Tire recommendations

[hatchethead]

Hey Everyone,

My shop (which I don't entirely trust) says its time for a set of new tires on my FZJ80. It's mostly a daily driver (as opposed to a trail runner), and I drive on gravel as well as blacktop.

The tires that my shop has recommended in the past haven't made me that happy. For example, it seems like I always have slow leaks.

What type of tires should I be looking at? What makes one set of tires better than another? What prices should I be expecting?

Thanks in advance for you facts and opinions.

Jason

 

[CruiseOrlando]

This question has been answered many, many times. Have you tried searching?

Ignoring that and to answer your question, you have to tell us a little more. I'm guessing that you're looking for OEM replacement (265/75/R16?), and AT-type tires?

I just bought 5 MT's (Dunlop Fierce Attitudes) from Sam's club. If you have one around, I found it to be the best price around (and I looked everywhere).

Pricing should be around $150-$200/tire for decent AT's in that size, and Sam's charges like $15/rim for installation & lifetime balance/rotation.

All tire shops can be bargained with. If you're taking their first price you're probably getting ripped off. I'm not talking about Sam's Club here, but more like Discount Tire or something like that.

 

[greentruck]

I'm partial to BFG radials, but tire choice is a very personal thing...and I like to be ready for the rare instances when I'm actually on the trail vs blacktop.

I do have a specific recommendation on your slow leak issue, though. Are you running stock alloys? If so and depending on corrosion, which varies greatly depending on local conditions, it may be the rims.

The stock alloys on our truck were pretty trashy. It could be that there was a pinhole leak started, but more likely just the rough lip on the rim, due to the corrosion I observed when they were broken down, lets air past. I retired two of them right off the truck when I replaced the tires. One I used on the new spare we have now and the other two went onto to M101. Now one of those is living with a slow leak, just as I did with several when they came with the truck. I doubt it's due to a tire leak. Reminds me to check the spare, though.

My conclusion? It's the perfect time for new rims, although they may not have been in the budget. You'll know for sure, however, when your brand new meats lose air just sitting in the drive

 

[86tuning]

+1 on the big question:

what tires are you running right now? size and model.

after that, we can discuss what would possibly work better for you

 

[pursuit]

Duratrac is a great tire, and inexpensive, for daily driving on mixed surfaces. Also a good tire on snow, and is predrilled for studs. Available in many sizes and load ratings.

 

[StickyRiceEater85]

Duratrac is a great tire, and inexpensive, for daily driving on mixed surfaces. Also a good tire on snow, and is predrilled for studs. Available in many sizes and load ratings.

Totally agree. My 315/75/16s are awesome. Great for daily driving not too noisy for daily driving and great in the snow.

 

[Frankencruiser]

I agree that the duratrac is a great tire, but it is not inexpensive. Nitto terra grapplers and hankook dynapro AT-M are both good tires, and less expensive.

 

[Trapper50cal]

From what he says he does with the truck, the Nitto Terra Grappler was the first tire that came to my mind...

 

[diego355]

Cooper ST

 

[gtfour43]

Ive had both the TG and now duratracs. IMO the TGs rode better and were quieter on the street. Also the nittos were cheaper per comparable sizes. I love my duratracs though.

Sent from my 4" laptop using the IH8MUD app

 

[BrotherRob]

From what he says he does with the truck, the Nitto Terra Grappler was the first tire that came to my mind...

x2. Great tires and one of the cheapest on the market.

 

[CruiseOrlando]

The problem I found with the Nitto's is trying to get them. At least around here, not many shops carry them - and those that do have a limited subset of Nitto's line.

Also, the prices I found were well over $120/tire higher than the cost of the Dunlop Fierce Attitude MT's I ended up selecting. That can put a sizable dent in your budget.

 

[khoi911]

The problem I found with the Nitto's is trying to get them. At least around here, not many shops carry them - and those that do have a limited subset of Nitto's line.

Also, the prices I found were well over $120/tire higher than the cost of the Dunlop Fierce Attitude MT's I ended up selecting. That can put a sizable dent in your budget.

You can buy nittos online (amazon, ebay, ect.) with free shipping. Hell you can buy anything these days without leaving your house.

 

[arndog123]

My wife and I are both happy w/ our Duratracs.

 

[maybe_a_80...]

Nitto Terra Grapplers will work well in MO...as long you only encounter the occasional snow. TGs are not universally known for superior snow performance in comparison with other options out there. The TG has a stronger than average sidewall and will work well on gravel roads and pavement.

Goodyear Silent Armors are another good option if you are in need of a general purpose road tire that will be durable and solid on gravel/dirt roads. The advantage of the Silent Armor over the TGs is that the Silent Armors are sublime on snowy/icy roads. The Silent Armor tread pattern is not what I would call an agressive A/T, but it is aggressive for a road-oriented truck tire. I would likely purchase this tire if I was not looking for superior off-road performance period.

Goodyear Duratracs are quickly becoming the "go-to" tire for those looking for an agressive A/T. Advantages to this tire include kevlar reinforcement, and deep, well spaced knobs with siping. I haven't run the Duratracs yet, but my guess is that they are on par with the Silent Armors in snow. The advantage over the Silent will come when a deeper, more off road oriented tread pattern is needed. Living in Colorado's High Country, I'm hard pressed to come up with a multi-functional tire that is more appropriate than the DuraTrac.

Good luck!

 

[Trapper50cal]

The problem I found with the Nitto's is trying to get them. At least around here, not many shops carry them - and those that do have a limited subset of Nitto's line.

Also, the prices I found were well over $120/tire higher than the cost of the Dunlop Fierce Attitude MT's I ended up selecting. That can put a sizable dent in your budget.

Yeah, but the problem with the Fierce's is aesthetic...my opinion only but that barb wire/flame theme is kinda ghey.

 

[PDoyle]

I have at least 55k miles on 4 Bridgestone Revo's. They are 33's, I keep around 40 lbs of air in them and I run 100% on road -for now. Looks like I can get at least 10 k more miles out of them.

 

[Pin_Head]

Goodyear Duratracs are quickly becoming the "go-to" tire for those looking for an agressive A/T. Advantages to this tire include kevlar reinforcement,

I think you are confusing the Duratrac with the Goodyear MTR. It is the MTR that has the kevlar sidewall.

 

[maybe_a_80...]

I think you are confusing the Duratrac with the Goodyear MTR. It is the MTR that has the kevlar sidewall.

my bad - the Duratrac does not have kevlar reinforcement (however the Silent Armor does use Kevlar) and no I was not thinking of the MT/R.

 

[CruiseOrlando]

You can buy nittos online (amazon, ebay, ect.) with free shipping. Hell you can buy anything these days without leaving your house.

True most of the time. I'm an Amazon freak - but there were three problems with the Nitto's I wanted. One, I wanted the MT's, not the AT's. These didn't have any Prime or free shipping offers.

Two, Nitto doesn't make the size I was looking for in an MT yet (305/70/16).

Three, even the ones they did have (285/75's) were $299/ea.

But yes, Amazon can have good deals on some tires. I just don't think the UPS guy puts them on your truck for you