What tires y'all recommending?

[Bud_Dude]

Looking at buying a new set of tires for my '97 80 series. Ideally 33-35" with reasonable compromise between highway and offroad toughness (sidewall, traction, etc).
Looking at Discount Tire there are quite a few options here and price range as well.
What's everyone running and how do you like them?

 

[BreckenridgeCruiser]

I'm running BFG ATs on my 100, Falken Wildpeak on the GX, and Toyo m55s on the 44. I really like the BFG for lots of road, but loved my Nitto Terra Grapplers in 34ish inch when I had an 80. Really it all depends on your road/off-road balance and desires. I am a tire noise snob so like a likke less agressive tread if it runs quieter. That's my one issue with the Falkens.

 

[Honky Tonka]

I've been happy with the Cooper ST Maxx on my 100. I find them quiet for how aggressive they are. I liked them enough to put Cooper Discover ATP II tires on my Tundra and happy with those as well. I had BFG AT's on previous truck and they are a great tire, I think I was attracted to the Cooper sidewall vs the squared off AT's.

 

[prwillard2]

I'm enjoying the Toyo AT3s on my 200 series. I've got Falken MTs on my FZJ75, and they're very quiet for a mud terrain so far (less than 1k miles).

 

[Overlandeffex]

I really like my Fallen Wildpeak AT3w... Nothing they we not soneed hot in is the snowy mud...

 

[bicycleagent003]

I'm running BFG ATs on my 100, Falken Wildpeak on the GX, and Toyo m55s on the 44. I really like the BFG for lots of road, but loved my Nitto Terra Grapplers in 34ish inch when I had an 80. Really it all depends on your road/off-road balance and desires. I am a tire noise snob so like a likke less agressive tread if it runs quieter. That's my one issue with the Falkens.

Would you say the Terra Grapplers are better than the KO2s in off road terrain? I've never bought Nittos, always been partial to the KO2. It seems like such a good all around tire. They've been very durable for me, too.
It looks like the Terra Grapplers don't the three peak snowflake/mountain rating, is that right? That might be a deal breaker for me.

 

[Overlandeffex]

I had Toyos on the Alaska truck... They sucked

 

[RET2]

I had Toyos on the Alaska truck... They sucked

Which ones?

 

[Overlandeffex]

The ATs... The fronts were almost done for tread but the rear side not feel as good as the Falkens. Preference

 

[Bud_Dude]

I had Toyos on the Alaska truck... They sucked

Do you know which Toyos sucked Jeff?
Toyo A/T III or A/T II or Toyo M/T?
The A/T III with Three Peak Rating seem to have generally good reviews... but cost only a little less than BFG KO2s so...

 

[Bud_Dude]

I'm kinda angling toward the BFG T/A KO2 in the 295/75R16 (33.4" tall) size they're $50 less each than the 315's (34.6" tall) and I don't know that the extra 0.6" of ground clearance will make a difference. I've been running 295/75 for a long time and find them ok; of course they all suck when going up a long steep grade, so I just slow down and enjoy the scenery.

My current comparison table from Discount Tire...

 

[Overlandeffex]

Think the at 2

 

[BreckenridgeCruiser]

Would you say the Terra Grapplers are better than the KO2s in off road terrain? I've never bought Nittos, always been partial to the KO2. It seems like such a good all around tire. They've been very durable for me, too.
It looks like the Terra Grapplers don't the three peak snowflake/mountain rating, is that right? That might be a deal breaker for me.

They were more aggressive but rode nicely and pretty quietly for the tread. Mine were older and had the winter rating and actually saved my life once on western I70 near glenwood canyon when the siping allowed me top stop when others slid right by me and into a pileup. No idea if they still have the rating and siping since there was a model change after I bought mine.

 

[bicycleagent003]

I'm kinda angling toward the BFG T/A KO2 in the 295/75R16 (33.4" tall) size they're $50 less each than the 315's (34.6" tall) and I don't know that the extra 0.6" of ground clearance will make a difference. I've been running 295/75 for a long time and find them ok; of course they all suck when going up a long steep grade, so I just slow down and enjoy the scenery.

My current comparison table from Discount Tire...

