Need help choosing new truck tire

[MOguy]

Yeah i am living with the speedo issues now, it reads about 5MPH lower than my true speed at highway speeds, which is probably screwing up the mileage calculation as well so who knows what mileage i am truly getting. (can they adjust the truck computer for tire size so its accurate again when i get new tires?).

The gearing thing is something i also did not think of, but makes alot of sense now that you mention it.... My truck does not drive like my friends 1500 and seems more sluggish, probably because the increased tire size/mass has thrown off balance the truck was programmed for with stock tires.

What size tires do you think i should be looking at if 265/65 is stock and i have 305's on there now.

Stock size, unless you want to re-gear and deal with fixing your speedometer.

 

[Buliwyf]

I'm also looking at the Falken ATW and MT's.

I can recommend the Cooper ST Maxx's. Those are great tires for the OP. Much better than the BFG's off road and in snow. You'll have to rotate them OFTEN to keep them quiet. (5000 miles, maxx)

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

Yeah I'd go down a tire size if you want more power especially for towing, doubt it would affect mileage much.

Not sure where your at, but I've never had good luck with any tire but BFG AT KO's. Tried to switch to Michelin AT, forgot model, but it was an all terrain tire. Back when I kept truck stored outside (hot tx sun)........the rubber got brittle at like 45-50K miles and started coming off in chunks - filed a warranty claim since it was warrantied til 65-70K miles and put on BFG AT and they ran for 70K miles when I got ride of truck and still had had decent tread left. I don't think they are too aggressive.....because they last just as long as any other tire so in effect, not really losing anything cept the higher cost.

Put Toyo AT's on a 4x4 3/4 ton van that was also stored outside. 15-20K miles in and 4 years later got a bugle in one driving down gravel and replaced all with BFG AT. For me the longevity of the BFG AT and decent tread makes for a easy choice. I've lost a lot of money trying to experiment with other tires. From what I have experienced the BFG AT's seem to have more and softer cushion than others, but it's the durability and consistency that brings me back.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Yeah i am living with the speedo issues now, it reads about 5MPH lower than my true speed at highway speeds, which is probably screwing up the mileage calculation as well so who knows what mileage i am truly getting. (can they adjust the truck computer for tire size so its accurate again when i get new tires?)

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On some newer vehicles with all electronic speedos you can calibrate the speedometer with a tool that plugs into the OBD-II port.
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Since I'm cheap and/or old fashioned, I just do it the old fashioned way: I figure out what the error is and program it into my calculations.
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To do that you'll need a decent GPS. Set the trip meter on the GPS and the trip meter on the truck to zero. Then drive normally. The more miles the better, but make sure the GPS records ALL the mileage you drive.
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Once it's done you compare the two. Let's say you drove 260 miles (as shown on the GPS trip meter) and your dashboard odometer (with oversized tires) shows that you traveled 247 miles. Divide the GPS miles (260) by the odometer miles (247) and you have 1.052.
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Now you can just use the truck's trip odometer. If the trip odo shows you went, say, 170 miles, then 170 x 1.052 = 178.84 actual miles driven.

 

[nitro_rat]

I bought some of the last old style bfg at's several years ago for a road trip to Topeka, KS (from the Houston area). Dallas was having an ice storm and I wanted some new rubber for the trip. After making most of the trip from Dallas on north with the hubs locked in I bought a set of Cooper AT3's in Topeka. Tire shop asked if they could “throw away” my “old” tires for me. Lol!

Those tires made the trip back to Topeka again last December and are still on the truck. I don't rotate as often as I should but they're holding up great. They have performed quite well in mud, sand, and on the highway as well. Best tire I've used in the snow and ice. Quiet and wearing well. They probably have 40k on them now. I don't drive the truck anymore though (84 Suburban 4x4).

Michelin LTX is what I run on most of my trucks, running the michelin at's on my 2500 Dodge 4x4 now though. I get new take offs from a shop that lifts new Fords for Houston dealerships (cheap). The Michelins work great too, a little more highway oriented tread though. I don't think that the AT version grips much better than the LTX so if I was paying for new ones I'd probably lean that way.

