New shoes for my Taco...Need recommendations

[NorthernWoodsman]

I can't really recommend a set of tires for you as everyone is different in their likes, but I've had good experience with Yokohama Geolandars, BFGs and the GY Duratracs as general all round AT's for all weather use on Jeeps, Land Rovers and Land Cruisers. Best winter tires I've had were Nokian Hakkapelittas.

Don't know how North you are, but as you mentioned there is definitely value in running snowflake rated tires for all weather, especially if you don't run a separate winter set of tires.

There are tires recommended in this thread I wouldn't use period for that reason alone.

It came down to cost and Falkens were lowest. BFG, Yokohama, and Coopers were $500-700 after my credit for the defective BFG's. I think they should have given me full credit for selling me defective tires, but it's not worth the fight. The GY's didn't interest me after all the complaints about the weak sidewalls I read online, and even the DT rep said they are known for weak sidewall issues.

The Falkens have the snowflake which was mandatory for me. Can't afford snow tires this year so wanted to be sure I had tires I can run in the mountains this winter if needed. 30 years of running BFG's and did not really want to switch away...really hoping the Falkens don't let me down.

 

[bkg]

Were your Falken's the SL or E rated versions? Folks over on TW seem to really hate any Falken unless it is E rated. A lot of people saying that the SL rated versions do not balance.

E-rated on the F350. SL on the 4Runner.
The E-Rating is Load Range 129 on my size falkens. No way i'd run those on a lighter vehicle.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

Well, it pays to read the small print... I found out I had purchased the warranty on the tires that gave me 3 years coverage and full replacement for defects. Presented my case to DT today and they agreed, they owe me a full set of brand new tires.

So, I go back in tomorrow to talk to the manager, go over the details and paperwork, and get my new Falkens installed, and a refund for the difference. After I buy the warranty coverage and pay for installation I think they'll owe me around $80. Don't want to count my chickens yet, but feeling hopeful. Just wish someone at DT had mentioned this in the two previous times I was in the store.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

E-rated on the F350. SL on the 4Runner.
The E-Rating is Load Range 129 on my size falkens. No way i'd run those on a lighter vehicle.

Yeah, I can't really figure this out. DT said people do run E-rated on smaller trucks, but usually only if they're lifted or have done a lot of upgrades. I always thought the E-rated tires were only for larger trucks, 1/2-ton or larger. I've always run C-rated on my other trucks- 1985 Toyota pickup, 1994 Toyota pickup, 1988 F-150.

They all had 15" wheels, so this is my first experience with E-rated tires, which seems to be the norm for tires in my stock size.

 

[deadbeat son]

Yeah, I can't really figure this out. DT said people do run E-rated on smaller trucks, but usually only if they're lifted or have done a lot of upgrades. I always thought the E-rated tires were only for larger trucks, 1/2-ton or larger. I've always run C-rated on my other trucks- 1985 Toyota pickup, 1994 Toyota pickup, 1988 F-150.

They all had 15" wheels, so this is my first experience with E-rated tires, which seems to be the norm for tires in my stock size.

I ran the E-rated AT-KO2 in 265/75-16 on my Tacoma without any issues. I also ran a C-rated Toyo Open Country AT2 in that size; it was one of the only C rated tires I could find in 265/75-16. The truck was stock other than the one size taller than stock tire (stock was 265/70-16). I preferred the BFG to the Toyo, but if you're looking for a C, that's an option.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

Got the Falkens installed tonight. Took 3 hours because when I showed up, the guy who said he made me an appointment for today, didn't, so they considered me a walk-in. The manager approved the swap and my cash refund was bigger than expected, yay! But he made a comment about the tire mileage being pretty high...21,000 after 3 years is high?

Felt like he was accusing me of just trying to trade in my tires for something new. He mentioned that maybe I just had too little air pressure in the tires. I gave him an out and said, well let's air them up and see if things change. He said, nah, let's just get new tires on, you've dealt with this long enough. Ok dude, then no sideways comments.

He questioned why I chose Falkens. Said they're lower quality than BFG, Yokohama, Cooper, Hankook, etc. Pointed out that the siping is only about 30% or so through the tread blocks, whereas the others it's through 100% of the tread blocks. Guess we'll see how they do and at least Les Schwab still sipes tires.

Initial drive tonight was 10 miles to my house. Mixed feedback. Road noise seems to be a bit more with the Falkens, but the ride is unbelievably better. The Falkens were just absorbing the bumps and make the ride of the BFG's feel like I was riding on tires made of wood.

The first few miles was highway and I felt it was still pulling to the right. The last maybe 6-7 miles was surface streets where it seemed to track pretty well. Roads were curvy, some noticeably tilted to the left or right so it was difficult to get a good test in.

If my pull turns out to be something other than the tires, I'm at a loss. The truck has been combed over for two years, and I just let go of an otherwise great set of tires.