Need help choosing new truck tire

[fiddypal]

Hi guys, looking for advice from the truck experts as i am new to this...

I currently have BF Goodrich A/T LT305/65R18 tires installed but the tread is pretty low and its time to replace them. They came on the truck with what looks like stock rims (2014 silverado LT) but i know the truck has been lifted, and the tires rub the wheel well if you are trying to max out the steering on a tight turn, but nothing crazy. 99% of my driving will be on highways and paved local roads, the little "off-roading" that i do is usually on dirt paths in the north east, nothing super aggressive like jaggy rocks or roots.

The BFG AT's for me did not produce alot of road noise on the highway at all, on some of my friends truck with very aggressive tires you can hear and annoying done/hum on the highways. This is probably the most important factor for me if i am honest about my driving patterns. I'd still like somewhat of an aggressive tire for off-roading but not at the expense of road noise and fuel economy. Which leads me to my next question, can i go down in size at all to see a noticeable savings in fuel efficiency? From what i have read, reducing rotating mass is exponential to removing static weight from a vehicle. Is the size of the tire just aesthetics or do i need a larger tire for a certain towing capacity? The biggest workload i would put it under is towing 3 harleys in a trailer.

To summarize, my current tires are expensive and maybe over-kill for my needs. Can/should i downsize or get a different brand that will still allow light off-road and towing, what kind of performance impact (towing rating, etc) will this have, and will i get better fuel economy (getting ~15mpg right now, but that could be off since the tire size is not stock and could throw the truck computer off like it does the speedo).

Thanks

 

[rayra]

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.

 

[BigLoggerhead]

I’ve been seeing a lot of the Falken Wildpeak AT3W’s on the road lately. Everyone that I’ve talked to is extremely pleased with them. They look great, have low road noise, and they’re really reasonably priced.

 

[sargeek]

If the BFG AT is too aggressive start working down the line - Michelin AT2; the the Michelin LTX M/S; same thing in the BFG Lineup the Rugged Trail T/A down to the Long Trail T/A.

I have seen many ranchers way off road with the Michelin LTX tires. These tires are long wearing, and reliable pulling heavy trailers, with enough traction. The LTX will probably get you and extra 2 mpg over the KO.

The LTX are also decent in the snow and ice. I personally like the Michelin/BFG Brands - but I think their are a lot of good tires on the market. We use the Big O A/T on our work trucks and have great success with them, and have also run the Hankook A/T tires with success. Coopers are also decent.

Don't over think it.

 

[GoinBoardin]

I took BFG AT KO's off my truck this fall (40k miles, worn out) to replace with Falken Wildpeak AT3W. I have around 4k miles on them now. From WY to CO to UT to SD to MN, zero complaints from me. Half the miles were with a truck camper, a few hundred with fire wood, the rest empty. They're quieter, roll smoother, and have better snow/ice traction. Not as good in mud but that's not a common problem for me. I've had them in deep snow, sand, rock, gravel, ice, and pavement. Would recommend them to anyone.

 

[TriBeard]

I've been seeing a lot of the Falken Wildpeak AT3W's on the road lately. Everyone that I've talked to is extremely pleased with them. They look great, have low road noise, and they're really reasonably priced.

I'm going to jump on this bandwagon. I have them. I am very pleased with them. Low noise, good off road, pick up less gravel than a typical AT tire and are mountain snowflake rated, if that matters to you.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I took BFG AT KO's off my truck this fall (40k miles, worn out) to replace with Falken Wildpeak AT3W. I have around 4k miles on them now. From WY to CO to UT to SD to MN, zero complaints from me. Half the miles were with a truck camper, a few hundred with fire wood, the rest empty. They're quieter, roll smoother, and have better snow/ice traction. Not as good in mud but that's not a common problem for me. I've had them in deep snow, sand, rock, gravel, ice, and pavement. Would recommend them to anyone.

.

I'm going to jump on this bandwagon. I have them. I am very pleased with them. Low noise, good off road, pick up less gravel than a typical AT tire and are mountain snowflake rated, if that matters to you.

.
#MeThree. :sombrero:
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I think I have around 12,000 on my Wildpeak's now (got them in November of 2016 just before our big trip to Tucson pulling the trailer.) Have had them in mild mud (ankle-deep but not "greasy" like it gets down South), lots of packed dirt, and some snow and ice and I'm very happy with them.

 

[calicamper]

I had Geolanders on my Sequoia and they flat out sucked the big one. Wore out fast, had multiple flats and leaky tire after gravel nothing difficult roads and were loud as they wore out. For heavy bigger trucks they suck. The Rav4 comes with Geolanders on it from the factory enough said.

The comment about the LTX tires is a good one. Keep in mind BFG And Michelin run in similar price ranges they come out of the same facility. I like BFG’s pricy but I have nothing but good feed back with them. I run BFGs on my Subaru and my truck. Wifes rig gets Michelins. Its costly yes but we never have tire issues. The LTX tires a good truck tires and last a long time lots of great reviews on them.

 

[MOguy]

I've been seeing a lot of the Falken Wildpeak AT3W's on the road lately. Everyone that I've talked to is extremely pleased with them. They look great, have low road noise, and they're really reasonably priced.

I like mine:

 

[Kmrtnsn]

I like mine:
View attachment 428455

We're running these on the Jeep now. Absolutely love them.

 

[fiddypal]

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.

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.

 

[calicamper]

If you have rubbing your not running stock size anyway. Bump in mileage 5mpg would be a bit extreme but 2-3 is certanly possible. Plus you get back to the stock gearing ratio which improved your power at the wheel and can be better on mileage beyond the reduced drag of the larger tires.

 

[MOguy]

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.

Draw backs would be inaccurate speedometer. Towing weight is based on vehicle and construction of the tire, not really the size. Your MPG will be influenced by the speed of the engine vs the speed you are traveling and where the engine likes top operate. The size of the tire will change the speed you engine spins at (RPMS) in relation to the speed you travel, just like changing your gear ratio. Tread pattern will have more to do with MPG than size unless you change to much larger heavier tires.

I wouldn't go to a smaller overall diameter.

 

[fiddypal]

Draw backs would be inaccurate speedometer. Towing weight is based on vehicle and construction of the tire, not really the size. Your MPG will be influenced by the speed of the engine vs the speed you are traveling and where the engine likes top operate. The size of the tire will change the speed you engine spins at (RPMS) in relation to the speed you travel, just like changing your gear ratio. Tread pattern will have more to do with MPG than size unless you change to much larger heavier tires.

I wouldn't go to a smaller overall diameter.

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.

 

[calicamper]

I had 285’s on my Landcruiser. Speedo impact was about 3mph. Wasnt much. Gearing / power impact was really small. But the tire size was still decent. Might be a nice middle ground.