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Which Offroad Tire Do You Have, and Why?

Poll: Which Offroad Tire Do You Have, and Why?

71K views 411 replies 62 participants last post by  Pit Slave 
#1 · (Edited)
Since there are numerous threads spread around about tires, I thought to consolidate them into a single tire thread. I tried to list the most common ones in alphabetical order. If I missed any, sorry, the site only lets me list 10 poll options.

I'm on the stock ATs and the tread's disappearing quickly now that I'm approaching 30K. I am putting on about 12K+ per month. Lot's of driving, so obviously I'm looking for both an offroad tire that has manners on the pavement. So far I'm leaning towards the KM2 or Kevlar's, but since the Kevlars are so new, there is little info on them. I looked into the Coopers, but Pep Boys, supposedly a Cooper distributor, doesn't offer them, and there's no place around that I would want to go to get them around here. At my tire place, I get free mounting, balancing, no shipping charges, no tax (Delaware has no tax), etc. So that's a big factor.

It seems the KM2 are very popular, as well as the Cooper STTs, with Rusty and Crash and a few others owning a set. Baleksir owns KM2s as well as a few others. Then again so are Pro Comps, Mickeys, etc... And as Rusty mentioned in another thread, the Goodyear Kevlars are gaining traction (no pun intended!).

Funny thing about the Goodyear Kevlars, is they are asymmetric, yet they look directional. So they kind of look strange when the tread looks like it's in the opposite direction on the other side of the vehicle, as on this jeep at a forum in this link in Post# 51. I don't know about that. It doesn't look right. There was another thread in our PW forum where opinions seemed to point to the same thing being directional.
http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12932&page=3

Including Googling all over the place, most of my research was done at the following link, but they don't have the Goodyear Kevlar listed yet.

All Terrain AT & Mud Terrain MT Tire Review Guide
http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires

I like to hear everyone's opinions, even if you made a comment in an earlier post, but as I said, I'm just trying to consolidate this into a tire brand/model opinion thread.

Edit: Hey, sorry the Toyo's aren't listed. The site only allows me to list 10 poll items. I may take out the Maxxis since no one has voted and replace it with the Toyos. I'll check it for the next day or two and see what happens.

Edit again: OK, OK, due to popular demand, I added the Toyo® Open Country MT and removed the Maxxis since no one has voted on them. I hope that's cool with everyone.

Now the darn thing won't let me change it! LOL.
 
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#2 ·
Love my Grapplers, those guys grip better than anything I have ever run:cheerl:

 
#4 ·
Cooper STT's, stock size. Local Cooper dealer, mine were made in the USA, deep tread, good reviews (when they test them) in mud, snow, ice. Said they were awsome in deep snow. Thats all the terrain in my area. Plus I really like the sidewall tread, figured it would enhance traction when aired down low.

Seems as if Cooper is the red-headed-stepchild that everyone want to forget about. Don't know why, I am VERY happy with mine.
 
#17 ·
nailed it.

their the "I'm not paying for toyo's, toyo's" :D seriously though, how can you have consolidated all tire info into one place and not me tire what is probably the most common tire in the market? :5191Funnface:
Although, nobody really ever ask's about them anyway, they buy them because everyone else has them (for performance, or show, not hte point here ;))

I looked at all the info I could find on every tire the interwebs had to offer, and for every favorable review of any one tire you find you'll find two for the toyo mt's. So with that in mind I figured they must work at least reasonably well right, but I didn't want that size or their price. I had seen the STT's before and was considering them, but the pictures don't do them justice. I happened to be walking back to my truck and saw them on another truck and saw how aggressive they really were so I was pretty much sold then. As twinstick said I like the side lugs and that was one of the things I looked at on all the tires. The tread is essentially the same as the toyo's (the rubber compound is different of course, I forget which is the harder of the two but I didn't care to much. either way I get better traction or longer life :D) and everyone who actually uses their toyo's likes them. the only complaint I have heard from guys out west is they kinda suck in the sand, take allot of power since they dig so much, not really an issue for me. their a bit narrower, which I wanted, but that could swat a performace test either way depending on terrain, but I feel the side lugs will provide much more traction than the toyo's and that might even help to offset the advantage of the extra with without the disadvantage :cool: :)secret2: ssshhh, just let me have this ;D) the toyo side lugs are massive and will obviously provide puncture resistance but probably not much more, the STT's come down further as well.

I have heard some good info on the procomp's but their more popular because their stupid cheap then because they break any records, not saying they don't work, if you get one of those crazy deals go for it, their just not breaking any new ground from what I hear.
 
