Tire Durability Poll

[MotorboatMcGoat]

Analysis paralysis. I've scoured the internet and various forums and there's tons of scattered and contradicting info. I'm more interested in what users of our specific platform have to say as it's hard to compare people's experiences that own other vehicles.

I've heard back from two tire manufacturers saying they don't recommend airing down their P(SL/XL) AT tires. That likely leaves me to C or E rated LT tires. The vast majority of the tires I actually like only come in a Load E rating.

Share your experience: tire size, load rating, what type of off-roading you do and where you do it, grip, perceived durability, wear on components, issues had, comfort levels, ability/inability to flex offroad, treadwear, trail performance, rain/snow, AT/RT/MT, REGRETS, etc.

 

[tstepp920]

Following

 

[Longarmtj]

Running the open country at iii lt and have picked up 3 nails that tire shop just pulled out for free because it didn’t puncture.

 

[Rednexus]

I have SL Wildpeaks AT3W tires (P rated). They have around 30k on them and have been off roaded a lot in MO, CO, & UT. I usually air down to 18 psi but have gone as low as 15 psi. Zero punctures. I also pump them up to 42 psi for towing our 4K# loaded camper (which they excel at). I did get some sand in the bead of one after doing donuts on a gravel bar at 18 psi, but not sure that is related to tire plies. It developed a slow leak that went away after the bead was unseated and cleaned. I do have onboard air, a tire patch kit, good quality spare, and a base for the OEM jack in case there is an issue.

IMO P- rateds are perfect for a daily GX that hits mild/moderate weekend trails. Acceleration, braking, and comfort are all very good. Durability is fine, they are a bit over half worn. If my GX was more of a trail specific rig I'd get C or E rated tires.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Nitto Ridge Grapplers here. Specific details below. Almost 30k miles on them and I do not hear any increase in road noise and they are still almost new with very little tread wear. Done some light off-roading and a lot of roads in poor quality. Couldn't of asked for a better set of tires.

265/70/R17 115T SL BSW

 

[Roody]

Running Toyo Open Country A/T IIIs on my 460. 285/70/17 in E. Highly recommend them. Drive great on road and have been aired down to 17 PSI on sharp, rocky trails with no punctures. The E factor definitely brings a little more stiffness on tarmac than C or LT but the trade-off is worth it for me, especially if towing is in the cards. Have run plenty of other tires on other vehicles. If wheeling is a factor and you can palate the gas mileage detriment and minor ride quality impact, I'd definitely say go with an E-rated tire.

To answer the questions about the E-rated Toyo A/T IIIs more fully:

• Type of off-roading: Slow-speed trail stuff. Dirt to rocks to mud. Northeast exclusively for now.
• Grip: Very good in the dry off-road when aired down. Give up a bit in wetter situations, but to be expected from an A/T. On-road grip is fantastic.
• Wear on components: None to speak of thus far.
• Issues had: None to speak of thus far.
• Comfort levels: Very high. Ride quality is worse than stock, but putting the Toyos on was paired with adding the lift and other items, so it's hard to chalk up to just the tires. Still, the Toyos are extremely quiet, extremely smooth, and provide a ton of confidence. (We've also run the A/T IIs on other vehicles that are exclusively on-road trucks, some with a lot of towing use, and they were the most comfortable on-road A/T of the many we tried.)
• Flex off-road: Good. The sidewall deflects enough to maintain grip, but the weight of the vehicle is well-managed. Obviously for off-road use alone I'd look for more sidewall flex, but the way the tire flexes off-road combined with how little it rolls on-road is a good compromise for a vehicle like the GX.
• Treadwear: I only have about 5,000 miles on the A/T IIIs but the tread itself looks almost brand new. They're due for a rotation, but they're holding up great.
• Trail performance: Solid. Everything with an A/T is a give-and-take, but that's the world I live in since the trails require long highway treks to get there. For the on-road comfort of the Toyos, I'm pleased with the trail performance. Only in low-grip off-road situations (mud, ice, etc) have I wished for more grip.
• Rain/snow: Handle rain like it's not even there. Haven't driven it in snow more than a few times but did quite well. I will say that the best tires I've ever used in deep snow are the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs, but they (in)famously have soft sidewalls and only last about 25k miles before falling apart.
• AT/RT/MT: Running an A/T is a good compromise for a daily driver than sees occasional trail time. You have to use a little more skinny pedal in some off-road instances than if you had an M/T, but it's all in good fun.
• Regrets: Basically none... hindsight is always 20/20, but I'd make the same decision again. That said, I might try a more pizza-cutter size next time, or a M/T just to see how it compares to an A/T on the GX.

