Tire Talk

[High_Country]

Cooper ST Maxx
Road Noise: 4/5 (5/5 initially 3.5 at end of useful life)
Tread Wear: 4.5/5
Winter Roads: 4.5/5
Mud: Don’t feel qualified to answer
Wet Pavement: 4/5
They come in an e-rated 295/70 at 34.25” tall and 67lbs



Cooper AT3 XLT
Road Noise: 4.5/5
Tread Wear: 4/5
Winter Roads: 4/5
Mud: not a lot of experience here
Wet Pavement: 3.5/5
They come in an interesting 285/75 (taller/skinny) at 34.84” tall and 60lbs. Also e-rated. Certainly not as aggressive LOOKING but a GREAT all around tire.

 

[Jstonk]

Cooper ST Maxx
Road Noise: 4/5 (5/5 initially 3.5 at end of useful life)
Tread Wear: 4.5/5
Winter Roads: 4.5/5
Mud: Don’t feel qualified to answer
Wet Pavement: 4/5
They come in an e-rated 295/70 at 34.25” tall and 67lbs



Cooper AT3 XLT
Road Noise: 4.5/5
Tread Wear: 4/5
Winter Roads: 4/5
Mud: not a lot of experience here
Wet Pavement: 3.5/5
They come in an interesting 285/75 (taller/skinny) at 34.84” tall and 60lbs. Also e-rated. Certainly not as aggressive LOOKING but a GREAT all around tire.

I've also run Cooper's for my winter tires and they have been great. The most recent were the 265/70 r17.

 

[SDTremor]

I'm curious why the BFG KO2s in the stock size have not come up. Everyone I've talked to on trails can't say enough about not only rock/sand traction, but also lack.of noise as a daily driver mall crawling tire. Leaning that direction when the factory shoes wear out.

 

[Yeti]

I'm curious why the BFG KO2s in the stock size have not come up. Everyone I've talked to on trails can't say enough about not only rock/sand traction, but also lack.of noise as a daily driver mall crawling tire. Leaning that direction when the factory shoes wear out.

I simply don't use my street tires enough to ever give them a shot. There aren't many KO2s where I go but I have seen a few more Wildpeaks and G003s the last year or two. I think the most recent AT I've seen is the duratrac. If I get too concerned about towing with our stock tires, I'll probably put duratracs or KO2s on.

 

[RotorHead695]

I simply don't use my street tires enough to ever give them a shot. There aren't many KO2s where I go but I have seen a few more Wildpeaks and G003s the last year or two. I think the most recent AT I've seen is the duratrac. If I get too concerned about towing with our stock tires, I'll probably put duratracs or KO2s on.

I've used both the KO2s and Duratracs off-road and on-road. The Duratracs are better in snow/ice, heavy rain, and mud than the KO2s, but louder and not as smooth. The KO2's are a better highway tire. Another option that some of my fiends have been really happy with are the Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT. They lean a bit more towards the KO2 side of the spectrum and are less aggressive than the Duratracs.

If I lived in the south where it's more dry and more desert terrain, I'd run the KO2's or the Coopers. In the north, I'd run the Duratracs. Just my $.02.

 

[High_Country]

I've used both the KO2s and Duratracs off-road and on-road. The Duratracs are better in snow/ice, heavy rain, and mud than the KO2s, but louder and not as smooth. The KO2's are a better highway tire. Another option that some of my fiends have been really happy with are the Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT. They lean a bit more towards the KO2 side of the spectrum and are less aggressive than the Duratracs.

If I lived in the south where it's more dry and more desert terrain, I'd run the KO2's or the Coopers. In the north, I'd run the Duratracs. Just my $.02.

I have duratrac's on my 2015 F-150 and concur they are a pretty noisy tire. They're not obnoxious or anything, but mildly irritating when driving in 'normal' situations. Traction is great....for me it's probably not worth the tradeoff though.

I'm leaning towards the Cooper AT3 XLT's and that unique size of 285/75 (at 34.8" tall) - one of the few tires that come in this tall-skinny size. (I'm not a wide tire guy)

 

[RotorHead695]

I have duratrac's on my 2015 F-150 and concur they are a pretty noisy tire. They're not obnoxious or anything, but mildly irritating when driving in 'normal' situations. Traction is great....for me it's probably not worth the tradeoff though.

I'm leaning towards the Cooper AT3 XLT's and that unique size of 285/75 (at 34.8" tall) - one of the few tires that come in this tall-skinny size. (I'm not a wide tire guy)

Keep in mind that Duratracs are considered a AT/MT hybrid. So will be louder than pretty much all other ATs, but quieter than all MTs. They really do cover a unique niche, but I wouldn't run them either if I didn't want that extra bit of traction you get over other ATs. I think you will be really happy with the Coopers.

 

[Yeti]

I have duratrac's on my 2015 F-150 and concur they are a pretty noisy tire. They're not obnoxious or anything, but mildly irritating when driving in 'normal' situations. Traction is great....for me it's probably not worth the tradeoff though.

I'm leaning towards the Cooper AT3 XLT's and that unique size of 285/75 (at 34.8" tall) - one of the few tires that come in this tall-skinny size. (I'm not a wide tire guy)

Definitely let us know how they are.

 

[Shake]

I've used both the KO2s and Duratracs off-road and on-road. The Duratracs are better in snow/ice, heavy rain, and mud than the KO2s, but louder and not as smooth. The KO2's are a better highway tire. Another option that some of my fiends have been really happy with are the Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT. They lean a bit more towards the KO2 side of the spectrum and are less aggressive than the Duratracs.

If I lived in the south where it's more dry and more desert terrain, I'd run the KO2's or the Coopers. In the north, I'd run the Duratracs. Just my $.02.

