Truck Tire Time

[Muggydude]

Big O Tires has a $170 rebate on BFG and $140 on Michelin tires through Memorial Day, plus free installation. So essentially up to $280 off

I had Discount Tire match the deal for some BFG Trail Terrains for my Jeep, they just took the $170 off the purchase price and installed for free so no reason to deal with the rebate.

Discount also has a $110 rebate going on, I think I might even be able to send that in after the fact so maybe even will end up with $390 off the total price.


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[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Anyone running BFG HD Terrains yet? I have always run BFG AT on my Tundra. Now I have dedicated winter studdeds, but my current sent of summer/ATs need to be replaced. Stick with what I know or try something beefier? Obviously lots of highway miles to really rough/rocky FS/BLM roads in the warmer months.

[davjr96]

An add-on to tires... What do people like for snow chains for trucks? I just got a ford ranger, CA law requires I carry chains even with 4wd and M/S tires but I will rarely if ever have to put them on. I have seen enforcement of CHP checking to make sure people are carrying though so want to have them for peace of mine. That said, if I do ever have to put them on its probably a tough situation that 4wd and tires couldn't get me out of. Any suggestions for something that'll get me through an emergency but doesn't need to be heavily used?

[SchralphMacchio]

What do people like for snow chains for trucks? I just got a ford ranger, CA law requires I carry chains even with 4wd and M/S tires but I will rarely if ever have to put them on.

If it's just for rare conditions then I wouldn't sweat it too much, the main thing is that whatever you get should have a solid tensioning system and not be purely reliant on bungee straps. I got my LaClede diamond chains through Les Schwab, they have a different gauge thickness of chainlink that's based purely on the tire size, so if you go there, you probably won't be getting the same chains sized for a Honda Fit or my F250, probably something in between. The LaClede quickfit system is okay, it may not be the most bombproof one out there, but hey it worked with 5000+ lbs on my rear axle while hauling my 1000 lbs tongue weight travel trailer over packed snow and ice. I have just one pair but I'm thinking about picking up another pair this winter just in case of extreme conditions, we had nasty freezing rain up here last November and we would have been fucked if my wife was on shift at the hospital ... I think my truck would have been pretty good with chains on all four corners (and a few hundred pounds of sand in the bed) though.

Chains are nice to have getting out of a sticky situation, but I've found a couple of large scraps of carpet to be more helpful than chains in getting unstuck and going!

This your first pickup? I've never driven a compact truck in the snow, just my crew cab F250 4x4, but my F250 is pretty inferior to a well balanced AWD SUV in the snow (like my old Forester). I'd personally step up from M+S to a year-round 3PMSF A/T (e.g., BFG KO2, Falken Wildpeak AT3W, Toyo Open Country AT III) or 3PMSF road-preferential A/T tires (e.g., Wildpeak AT Trail, Nokian Outpost, etc), and have a few sandbags laying around to chuck in the bed for winter.

[davjr96]

If it's just for rare conditions then I wouldn't sweat it too much, the main thing is that whatever you get should have a solid tensioning system and not be purely reliant on bungee straps. I got my LaClede diamond chains through Les Schwab, they have a different gauge thickness of chainlink that's based purely on the tire size, so if you go there, you probably won't be getting the same chains sized for a Honda Fit or my F250, probably something in between. The LaClede quickfit system is okay, it may not be the most bombproof one out there, but hey it worked with 5000+ lbs on my rear axle while hauling my 1000 lbs tongue weight travel trailer over packed snow and ice. I have just one pair but I'm thinking about picking up another pair this winter just in case of extreme conditions, we had nasty freezing rain up here last November and we would have been fucked if my wife was on shift at the hospital ... I think my truck would have been pretty good with chains on all four corners (and a few hundred pounds of sand in the bed) though.

Chains are nice to have getting out of a sticky situation, but I've found a couple of large scraps of carpet to be more helpful than chains in getting unstuck and going!