View attachment 3413156

That's a very handy table you have there. I would just add that in my experience the replacement certificates are not worth the money. They are just insurance on a disposable, depreciating asset. Yes, we all lose tires every once in a while. But over one's lifetime it's generally a better financial move not to buy insurance on things like washing machines, air compressors, tires, etc. Google Clark Howard extended warranty if you'd like to hear his take - he's way more knowledgeable than I am about money matters. (Should I Buy an Extended Warranty on Tires? - https://clark.com/cars/tires-extended-warranty/) Just my two cents, not trying to come off bossy. I just see that the tire insurance alone is 80% of the price of one tire. That's a lot, in my opinion. (I actually asked the guys at America's Tire once when I bought a new set of tires if I could just buy one replacement certificate - for the one tire that might fail. The guy paused and said something like, 'That's not how it works.' That told me right there all I needed to know.)

 

[Bud_Dude]

That's a very handy table you have there. I would just add that in my experience the replacement certificates are not worth the money. They are just insurance on a disposable, depreciating asset. Yes, we all lose tires every once in a while. But over one's lifetime it's generally a better financial move not to buy insurance on things like washing machines, air compressors, tires, etc. Google Clark Howard extended warranty if you'd like to hear his take - he's way more knowledgeable than I am about money matters. (Should I Buy an Extended Warranty on Tires? - https://clark.com/cars/tires-extended-warranty/) Just my two cents, not trying to come off bossy. I just see that the tire insurance alone is 80% of the price of one tire. That's a lot, in my opinion. (I actually asked the guys at America's Tire once when I bought a new set of tires if I could just buy one replacement certificate - for the one tire that might fail. The guy paused and said something like, 'That's not how it works.' That told me right there all I needed to know.)

On the subject of 'extended warranties' in general I am in full agreement with you and do not buy them. However, in the case of tires, and really tires that are intended to be deliberately abused when offroading by way of repeatedly airing down, subjecting sidewalls to driving in steep ditches or ravines, etc, impacting rocks, etc, the Discount Tire 'certificate' is really more of a 'tire insurance policy' than an extended warranty. In writing they claim 3 years or 3/32" tread, but in reality its more like 10 years, they just don't put that part in writing...

In my table the total certificates cost for five tires ($243.75) is shown as a function of the total cost of a set of five tires and ranges from 10% for the largest and most expensive tires to a about 14% for the smallest, cheapest set of tires. And, yes, that averages out about 75% of the replacement cost of a single tire. Meaning, if over the term of the life of the tire insurance policy you get one tire replaced, you will have effectively gotten it for about 25% off the replacement cost (and perhaps more of a discount if accounting for time and inflation...).

In the case of my current set of five Nitto Terra Grapplers from 2017 I have had Discount Tire replace two of the tires, no questions asked, one with a offroading induced sidewall tear from bead to tread two years ago, and one right now with a sidewall bubble (possibly induced by years of airing down and accompanying side wall flexing). So, two tires replaced for free out of five originals that are 6+ years old with a lot of tread life left on the three remaining originals. To me the certificates were a good investment (especially since the previous owner of the tires and wheels paid for those certs...). Which brings me to another good thing about Discount Tire certificates, that being if you sell your tires, those certificates are transferable to new owner; which can increase the resale value of your tires...

To be sure, some (maybe most) people will never recover an investment in tire insurance. For a daily driver car with street tires that rack up lots of relatively benign highway or commuter miles where road hazard damage is pretty unlikely, the investment may not make sense. Likewise for a mixed use daily driver vehicle that racks of lots of highway miles and only a little offroad for which the tires might last only a couple years before the tread is gone, the economics might not work out... But for the non-daily-driver vehicle that really only gets 5-10K miles per year put on it and tires intended to be abused; based on my experience thus far, heck yeah, I'll take that bet.

I've often wondered about the concept of "can I just buy one certificate for the one tire that might fail"... And yeah, I can see how Discount Tire wouldn't go for that. As with any insurance (or gambling) it's a game of odds and actuarial science, and Discount wouldn't be selling the certificates if they didn't make money on it overall. Of course, when you get a tire replaced with a certificate they do push you to pay for a new certificate for the new tire (about $48). I presume you could decline on that certificate, and perhaps if that particular tire failed in the future they might decline to replace it and could probably identify it based on its date code relative to the date codes on the other tires with certificates.

 

[JohnnyUtah2]

I can definitely see both sides of the argument regarding tire replacement certificates. I have purchased them from discount tire in the past but more recently I haven’t.

Getting back on topic I’ll throw out my experience with a couple of the tires on your list.

I’m running BFG KO2 on my 80 in 295/75r16. I like the size; it seems to be a good compromise for my use. I live at altitude, so I thought 315s would rob too much power from the 1FZ. I haven’t had any negative consequences by running this size off road. The 80 is so capable off road that I’ve considered moving down to 285/75r16 to save a little more weight and get back some gearing. That said, I like the KO2 but don’t love them.

