Any opinions on these tires?

Phx99Cruiser · 01-07-07, 06:51 AM

I've gone to the TireRack site and visited my local Discount Tire. I could not find anyone commenting on these specific tires on this forum, so I thought I'd ask...

My '99 currently has 265x75x16 Dunlop AT Rovers from the previous owner. Looking to go to 285x75x16 (I also have the OME 865 springs installed). I was also toying with going to 295x75x16 but am leary of worse power loss and gas mileage. Here's what I'm looking at:

Comparison List -
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...=0&sortValue=1

Kumho Road Venture AT KL78 $109
Yokohama Geolander A/T-S $125
Firestone Destination AT $138

The Revos and GY SilentArmor are too pricey for me.

Does anyone have experience with these specific tires? I'm really considering the Kumhos due to their appearance and price.

Thanks!

BMWSTOY · 01-07-07, 12:09 PM

You will not be saving money when the cheaper tires wear out in less than half the time of others? Just a thought.
Neighbor has the firestones and although made like armor, they also drive like bricks.

jditom · 01-07-07, 12:40 PM

Sorry dude, I would spend the extra $150-200 total for a nice go anywhere long lasting tire.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=2

Revo's

hoser · 01-07-07, 12:49 PM

I'd give the Kumho's a try. Many of my friends are satisfied with their Kumho competition road tires.

cary · 01-07-07, 02:51 PM

I agree with the others, buying cheap tires is a false economy. That said, given you are in AZ and will not be seeing snow, the Yokahama AT-S is the no brainer choice of the group.

SWUtah · 01-07-07, 03:29 PM

I'd go with the BFG AT/KO's or the REVO's in the D rated LT. They should last twice as long and give you better service. JMHO but I'm never wrong

EdsCruisin · 01-07-07, 03:42 PM

If you want to save some money on a more expensive set, with a little research you can play the tire retailer's game. Here is how I did it and saved more than $200:

I found the Revos I wanted at a Bridgestone retailer that had a 2x the difference price guarantee. Ordered the tires. Then I went to the Firestone shop and got a quote while they were having a buy 3 get one free deal. I took the quote back to the other dealer where it was reluctantly honored. The Firestone deal was unbeatable since they are factory-direct and had a 4 for 3 deal anyway, but the final price I paid was under $400!

NMuzj100 · 01-08-07, 01:47 AM

Have you considered the Nitto Terra Grappler ?

http://www.nittotire.com/tires_terragrappler.asp

I'm a fan of my REVOs in 285/75 but people with the Terra Grappler have been happy and it is less expensive.

jgray · 01-08-07, 07:20 AM

I've got several friends running the Nitto's and they have been very happy with them. I think they are good tires for the $$$......

hoser · 01-08-07, 08:12 AM

I'd prefer the Revo's or the Nitto's as well. They have a good reputation and a proven track record. But just to compare...

The Revos show up as $180 on Tirerack and the NTG are $182 at Discount Tire.

$180x5 (Revo or Nitto TG)=$900
$109x5 (Kumho)=$545

So $545 vs $900. A difference of $355. Or you can say the Revos/Nittos cost 65% more than the Kumhos.

This is tire rack's survey on AT tires. Take it for what you'd take a survey for. The Kumho is a newcomer, so there isn't a lot of data on it yet.

Jim_Chow · 01-08-07, 10:33 AM

Since you're in AZ, I'd look at a tire that has some way of channeling the water to the sides. I have the pro comp AT's, which are extreme rated (for snow) like the BFG AT/KO's w/ similar tread pattern and can say from experience they suck in water deeper than the tread depth (at least when no longer new). The main problem is the individual blocks, although great on dirt, tend to trap water if you're driving through a puddle. The Bridgestone Revo's look like they can channel water more effectively with those Z-grooves. Of the tires on your list, I'd go w/ the geolander AT/S's any day. This is a newer tire design for them, they guarantee 40k mi out of them (IIRC from their webpage).

johncarron · 01-08-07, 01:27 PM

Take a look at the Toyo Open Country AT as well.

http://www.toyo.com/

I've had them for several years on a blazer and they perform fantastic. Just changed out my OEM LTXs on the LC for a set of them as well (approx $650 installed, for C-rated LTs). They are very quiet for an AT tire, and I've been quite happy with them in the snow and in the desert.

ShottsUZJ100 · 01-08-07, 03:46 PM

There's a reason the BFG AT KO's are the #1 seller. I'm in their camp no matter the cost.

Phx99Cruiser · 01-09-07, 05:52 AM

Wow, thanks for all of the responses and recomendations. I checked out the Nitto Terra-Graplers at my nearby Big-O but didn't like the looks of them (personal pref I guess).

I've ruled-out the Firestone just because I don't want to have to deal with a local retailer for any claims, etc. They also won't price-match TireRack or any others. Don't want to deal with them.

