Tire fatigue - Defenders? G3s? AT2?

[Carolinapanic]

Hey gang,

I just bought a 2017 and I'm begging the long journey of starting to build it out.

The first trip to the shop is some dobinsons IMS, a sherpa rack, and wheels/tires.

I've read the massive thread on the Defender hype and I was wondering if there's something else I should consider in that area.

I do a ton of bay area highway commuting but will occasionally hit the Mojave or Death Valley for overlanding. Where gas is at today, I'm really conscious of MPG and tire weight. Is defender the only option for a light tire? Or is there something else that is slightly more aggressive?

 

[TimCFJ40]

Lots of highway and desert to me screams Defenders. Go SL Load unless you really carry a lot of load regularly.

 

[TeCKis300]

Sounds like you're heading the direction of an adventure/overland build and you really want a good AT tire with a priority for great highway manners/low NVH and great rolling resistance/mpg.

You're headed the right way. Nitto TG G3s are often quoted for just those qualities as a mild AT tire. I had the G2s and they delivered exactly that in their time, and the G3s bring performance up to parity with modern tires.

Michelin Defenders are great but not quite an AT in durability and off-road traction. It's a aggressive all-season touring tire. Maybe still the right solution for you and the LX will easily make up for traction.

Continental TerrainContact A/T are another that often gets mentioned as a mild AT tire with the qualities you seek.

 

[Suomi200]

I am in the same situation (Mostlly motorway and gravel roads) and have settled on the BFG trail terrains, it is a highway/terrain tire also offered as standard on other manufacturers.
Not driven them yet so no actual experience but worth looking into.

 

[MCtree]

I am quite happy with my Firestone Destinations.
I had KO2’s but felt they were too heavy and made the vehicle feel sluggish.

Like you, I’m mostly on paved roads. But with lots of fire roads.
That said, I didn’t want to feel stressed during the few times I actually venture into true off-road areas.

And I think the destinations handle very nicely on-road.

 

[stonepa]

Which trails in Death Valley? That gravel can be very rough on tires. Given the flats I have seen from cut tires, I run KO2s, load range E, for extra tire plys and have not had issues. Never really noticed a difference in highway MPG between Defenders and KO2s and absolutely zero mpg difference on the trail.

 

[dms]

If you have the extra cash, why not use Defenders on your stock wheels for most of your year round driving and have a second set of wheels with more aggressive tires i.e. KO2s etc. for your off-road trips?

 

[dudemancool1904]

Sounds like you're heading the direction of an adventure/overland build and you really want a good AT tire with a priority for great highway manners/low NVH and great rolling resistance/mpg.

You're headed the right way. Nitto TG G3s are often quoted for just those qualities as a mild AT tire. I had the G2s and they delivered exactly that in their time, and the G3s bring performance up to parity with modern tires.

Michelin Defenders are great but not quite an AT in durability and off-road traction. It's a aggressive all-season touring tire. Maybe still the right solution for you and the LX will easily make up for traction.

Continental TerrainContact A/T are another that often gets mentioned as a mild AT tire with the qualities you seek.

added plus for the Terra grapplers is they offer them in SL in several sizes as well