How does someone choose a tire for the 100 series.-- Edit: Bought Cooper AT3 LTs (1 Viewer)

[CBdeJ]

Honestly, I have no idea how to choose. I've got a spread sheet in front of me with 12 brands, in two sizes 265/75 or 285/75 16s, in either SL or E, with 3peak or not. The last time I bought tires was in Namibia. There weren't that many brands and M/T was basically the go to tire style (I was on gravel 90% of the time). Since I've been back in the US it's closer to 90% tarmac and 10% other so I'm looking at A/Ts. Also snow, which is definitely not something encountered in Nam or Tanzania.

Current tires are 8 year old Cooper AT3 P265/75-16 (standard load)

Just to narrow it down a bit. I've decided on 3 peak and E (i do carry a fairly large camping load). Is there a really good reason to go to 285s and the additional weight penalty? Do they fill the wheel wells that much better (purely an appearance thing?)

What brands should I avoid?
I'll probably age out of the tires rather than wear them out (I've still got 60%+ tread on the current coopers (they are dry rotting) so cost should probably matter for me more than most.

Suggestions?

Cheers,
Chris

 

[flintknapper]

I've been extremely happy with my Cooper S/T Maxx tires (285/75-16) 10 ply tires.

Had an opportunity to test them in snow and ice this past winter was surprised at how well they did.

Most of my use is on pavement but they also go on gravel roads here on the ranch....through mud and red clay. Decent 'rain tire' too.

 

[MountaineerLC]

I think the 285/75r16 fills the wheel well very well and suit the truck nicely. 255/85r16 would be another nice option, but there are limited A/T options and they're usually more expensive.

I'm currently running 3 peak rated 285/75r16 BFG KO2's and I've been very happy with them in all conditions. Like all A/T tires, their weakness is thick mud, but that's to be expected.

There is another 100 floating around town here with 265/75r16 KO2's and they fit the truck nicely, but to me appear a little on the small side. I have no direct comparison, but I would think any performance difference between the 265 and 285 would be negligible.

 

[AlpineAccess]

33"s and good tread, should be solid for you. Lots of options.

I'd focus on rain and snow manners based on your location and would do something in a P or C rating unless you're wanting a lot of off road use out of them. E ratings are just too stiff for road comfort, which is one of the things the land cruisers do very well. My Falken wild peaks are E rated and they are definitely the reason I feel more bumps than others.

 

[flintknapper]

I think the 285/75r16 fills the wheel well very well and suit the truck nicely. 255/85r16 would be another nice option, but there are limited A/T options and they're usually more expensive.

I'm currently running 3 peak rated 285/75r16 BFG KO2's and I've been very happy with them in all conditions. Like all A/T tires, their weakness is thick mud, but that's to be expected.

Well..........some are MUCH better than others. The BFG (for as long as they have been around) are famous for loading up and becoming a 'slick' in anything but soupy mud. And will not clear. A good tire in other conditions.....yes!

But not ALL A/T tires do so poorly. Not trying to bash the BFG but mud is without question their nemesis.

 

[kookoopuffs]

I've been extremely happy with my Cooper S/T Maxx tires (285/75-16) 10 ply tires.

Had an opportunity to test them in snow and ice this past winter was surprised at how well they did.

Most of my use is on pavement but they also go on gravel roads here on the ranch....through mud and red clay. Decent 'rain tire' too.

View attachment 2691047

Is that E or SL?

 

[kookoopuffs]

33"s and good tread, should be solid for you. Lots of options.

I'd focus on rain and snow manners based on your location and would do something in a P or C rating unless you're wanting a lot of off road use out of them. E ratings are just too stiff for road comfort, which is one of the things the land cruisers do very well. My Falken wild peaks are E rated and they are definitely the reason I feel more bumps than others.

When I look at 33 tires on discount tire specifically 285/65/18, al the all terrain tires are E rated. Where do you find non E rated 33 tires?

 

[flintknapper]

Is that E or SL?

It's an 'E' rated (10 ply) tire.

I'll always trade a little stiffer 'ride' for the extra protection of punctures or tears.

 

[saucebox]

It's an 'E' rated (10 ply) tire.

I'll always trade a little stiffer 'ride' for the extra protection of punctures or tears.

Same. But it's entirely dependent on the terrain here—if I thought I could get away with C rated, I would. But C is a recipe for disaster here with all the rocks.

