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So after weeks of searching, researching, and reading, I've finally narrowed it down to 3 tires.
I have a 2000 LX470 and will be running TRD Rock Warriors with 1.25" spidertrax spacers. I am currently running OME torsion bars, Iron man gas shocks, slee diff-drop, and SPC UCAs and 295/75/16 KO2s on SCS wheels. I will be adding front and rear bumpers, sliders, drawer sytem, and possibly a re-gear by next spring.
Although I enjoy the KO2s, i want to move to a more aggressive tire that is available in a size that's a bit taller and narrower. I've settled on 285/75/17. The 3 tires that interest me are the Toyo Open Country MT, the Nitto Ridge Grappler, and the Cooper ST Maxx.
The LX is currently my daily driver, but I plan to pick up a 200 series this coming winter, and the LX will then take over trail duties from my 80. So I will be driving the LX daily for at least the next 6 months. My commute is 60 miles every day straight to and from work on one hwy driving 60mph with no stops in between. For any other trips that don't require the capabilities of the LX or 80 we take the wifes Highlander.
I am building the LX to take the place of the 80 because i want to do 100s in the hills next year, and maybe Big Bend or Moab/Canyonlands in January. So once i have the 200, the LX will be used maybe once or twice a month on weekends exploring the State Parks/National Forest of Ga, FLA, AL, and SC and then 2 separate weeks of the year exploring out west. I am not up to the task of driving the 80 cross country, but I have no problems doing it in the 100.
So all that being said I like the look of the Toyo MT, and Ive read a lot of good reviews regarding great on-road and off-road manners. Most people seem to say that the Toyo is a very advanced tire that handles the hwy great with little noise, but I have to wonder if most of these reviews are just by people trying to justify their purchase of an aggressive mud-tire over an AT even though they never get off the pavement. I rotate every 5k but I don't want a tire that will wear out overnight, nor do I want a tire that will drive me crazy on a 5k road trip.
Then I look at the Nitto Ridge Grappler and I like the aggressive look but i have to wonder if that's all it is. LOOK. I have read some reviews that made me feel it may be far better suited to the HWY then to off-road. I got into some wet clay trails in Oconee NF last week and my KO2s had me feeling like I was driving on ice, I wonder if the Ridge Grapplers would be more of the same. I also haven't been able to find much long term info on them.
The Cooper ST Maxx seems like a good compromise but I'm not sure about the look, and yes look is important to me. I want to be happy with my vehicles look as well as its performance. I have never seen the ST Maxx outside of the internet, and perhaps they would look better in person to me.
So the question is would the Toyo be so much worse on the Hwy as to justify the Cooper? Would the Ridge Grappler be so much worse then the Cooper off-road to justify the ST Maxx? I would prefer to run the Toyo if its not too extreme for the HWY, and if it is, I like the look of the Ridge grappler, but I dont want to give up too much capability, and it would seem the ST Maxx has plenty of capability just not a look that I'm thrilled with.
Sorry about the long post but I wanted to give everyone as much info as possible. What do you guys think?
I have a 2000 LX470 and will be running TRD Rock Warriors with 1.25" spidertrax spacers. I am currently running OME torsion bars, Iron man gas shocks, slee diff-drop, and SPC UCAs and 295/75/16 KO2s on SCS wheels. I will be adding front and rear bumpers, sliders, drawer sytem, and possibly a re-gear by next spring.
Although I enjoy the KO2s, i want to move to a more aggressive tire that is available in a size that's a bit taller and narrower. I've settled on 285/75/17. The 3 tires that interest me are the Toyo Open Country MT, the Nitto Ridge Grappler, and the Cooper ST Maxx.
The LX is currently my daily driver, but I plan to pick up a 200 series this coming winter, and the LX will then take over trail duties from my 80. So I will be driving the LX daily for at least the next 6 months. My commute is 60 miles every day straight to and from work on one hwy driving 60mph with no stops in between. For any other trips that don't require the capabilities of the LX or 80 we take the wifes Highlander.
I am building the LX to take the place of the 80 because i want to do 100s in the hills next year, and maybe Big Bend or Moab/Canyonlands in January. So once i have the 200, the LX will be used maybe once or twice a month on weekends exploring the State Parks/National Forest of Ga, FLA, AL, and SC and then 2 separate weeks of the year exploring out west. I am not up to the task of driving the 80 cross country, but I have no problems doing it in the 100.
So all that being said I like the look of the Toyo MT, and Ive read a lot of good reviews regarding great on-road and off-road manners. Most people seem to say that the Toyo is a very advanced tire that handles the hwy great with little noise, but I have to wonder if most of these reviews are just by people trying to justify their purchase of an aggressive mud-tire over an AT even though they never get off the pavement. I rotate every 5k but I don't want a tire that will wear out overnight, nor do I want a tire that will drive me crazy on a 5k road trip.
Then I look at the Nitto Ridge Grappler and I like the aggressive look but i have to wonder if that's all it is. LOOK. I have read some reviews that made me feel it may be far better suited to the HWY then to off-road. I got into some wet clay trails in Oconee NF last week and my KO2s had me feeling like I was driving on ice, I wonder if the Ridge Grapplers would be more of the same. I also haven't been able to find much long term info on them.
The Cooper ST Maxx seems like a good compromise but I'm not sure about the look, and yes look is important to me. I want to be happy with my vehicles look as well as its performance. I have never seen the ST Maxx outside of the internet, and perhaps they would look better in person to me.
So the question is would the Toyo be so much worse on the Hwy as to justify the Cooper? Would the Ridge Grappler be so much worse then the Cooper off-road to justify the ST Maxx? I would prefer to run the Toyo if its not too extreme for the HWY, and if it is, I like the look of the Ridge grappler, but I dont want to give up too much capability, and it would seem the ST Maxx has plenty of capability just not a look that I'm thrilled with.
Sorry about the long post but I wanted to give everyone as much info as possible. What do you guys think?