Tire Suggestions

[Tremor_Mike]

Personally I wasn't too happy with the Nitto's. I had them on my FX4 and slipped all over when it was wet out. I replaced them with Toyo open country at3 and was super happy with them. My next will be a toyo RT.

 

[Mux]

I thought the OEM Generals were pretty good, until I recently bought a set of Nitto Recons. I went with 295/70/18 size, they are just as quiet on road as the Generals but the ride is much improved. Can't speak to anything off road, definitely happy with the Recons. The bigger size looks good on the truck.

Do you mind posting a picture of them?

 

[ProSAM01]

Agree with @FaKtor34. I have been doing my research and will be going with the Wildpeak4W when my wheels arrive. I will do a quick forum search but does anyone know if a 35x12.5x18 fits in the spare tire area under the truck?

Edit: Based on a couple posts in the forum it seems a 35 inch tire should not be a problem. I would still love to hear some first hand experience in this thread as well.

We moved to MT Baja Boss 35/12.5x17 last week (Method 703s, 0 offset) and the spare fit without issue without touching the exhaust on either side with an approx one inch to spare (for the spare LOL) ....this is with with the pretty side facing up so the cable bracket pulls against the backside of the wheel.

FWIW the MTs were recommended to me for our recent build (will get that recorded here shortly)... and over the next few days had the opportunity to mess around in mucky wet and half-frozen rain snow and the MTs felt nicely grippy in that wet mix. I recently moved from a '20 SCREW with 265/55x20 with KO2s and thus far the difference is night and day for grip in the wet rain snow mess. IMO the MTs are slightly louder however for as aggressive as they are I am surprised at how quiet and light feeling they are on the road and at highway speeds.

I have ZERO regret about ditching the KO2s from a Colorado winter pavement standpoint or a decent->heavy rain situation - the KO2s did not perform very well on pavement and threw the truck all over the place hydroplane and sliding around in light snow to the point of feeling quite sketchy. To be fair with actual off road scenarios the KO2s did just fine ... very good at releasing the rocks and such without any grip issues.

Love the MTs thus far.

 

[Squatch]

I ran two sets of Goodyear Duratrac on my 2004 FX4 on Raptor rims. Looked great, handled great in wet weather and snow, were not to loud. I would definitely look into them for my Tremor when the time comes.

 

[Escape Hatch]

We moved to MT Baja Boss 35/12.5x17 last week (Method 703s, 0 offset) and the spare fit without issue without touching the exhaust on either side with an approx one inch to spare (for the spare LOL) ....this is with with the pretty side facing up so the cable bracket pulls against the backside of the wheel.

FWIW the MTs were recommended to me for our recent build (will get that recorded here shortly)... and over the next few days had the opportunity to mess around in mucky wet and half-frozen rain snow and the MTs felt nicely grippy in that wet mix. I recently moved from a '20 SCREW with 265/55x20 with KO2s and thus far the difference is night and day for grip in the wet rain snow mess. IMO the MTs are slightly louder however for as aggressive as they are I am surprised at how quiet and light feeling they are on the road and at highway speeds.

I have ZERO regret about ditching the KO2s from a Colorado winter pavement standpoint or a decent->heavy rain situation - the KO2s did not perform very well on pavement and threw the truck all over the place hydroplane and sliding around in light snow to the point of feeling quite sketchy. To be fair with actual off road scenarios the KO2s did just fine ... very good at releasing the rocks and such without any grip issues.

Love the MTs thus far.

Are your tires E rated and if so how is the ride quality. From my research and load index rating an E rated tire is overkill on our platform.

 

[caslim]

I run the cooper STT Max. It's a hybrid. They have been great so far. 15k miles

 

[blksn8k]

I'm running 33x12.5R17 General Grabber X3s on 2019 Raptor 8.5x17 wheels. I went with that size because I didn't want to fool with all of the potential issues of a larger than stock diameter tire. The X3s are louder than the ATXs that came on the truck but they are not objectionably noisy. Nothing the B&O can't overcome. They obviously have a much more aggressive tread pattern so some noise is to be expected but they look so much better IMO. They have worked great in every type of driving I need the truck for. This particular size is load range D.

 

[Zeke]

From what I seen the Mickey Thompson Baja boss at had really good reviews

 

[ProSAM01]

Are your tires E rated and if so how is the ride quality. From my research and load index rating an E rated tire is overkill on our platform.

