Most puncture resistant tire?

[ashooter]

What would you guys recommend as a good tire to resist punctures and still be decent on the highway. VERY little ice/snow in my part of the world, but I want something that is factory siped so it's not hydroplaning all over the place in the rain. Also, size limited to 265/75/16 or maybe 255/85/16.

The kind of punctures I get are usually right between the tread blocks, or just above the tread on the sidewall - from driving over greasewood ("chaparral") which breaks off and leaves a hard little stump sticking up about 6" tall and usually about 1/4"-1" in diameter. Those suckers hit the tire like 60 penny nails!

 

[scottm]

Cooper Discoverer S/T-C is a tougher version of the S/T I used when I worked construction. They were great on the highway and in snow. I had the center siped at Discount Tire for ice. I don't think siping will matter much for hydroplaning, you need wider channels to evacuate water. That only helps for very shallow water, up to the depth of those channels. Once you hit the depth of your treads, hydroplaning speed is roughly the square-root of your tire pressure, times ten.

 

[JohnnyC]

8.25r16 Michelin XL or XZL tires...the most punture resistant tire

its a bit taller than you are asking.....8.25r16 = 34" x 9" wide and designed to fit narrow rims...like cruisers have

but by far the strongest sidewall construction...and radial

 

[ashooter]

I was leaning toward a Cooper STT. The 265 is load range E, so that ought to be a 10 ply tire and with the tread extending onto the sidewall it looks just about perfect. Only concern I have is performance on pavement and actual puncture resistance.

One other one that looks okay (purely appearance) is Maxxis Bighorn, but I haven't heard anything one way or the other about pavement performance or puncture resistance.

Water on the road isn't THAT much of an issue really, since in about 3 weeks I'm moving to a place that has annual rainfall of about 13 inches... but when it rains, it RAINS.

JohnnyC - Whatever tire I get, it has to be one of the sizes I listed since I have no lift and 16x7 wheels.

 

[JohnnyC]

check the sidewall construction on each...and what the sidewall is made of...steel, nylon, kevlar? different types

i feel the steel is strongest...but lacking of flex

kevlar...relatively new...dont know how it performs

nylon...most car and truck tires

also Polyester



in terms of sidewall: the more plys the better it technically should be...2 ply is quite low...3 ply alot better...4 plys even better...6 plys very strong

plys going in the same direction are bad...plys that cross are much stronger

steel sidewall you only need one ply

 

[scottm]

The STT looks like a more capable off-roading tire, I wanted a decent highway tire that wore well, which the S/T did well. They're made for heavy commercial off-road use, so they're very tough for puncture resistance.

 

[sprocket3]

The kind of punctures I get are usually right between the tread blocks, or just above the tread on the sidewall - from driving over greasewood ("chaparral") which breaks off and leaves a hard little stump sticking up about 6" tall and usually about 1/4"-1" in diameter. Those suckers hit the tire like 60 penny nails![/quote]


I had this happen on a new Yokohama Geolander II. They would not repair the tire as it went through the side wall. The greasewood was only about the size of a toothpick. I no longer have a matching set of 5 Geolanders

Take Geolanders off your list if you ask me. They are very nice on the highway though!

 

[ashooter]

Yeah I have Geolanders on my company truck. They are fine for general purpose, but I would be very hesitant to take them off the road.

After a little more research, I've added Toyo Open Country MT's to the list. Unless somebody has a good reason NOT to go with them, they sound like they'd be damned hard to beat! Ain't cheap, though.

 

[Tools R Us]

...
The kind of punctures I get are usually right between the tread blocks, or just above the tread on the sidewall - from driving over greasewood ("chaparral") which breaks off and leaves a hard little stump sticking up about 6" tall and usually about 1/4"-1" in diameter. Those suckers hit the tire like 60 penny nails!

Yep, desert shrubs are very hard on tires! The tire I call "glass sidewalls" is Pirelli A/T's IIRC, Scorpions? If you take them on the trail be sure to have plenty of tire repair tools! Among the most often punctured tires that I have run/seen are standard Michelin's, BFG's, Revo's and Yokohama's.

I was leaning toward a Cooper STT. The 265 is load range E, so that ought to be a 10 ply tire and with the tread extending onto the sidewall it looks just about perfect. Only concern I have is performance on pavement and actual puncture resistance. ...

