Time for new tires

[datrupr]

Well, it is getting about time to replace the great tires I acquired from Wil. Now, I really do like the Firestone Destination MT's I currently have, and am seriously considering another set, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Yokohama Geolander MT's? They do not look as aggressive a tread pattern as the Firestones, so they may be quieter. But the are directional and have the white lettering (not cool with that). Can they still be mounted with the white lettering on the inside? If anyone can help, please feel free to speak up here, or offer up some suggestions on other tire brands they think will be a good choice. I have already pretty much ruled out the BFG MT's. Thanks in advance.

 

[kbellve]

I am currently looking for tires myself in the 285/75R16 range.

So far, the top contender is the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor. Second is the Brigestone Dueler A/T Revo.

Both are ATs. Goodyear ranks the Wrangler SA nearly as well as the MTR for off-road use.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodye...=16&mrktgrp=Light+Truck&image.x=58&image.y=22

 

[kcowyo]

...But they are directional and have the white lettering (not cool with that)...

Directionals are a PITA if you get a flat on the "wrong side."

Everyone has their favorites, and I'm partial to the BFG AT KO's. They work great for me on the road and off, quiet and reliable.

When I'm due to replace them I want to try the TrXus Mt's from Interco. Their positive reviews in the snow and factory siping have me very interested. And though they're called a Mud Terrain tire, they're really more of an aggressive AT tread. Very similar to the Destination MT's. Great size and sidewall selection and the prices are usually around $30 less per tire than BFG KO's.

 

[mountainpete]

I've never considered the trXus before as I heard they are super heavy in comparison to the BFG's...

Any ideas of what road noise is like compared to MT's?

 

[HenryJ]

... I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Yokohama Geolander MT's?

I ran a set. They did perform really well. Unstopable and durable offroad. Their street manners were not as good. They did handle well in all seasons, but wear quickly. 25,000 miles is about all you will get even with rotation. Being directional rotating front to back is all that you can do , really. They did become pretty loud in time. Not like an airplane landing, but you could definately hear them coming. Below 5 mph on hard surfaces there was vibration. You could feel each lug.
I liked them, but could not justify the expense and lack of longevity. The next set I went to were the Yokohama Geolandar AT+II's. They really are a great tire. Tread wear has been really good. They seem to handle my terrain really well and are much more aggresive than pictures might look. They do gain a little noise after a while, but nothing even close to the M/T.
I would still be running them if they made the size I am currently using.
I am still using them on a different truck, so I will know how they perform long term.

I was told by the dealer that the Firestone Destinations have been discontinued and replaced with another tire. I don't remember which right now. I usually play a "wait and see" for a new design.
Same thing goes for the new Wrangler silent armor tires. Their predecessor was not good. Poor traction , wore out quickly and were prone to puncture easily. We will see if the replacements are any better.

If a more aggressive tire is what you want, The Good year MTR's have been doing really well. Tread life is not as good as I would like at 40,000 miles. Wear and noise levels are good as is their performance. Availability is really poor. Lots of them are sent to Iraq in the size I need for the fleet. They do have a 3 ply side wall , something the Yoko's do not.
I tried the Cooper Discoverer ST, but ran into manufacturers defects in six of them. A porous section at the case seams.That smashed my confidence in them. I upgraded to the Cooper Discoverer STT. They have been doing well on pavement , dirt , round rock and also have the three ply sidewalls. I have been seeing some chunking when run on fractured basalt and shale. Cooper does offer a Discoverer STT-C which is a softer compound to be run in the rocks. I have not tried them since I worry that they may wear too quickly.

Right now the Cooper Discover STT are my current pick for a maximum traction tire.

 

[HenryJ]

... I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Yokohama Geolander MT's?

I ran a set. They did perform really well. Unstopable and durable offroad. Their street manners were not as good. They did handle well in all seasons, but wear quickly. 25,000 miles is about all you will get even with rotation. Being directional rotating front to back is all that you can do , really. They did become pretty loud in time. Not like an airplane landing, but you could definately hear them coming. Below 5 mph on hard surfaces there was vibration. You could feel each lug.
I liked them, but could not justify the expense and lack of longevity. The next set I went to were the Yokohama Geolandar AT+II's. They really are a great tire. Tread wear has been really good. They seem to handle my terrain really well and are much more aggresive than pictures might look. They do gain a little noise after a while, but nothing even close to the M/T.
I would still be running them if they made the size I am currently using.
I am still using them on a different truck, so I will know how they perform long term.

I was told by the dealer that the Firestone Destinations have been discontinued and replaced with another tire. I don't remember which right now. I usually play a "wait and see" for a new design.
Same thing goes for the new Wrangler silent armor tires. Their predecessor was not good. Poor traction , wore out quickly and were prone to puncture easily. We will see if the replacements are any better.

If a more aggressive tire is what you want, The Good year MTR's have been doing really well. Tread life is not as good as I would like at 40,000 miles. Wear and noise levels are good as is their performance. Availability is really poor. Lots of them are sent to Iraq in the size I need for the fleet. They do have a 3 ply side wall , something the Yoko's do not.
I tried the Cooper Discoverer ST, but ran into manufacturers defects in six of them. A porous section at the case seams.That smashed my confidence in them. I upgraded to the Cooper Discoverer STT. They have been doing well on pavemnet , dirt and round rock. I have been seeing some chunking when run on fractured basalt and shale. Cooper does offer a Discoverer STT-C which is a softer compound to be run in the rocks. I have not tried them since I worry that they may wear too quickly.