I took a ride to a different Discount Tire location yesterday to get a better actual comparison between the Yoko A/T-S and the Kumho. The sales guy at this location also said that they've sold a few but have no feedback yet, although he thinks they'll be louder than a AT/KO and the Yoko A/T-S. Also, Kumho doesn't state a mileage warranty and a couple of the reviews mentioned quick tire wear.

I'm going to get the Yokos - the price is right, the tread pattern looks just aggresive enough to get off-road for hunting, etc. but still quiet enough for the 90% street driving I do. I discovered a co-worker yesterday that runs these on his 4-Runner and he loved the tires (around 9K on them now).

If money were no object, I'd go for the Revos hands-down. Four Revos are around $720, the Yokos $500. With the $220 difference I could actually buy a new spare (instead of a mis-matched used) and have $95 left still. $$$ above are the TireRack prices that my local Discount Tire will match (less taxes, etc.).

After I get them on and take a couple of hunting weekends coming up in the next month or two I'll report back on how they hold up.

Thanks!

SWUtah · 01-09-07, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phx99Cruiser

Wow, thanks for all of the responses and recomendations. I checked out the Nitto Terra-Graplers at my nearby Big-O but didn't like the looks of them (personal pref I guess).

I've ruled-out the Firestone just because I don't want to have to deal with a local retailer for any claims, etc. They also won't price-match TireRack or any others. Don't want to deal with them.

I took a ride to a different Discount Tire location yesterday to get a better actual comparison between the Yoko A/T-S and the Kumho. The sales guy at this location also said that they've sold a few but have no feedback yet, although he thinks they'll be louder than a AT/KO and the Yoko A/T-S. Also, Kumho doesn't state a mileage warranty and a couple of the reviews mentioned quick tire wear.

I'm going to get the Yokos - the price is right, the tread pattern looks just aggresive enough to get off-road for hunting, etc. but still quiet enough for the 90% street driving I do. I discovered a co-worker yesterday that runs these on his 4-Runner and he loved the tires (around 9K on them now).

If money were no object, I'd go for the Revos hands-down. Four Revos are around $720, the Yokos $500. With the $220 difference I could actually buy a new spare (instead of a mis-matched used) and have $95 left still. $$$ above are the TireRack prices that my local Discount Tire will match (less taxes, etc.).

After I get them on and take a couple of hunting weekends coming up in the next month or two I'll report back on how they hold up.

Thanks!

If you figure 15K miles a years so you will run these tires for 4 years the price difference works out to 15 cents a day.

I'd get the REVO's for 15 cents more per day of ownership. They are the "proven" tire of choice by most 100 series owners. But from a shelfish stand point I would love for you to get the Yoko's and then you can tell us how you like them, since I will need some new tires by next winter.

NMuzj100 · 01-09-07, 07:59 AM

I look forward to the long term test report. Start with how much weight it takes to balance the tires and measure original tread depth so you can track wear.

If your Discount Tire has a Hunter road-force balancer in the shop make sure they use it to balance your tires. They usually have a balancer for each bay but only one Hunter for the whole shop. The road-force balance not only insures a good balance but could find a tire with a internal defect before it gets on your truck and they can blame the problems on your truck.

Jim_Chow · 01-09-07, 08:01 AM

Please keep us updated on how well the Geolander AT/S's perform. It seems like the rigs in LC mag in Japan, the Yokohamas are more popular than Bridgestones on 100's (probably Yokohama & BFG to two most popular). OTOH, either the rig is outfitted for offroad, in which case it's the Geolander or BFG mud's or swampers, or it's a bling vehicle w/ huge wheels & michelins/some other road tire. In general, since there aren't many places to offroad there, the snow is the main factor, and for that, they use dedicated snow tires, not AT's like here.

Tinkerer · 01-10-07, 04:24 AM

And please let us know how well your new tires perform with respect to vibration (high-speed road use).

(Tire force variation, related to tire construction nonuniformities, is a large contributor to vibration, and balancing alone will not reduce force variation -caused vibration.)

Phx99Cruiser · 01-10-07, 06:11 AM

I haven't heard of a Hunter road-force balancer, but I'll tell them I want that done like I know what I'm asking for...maybe I'll Google it before I go in.

I actually average 10-12K miles per year, so a tire that will have decent tread still (not just the minimum) at the 3-4year mark is what I'm expecting. Maybe that'll be my chance to move up to 295's or 305's in a BFG KO or Revo. By that time the wife will be used to the slightly bigger tire size and won't gripe about the larger tire at that point - what's so hard about stepping up on the running board to get in, anyway?

I'll post back after some miles are logged. I get them put on tomorrow morning.

Thanks.

firetruck41 · 01-10-07, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phx99Cruiser

I haven't heard of a Hunter road-force balancer, but I'll tell them I want that done like I know what I'm asking for...maybe I'll Google it before I go in.

Learn about the Hunter here: www.gsp9700.com