For the 35/12.5 and 17... they are 119Q... D2 rated and from what I can tell larger wheel diameters allow for E ratings - I only read what others have reported about "harsher ride" however that is often the case with stiffer sidewalls, etc....."harsh" will feel different for all of us.... but maybe worth it if looking to handle max payload or pull heavy. I don't think one would want for grip or ability to shed mud or rocks with these Bajas.

- I will look to load up to payload limits at times along with occasionally pulling up to perhaps 5000lbs however not looking to go heavier with this setup. More about clearance, side protection and generally having fun offroad while still being reasonably capable.

I still feel these MTs (thus far, no real offroad yet however reviews are definitely good ) are pretty mild on the pavement all things considered with their aggressive lugs and if it appears at 18" you can move to E rated would be interesting to compare with others experiences (maybe if looking to pull much heavier trailer or max payload camper or something while hitting the mud!!). This setup was recommended from those here in Colorado that regularly are hitting the rocky trails with racks and tents and a load of multi-day gear and they all appear to have been enjoying the heck out of Colorado!

 

[FaKtor34]

To give a perspective on what @Escape Hatch is asking about, the E-rated tires do have a thicker more durable sidewall to handle heavier loads, while it might be slightly stiffer if you run them at normal air pressures that you currently run your tires at it is hard to even notice the difference, if you throw 50psi of air in them without a heavy load then yes they are going to be harsh riding, and the first 1k or so miles they will probably feel a little stiffer than the factory tires, once the sidewalls have flexed some though you honestly can't tell the difference unless you put more air in them. The only downfall is the weight of the tire, you will lose some mpg and performance due to the weight, but you will also gain a more sturdy tire that can be abused more. To break the sidewalls in even quicker you can hit a forestry road and lower the air pressures to around 25 and run it for a few miles, this will help to break in the sidewalls to allow more flex and therefore not make it ride as rough initially. Personally I think the E-rated tires provide a better more comfortable ride after they get broken in.

 

[Escape Hatch]

To give a perspective on what @Escape Hatch is asking about, the E-rated tires do have a thicker more durable sidewall to handle heavier loads, while it might be slightly stiffer if you run them at normal air pressures that you currently run your tires at it is hard to even notice the difference, if you throw 50psi of air in them without a heavy load then yes they are going to be harsh riding, and the first 1k or so miles they will probably feel a little stiffer than the factory tires, once the sidewalls have flexed some though you honestly can't tell the difference unless you put more air in them. The only downfall is the weight of the tire, you will lose some mpg and performance due to the weight, but you will also gain a more sturdy tire that can be abused more. To break the sidewalls in even quicker you can hit a forestry road and lower the air pressures to around 25 and run it for a few miles, this will help to break in the sidewalls to allow more flex and therefore not make it ride as rough initially. Personally I think the E-rated tires provide a better more comfortable ride after they get broken in.

Thank you for this. The decision I am debating is the new Wildpeak AT4W in either 35x12.5r18 (F rate tire) or the 35x11.5r18 (C rated tire). The 12.5 weighs 73.9 pounds where as the 11.5 weighs 62.6. The C rated tire will provide 11,340 of payload, exceeding the trucks limit and the F provides 15,880 which is overkill on this platform. What are your thoughts on the tradeoff here for an extra inch in width? These tires will be going on a 9 inch wide wheel with a +6mm offset.

 

[FaKtor34]

Honestly I prefer a slightly narrower tire myself, so I may not be the one to ask this too, not only is it lighter and will save a ton of mpg compared to the 12.5, if using offroad the narrower tire actually gives a better footprint thus providing better traction. There's a video that explains this really well, basically the narrower tire will flex over obstacles better than the wider tire does, now if these were bias ply it would be totally different but the radial tires are stiffer in the tread area due to the belts so the narrower tire will flex more over objects giving more traction. Don't really know if that is a concern but the fact they also weigh less and provide better mpg than the 12.5 would make all the difference for me.

 

[FaKtor34]

 

[Burns363R]

I assume you had to go to E load tires? How much did it affect your MPG's?

 

[FaKtor34]

It all depends on the specific tire, changing tread patterns and depth will effect the mpg as well as the weight does, I lost right around 1.2 mpg on mine. And yes I had to go that way due to that's all that was offered in the size. But weight isn't the only thing that changes the mpg, even if you ran the same size of tire and rating but changed to a different tread pattern it will effect the mpg.

