"Best" tire in 285/65/18 (1 Viewer)

[TheGrrrrr]

I'd like a recommendation from the group. I am just not mathmatically inclined but have absorbed as much as I can from this thread and this one:

LT285/65/18 + 18” stock rims and KDSS

@gaijin mentioned in another thread that this tire size on Toyota 18” OEM rim may interfere with KDSS in 2016+ LC. If so, then which part of KDSS does it touch? Is this something that happens at extreme steering angles or max flex? Down the road, i am thinking of upgrading to this size...but...

forum.ih8mud.com

I have an 08 LC stock. Been running the Geolandar's in 285/60/18. When I bought it I think it had 275's on it and they looked think and awful. In the next year I'll do probably 85% on road and 15% off with mostly National Forest Service road, hunting roads, and possibly a trip to CO to explore some BLM land. Love the look of the KO2's but concerned about highway road noise and, reading here, had no idea tire weight was a thing.

Seems like some good options are the Goodyears Ultraterrain or Duratrac and Revo 3's but they are in the 285/65/18's. If I do the slightly larger tire what mod's do I need to make? Would someone like Discount Tire help make the mod's or am I on my own?

Had no idea I could get analysis paralysis on a set of tires.
TIA

In all seriousness, KO2 is probably more off-road than you need. I would stay away from the Duratracs unless snow is a factor. I have found that the best balance between all-terrain capability and highway manners is a Hybrid like a Ridge Grappler or a Falken AT3W, but with your highway bias, I might look at the Nitto Terra Grappler G2. I had those on my Full-size Range Rover and they worked great for the kind of off-roading you described, were quite and handled well on the highway and looked good even though they have a less aggressive 'off-road' appearance. If looks matter, I have been exceptionally happy with the Ridge Grapplers, but they will feel more like an off-road tire. That said they were a massive improvement in feel from my Duratracs on pavement.

As far as size, if you aren't lifted, I would expect that you can get away with the 285/65/18 without any Mods. You may find some very slight rubbing in reverse with the steering wheel turned all the way, but that is all. The 'mods' for that are just a matter of trimming some plastic in wheel well. The first time its a little nerve racking but once your are done, you will realize how not a big deal it is at all. No skill required. Discount Tire will not do any mods to fit the tire or solve for rubbing. You can almost certainly go to any off-road shop and have it done in minutes.

These are just my opinions and observations. I run 275/70/18 Ridge Grapplers and I have made adjustments to the wheel well liners as well as removed mud flaps. Not a big deal at all. The photo below is of my stock (no lift) 2013 running 275/65/18 Duratracs with no mods at all.

 

[04UZJ100]

In all seriousness, KO2 is probably more off-road than you need. I would stay away from the Duratracs unless snow is a factor. I have found that the best balance between all-terrain capability and highway manners is a Hybrid like a Ridge Grappler or a Falken AT3W, but with your highway bias, I might look at the Nitto Terra Grappler G2. I had those on my Full-size Range Rover and they worked great for the kind of off-roading you described, were quite and handled well on the highway and looked good even though they have a less aggressive 'off-road' appearance. If looks matter, I have been exceptionally happy with the Ridge Grapplers, but they will feel more like an off-road tire. That said they were a massive improvement in feel from my Duratracs on pavement.

As far as size, if you aren't lifted, I would expect that you can get away with the 285/65/18 without any Mods. You may find some very slight rubbing in reverse with the steering wheel turned all the way, but that is all. The 'mods' for that are just a matter of trimming some plastic in wheel well. The first time its a little nerve racking but once your are done, you will realize how not a big deal it is at all. No skill required. Discount Tire will not do any mods to fit the tire or solve for rubbing. You can almost certainly go to any off-road shop and have it done in minutes.

These are just my opinions and observations. I run 275/70/18 Ridge Grapplers and I have made adjustments to the wheel well liners as well as removed mud flaps. Not a big deal at all. The photo below is of my stock (no lift) 2013 running 275/65/18 Duratracs with no mods at all.