Hope that helps!

 

[MotorboatMcGoat]

Running Toyo Open Country A/T IIIs on my 460. 285/70/17 in E. Highly recommend them. Drive great on road and have been aired down to 17 PSI on sharp, rocky trails with no punctures.

Thanks for the info! That does help a lot, the Toyo is on my short list. Their E rated 265 isn't very heavy at all compared to some other E rated AT tires.

• the way the tire flexes off-road combined with how little it rolls on-road is a good compromise for a vehicle like the GX.
• Everything with an A/T is a give-and-take

I think that's what makes is that much harder for me to decide. Gotta figure out what I value most and compromise.

• AT/RT/MT: Running an A/T is a good compromise for a daily driver than sees occasional trail time. You have to use a little more skinny pedal in some off-road instances than if you had an M/T, but it's all in good fun.
• Regrets: Basically none... hindsight is always 20/20, but I'd make the same decision again. That said, I might try a more pizza-cutter size next time, or a M/T just to see how it compares to an A/T on the GX.

Right on. I've always been curious about some of the RT tires out there myself. Decisions decisions.

 

[MotorboatMcGoat]

Running the open country at iii lt and have picked up 3 nails that tire shop just pulled out for free because it didn’t puncture.

What size of tire are you running? How much of a comfort change was it from P to LT?

 

[MotorboatMcGoat]

I have SL Wildpeaks AT3W tires (P rated). They have around 30k on them and have been off roaded a lot in MO, CO, & UT. I usually air down to 18 psi but have gone as low as 15 psi. Zero punctures. I also pump them up to 42 psi for towing our 4K# loaded camper (which they excel at). I did get some sand in the bead of one after doing donuts on a gravel bar at 18 psi, but not sure that is related to tire plies. It developed a slow leak that went away after the bead was unseated and cleaned. I do have onboard air, a tire patch kit, good quality spare, and a base for the OEM jack in case there is an issue.

IMO P- rateds are perfect for a daily GX that hits mild/moderate weekend trails. Acceleration, braking, and comfort are all very good. Durability is fine, they are a bit over half worn. If my GX was more of a trail specific rig I'd get C or E rated tires.

Right on, and nice build! I really need to get onboard air. What do you use as your base for the jack?

 

[Banandalorian]

I have about 2 years and 15k miles on my SL Pirelli Scorpion AT+ (265/70/17) and they have been great so far. That includes plenty of daily on road driving and a bunch of off-roading on the VA trails so plenty of dirt/light mud, loose rock, small rock ledges, etc. I've also been in light snow/ice both on and off road. I run 36psi on road and have aired down as low as 12 psi off road, loaded with weekend camping crap, with no issues. They have the usual A/T caveats: A mud tire will work better in deep/thick mud but I've never gotten myself stuck. A snow tire will work better in winter weather but honestly the only time its really noticeable is braking on ice.

When these wear out, I may replace with an XL or C rated LT since the GX is a big gal to begin with and I have bolted a bunch of steel to mine. I haven't had any issues with the SL tires and a year of daily driving with bumper/skids/sliders/tire carrier/etc.

 

[Longarmtj]

I ran federal xplora r/ts on my gladiator and loved them but couldn’t find them in stock for the gx. I have a set of general grabber x3 on my other Jeep that are the quietest mt I have ever ran but couldn’t justify a mt for the gx.

 

[Rednexus]

Right on, and nice build! I really need to get onboard air. What do you use as your base for the jack?

Stacked 2x10 treated lumber (3" total) with M10X1.5 threaded inserts that allow the OEM jack to be securely bolted to the base, and allows the lower 2x10 to be unbolted. Just weighs a few pounds and fits well inside my drawers. I looked at purpose-made metal jack bases and frankly was not impressed relative to just DIY'ing one for nearly free.