 

[ProSAM01]

This video provides great explanation and appreciate you added it here!!...IMO they took a logical approach that has been hard to find online in one place previously. Had seen this weeks back and definitely for consideration.

For my build was also interested in a more aggressive approach that with sliders might provide protection for when I take a bad line in a turn, etc. With that will fully admit my 12.5 decision was also about "why not?" given they are the widest I have personally had on a truck like this.

To your point there is a weight penalty for sure and I fully expect MPGs to drop and already I believe am seeing at least -2mpg with local driving. These dudes weigh quite a bit and easily are overkill for even moderate offroad. Good comments and agreed for narrower and practicality.

Down the road I may switch to a narrower width while still running 0 offset or similar. Not to go into a lift/build tangent but we had considered the Methods at +25 however at the time I was also attempting to avoid crash bar cutting or trim of front fascia while going "close to 35s". Also not wanting more than a 2.5" lift/suspension configuration. Fast-forward and we ended up cutting the front crash bar regardless and I am just slightly rubbing on the front flare trim (only at hitting bump at 3/4 turn). Eventually the front bumper will go away and likely requires trimming regardless.

All that said it's an experiment and if nothing else looks aggressively. Over time will adjust if necesary and I do expect a hit to MPG and $$$ with it!

 

[Escape Hatch]

The conversation here has helped me make my decision on the Wildpeak AT4W 35x11.5r18. Thank you all for the input and knowledge sharing, greatly appreciated.

 

[FaKtor34]

This video provides great explanation and appreciate you added it here!!...IMO they took a logical approach that has been hard to find online in one place previously. Had seen this weeks back and definitely for consideration.

For my build was also interested in a more aggressive approach that with sliders might provide protection for when I take a bad line in a turn, etc. With that will fully admit my 12.5 decision was also about "why not?" given they are the widest I have personally had on a truck like this.

To your point there is a weight penalty for sure and I fully expect MPGs to drop and already I believe am seeing at least -2mpg with local driving. These dudes weigh quite a bit and easily are overkill for even moderate offroad. Good comments and agreed for narrower and practicality.

Down the road I may switch to a narrower width while still running 0 offset or similar. Not to go into a lift/build tangent but we had considered the Methods at +25 however at the time I was also attempting to avoid crash bar cutting or trim of front fascia while going "close to 35s". Also not wanting more than a 2.5" lift/suspension configuration. Fast-forward and we ended up cutting the front crash bar regardless and I am just slightly rubbing on the front flare trim (only at hitting bump at 3/4 turn). Eventually the front bumper will go away and likely requires trimming regardless.

All that said it's an experiment and if nothing else looks aggressively. Over time will adjust if necesary and I do expect a hit to MPG and $$$ with it!

Had you gone with the narrower tire you probably wouldn't have had to cut or have the rub issues, but again every person has there own likes and dislikes, some prefer the look of a wider tire others prefer the performance from the narrower tire, really it comes down to personal preference and there is no right or wrong answer. As long as your happy that's what matters. I wasn't trying to sway anyone in a specific direction just wanted to explain the basics that I have discovered over the years so people can make a more educated decision. One thing I find every where you look is that e rated tires are too stiff and that is not correct. They don't provide a harsher ride and that is a major misconception. One that I think leads people to spending money to try and avoid a problem that really doesn't exist ie buying new wheels, so that they can get a lower rates tire in the size they want. Again this only my opinion.

 

[FaKtor34]

The conversation here has helped me make my decision on the Wildpeak AT4W 35x11.5r18. Thank you all for the input and knowledge sharing, greatly appreciated.

No problem, I think you have made a good decision but again I might be slightly biased as to the tire and size due to the fact that is exactly what I would run.

 

[FaKtor34]

I can't say this enough to people, I have spent years trying and researching different tires, why, because it is the one thing that connects the vehicle to the road and that is one of the most important things to keep your family safe, choosing a tire might be the most important purchase you can make as an individual. I know this sounds crazy but think about it, while the tire manufacturers have came a long way it's still possible to buy the wrong tire for the area you live in and drive daily. Ask yourself the conditions you will see a lot of and base your decision off that. Ok I'll end my rant.