 

[CBdeJ]

It looks like 265/75-16 is the largest tire that comes in P-metric from just about every manufacturer. Step up to 285 and they appear to be exclusively E rated. Frankly, I don't know if I'd notice the difference. My current tires are at 40 psi (but still under max inflation) to handle occasional heavier loads. A lower inflation level on an E might actually improve my ride quality.

Though I must say, I can't imagine I'm not going to notice going from 41 lbs per tire to near 60 lbs per corner with the jump to a 285 section width, E rated tire.

 

[flintknapper]

Though I must say, I can't imagine I'm not going to notice going from 41 lbs per tire to near 60 lbs per corner with the jump to a 285 section width, E rated tire.

That's a fair point. They ARE without a doubt... heavier.

I didn't notice any difference on my 100 series but I could tell a difference on my 80 series (going to a larger, heavier tire).

 

[hoser]

When I look at 33 tires on discount tire specifically 285/65/18, al the all terrain tires are E rated. Where do you find non E rated 33 tires?

You have to move to a 17" wheel to get a good selection non-E load tires.

 

[AlpineAccess]

When I look at 33 tires on discount tire specifically 285/65/18, al the all terrain tires are E rated. Where do you find non E rated 33 tires?

Might try some different wheel sizes, but yeah it may have come to that these days. My last set of Coopers were C rated and did very well on trails. P is not enough for offroad use IMO. It depends on your driving style. The difference between C and E is that you may have to replace a C on the trail *at some point* but for the 99% of the time when you're on the road you have a better driving vehicle. We have spare tires as insurance, but its just my opinion. I have E rated tires because I liked the price on the wildpeaks more at the time and the coopers had gone up in price quite a bit.

 

[CBdeJ]

You have to move to a 17" wheel to get a good selection non-E load tires.

That's not going to happen if only because everytime I open a thread about wheels I get even more confused as too what fits (or doesn't). That's a can of worms I'm not opening. Also, with new wheels I'd have to effectively double my budget.

 

[kookoopuffs]

Might try some different wheel sizes, but yeah it may have come to that these days. My last set of Coopers were C rated and did very well on trails. P is not enough for offroad use IMO. It depends on your driving style. The difference between C and E is that you may have to replace a C on the trail *at some point* but for the 99% of the time when you're on the road you have a better driving vehicle. We have spare tires as insurance, but its just my opinion. I have E rated tires because I liked the price on the wildpeaks more at the time and the coopers had gone up in price quite a bit.

How have the E rated wild peaks been on the road? Are they quiet? I know that the wild peaks are much quieter than other e rated tires but wanted to hear your experience.

 

[MountaineerLC]

Well..........some are MUCH better than others. The BFG (for as long as they have been around) are famous for loading up and becoming a 'slick' in anything but soupy mud. And will not clear. A good tire in other conditions.....yes!

But not ALL A/T tires do so poorly. Not trying to bash the BFG but mud is without question their nemesis.

Oh, I totally agree. I ran a set of Cooper ST's (predecessor to the ST Max's) on my old Disco II and was very impressed with them.

 

[PDPerry]

Honestly, I have no idea how to choose. I've got a spread sheet in front of me with 12 brands, in two sizes 265/75 or 285/75 16s, in either SL or E, with 3peak or not. The last time I bought tires was in Namibia. There weren't that many brands and M/T was basically the go to tire style (I was on gravel 90% of the time). Since I've been back in the US it's closer to 90% tarmac and 10% other so I'm looking at A/Ts. Also snow, which is definitely not something encountered in Nam or Tanzania.

Current tires are 8 year old Cooper AT3 P265/75-16 (standard load)

Just to narrow it down a bit. I've decided on 3 peak and E (i do carry a fairly large camping load). Is there a really good reason to go to 285s and the additional weight penalty? Do they fill the wheel wells that much better (purely an appearance thing?)

What brands should I avoid?
I'll probably age out of the tires rather than wear them out (I've still got 60%+ tread on the current coopers (they are dry rotting) so cost should probably matter for me more than most.

Suggestions?

