'13- 2500HD Tire Shopping

Blue2500CC · October 11, 2016

I am planning on new tires within then next month or so, and have it narrowed down to a few possibilities. Truck is stock, no leveling kit, and t-bars are still at factory adjustment. I don't plan on going with a (much) larger than stock tire as we have a fairly heavy tt (~9200lbs loaded), so don't want to change the ratio to much.

We also travel to Northern Michigan and Northern Ontario (Soo area) to go snowmobiling. The cabin in Ont is in the bush, about an hour to get to once through customs....

Stock 265/60/20 is a pain to find an AT tire in. Found a few, but wish there was more available.

The leading contenders are:

Cooper A/T3: Had a set for on our '10-1500 and loved them!!! Great tire in all conditions, dry, rain, snow, ice, etc.. Mud was the only condition in ever had them in (not counting dirt roads). Stock size, about $200 more than the ATP.

Cooper ATP: Have heard and read awesome things about this tire, but slightly concerned the little larger lug vs the A/T3 will cause it to not be as good of a tire in the wet, sloppy snow. Had a set of the Cooper ST's and wasn't that impressed in that type of snow. They would actually push at intersections when trying to turn. The A/T3's never did that. But I know there is a big difference in the tread pattern and tread size vs the ST model. Stock Size, about $200 cheaper vs the A/T3.

Slightly behind the two Coopers:

Pro Comp AT Sport: Very new tire, little reviews available and the few there are, haven't found any for snow conditions. 275/60/20, ever so slightly larger.... Any idea who make the PC tires? I have heard/ read possibly Cooper, but can't find a definitive answer. About the same price as the A/T3 if I remember correctly.

All three of these have a 55k or 60k mi tread warranty, which is a selling feature.

I would consider the BFG AT and the Toyo Open Country AT II if they were available in the right size. Have also considered the DuraTrac, but it may be a little more aggressive than I want/need. Other downside is the lack of a tread warranty. Have considered the Wrangler Adventure, but maybe this is also the lack of looking at the DuraTrac closer, I am not a big fan of GY tires.....

So if anyone has any insight on comparing these tires, all help is appreciated!!!

TY!!!

newdude · October 11, 2016

The stock size is a b-itch for those 20's. Continental makes a new tire, the A/T Terrain Contact. 60k mile warranty on that one. The AT Adventure is a Mountain Snowflake tire as well, which is nice.

If I were shopping Cooper, the AT/3 or the AT/W. AT/W is 50k mile warranty, and severe snow rated.

Chevor · October 11, 2016

All 265s will "float" on wet snow. If you wanna cut through 235/80/17s are the way to go.

newdude · October 12, 2016

All 265s will "float" on wet snow. If you wanna cut through 235/80/17s are the way to go.

Never had an issue this winter or the past with my stock size 265/70/17 Goodyear Silent Armors. Never had an issue with 245's either.

BlackZ71Silverado · October 12, 2016

I currently have Cooper AT3's on both of my trucks and for the most part, they have been good tires. Good all around traction BUT they caused my truck to shake/virbate at highway speeds but only the standard load tires, the LT's were fine.

Decided to go with Toyo Open Country AT2's this time around on both trucks to give them a try. They were more expensive than the Coopers but I was not willing to take a chance with Cooper again after the vibration, and being all over the road at highway speeds.

Read some reviews on the ATP, there are also complaints of them shaking at highway speeds on the Toyota and Dodge forums.

Blue2500CC · October 14, 2016

TY to all!!!

I know a narrower tire will "cut" through the snow better than a wider tire. I had the A/T3 275/65/18's on our 1500, and thought they performed great in all the crap roads we went down on snowmobile trips. A big reason I am leaning toward the A/T3's again.

15,

Why the A/T3 or ATW over the ATP? Any specific reason? I actually called Cooper yesterday and they threw the ATW choice out there as well. From what he told me any of the three would be a great choice.

Not real familiar with the Continental tires. Will look into them. TY!