Running a heavier/stiffer tire will reduce performance, ride comfort and not automatically increase puncture resistance. Case in point is BFG's, they have loudly trumpeted their 3 ply sidewalls, but I have and have seen tons of them punctured. It greatly depends on the fabric and construction, 2 plies of heavy fabric will out perform 3 plies for thin stuff and the manufactures don't give that info.

Locally Nitto's and Toyo's have preformed well. I'm new to the Cooper STT's, so far so good, but MaddBaggins has holed 2 sidewalls in rock. One of the best tricks to saving sidewalls is to run a slightly over wide tire for the rim. I'm running 37x12.5's on a 7.5" rim, this sucks the sidewalls in, exposing less sidewall to the sticks/rock, especially when aired down.

 

[4WD Toyota Owner Magazine]

My Pro Comp Mud Terrains have been TOUGH. Ditto for the sidewalls. Big thumbs up.

 

[ginericLC]

TOYO MTs. They are about the toughest thing in a decent highway manner tire.

You might check their ATs too.

Goodyear makes what is called the Silent Armor AT. I'm not sure if it is just hype or not.

 

[mainemike]

There is a lot of love for the Goodyear Silent Armor sidewalls; on my previous truck (Nissan) I ran the Goodyear MTRs and really liked them off road. That is supposedly one of the better sidewalls available. They make a silent armor AT which a few folks here run. I have some friends with Sportsmobiles who like the AT, they seem to work well on heavy trucks. But often times a sidewall puncture situation will kill any (every) tire so it may be wicked bad luck.

 

[ashooter]

Rubber hardness?

Okay smart-asses, please limit the "rubber hardness" comments... I'm asking a serious question here... No really, I AM! Seriously.

I have searched, but all I get is "Toyos are made from harder rubber" or "Maxxis are made from softer rubber"... My concern is, if the Toyo MT's are made from a "harder rubber" so they're more puncture resistant and last longer, are they automatically more prone to chipping and having chunks break off the tire when driven on rough limestone?

For example, I get the impression that the Cooper S/T-C is made from a softer rubber than the S/T (not STT) because the S/T was having chunks break off in some types of rock.

Am I stuck having to choose between puncture resistance and having tires that won't chip/break on rough rock? Or are these two qualities not mutually exclusive?

Any way to know the answer to that other than just buying 'em and trying 'em?

 

[treehugger]

MTRs yes

 

[-Spike-]

I don't know the answer, but I've been running Maxxis Creepy Crawlers for 2 years without a sidewall puncture, in fairly severe duty. I've lost count of the sidewall punctures I've seen on trails on other people's rigs. These tires have very soft rubber, but I guess the 6 ply sidewalls do pretty well regardless.

-Spike

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

I have had good luck with Goodyear mtr's in the rocks. I have not spent much time in the desert.

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

Pro comp Xterrain tri ply, or the tri ply muds in 35 x 12.5/18 or 37 x 12.5/17 have been the toughest tyres we can find over here that drive ok on the road, and work.

I have run them for tough offroad last 3 years for one puncture, driving where I shouldnt of been, in 70,000km, and on some of these long desert trips we have had up to 15 punctures in the convoy of up to 10 vehicles in a 24 hr period, and once we had 9 destroyed tyres out of 14 punctures as well.

For driving in mulga scrub, [thin bushes with branches like fencing wire, dry hard old desert scrub] some of the older generation have been running 14 ply MRF's truck tyres in 7.50 16, but they are shocking on road.

 

[openoptions]

I can't speak from personal experience, but I've heard and read a few outstanding comments about Toyo M55's regarding their sidewall durability ... they're not real common nor real cheap, but do come in 255/85/16. They will be my next tires for sure.

 

[Bearcat80]

I have worn out several sets of the M-55's on construction sites, and I've pulled many nails, but cross fingers, no flats. As stiff as they ride, the sidewalls are plenty tough, too.

 

[ashooter]

I can't speak from personal experience, but I've heard and read a few outstanding comments about Toyo M55's regarding their sidewall durability ... they're not real common nor real cheap, but do come in 255/85/16. They will be my next tires for sure.

I've been pointed to a couple of sites that sell the Toyo MT's for "reasonable" prices, but does anybody know where to get the M-55's online?