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

[Brandon Ryder]

My cooper at3 xlt are great for exactly what you want. Great on road. Totally quiet, a good 4 season tire that is good on snow on the road. What they suffer at is deep snow off road, probably due to the weight of the cruiser. They also probably aren't great at steep inclines on rocks. They are great on gravel roads with sharp rocks. They were designed for that. They look great on the LC too.

I don't think you need the 3 Peak rating. 3 peak isn't a winter tire and doesn't mean the tire is any better than another tire like the Cooper which isn't 3 peak rated. The only advantage they may have is some localities may let you go without chains in certain circumstances with rated tires.

 

[highonpottery]

A lot of the current styles of AT tires are simply really good tires and it's kinda personal preference now as they'd all perform similarly.
My last set of tires were Duratracs, it was when I first put 33s/285s on my Cruiser and I sorta bought them based on looks and because they were a newish tire on the market. I got around 65k out of those before they were badly cupped and sounded like an MT tire. I didn't like how squishy they felt and the sidewalls looked more aesthetic than functional.
Current tires are Falken AT3W in 285, I got them back in 2016 when hardly anybody had them - now I kinda see them everywhere like the plague of BFG KOs I've seen for years. Not that it's a bad thing, these Falkens have been some of the best tires I've ever ran on any truck and I'd happily continue with them; have even considered switching out my MTs for them on my pickup truck. My wallet definitely liked that 5 tires was around the price of 4 in other popular ATs. Had mine rotated today after not rotating them for a long time - have around 40k on them and tread wear is at 13/32 front and 14/32 rear. Taken them through every terrain except deep snow and deep mud, performed as expected.

Honestly my Cruiser is mostly a pavement pounder. I thought I would get out on the trails more often like I did in my truck, but family life happened and trail life tapered down. Because I didn't end up lifting my rig or going offroad as much, it would not be the end of the world if I stayed with stock sized tires, just more aggressive. I did notice the initial hit when I put on 33s, but a lot of the negatives I felt like the handling, braking, etc for daily driving actually improved quite a bit when I switched away from the Duratracs. I think it had a lot to do with the rubber compound on that tire

 

[TheForger]

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).

Only have about another 4k or 5k before I'll be forced to make a decision tho...

I'm in the exact same boat - running the same size & brand tire and have been very happy, but I only have a couple thousand miles left on them before I need a new set (which will be 33ish). Not sure what I will get but I'm not looking forward to buying 5 $$$$

 

[Sean Monett]

Look at Toyo Open Country CT. They make them in 285/75 16. This is what I have. 3 snowflake rated and great in the rain. My truck weighs 7200 and I run these. Still have capacity in the tires weight rating.
mom pretty sure they are the only C rated 285/16’s out there. I searched for a while to find a C. I’ve done most of the trails at Moab with them and they are really good there. Live in Florida and great in the rain.
best ride on this truck since I got rid of the stock size Michelin’s. Toyos are known for their toughness.

 

[Mike NXP]

Tires are way too subjective to driver opinion and vehicle state. Buy a tire based on the conditions you drive in, any quality name brand tire will be a good choice.

 

[AlpineAccess]

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.

Quiet isn't the word I would use, they hum along fine though, pretty good tire.

Stiff though.

 

[CBdeJ]

So, I’m narrowing things down a bit. Still looking at E rated, three peak is still important, and I think I’m still going to stay at the tweener size of 265/75r16.

Right now Toyo Open Country AT3s are at the top of my list. We’ll see how long till I change my mind again.

 

[CBdeJ]

Changed my mind and bought some tires.
Went with Cooper AT3 LT in C rated 265/75R16. Not 3peaks rated but similar tread to the AT3 4S and generally considered to be a great wet weather tire. They are 46 lbs each which is 5 lbs more per corner than the old Cooper AT/3s (SL rated) currently on the truck. Photos as soon as I get them mounted.

The goal was to get a bit more trail protection while still getting decent on road performance at a minimal weight penalty. I think I’ve ticked most of the boxes.

