Tyre choice for my 80 series (1 Viewer)

[Saghettigirl]

Hi all. I am improving my cruiser for off road capability, for driving rocky riverbeds and muddy hills and farm tracks. In New Zealand I need to drive on the road to get to these places. Part of my truck upgrade is moving from 33s to 35s. Which brands and type of mud tyre would you recomend and why?

 

[half k cruiser]

I'm surprised this doesn't have 100 very opinionated responses already. Wth, I'll bite. Tires are one of those things that experiences definatley vary. A lot of people have bad experiences but don't realize that its their own fault. For instance, the people who say I had X brand of tire and it wore out to quickly (but don't mention they had poor alignment or never rotated them). I have owned several 80 series and have gotten to put decent mileage on 4 different sets of tires. Here is my personal opinions that you can take for whatever its worth.

BF Goodrich KO - the older version of the current KO2, they were good in everything but mud. The current version has better side biters but the bulk of the tread is the same pattern they have used for the last 30 years. I'd say not what your looking for.

Nitto Terra Grappler - another all terrain that is good in lots of places but mud.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac - fairly exceptional in snow and inclimate weather. These are a good all around tire with good wear characteristics. Can't say I've ever put them through mud, have only heard that they do well.

Kumho KL71 - bang for your buck, I haven't seen many that compare. These are a dedicated 10ply mud terrain tire with directional lugs. Last year I made a mistake and sunk myself to the DS window in a mud puddle down in Arkansas, it was only because of these tires and my right foot that I was able to claw out before the water infiltrated the cab. I have punished these from Arkansas to Moab and on the sharp granite of Colorado mountains in between with barely a scratch to the sidewalls. The only drawback I can think of is because they are directional a shop would have to cross rotate them for you. My shop does it for free since I purchased the tires from them. Here is my review on that tire Kuhmo Road Venture MT review

Kumho MT51 - if you could be convinced to stay at a 33 inch tire, then you would have access to these. In the states a 285/75/r16 runs only $250 US ! They just came out last year so they don't have the reviews that all the other established tires do. However, the technology that Kumho is able to pack into this tire for the price point is down right impressive. This is a deceptively aggressive tire with thick sidewalls complemented by very aggressive biters and additional armor. There are built in stone ejectors on both sets of outer block both inside and outside. If they would have had these 3 years ago in a 35 inch I would have gotten them over my KL71's. I am currently running them on the wife's 120 series and will have a better idea of their capabilities after a trip to Colorado next month. Those reviews will be posted here Kumho road venture mt51 review

 

[Saghettigirl]

Cheers, helpful post thank you for that. Will check out the reviews, and availabiliy and prices in NZ.