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Best All Terrain Tire?

TXGREEK

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Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted
On 2/14/2018 at 2:10 PM, amxguy1970 said:

This other thread you started asks the same question, did you not get an answer in there or what is the point of another thread? There won't be one answer, just do your research and pick what you feel is the best based off of what you read and find...

 

Tyler

I thought of OP's earlier thread while delivering meals to shut-ins after a recent snowstorm.  My Michelin Defenders took me through rural icy roads up long unplowed, untraveled gravel driveways winding through hilly acreages.  I drove effortlessly through conditions many  A/T tire buyers won't ever experience.  OP wants to replace his Defenders because of a poor experience on a sports field.  I suspect replacing tires may not give him the improved performance he desires.  A good AT may give the appearance he's after which in itself is a good reason to look for new tires.  Switching out tires is expensive so I choose a good performing all-purpose tire.  My truck looks like a grandpa truck and I have four grandchildren who will agree!

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TXGREEK Senior Enthusiast

TXGREEK

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I thought of OP's earlier thread while delivering meals to shut-ins after a recent snowstorm.  My Michelin Defenders took me through rural icy roads up long unplowed, untraveled gravel driveways winding through hilly acreages.  I drove effortlessly through conditions many  A/T tire buyers won't ever experience.  OP wants to replace his Defenders because of a poor experience on a sports field.  I suspect replacing tires may not give him the improved performance he desires.  A good AT may give the appearance he's after which in itself is a good reason to look for new tires.  Switching out tires is expensive so I choose a good performing all-purpose tire.  My truck looks like a grandpa truck and I have four grandchildren who will agree!

Congrats on being a grandpa, you’ve done good. About the tires, It’s not an expense thing with me just want something great in all terrain but mostly pavement. I bought the Defenders because logically I drive mostly on pavement but that one experience on the sports field with just wet grass makes me worry about any future pulling a TT on camping trip possibly on wet areas. I’ve got a buddy that swears he’ll never by another Michelin Tire, bad experience with dry rotting and horrible wear, thinks they’re junk and charge more cause of all the commercials they make. It’s kinda like you pay more at a fancy restaurant than you would at another for same quality because of presentation.


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Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted
40 minutes ago, TXGREEK said:


Congrats on being a grandpa, you’ve done good. About the tires, It’s not an expense thing with me just want something great in all terrain but mostly pavement. I bought the Defenders because logically I drive mostly on pavement but that one experience on the sports field with just wet grass makes me worry about any future pulling a TT on camping trip possibly on wet areas. I’ve got a buddy that swears he’ll never by another Michelin Tire, bad experience with dry rotting and horrible wear, thinks they’re junk and charge more cause of all the commercials they make. It’s kinda like you pay more at a fancy restaurant than you would at another for same quality because of presentation.


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Thanks!  Getting old has its ups and downs, but the option to aging is far less desirable.   I've heard and experienced the dry rot issue.  In 2001 I inherited my father's pristine 1990 Cadillac.  I had to replace his Michelins with 35k kms and 12 years of being on the car. I learned at that time that Michelin's may rot before they wear out.  They do have a 6 year warranty and their compounds have evolved.  The cost factor favors Michelin for me.  Costco's point system,  installation charge, Michelin's semi-annual sale,  and convenience offset the higher cost.  My current Defenders replaced my oem Bridgestones.  They look similar but the traction on slippery roads is noticeable.  In '09 I replaced my oem Firestone  AT's with Michelins and '00 replaced my oem tires with Michelins.  

You may find a brand that is more visually appealing but I personally believe you currently own the right tire for your type of use. 

L86 All Terrain Senior Enthusiast

L86 All Terrain

Posted
Posted

My friend has E load KO2's on his '16 Midnight WT. They are at 15% life in less than 55,000km (34,000m). Just something to consider. He said not a chance he will go back with a BFG. He is going with a set of Amp Terrain Grippers. I am pretty sure they are a Chinese tire. I have Pro Comps on my summer truck, they are garbage do not buy them. 

Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, you will not know what is the best AT tire for your application until you try one or more.  There are many good AT tires on the market, and they each bring something special to the party.  I am partial to KO2's, but I have also had very good luck with Firestone Destination AT's on a 1500 I had before my current 2500.  Lots of folks seem to like the Hankook Dynapro AT tires.  It all depends on what you are wanting from a tire.    Mine have to deal with a couple of miles of gravel road any time I leave the house, off road taking care of things on the property, upper Midwest snow belt stuff, and lots of mud when things thaw out in the spring.   Looks are about the last thing on my mind.  My pickup stays dirty more than it does clean, so I am not trying to impress anyone with how pretty and off road wanna be my pickup is..  I just want to get thru the messes I need to get thru and also a tire that rides well on pavement  including excellent cornering and braking and being on the quiet side.  The KO2's do that for me.  Significantly better than the stock Michelin LTX AT's that came with the pickup from the factory.

MixerDriver Enthusiast

MixerDriver

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, 10SierraA.T. said:

My friend has E load KO2's on his '16 Midnight WT. They are at 15% life in less than 55,000km (34,000m). Just something to consider. He said not a chance he will go back with a BFG. He is going with a set of Amp Terrain Grippers. I am pretty sure they are a Chinese tire. I have Pro Comps on my summer truck, they are garbage do not buy them. 