Black,

If the Open Country AT II's were available in the 265/60/20 or 275/60/20 I would definitely give them a very close look. Buddy has a set on his '13 Ram and he has been very happy with them. Still wearing well last I knew.

I did hear about the Cooper vibration issue at times. Seems random from what I remember. First heard about it when I bought the A/T3's for my 1500. I never had any issues either, but maybe because I had the LT C's???

Big Whiskey · October 15, 2016

Any of those tires you mentioned should perform well. And for sizes, I'd look into 275/60/20 or 285/55/20. There are quite a few options in those sizes, and they're pretty close to stock.

Blue2500CC · October 15, 2016

Any of those tires you mentioned should perform well. And for sizes, I'd look into 275/60/20 or 285/55/20. There are quite a few options in those sizes, and they're pretty close to stock.

Whiskey,

The only 275/60/20 I have found in an LT is the Pro Comp AT Sport. Haven't found any other LR E tires in that size. If you know of any others please tell me!!! Lol

As for the 285/55/20, I have considered that route as well. Or even a 295/55/20. My concern with going this route is possibly having to wide of a tire in snow, and while I haven't looked that close, the larger tires weight hurting the towing of our ~9200lb tt performance.

If I went to a 285 or 295 tire, that would open up the possibilities as you mentioned, including the Open Country AT II....

Decisions, decisions!!!

Blue2500CC · October 15, 2016

Any of those tires you mentioned should perform well. And for sizes, I'd look into 275/60/20 or 285/55/20. There are quite a few options in those sizes, and they're pretty close to stock.

If I remember correctly, you have had the A/T3's before, right??? How do they compare to the Toyos you have now???

TY!!!

Big Whiskey · October 16, 2016

Whiskey,

The only 275/60/20 I have found in an LT is the Pro Comp AT Sport. Haven't found any other LR E tires in that size. If you know of any others please tell me!!! Lol

As for the 285/55/20, I have considered that route as well. Or even a 295/55/20. My concern with going this route is possibly having to wide of a tire in snow, and while I haven't looked that close, the larger tires weight hurting the towing of our ~9200lb tt performance.

If I went to a 285 or 295 tire, that would open up the possibilities as you mentioned, including the Open Country AT II....

Decisions, decisions!!!

If I remember correctly, you have had the A/T3's before, right??? How do they compare to the Toyos you have now???

TY!!!

Yes, you're right. I didn't realize there were so few choices in LT 275/60/20. That's a bummer. However, those new Pro Comps do look good though.

There are a few more options in the 285/55/20 size, and Cooper makes their AT3 in the stock size too.

Do you have 3:73 or 4:10 gears? If you have 4:10's, then you could probably step up to a 275/65/20. Those would look sweet, and there are lots of options in that size. They're 34" tall though, so you'd lose a bit of pulling power.

And yes, I had Cooper AT3's before I bought my Toyo AT2's. I put around 50k on the Coopers, and they still had life left when I sold them. They did really well in the snow and rode nice too. Overall, I liked them, but wished they looked more aggressive (especially the sidewall). That's the main reason I went with Toyo's...for the looks. Their performance seems to be very comparable to the Coopers. The Cooper AT3 is a really good tire for the money.

Blue2500CC · October 17, 2016

Yes, you're right. I didn't realize there were so few choices in LT 275/60/20. That's a bummer. However, those new Pro Comps do look good though.

There are a few more options in the 285/55/20 size, and Cooper makes their AT3 in the stock size too.

Do you have 3:73 or 4:10 gears? If you have 4:10's, then you could probably step up to a 275/65/20. Those would look sweet, and there are lots of options in that size. They're 34" tall though, so you'd lose a bit of pulling power.

And yes, I had Cooper AT3's before I bought my Toyo AT2's. I put around 50k on the Coopers, and they still had life left when I sold them. They did really well in the snow and rode nice too. Overall, I liked them, but wished they looked more aggressive (especially the sidewall). That's the main reason I went with Toyo's...for the looks. Their performance seems to be very comparable to the Coopers. The Cooper AT3 is a really good tire for the money.