Looking to step the Dodge up to 285's on the next set of tires (Ford take offs are 265's). I haven't decided wether to go with the LTX or the AT3. Either way, can't go wrong.

 

[kayadog]

I ran the Cooper AT3 and Hankkok ATM side by side on similar Jeeps. The AT3's were ok, but the ATM's were better in winter conditions, quieter and smoother on the road, and less expensive. They were similar off road and both lasted a long time. I've bought several more sets of Hankooks since and wouldn't consider the AT3's.

 

[rruff]

What are the drawbacks associated with the smaller tires? Less towing weight capability? I would really like to come down a size if it's going to net me close to 5mpg and not have any significant drawbacks.

The smaller tire will reduce ground clearance a bit, but it makes the gearing lower, which aids acceleration. Smaller tires carry less load, but a E rated (10ply) tire will still have lots of carrying capacity.

If you want better mpg and road performance, and a 10ply tire, get Michelin LTX M/S.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/michelin-defender-ltx-m-s/p/11274?source=customdigital&medium=affiliate&campaign=promo_manufacturer$$&clickid=VuOUOKVR3Wj8zaJ3W53ZOxhwUkmT9IyBWVVgzc0&iradid=198691&irpid=166774

 

[Chorky]

What about duratrac's? They look like they would be pretty good, but don't hear them being discussed much.

 

[MOguy]

I got my Falken ATs out on some wet muddy trials last weekend. They did great, they didn't pack up like I thought they would. I wasn't climbing or going over anything to ruff but there was allot of mud. Mud was one of the concerns I had with these tires, but not anymore. I am very pleased how quickly they "cleaned" out. The mud just fell off as opposed to packing up.

 

[MattF350]

I have BFG KO2 LT275/70R18
Ive had em for about year and a half now. No problems with them. No matter the type of snow...or depth..theyve done their part. I would recommend them. I dont put high mileage per year on any vehicle I own, so I cant exactly comment on longevity of them, but thus far theyve done good.

 

[Buddha.]

BFG A/T's biggest selling point ~30yrs ago was their pseudo-random tread pattern design expressly designed to curtail the annoying road hum of the competitor's all-terrain designs. Norsemans, Desert Duelers, Cepek, all had symmetrical tread designs and the noise was horrendous. It's still one of their desirable design elements. I used them for a lot of years on my C-10, in a 31x10.50-15. 10-12yrs ago they just got to be too expensive for me and some competitors' designs also got reasonably quiet. I'm now quite happy with my Yokohama Geolanders and their noise is minimal. And their price is nice.

Looks like your factory tire size was 265/65-18 or 265/70-17 (which is my '02 Z71 Sub's stock size). You could readily come down a couple size increments on your 18" rims and save a good deal of money.

Youre not kidding about the bfg's price. They want $367/tire on tirerack.com for my stock 20" size.

 

[rruff]

Youre not kidding about the bfg's price. They want $367/tire on tirerack.com for my stock 20" size.

I paid $230 ea for my 35x13r18 10-ply Hankook ATMs on sale with rebates. Mounted, balanced, everything. They aren't noisy and the MPG is surprisingly no worse than my stock street tires.

 

[NMC_EXP]

I ca attest to the fact that with an underpowered vehicle in this case 89 Toyota Truck and 98 4-Runner reducing tire size had a noticeable effect on acceleration, braking and lugging power in the mountains. Tires and wheels are flywheels with a lot of inertia.

I have been using General Grabbers and am pleased with them. Are quiet and do fine on trails. I cannot tell the difference as compared to BFGs. And the Generals cost less.

 

[rruff]

Tires and wheels are flywheels with a lot of inertia.

I don't doubt that you could tell a difference, but it was mostly from the gear ratio not inertia. The inertia of the tires is small compared to everything else.

 

[NMC_EXP]

I don't doubt that you could tell a difference, but it was mostly from the gear ratio not inertia. The inertia of the tires is small compared to everything else.

Absolutely true. At this point I do not recall the tire sizes so I can't check the rubber gearing effect.

In both cases I thought braking was improved as well. I was not expecting that so chances are that observation was not confirmation bias at work.