Right now the Cooper Discover STT are my current pick for a maximum traction tire with minimal noise and some decent tread life.
I believe Bajataco is running them and may have more insight.

 

[flyingwil]

I am currently looking for tires myself in the 285/75R16 range.

So far, the top contender is the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor. Second is the Brigestone Dueler A/T Revo.

Both are ATs. Goodyear ranks the Wrangler SA nearly as well as the MTR for off-road use.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORAT

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodye...=16&mrktgrp=Light+Truck&image.x=58&image.y=22

I used to have the 285/75R16 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor's on my truck. I did not care for them off-road, the rubber compound seemed to be a bit too hard to grip on wet rocks, and had issues clearing mud at lower speeds. (I had them that at last year's trophy.) I then switched to BFG AT's and found a big improvement, however, 2 were out of round. I then switched to my current BFG MT's and found a winner I plan to keep longer than 4 months (for now...)

Aaron- I would also consider Nitto's. I am a Discount Tire guy, and swear by them and their service. You can contact them for pricing on Nitto's and BFG's. Depending on if the Trooper is going to be trail only or DD and trail (I don't think the DD thread had a conclusion) you can choose your tire based on use. I have heard great reviews on the Nitto's. If you stick with a MT or an aggressive AT you will still get the beloved lug noise. Just turn up the radio one notch higher and ignore it, or learn to love it. (I love jet noise now, LOL) After rolling on Swamper's, GY's, Firestone's, Cooper's, and BFG's, I lean towards the BFG's, but have heard good things on Nitto's. Interco's are super soft, and will wear quickly if on a DD, IMO.

 

[durango_60]

One More for the Nittos

Check them out, you won't be dissapointed. I have put about 6000 miles covering nearly every terrain in the SW other than mud on mine and I haven't got a single complaint. On Moab Rock I would actually say they performed better than the BFG MT's on my other truck.

 

[datrupr]

Well to answer the DD question Wil, the Trooper will remain as my DD until until a suitable replacement for my beautiful other half comes into fruition. We decided we were not going to move for another couple of years. I might have to look into the Nitto's, but price is a big factor. I do not want to go ultra cheap, but top of the line is just not in my budget. I might check out the BFG AT KO's, but I have heard a lot of problems with them going out of round. Thank you everyone for your input thus far, keep it coming.

 

[flyingwil]

...I might check out the BFG AT KO's, but I have heard a lot of problems with them going out of round. ...

That was my problem. Also consider Cooper Discover STT's like Henry suggested. I can'e believe how much life you got out of those Firestones! Are you going to stay with that size (265/75R16)?

 

[datrupr]

Yeah, I am going to stay with the current size for the time being. I might upsize eventually down the track, but for now this size is working out perfectly.

 

[PCRover]

My truck is a DD for me and I have tried Dunlop RT's, Destination M/T's, BFG MT, BFG AT. The one I settled on is BFG AT/KO's. They are very drivable on the highway and offer suppurb traction in most all off road conditions here in the west. I need a tire that can cruise the highways dry, rain or snow, then allow me to drive right into a forest or desert. The BFG AT's do that for me.

Here is quick summary of my findings with a few tires.

Dunlop Radial Rover RT's: Decent all round tire, decent highway tracking, started to get quite noisey after a couple thousand miles of use.

Firestone Destination MT's: Good tire in most off road conditions, very poor in wet snow (scarry) and rain, very noisy on pavement, poor highway tracking.

BFG MT's: Great tire in off road conditions, mild noise on pavement, can get loose in the rain, poor highway tracking. My second set of tires.

BFG AT's: Great all round tire, not the best in mud, great in snow, decent highway tracking. My current set of Daily Driver tires.

Other tires that interest me are the Cooper STT which looks like it may be a perfect on/off road tire as it has a MT type tread design with siping. The Nitto Terra Grapplers look like they might also be a good option for dual purpose use.

 

[chet]

I have the Cooper discover STT's and they are good but they are down to about 60% now and are starting to humm really loud. I will rotate them to see if it stops that.

My buddy works at a tire shop and he runs the Toyo open country MT and its seems like a good tire. Super quiet on the road. and good off road traction.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Hey Aaron,

I just went through this about 3000 miles ago!

I would put in a vote for either the Yokohama Geolander AT+II or if you want a more aggressive tire the Cooper Discovery STT. BajaTaco is running the Coopers...

I decided to go with the Yoko AT+IIs and so far I am very pleased. They have proven to be reletively quiet and stable on the highway and offroad they have held their traction in spots where my old tires would break traction.

I did not go with a super aggressive lug tire because of noise and mpg.
However if they had had the Coopers in stock I would have gotten them. They were going to have to order them for me and it would have been a few weeks that I did not care to wait. So far very happy.

 

[calamaridog]

I am also running the Yokohama Geolander AT II. I believe these are the most aggressive true AT tire. They have large, deep lugs (deeper than any other AT) and the rubber compound seems much more resistant to chunking than my BFG AT's.

I have run the BFG AT and they are a bad value. Not a bad tire, but in need of an upgrade. I feel BFG is cheating consumers by not bringing the best possible product to market for the premium price they command.

The Yokohama's perform at least as well and cost less than BFG. The Nitto Terra Grapplers also perform at least as well as the BFG AT, but for less money.

The REVOs are a good tire but I would not run them much off road. I am putting the REVOs my wifes Jeep which sees very little dirt but rain and snow.

If I lived in a more rainy or snowy area, I would have gone with the NTG's over the Yokohama's. I believe both are very good.