Just to piggy back on this, I have found the duratracs not to last very long in comparison to KO2’s but I also deal with 90 degree plus summers. But they are great in rain and mud!

 

[High_Country]

Keep in mind that Duratracs are considered a AT/MT hybrid. So will be louder than pretty much all other ATs, but quieter than all MTs. They really do cover a unique niche, but I wouldn't run them either if I didn't want that extra bit of traction you get over other ATs. I think you will be really happy with the Coopers.

Right on. I've run two sets of the Cooper ST Maxx (a bit of an MT/AT hybrid) on our 4runner and have been really impressed with them from a toughness, mileage, and performance standpoint. They get a little louder as they age, but not bad. I'd consider them as well if they came in that same tall skinny size for an 18" rim. Truth be told, I probably don't NEED that aggressive of a tire. But c'mon...need vs want is another debate entirely.

 

[Shake]

How much are you guys factoring in weight of tire in your selections? I know rolling weight matters but to what degree I have no idea.

 

[FaKtor34]

I use to run the BFG KO2s exclusively, but the price kept going up, so I tried the original grabber at2 and was shocked at how much better the tire was, after about 30k miles the BFG would start slipping on wet roads, while I got around 65-70k out of them I didn't like that fact, with the grabbers I averaged about the same mileage but they never got to where the would slip or spin on wet roads like the BFG did. After the grabber's I tried the Toyo at2 and those were alright but didn't have the traction for the trails I run around on, so that's when I tried the wildpeak at3w, between it and the grabbers, I don't think you can find a better all around tire that works in almost anything and still get the mileage. I know their are many KO2 fans out their and I used to be one but I think they are overrated and over priced.

 

[FaKtor34]

How much are you guys factoring in weight of tire in your selections? I know rolling weight matters but to what degree I have no idea.

If your worried about mpg then weight matters, otherwise it really doesn't play that big of a role. If you tow then the E rated tires are your best bet but they weigh on average 12-15 lbs more per tire, so your mpg will take a hit. That's just an example.

 

[Yeti]

How much are you guys factoring in weight of tire in your selections? I know rolling weight matters but to what degree I have no idea.

in a word, leverage. it's more difficult to stop rolling mass. from a tire stance, the larger in diameter the tire, the more leverage it has to continue rolling = more difficult for breaking. That is one of several reasons I use an OEM size wheel when I tow my TT. With our OE wheels and tires, I'm not sure they total much more than 40 pounds. my 35" tires are over 70 pounds and my 9X18 wheels add another 36. so 8% more leverage and ~ 2.5 times the weight.

Our OE wheels with 33" E rated tires should come out about 50 pounds

 

[RotorHead695]

Just to piggy back on this, I have found the duratracs not to last very long in comparison to KO2’s but I also deal with 90 degree plus summers. But they are great in rain and mud!

They are soft and if you push them hard you definitely can wear them out faster. I've had friends get 60k on them and they have the same 50k warranty on them that the KO2s do. I never get that much...I average 20k miles a year and not willing to push through a winter with 40k miles on them...lol. Mine get changed out every 2 years regardless of life left.

 

[RotorHead695]

How much are you guys factoring in weight of tire in your selections? I know rolling weight matters but to what degree I have no idea.

A little bit...the Duratracs happen to be one of the lightest tires out there, so I figure I lucked out. Keep in mind I'm on 17" wheels, so the D rated version is what I run in the 315/70R17 size. And if you are a USAA bank member (don't need to be military to join) you can get 25% off Goodyear products. So all in all I consider it lucky they are also my favorite performer in my part of the country. I know it sounds like I'm a Duratrac fanboy, but lots of other good tire choices out there and if I used my truck differently or lived somewhere else I might choose something different.

 

[Yeti]

A little bit...the Duratracs happen to be one of the lightest tires out there, so I figure I lucked out. Keep in mind I'm on 17" wheels, so the D rated version is what I run in the 315/70R17 size. And if you are a USAA bank member (don't need to be military to join) you can get 25% off Goodyear products. So all in all I consider it lucky they are also my favorite performer in my part of the country. I know it sounds like I'm a Duratrac fanboy, but lots of other good tire choices out there and if I used my truck differently or lived somewhere else I might choose something different.

For the USAA discount, they have to be available online so keep an eye out and be patient. Also, you can tie that in with any Goodyear discount i.e. $200 back in a gift card and any shopping cash back browser apps for another 5%

 

[KingEddy]

So I have my heart set on the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T in a 295/70/18 (I have a 2.5" ProComp level). But my problem is they are on backorder with no end in sight. I know the 295/70/18 seems to be the size for the leveled Tremor, wondering everyone's thoughts around the 305/70/18 (which is in stock)?

Its only 1.5% taller in Diameter and 3.7% wider than the 295/70/18, but I know the big thing is the rim size is recommended for 8" & up. Will it work? I do tow a 7000lb camp trailer (FYI).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Yeti]

So I have my heart set on the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T in a 295/70/18 (I have a 2.5" ProComp level). But my problem is they are on backorder with no end in sight. I know the 295/70/18 seems to be the size for the leveled Tremor, wondering everyone's thoughts around the 305/70/18 (which is in stock)?

Its only 1.5% taller in Diameter and 3.7% wider than the 295/70/18, but I know the big thing is the rim size is recommended for 8" & up. Will it work? I do tow a 7000lb camp trailer (FYI).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not keen on going outside of manufacturer recommendations. Maybe also see if they have a 35x11.5

 

[RotorHead695]

For the USAA discount, they have to be available online so keep an eye out and be patient. Also, you can tie that in with any Goodyear discount i.e. $200 back in a gift card and any shopping cash back browser apps for another 5%

If you don't care about tying in the additional Goodyear discounts, Discount Tire always matches the deal. It took about 2 weeks to get my last tire order in.