Thinking about some changes..

[sdnative]

Now that I have had the truck for a year, I am thinking about making some changes.

Tires:
after listening to the hum of mud tires for close to 1500 miles on the Grand Canyon trip, I have been reconsidering the need for such an aggressive tire. I am thinking some ATs would work better. Something that is tough enough for some rough trail and rock use, but quieter on the road and decent in rain/snow. I considered the Duratrac but heard these had paper thin sidewalls. I also like the Cooper ST Maxx tires that Dave has, but they have a very limited size selection. I have now been seriously considering the Nitto Terra Graplers.




Tire Size:
I currently have 315s, which are pretty expensive to replace. I am considering stepping down to 295s Problem is I am geared to 4.88. How bad are 285s or 295s with lower gears? Is it really that bad? I don't mind keeping it around 65 on the highway. Would I regret this?

Dave, I believe you have 5.13 gears with smaller tires. What are your impressions?




Part-time 4wd:
I have been thinking about going back to full-time 4wd for the added stability and ABS. To do this I would have to open the xfer case or find another one and swap it in. Then swap the hubs for the drive plates. Luckily, I have all of the original parts.



Any thoughts?

 

[calstyl2]

Nitto and Toyo use the same core tire, both in AT and MT, so you are dealing with same durability, I had Terra Grapplers on my tow rig and loved them, also ran Toyo ATs, wear was not great in a F-250 towing alot.
Toyo and Nitto are owned by the same company so they share alot.

 

[fjc8871]

I have a 97 front and tcase that I would swap with your parts if it worked out. Been thinking about going part time myself. PM me if interested.

 

[Rwhat]

Go down to Americas tire and check out the Falken Wild peak AT/Rocky Mountain AT

You can get 5 315's out the door for just over 1k. They will price match, have them call Stockton tire and wheel. They sell them for $178 a piece.

These tires are pretty aggressive in person.

(4) New 315-75-16 Falken Wild Peak All Terrain w.free Install - $799

Project-JK.com - Jeep JK Wrangler Resource » Falken Wild Peak AT - They Get You Going!By Discount Tire

 

[BradAT]

I'm running these in 285, love them! I believe they are now offering these in 325 and 345 for 16" wheels. I want some.

 

[Slomo]

Another thing to consider is load rating. If you are looking for tuff tires you can go with an E load rated tire to get a tougher casing but still get the all terrain tread pattern. Depending on how loaded up your rig is the ride quality may be affected a bit. Not all companies offer e rated all terrains but many of the big ones do.

 

[chap79]

I've been having the same thoughts on my Cooper STT. Great tire, but long drives seem to
"drone" on forever. I've been debating going the 255/85 route, I just wish there was a greater tire selection. The Cooper ST isn't too bad, neither is the Geolandar AT/S. I'll probably go the Geolandar route when it's time for new shoes.

As for the Duratracs, ⅔ tread life will be pretty quiet, but that last third is like a mud terrain. As for the sidewall, I never had any problems with the set I had. I did however think that they felt a little squirrelly on the freeway. YMMV.