lesser one. The BFGs, Cooper ST/ST Maxx/STT, Toyo ATII/RT, and a couple others have 3 ply sidewalls which are super tough, but tend to be stiff and deform less around obstacles......

If one airs their tires down off road, as they should, 3-ply E-rated tires have no issue forming around obstacles, and flex just fine. Just because a tire has 65-85PSI on the sidewall doesn't mean you have to run at those pressures. It's is when aired down that P-rated, tires really show their inferiority around sharp rocks, and other trail hazards.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

If one airs their tires down off road, as they should, 3-ply E-rated tires have no issue forming around obstacles, and flex just fine. Just because a tire has 65-85PSI on the sidewall doesn't mean you have to run at those pressures. It's is when aired down that P-rated, tires really show their inferiority around sharp rocks, and other trail hazards.

I meant when they are aired down.

 

[proper4wd]

My LR E 255/85 KM2's deform and ride excellently at ~18psi off road. Even better at 15. I then see a bump in fuel mileage when running on the highway at 55psi. I see no downsides to an E rated tire.

 

[PrecisionX]

So what is the consensus regarding best bang for buck tire and availability? Hankook DynaPro ATM 10 ply? How much more are the 10 ply over the 2?

 

[Kmrtnsn]

So what is the consensus regarding best bang for buck tire and availability? Hankook DynaPro ATM 10 ply? How much more are the 10 ply over the 2?

Sounds like you've already made up you mind on the tire since it's the only one you keep bringing up, as for the price difference between P and LT, your tire retailer and installer is going to be the most accurate information provider.

 

[PrecisionX]

I'm considering the Dynapro in 10 ply which seems stupid but the others are Toyo Open Country AT2 and Goodyear Duratracs are only 4 dollars per tire more than the Toyos but I've heard mixed reviews for on road use on the Duratracs that end up chipping over rocks and can hum pretty bad on highways. I'm looking for the best bang for buck off road tire that can handle on road stuff too. The reason I bring up the Dynapro is because of the price. 5 tires at BFG AT pricing puts me at about a grand for tires instead of $600 ish. I don't want to cheap out though and get a 2 ply tire blowout either