View attachment 2397171

Do you think the KO2s are more aggressive than the Ridge Grapplers? On appearance only - the tread suggests the opposite. Which do you think rides better on road/handling/wet weather/noise?

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I have found the Ridge Grapplers to be superior to the KO2 in my experience. I don't think there is any real difference in terms of overall capability, but the Ridge Grapplers feel better going down the road and have proven themselves off-road on many of the most prolific rigs on mud. I never liked the way my KO2s felt on really wet surfaces, but others think they are great. Noise, I would say the Ridge Grapplers are better, but the Terra Grappler G2 is the quietest AT tire I have tried. I think I saw more Ridge Grapplers than any other single tire model at LCDC this year, which says something. My personal opinion is that you can't go 'wrong' with any of the common options discussed here on Mud, but Ridge Grapplers seem to be very popular. I'm glad I chose them. Also, they look great. The KO2 is a great tire and proven on countless platforms and in many conditions, but I don't think it has kept up with the advances made in the Hybrid space. Again, I don't think you can go wrong with Nitto, BFG, Goodyear, Falken etc. You will find fans of each. You will find doucebags who bag on each. Anyone who tells you a tire sucks for whatever reason, isn't worth listening to too much. Look for a consensus of opinions. There is no perfect tire, but I believe negative tire experiences are typically driven by the specifics of the that situation and not the tire itself. You will get a better picture from listening to many voices providing perspectives under normal conditions. Watch out for fanboys and people who preach about engineering topics they don't understand. The reality is that the real world differences between top tier tire tires in any given segment is small and usually manifest in ways that are totally subjective.

 

[MHLC08]

Thanks for the opinion on the Nittos. What’s the difference between the Ridge and Terra? Description seems very similar.

 

[Blandito80]

I have the Ridge Grapplers in stock size on my LC and they are a overall great tire and agree with per immediate comments above from The Grrrrr. I travel in southwest USA with rocks, sharp rocks, gravel, adobe mud, snow, and more sharp rocks and they seem to be holding up well. I also wanted something for LC that was more pack snow/ice friendly for northern adventures so this was the result. Have tried a bunch of others over the years.

But...I've been a longtime fan of the Goodyear MTR Kevlar tires and are my clear favorite for a super tough sidewall in sharp lacerating rocks which I've used on a few LC but also now for a number of years on a PowerWagon with 4WD camper rig that goes where chainsaws take me. They look like they should be noisy but they are reasonably quiet and if you drive in sharp rocks and adobe mud they perform, they air down well, and I haven't found anything better for toughness and performance. I hate sidewall lacerations and hate changing tires in the location where of course that happens.

Old saying I guess....but don't just get hung up on some specific size thing to 'fill the wheel well' or for some look.

 

[04UZJ100]

I have the Ridge Grapplers in stock size on my LC and they are a overall great tire and agree with per immediate comments above from The Grrrrr. I travel in southwest USA with rocks, sharp rocks, gravel, adobe mud, snow, and more sharp rocks and they seem to be holding up well. I also wanted something for LC that was more pack snow/ice friendly for northern adventures so this was the result. Have tried a bunch of others over the years.

But...I've been a longtime fan of the Goodyear MTR Kevlar tires and are my clear favorite for a super tough sidewall in sharp lacerating rocks which I've used on a few LC but also now for a number of years on a PowerWagon with 4WD camper rig that goes where chainsaws take me. They look like they should be noisy but they are reasonably quiet and if you drive in sharp rocks and adobe mud they perform, they air down well, and I haven't found anything better for toughness and performance. I hate sidewall lacerations and hate changing tires in the location where of course that happens.

Old saying I guess....but don't just get hung up on some specific size thing to 'fill the wheel well' or for some look.

How is the road noise?

 

[Joe T]

Anyone running the 285/65/18 Falken AT3 in SL (OE on the new TRD Sequoia)? I verified with Falken today that it is a 38 lb tire but only has 10/32 tread as opposed to the new AT4 LT at 14/32 but that tire weights like 55lbs which is too heavy.

Just using them in sandy lomb and some clay type of mud occasionally, no rocks.