Yep, another "which tire?" request (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 12, 2011
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Location
Phoenix, AZ
Hi all,

I've read through a number of threads here about tires, and can't seem to find enough opinions that match my particular needs. So I'm going to pose another "hey, which tire should I get?" question.

I've got a '97 LC with a very nice set of stock size Michelin LTX M/S tires that the previous owner put on right before selling it to me.

I'm interested in trails and light to medium off-road capabilities, combined with good highway manners (i.e. quiet) in a desert environment. I won't be rock crawling (least, not any time right away) and I won't likely see snow more than once or twice a year, if that. Probably 80% of my use will be on-road but I don't want to completely thrash the tires with weekend trail rides. Some of the trails out here can get rough, though as I said I'm not rock crawling per se.

I see lots of opinions about balancing off-road capabilities with snow capabilities, but I haven't seen a lot of discussion that's geared towards those of us in the desert.

So - any suggestions?
 
Not sure there is much mystery to your request.. a good AT tire will fit your needs.. they can be found on tirerack.com. Goodyear Duratracs, Firestone Destination, BFG AT, and a few others.

MT tires would be out based on your specs along with street tires.
 
Revos

Don't forget Bridgestone At Revos, mine have 89k on them and 5/32 tread left!, They will dry rot before they wear out
 
285/75 R16 BFG A/T KO's E-load rating
 
Michelin AT2s wear excellently on road, and do as well as can be expected from an AT off road, as a bonus you can get them from costco. But just about any AT tire will work, pick one and google some reviews (or search here).

Whatever you get, you may as well pick them up as 33"s (285/75r16). They look nicer and generally perform better, and will only be a small bit more expensive than stock size.
 
Try size 265/75/16, it is close to stock and you may find more choices.
 
Nitto TG's are great for this purpose

Ditto on the terragrapplers, on my 2nd or 3rd set and I love these tires. They are great in everything except slick mud. Keep them rotated and you'll get 40-50k out of them. You can get them at discounttiredirect.com for a good price, with free shipping. Stock size is $165-$175 depending on load rating you need.

hth
 
For AZ type wheeling Nitto Terra Grapplers work very well, the most popular tire in the local club (Copper State Cruisers). They hit all of your tic marks, civilized on the road and work well on the trail, even those who run "wagon aggressive" type trails rate them high.
 
I wouldn't run Revos here, they are in the "glass sidewalls" category, way too many of them cut locally. Everyone that I know who has switched from BFG to Nitto, wont be going back.

IMHO, bigger tires are a huge advantage on the trails here. If you are wanting to run stock size, keep what you have, changing to another stock size is not going to give much of an advantage. The minimum tire that I would put on an '80 for local trails is 315. My advice, before you do mods, plan the rig, come to a CSC meet and talk to other owners, learn from their mistakes.
 
285/75 R16 BFG A/T KO's E-load rating

x2...

And anyone who wants my 285 75 16 Nitto TGs, they are for sale. I don't like them at all, other than on pavement, which naturally I try to avoid!:flipoff2:
 
I'm a huge fan of the Toyo M-55. I have personally put more than a million miles on them im my work trucks, and never seen less than 50k miles out of a set. That's on heavily loaded 1 ton crew cab fords and dodges, in a smaller size than the 285's on my 80. Never had a sidewall puncture. Mine are siped and do great in the snow and ice too. Only a bit louder than the BFG's I took off.
 
Tirerack doesn't seem to have those in the OEM size. Is that what folks are running, or are you using a different size?

There aren't a ton of tires available in the stock size - look to 265/76/16 to stay pretty much the same size. Or 285/75/16 if you want a tire that will fill out the wheel wells a little more. Most folks go to 285s when it is time to switch tires, unless fuel economy trumps all, in which case the 265s are the way to go. the 285s will be unarguably better off road due to the increased diameter and resultant increased ability to roll over stuff.

tires to consider:

Nitto Terragrappler
Goodyear Duratrac
Cooper Discoverer ST or STT (not so quiet tires, the STTs are quieter than the STs)

Good luck!
 
I have had Several different trucks & always ran BFG ATs, then I tried the Nitto Terra Grappler on my last 4Runner & I liked them much better on road & off.
 

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