Whiskey,

TY for the comparison on the A/T3's and the OC II's! Just wish Toyo had the correct 20" to fit our truck....

From everything I have read and heard, the 275/65/20 needs at the minimum a crank of the t-bars to lift the front at least 1". And even then they may not fit without rubbing. Just don't want to crank the t-bars and have an even rougher ride. The roads in Mid-Mi may as well be hard packed dirt it seems like!!! We do have the 3.73's so that's another reason I was trying to stay as close to the stock size as possible.

Also, over on Woodalls, someone suggest the Yoko Exo Grappler model. They have a 275/60/20, winter rated, but there isn't a mileage warranty from what I have found so far. While still searching, I'm still leaning toward either Cooper model. I do like the looks of the Pro Comp, all except the AT Sport on the side for some crazy reason.... Guess it reminds me of the older, cheaper tires..... I know, crazy!!! Lol

Big Whiskey · October 20, 2016

Whiskey,

TY for the comparison on the A/T3's and the OC II's! Just wish Toyo had the correct 20" to fit our truck....

From everything I have read and heard, the 275/65/20 needs at the minimum a crank of the t-bars to lift the front at least 1". And even then they may not fit without rubbing. Just don't want to crank the t-bars and have an even rougher ride. The roads in Mid-Mi may as well be hard packed dirt it seems like!!! We do have the 3.73's so that's another reason I was trying to stay as close to the stock size as possible.

Also, over on Woodalls, someone suggest the Yoko Exo Grappler model. They have a 275/60/20, winter rated, but there isn't a mileage warranty from what I have found so far. While still searching, I'm still leaning toward either Cooper model. I do like the looks of the Pro Comp, all except the AT Sport on the side for some crazy reason.... Guess it reminds me of the older, cheaper tires..... I know, crazy!!! Lol

Dang, you're pretty hard to please, haha! The Nitto Exo Grappler is a nice looking tire, if that's the one you're referring to.

And, you're right about the 275/65/20 probably needing a little T-bar crank to clear.

Have you considered switching to a 18" wheel? There are lots of 32"-33" options in that size, such as 265/70/18, 275/65/18, 275/70/18, 285/65/18, and 305/60/18. You could probably find someone to swap their 18's (and some cash) for your 20's pretty easy.

Blue2500CC · October 22, 2016

Dang, you're pretty hard to please, haha! The Nitto Exo Grappler is a nice looking tire, if that's the one you're referring to.

And, you're right about the 275/65/20 probably needing a little T-bar crank to clear.

Have you considered switching to a 18" wheel? There are lots of 32"-33" options in that size, such as 265/70/18, 275/65/18, 275/70/18, 285/65/18, and 305/60/18. You could probably find someone to swap their 18's (and some cash) for your 20's pretty easy.

I know, I know.... lol

YES, it was the new(er) Nitto I meant!!! I had also looked at the Yokohama tires and mixed them up a little....

I have considered switching to 18's as there is a few more tire choices. That was my original plan when we bought the truck just haven't found the right set of factory 18's. Have considered going to aftermarket wheels, but was a little concerned about the different offset of the aftermarket wheels possibly rubbing. Maybe a little paranoid?!?!?

TY to all!!!

Blue2500CC · November 29, 2016

Just wanted to update:

Cashed in on the Black Friday Discount Tire deal and ordered the DT exclusive Cooper ATP 265/60/20. I talked to Cooper about the slight difference between the A/T3 and the ATP lug shape and size. Gentleman I spoke with said performance should be the same since they do have the same rubber compound. The tires will be in sometime this week, though may not be able to them installed this week.

Really considered the PC AT Sport, but the lack of winter reviews kept me from trying them.

Will start a new thread once I have some miles on the ATP's and can give feedback on the winter performance.