Cheers,
Chris

Thank you for asking the question!
I've been on 265/75-16 Yokohama Geolander A/T for the last 45K and am happy with them (albeit they felt a bit floaty at first).
Gas mileage has been pretty good... at least Landcruiser-wise. Solid 12 in town and 16 highway. Solid grip in all my situations.
Like you, have been loading different tires/specs into the spreadsheet while debating a move to a 285/75-16 size. Which seems to be the size of choice while looking at other 'Mudders profiles.
Just hung-up on that additional unsprung weight at the corners and its impact on mileage and performance. Is the right "look" worth it? IDK.
Only have about another 4k or 5k before I'll be forced to make a decision tho...

 

[peacesells63]

Thank you for asking the question!
I've been on 265/75-16 Yokohama Geolander A/T for the last 45K and am happy with them (albeit they felt a bit floaty at first).
Gas mileage has been pretty good... at least Landcruiser-wise. Solid 12 in town and 16 highway. Solid grip in all my situations.
Like you, have been loading different tires/specs into the spreadsheet while debating a move to a 285/75-16 size. Which seems to be the size of choice while looking at other 'Mudders profiles.
Just hung-up on that additional unsprung weight at the corners and its impact on mileage and performance. Is the right "look" worth it? IDK.
Only have about another 4k or 5k before I'll be forced to make a decision tho...

Don't overthink it and just get what you want. Highway tires only do good on the highway, all terrains are OK everywhere but not great anywhere and mud terrains still handle decent on the highway these days but are way better than anything else on non paved roads. Unsprung weight concerns are for race cars, not slow speed off road trucks. These trucks get terrible mileage no matter what tire you run, so get tires with good sidewalls and worry more about how much noise you are willing to deal with than any of your other concerns.

 

[thebeedeegee]

I haven't tried many tires yet, but so far my K02's in 285/75r16 have been great on road, and decent in rocky terrain. Like someone said above they are horrible in mud. I would turn around at most long muddy sections in the woods until I got my winch, and then I actually had to use my winch because the tires just packed up.

My wife has the wildpeak AT's on her FJC and they seem to do much better in mud. They are the same size, but look much bigger. I think that has something to do with the design of the FJ vs the 100 series though.

Both tires are wearing very well, and neither are loud on the road. I run them about 40 psi on road and 20 psi off.

My next tire will be a mud terrain for sure. I'm leaning toward the Cooper STT Pro in 285/75/16

 

[peacesells63]

I haven't tried many tires yet, but so far my K02's in 285/75r16 have been great on road, and decent in rocky terrain. Like someone said above they are horrible in mud. I would turn around at most long muddy sections in the woods until I got my winch, and then I actually had to use my winch because the tires just packed up.

My wife has the wildpeak AT's on her FJC and they seem to do much better in mud. They are the same size, but look much bigger. I think that has something to do with the design of the FJ vs the 100 series though.

Both tires are wearing very well, and neither are loud on the road. I run them about 40 psi on road and 20 psi off.

My next tire will be a mud terrain for sure. I'm leaning toward the Cooper STT Pro in 285/75/16

I've had k02's on a few trucks over the years, they arent the worst tire but there are far better options these days. they are definitely terrible in mud and snow. I replaced the k02's that were on my wifes V8 4runner with cooper ST maxx in 255/80/17 and they are so much better. They are over 2 years old now and are still quieter than the k02's when those were new. I went through 2 sets of st maxx's on my 80 as well, that took 8 years. I have them on my LX in 37's also... lol.

that’s her truck on fins in moab last week

I put wildpeak at's on my moms 100, then her new lx and those tires really impressed me on pavement and in snow and ice. I drove the truck through a snow storm and was holding about 60mph with 6" of snow covering I-17. Even in the icy stuff at lower elevations you had to work to get abs to kick on. They are without a doubt better than k02's.

this was the morning after the snowstorm mentioned above. I drove home from work in PHX at midnight

Stt pros are good tires, thats currently what I have on my 80 in a 35. They are wearing well 2 years in and are great in mud and snow. They are quite a bit louder than when new 2 years ago, but not bad. They dont throw stones anywhere near as bad as the st maxx does. I lived on a dirt road for 3 years, so that mattered quite a bit.


Same snow storm as above, out came the 80

I ordered the mickey thompson baja boss AT's in 295/70/17 for the 100 i'm putting together now. MT's are made by cooper, and they are really good tires. mostly looking for winter performance out of these but they have the same sidewalls as cooper and the MT mud terrains. tons of siping and good tread depth.