#5 ·
BFG KM2's (35" on stock PW wheels) I chose this tire base on:
-good reviews
-available in a size I was looking for
-price
-well, hell, I'll admit it...I also liked the Krawler-esque tread design
 
#6 · (Edited)
1st set of tires, 285/70-17 ProComp Xtreme MT:
Evaluation: Excellent off road, tough as nails, tread wore quickly, good street manners at first but got much louder as they the worn down, replaced them after 23k miles.

2nd set of tires, 285/70-17 Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ:
Evaluation: Excellent street manners, had them off road in dry dirt a few times and of coarse all was good, sidewalls are only 2 ply, so I plan to beat them up on some Mojave Desert rocks this winter and see how they do. If they don't cut-it I plan on getting the Cooper Discoverer STT's next.

(I do like the new Nitto Trail Grappler MT in 295/70-17 also)
 
#7 ·
With a background in western dry terrain rock crawling, I went for the MT/R's Kevlars. I have destroyed the old BFG KM's in 4500 miles, while the old MT/Rs would last over 8000. That was all done in an '87 Toyota dedicated crawler w/ dual spools and dual low range gear sets.

This is my first set of the new style, and so far they have done well. At 8K they are at 16/32 tread from 19/32, and they show some tread chunking and edge rounding, but not as much as I expected to see. Traction has been outstanding in all types of terrain including heavy spring snow (in June) in Colorado.
 
#8 ·
It's not listed as an option on this poll, but my Toyo M/T's are great. They are quiet, easy to balance and should give me 60K of use. They are also 10 ply load range E's.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I got the 35" Coopers on stock rims. The tire was $255 from a local dealer. The Toyo's was $315 a tire. And it's the same tread pattern too. The KM2's was $285 a tire. So far I got over 6K on the Cooper's. Still look new. They haven't let me down yet. :tup:
 

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#11 ·
The fogotten Toyo!

I run 35" 12.5 r17 TOYO OPEN COUNTRY! :worthy::gr_patrio:rck:
 
#12 ·
I have the Firestone Destination M/T's and so far love them. They wear great, but i also rotate them every oil change just to be safe.
 
#13 ·
Tires

I cant beleive you did not list Toyo MT's. I have had 2 sets one in 33x12.50x20, and one set (current set) in 35x12.50x20. They have awesome grab good cleanout are quiet for an MT and run really true. I have had my PW up to 110 mph and it hums along. Granted the motor was winding out good. These are an awesome tire though I think they should be added to the vote...IMO:rck:
 
#15 ·
I cant beleive you did not list Toyo MT's. I have had 2 sets one in 33x12.50x20, and one set (current set) in 35x12.50x20. They have awesome grab good cleanout are quiet for an MT and run really true. I have had my PW up to 110 mph and it hums along. Granted the motor was winding out good. These are an awesome tire though I think they should be added to the vote...IMO:rck:
Sorry Ironhide and ratram. I tried to change Maxxis to Toyos, but the site won't let me change the poll options.
 
#18 ·
35" KM2, for BFG's reputation in the desert. The KM2's rock in the desert, mine have many hard miles in sharp lava rock and they have never let me down. I am a BFG man, I have had to many vehicles with BFG's, they have always served me well.
 
#19 ·
I was a die hard Nitto mud grappler fan with my old rubicon. They stuck to everything even in the slickest conditions. I was dead set on getting them for the PW until I found out just how heavy the truck was. They wore preaty fast on the jeep which is half the weight of a PW. I had always liked the Cooper STT's. My brother in law has them on his farm service truck(2wheel drive with a tool box bed). I have seen him go thru rice fields with his stt's that would make me second guess taking my truck thru without seeing him go first. He has put them thru just about every abuse possible plus towing. I have had them on for just about 2000 miles on mine now and don't regreat it a bit. The nittos odd lines look a little off on our trucks but the STT's look right at home. And as Crash said, you really don't realize how agressive they are until you see them up close. They have alot of benifits(tow rate to fit our trucks, they are hard enough to wear longer than softer tires like Iroc's and nittos, looks, tough side wall, and american made). Plus when I bought mine, they were offering a 75 dollar mail in rebate.
 

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#22 ·
The STTs seem to be even up with the KM2s. I like the STTs.

Thanks, good info and nice flex and tire pics. Rusty has them and they definitely look aggressive on yours and his truck.

Funny, that stuffed front pic, if one didn't know the tire was stuffed in that pic, it would look like a low rider. LOL. :D
 
#21 ·
I was just giving you shit about it, I don't really care and like I said anybody considering toyo's can find plenty of information if they even want it. not a big loss. The only reason I even mentioned it beyond a jab at you was because they were a deciding factor in why I went with the STT's, which you wanted to know.