I’m running the Cooper discover AT3 XLT on my 100 in 285/75r16. I had heard lots of rave reviews about this tire and was hesitant to switch from my normal BFG AT, but I have to say that I’m super impressed with this tire. They are smooth, quite and all four tires took little to no weight to balance them. They are way better in the snow and ice than the KO2’s and as good, if not better off road. I am a convert now and thinking about the Coopers for my 80 when the KO2s wear out.

 

[sdnative]

Are your axles regeared?

 

[Bud_Dude]

Are your axles regeared?

Yep - 488's with ARB air lockers

 

[bicycleagent003]

On the subject of 'extended warranties' in general I am in full agreement with you and do not buy them. However, in the case of tires, and really tires that are intended to be deliberately abused when offroading by way of repeatedly airing down, subjecting sidewalls to driving in steep ditches or ravines, etc, impacting rocks, etc, the Discount Tire 'certificate' is really more of a 'tire insurance policy' than an extended warranty. In writing they claim 3 years or 3/32" tread, but in reality its more like 10 years, they just don't put that part in writing...

In my table the total certificates cost for five tires ($243.75) is shown as a function of the total cost of a set of five tires and ranges from 10% for the largest and most expensive tires to a about 14% for the smallest, cheapest set of tires. And, yes, that averages out about 75% of the replacement cost of a single tire. Meaning, if over the term of the life of the tire insurance policy you get one tire replaced, you will have effectively gotten it for about 25% off the replacement cost (and perhaps more of a discount if accounting for time and inflation...).

In the case of my current set of five Nitto Terra Grapplers from 2017 I have had Discount Tire replace two of the tires, no questions asked, one with a offroading induced sidewall tear from bead to tread two years ago, and one right now with a sidewall bubble (possibly induced by years of airing down and accompanying side wall flexing). So, two tires replaced for free out of five originals that are 6+ years old with a lot of tread life left on the three remaining originals. To me the certificates were a good investment (especially since the previous owner of the tires and wheels paid for those certs...). Which brings me to another good thing about Discount Tire certificates, that being if you sell your tires, those certificates are transferable to new owner; which can increase the resale value of your tires...

To be sure, some (maybe most) people will never recover an investment in tire insurance. For a daily driver car with street tires that rack up lots of relatively benign highway or commuter miles where road hazard damage is pretty unlikely, the investment may not make sense. Likewise for a mixed use daily driver vehicle that racks of lots of highway miles and only a little offroad for which the tires might last only a couple years before the tread is gone, the economics might not work out... But for the non-daily-driver vehicle that really only gets 5-10K miles per year put on it and tires intended to be abused; based on my experience thus far, heck yeah, I'll take that bet.

I've often wondered about the concept of "can I just buy one certificate for the one tire that might fail"... And yeah, I can see how Discount Tire wouldn't go for that. As with any insurance (or gambling) it's a game of odds and actuarial science, and Discount wouldn't be selling the certificates if they didn't make money on it overall. Of course, when you get a tire replaced with a certificate they do push you to pay for a new certificate for the new tire (about $48). I presume you could decline on that certificate, and perhaps if that particular tire failed in the future they might decline to replace it and could probably identify it based on its date code relative to the date codes on the other tires with certificates.

Yep, that makes sense, too. You might have convinced me. I have some time to think about that, as I have a pretty new set on my 80 Series now. Cheers.

 

[sdnative]

Make sure the tire size is a good match for your gearing. My experience with tires on 80 series:

I had 285/75R16 tires on my 94 with factory gearing. I was happy with it as far as I can remember. If I needed extra power climbing hills I would turn OD off.

My 97 was regeared to 488 when I bought it, and came with 315/75R16 tires. It was a great match, plenty of power when needed. On the grades I would turn off the OD and could cruise all day at 2800-3000 RPM and ~65-70 mph (going on memory here). Very happy with that combo.

When I needed new tires I thought I would try something a little smaller and got 295/75R16 tires. Hated them. That size just never worked well with the gearing. It was ok on flat ground I guess, but going up grades it had no power with the OD on, and the RPMs were too high with the OD off at my preferred cruising speed, forcing me to slow down or wind out the motor at 3500+ RPM.

Again, going on memory, so the exact numbers are a little fuzzy, but I do remember that 285 w/ stock gears were fine, 315 w/ 488 gears were fine, and I didn't care for 295 with 488 gears. If you are ok with driving slower up grades in a lower gear, maybe the 295s will work for you. They just didn't work for me.

That's just my experience, yours may be different.