When I was researching tires, premature wear was one thing I read several times about the KO2s. It seemed that they either last forever or wear out before you make it home from the tire shop. I'm sure at least some of these cases has to do with incorrect tire pressures. Some people just fill them up to what the sidewall says, but 80 psi is WAY too much for a half ton running around empty. I'm not saying this is what wore his out, cause I have no idea. 

 

My factory General Grabbers still had 40% tread when I got the KO2s at about 57k miles. I cut the sidewall on one of the Generals driving places a 2wd truck with highway tires shouldn't be, so that's why I replaced them. With about 10k on the BFGs, they have absolutely zero wear. It's not a lot of miles yet, so I shall see how they wear over time. Through the mud, rain, sleet, snow, and hail, these tires are yet to disappoint.

Knotsure Enthusiast

Knotsure

Posted
Posted

My falken wildpeak at3w are doing pretty good. I have over 33k and the tread still looks deep. They ride nice but I think they may be starting to make noise while driving down the highway. Other than this i like these tires a lot and will recommend to others.


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Swamper_Tom Enthusiast

Swamper_Tom

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Knotsure said:

My falken wildpeak at3w are doing pretty good. I have over 33k and the tread still looks deep. They ride nice but I think they may be starting to make noise while driving down the highway. Other than this i like these tires a lot and will recommend to others.


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I just put these tires on my truck. I only have about 400 miles on them, so I can't comment much. But they are much better than the Continentals that came with the truck when dealing with the snow and ice here in the northeast. They look cool too.

swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, MixerDriver said:

When I was researching tires, premature wear was one thing I read several times about the KO2s. It seemed that they either last forever or wear out before you make it home from the tire shop. I'm sure at least some of these cases has to do with incorrect tire pressures.

Too little air, they run them the same as the door sticker for their P-Metrics and they wear quickly.  I learned this the hard way.  Started running mine at 30 psi and on into the upper 30s and after 6k miles I'd lost 2/32 of tread and at that rate they would not last 40k miles.  Stubbornly, I kept slowly airing them up to 50 psi which is what BFG recommended and even in the mid-upper 40s the wear stopped.  In the last 4K miles, they've worn about .5/32, if that much, all around.  1500s don't need much more than 50 psi when running LTs according to the door stickers.  The new Silverados can be shod with C-Ply KO2s as an option.  Another couple thousand miles and it'll be due for a rotation and balance and will check the tread depth again.  

MixerDriver Enthusiast

MixerDriver

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, swathdiver said:

Too little air, they run them the same as the door sticker for their P-Metrics and they wear quickly.  I learned this the hard way.  Started running mine at 30 psi and on into the upper 30s and after 6k miles I'd lost 2/32 of tread and at that rate they would not last 40k miles.  Stubbornly, I kept slowly airing them up to 50 psi which is what BFG recommended and even in the mid-upper 40s the wear stopped.  In the last 4K miles, they've worn about .5/32, if that much, all around.  1500s don't need much more than 50 psi when running LTs according to the door stickers.  The new Silverados can be shod with C-Ply KO2s as an option.  Another couple thousand miles and it'll be due for a rotation and balance and will check the tread depth again.  

That's just it, too much or too little. If you go off the sidewall, the tread will be gone before you know it. The door sticker gets blown out the window when you switch to an LT tire; pressures that low still cause wear and heat up the sidewall, as LT tires need higher pressure to support the thicker sidewalls. I run mine around 45-50, unless I'm hauling heavy or towing, then I pump them up a little bit.

swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted

Right.  After doing some learnin', I calculated that at 42 psi, the tires would support the maximum weight of the rear axle.  So I ran them all at that for a time.  Still a little too much wear, checking often with the tread depth gauge.  Mileage wasn't all that great either.  Then saw a 2500 Yukon's door sticker and factory said to run them 50 psi in the front and 60 psi in the rear.  Well, 50 psi is max for my C-ply and 50 is what BFG kept telling me to use so that's what I eventually wound up with.  When cold they are all over the place, from 45 to 51, starting off in the morning they vibrate some until they get up to temp and then settle down.  On long trips the side facing the sun is always a few pounds more than the other!

 

I never noticed how sensitive the big tires are to the sun/heat.  One side is usually lower than the other in the morning and afternoon if the truck sits in the driveway all day.  So when I want to check I have to do so at first light!  Goodness, I miss the days before TPMS, then I didn't know these things happened with tires and it wouldn't bother me now like it does!  

Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

The nice thing is, I got a load pressure chart off of BFG for the KO2's I have.  I inflate to the recommended pressure based on the actual axle load.  For my 2500, that would be between 50 and 60 psi in the front, and between 45 and 70 psi in the rear.   I don't like just guessing what pressure should be run or basing it on anecdotal ideas.   The tire folks put a lot of R&D into their tires and they probably have the best idea on how much air should be run in them.

 

Now one thing I learned, if you tell the tire maker what vehicle the tires are on, they will punt back to the vehicle OEM for recommended pressure.  They like to pass the buck on liability.   But if you tell them the tire you have and the size only, they will email you a load pressure chart on the tire so you can run the best pressure in the tires based on weight on them.

 

TXGREEK Senior Enthusiast

TXGREEK

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Thanks everyone! I think I’ll just stick with the new Defenders that I just had put on my truck.


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HyperX Enthusiast

HyperX

Posted
Posted

Michelin Defenders. I have a small farm in Southern and I can pretty much go anywhere on my farm. I used to have the KOs but they are horrible in the rain. 

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