Where are you located anyway, If you said specifically before then I don't remember but I don't think your that far away from me? Worse case come up here and get them, or order and maybe I could pick them up. we'll meet some place and see what these bad boys can do.

does pepboys sell any cooper tires, or just the rebranded coopers with their name on them? that is probably why they won't get them in but if I can get something that you can't you must really live off the path
 
#23 ·
I know, no biggy. A couple of others gave me shit, too. What's done is done. F it.

When I asked Pep Boys, they looked in the Cooper catalog but weren't in there. I'm in a suburb west of Philly. Talking to a guy that got the Kevlars on his Jeep, he goes to Raush and said Raush is only 1.5 hours. That's not too bad. I thought it was farther. Never mapquested it.

What's the price up there for 35*12.5*17? If I choose to go up, I'll PM you. So far though, because of price, convenience, free this and that, etc, I'm leaning towards something I can get at NTB in Wilmington (no tax, too), which are pretty much tire rack tires.
 
#24 ·
I just called them, $277. Not much less then my $37's were :D There is tax up here and the drive would offset any savings for the most part but if you came up here then they mount and balance and all that shit for you and you can hang out in the barn ;D If your on the fence about two tires and certainly being able to get one easier could be a tie breaker but I wouldn't just take what you can get you know.
 
#25 ·
$20 more than what Rusty paid. But driving to his place would be a 4-5 hour trip.

Thanks for calling and finding out. They are the same exact price as the KM2.

I'll have to think about it. No tax is a big incentive (close to $80), besides the drive up whatever the gas is. But I can bring a cooler full of beer. LOL!

I'll let you know. Thanks!
 
#28 ·
I can't vote....:D so here's another lowrider pic


The Coopers will probably be my next choice after I get a set of winters and wear out the Toyo's because they are cheaper than the Toyo's and look very similar. It's quite likely that they perform very similar too;)
 
#29 ·
I have two things to say about the Toyo MT's. All the guys that work at Les Schwab run them on their trucks and swear by them, another thing. If it's been raining and you try and turn around in your neighbors grass. They will really screw it up. I had no idea going slow and turning would cut the grass that bad. Good thing they weren't home. :D
 
#30 ·
So far I'm very happy with mine, but I feel that I could use a different tire for better winter performance. The Toyo's have been pretty good so far but I'm sure that a winter specific tire would be better. I've already got a thread going about that though so lets stick to mud terrain talk ;)
 
#31 ·
toyo m/t's...with ninja siping. All the ladies love 'em. :D

Actually, the only real reason I went with the toyos instead of the coopers is that the place that had the toyos (Les Schwab) would pick up the warranty even after they siped them. The other place would not do that for the coopers. And I was concerned about the winter driving characteristics of an m/t, so I knew from the beginning that whatever I ended up with was going to get knifed. That, and a 4x4 shop owner that I trust completely mentioned a friend of his had some issues with the coopers not balancing well. But in hindsight, I'm sure he just had a bad set or there was something else going on based on how well folks on here have received them. Shit, the toyo's run rough til they warm up cause they're so damn stiff. But, I'm sure that's more due to the fact that I run them at a low psi all the time, and the "roughness" is really only when they've been sitting overnight. Almost like they flatspot or something cause of the psi I'm running. But, bottomline: I wil buy them again when these wear out. I've got a hair over 30K on them now, and I'll probably replace them for winter 2010/11 for my own piece of mind...which will probably be around 50Kish give or take.
 
#32 ·
Cooper's for all the same reasons listed by crash and rusty and others. So far I've had no issues what so ever plus I have about 45k miles on them and they are still going strong! Hard to beat for am M/T
 
#33 ·
Has ANYONE tried the InterCo super swamper LTB ???
 
#47 ·
I've run Swampers in the past, and my experience is that the bias-ply swampers are good for trucks that are only used off-road...but aren't really good for trucks driven on pavement. The most annoying part was that I was never able to get them to come even close to balancing...and even if they had balanced, they tracked horribly & were so noisy you couldn't even hear yourself think. Back in the days when I ran in mud bogs, I'd put them on for the bog and then take them off again afterward and put my 'street' tires back on (BFG mud-terrains).

However, they're just about the best tire around off-road...if I had a trail-only rig I'd seriously consider using them. I did think about putting 34x10.50 LTBs on my second set of wheels, but then I realized that I'd be constantly swapping between tires...because I'd have to take the LTBs off every time I towed a trailer or had to drive more than 10 or 20 miles on pavement.
 
#34 ·
I havent had them on the PW but have on other vehicles. Swampers are the kings of off road tires IMO but they have a very soft rubber compound and wear too much for daily driving especially on a heavy truck like a power wagon at least that has been my experience.
 
#35 ·
I have never had them, but everything I have read says I should agree with you :D
 
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