Fortunately the cooper site has a photo of the tire in the size I ordered

 

[CBdeJ]

Tires are mounted and the difference is a revelation. First thing I noticed was that turn in was improved, I then noticed that the new tires ride A LOT better than the previous Cooper AT3s I had on the truck. Much more compliant over bumps even with moving from a P-metric SL tire to a LT (C load rating).
I've noticed no changes to acceleration or braking due to the increased weight (5 lbs a corner). Haven't tried them in the wet yet but looking at the tread and the depth I see improved hydroplaning resistance in the future. One last item. Certain sizes of the AT3LT come with a three peak rating. This size is one of them.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Dref]

Look at Toyo Open Country CT. They make them in 285/75 16. This is what I have. 3 snowflake rated and great in the rain. My truck weighs 7200 and I run these. Still have capacity in the tires weight rating.
mom pretty sure they are the only C rated 285/16’s out there. I searched for a while to find a C. I’ve done most of the trails at Moab with them and they are really good there. Live in Florida and great in the rain.
best ride on this truck since I got rid of the stock size Michelin’s. Toyos are known for their toughness.

Look at Toyo Open Country CT. They make them in 285/75 16. This is what I have. 3 snowflake rated and great in the rain. My truck weighs 7200 and I run these. Still have capacity in the tires weight rating.
mom pretty sure they are the only C rated 285/16’s out there. I searched for a while to find a C. I’ve done most of the trails at Moab with them and they are really good there. Live in Florida and great in the rain.
best ride on this truck since I got rid of the stock size Michelin’s. Toyos are known for their toughness.

Thanks for the heads up on the Toyos in 285/75r16. Was about to go 265/75 until I saw your post. It was impossible to find C rated tires in 285. Selling my E rated tires. With these Toyo Open Country I get to keep the size AND hopefully get a more comfortable ride.

 

[gregnash]

Yup... I honestly have been a huge fan of Cooper tires since I first got my 60 and needed to put tires on it. Put the Cooper S/T Maxx on them and loved them for just about everything we did. They had great road manners, friends that run a truck accessories shop even commented on how quiet they were on the road for such a meaty tire. My only gripe was that I got about 30k miles out of them before they needed replacing. But that was over about 6yrs of ownership as it was not a normal commuter vehicle. They did great in our Lake Tahoe/Northern NV high desert snow and rain, off-road I never had a complaint or worry about sharp rocks. After those were done I went to the AT3 XLT and had those for a few months before I sold the 60 to get my 100.

When I bought the 100 it had practically brand new Falken Wildpeak AT3W on it and thus far have been very impressed. Believe I have about 25k on them (not exactly sure on mileage as previous owner didn't keep records of when purchased) and they are at 12/32s currently (caveat is they come at 19/32 according to their website). They have been great in our snow, did awesome recently in some snotty slick mud that our club played in going up a hill recently and have been an all around great tire. I am noticing they are getting a bit loud but that could be do to a slight bit of cupping that is happening due to the monthly offroad trips where we air up and down.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Those coopers are great tires. Had them on a first gen Tundra and recommend them to people often. I didn't realize they now have the 3 peak rating on certain sizes. That puts them back on the list for the next set of tires. I just need to put more miles on the cruiser because at this rate the Falkens will be replaced due to UV Damage/weather checking before the tread is worn out.

 

[smileyboy]

Looking to get some tires too.
I have a 2.5 inch lift, and 18in rims.

My rig is for overloading, not rock crawling, I like a comfortable ride and really appreciate good road manners. Anyone have any suggestions? Its been 7 years since I've bought tires.

I currently have 295s NTs

 

[AlpineAccess]

Looking to get some tires too.
I have a 2.5 inch lift, and 18in rims.

My rig is for overloading, not rock crawling, I like a comfortable ride and really appreciate good road manners. Anyone have any suggestions? Its been 7 years since I've bought tires.

I currently have 295s NTs

I think the verdict of this thread is to get the Coopers but tire opinions are limitless depending on who and where you ask.

If NT's stands for Nitto Terragrapplers, it my opinion that they were one of the worst tires I ever had on my vehicle for anything involving inclement weather. Fine on a dry trail or nice clean road, but get some rain or light snow and it was just dangerous. I would consider nearly any all terrain an improvement over them, outside of the Rugged Trails.

 

[smileyboy]

Thanks for the feedback. I can agree with your NT evaluation. I'm just trying to find a reasonable size

 

[CBdeJ]

It was a tough process for me to make a final decision. It took time and spread sheets. In the end it was critical to set the perimeters I felt the tires needed fulfill and tone out the noise. Tire weight was a serious consideration for me, as was wet and inclement weather handling given how changeable the weather is in PNW. There are going to be comprises but with so many brands and so many models of tires per brand, finding something that ticks a lot of your own boxes isn’t terribly hard. The answer doesn’t have to be KO2s in 285/75-16. (Unless you want it to be).