This your first pickup? I've never driven a compact truck in the snow, just my crew cab F250 4x4, but my F250 is pretty inferior to a well balanced AWD SUV in the snow (like my old Forester). I'd personally step up from M+S to a year-round 3PMSF A/T (e.g., BFG KO2, Falken Wildpeak AT3W, Toyo Open Country AT III) or 3PMSF road-preferential A/T tires (e.g., Wildpeak AT Trail, Nokian Outpost, etc), and have a few sandbags laying around to chuck in the bed for winter.

Awesome, thanks! I do have some knock-off maxtrax I have used in sticky situations and would probably prefer to use those but also just trying to think ahead. I don't wanna be that guy "NEG CHAINS" on the CHP scanner hahaha.

Yep, first truck (coming from a 4runner). I am however getting a Go Fast Camper installed this fall which puts ~275lbs in the rear, so that should suffice instead of sandbags hopefully. I will definitely be going with some 3PMSF in the next month. Got the truck used knowing the stock tires were about to need to be replaced anyway. I had AT3Ws on my 4runner and most recently the Nokian ROTIIVA AT (replaced by the outpost I believe) and will likely end up with something similar. I've also been toying with the idea of an all weather tire like the WR4 SUV because I do way more snow driving than offroad but will probably end up with the familiar 3PMSF route. Unfortunately live on the coast and weekend warrior to ski so real snow tires aren't a good option.

[nickwm21]

Buy cheaper cable chains and put the money into tires….




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[SchralphMacchio]

Yep, first truck (coming from a 4runner). I am however getting a Go Fast Camper installed this fall which puts ~275lbs in the rear, so that should suffice instead of sandbags hopefully. I will definitely be going with some 3PMSF in the next month. Got the truck used knowing the stock tires were about to need to be replaced anyway. I had AT3Ws on my 4runner and most recently the Nokian ROTIIVA AT (replaced by the outpost I believe) and will likely end up with something similar. I've also been toying with the idea of an all weather tire like the WR4 SUV because I do way more snow driving than offroad but will probably end up with the familiar 3PMSF route. Unfortunately live on the coast and weekend warrior to ski so real snow tires aren't a good option.

Oh rad, you're on a good path then! 4R to 4WD Ranger with camper won't be much of a jump, versus when I went from Forester XT (GVWR 4652 lbs) to a F250 (GVWR 10k lbs!!!), hahahaha. Yeah I agree, GoFast camper plus some stuff in the bed underneath might not need sandbags, one thing you can do is find a closed weigh station and just quickly compare steer axle and drive axle weights, or drive to your local county garbage transfer station and ask them if you can just read the weight numbers on each axle and you don't want to dump anything. You're not looking for a certified weight, just seeing if the truck is reasonably balanced, or if another sandbag etc. in the bed right over the axle might be worthwhile. I'm not sure I would put a highway touring tire like the WRG4 on a rig that has a GoFast camper on it, that seems to be a bit philosophically disparate, like, yeah they might be 10% quieter but on that random Death Valley or whatever trip you might be wondering about driving through certain washes with a WRG4 versus not even thinking twice about it with an AT3W ...

[californiagrown]

Falken Wildpeak AT3W

I am a big, big fan of these. Going to try and baby them through their 3rd winter in a few months, but the first two winters it felt pretty close to full snow tires, and they didnt get chewed up too much driving on quarry spall logging roads during the summer either. didnt noticabley kill my mpg, and road noise was fine. If you ask about dry performance while cornering then you are an idiot and looking in the wrong tire category. 100% replacing inkind when i get a fresh set of tires on my 2004 4runner.

Buy cheaper cable chains and put the money into tires….

With good tires and decent 4WD/AWD you shouldnt need chains on any open road. Chains are their to check the box with chain control, they dont even have to fit. The only time ive been in a situation that required chains on a real road/street was in Eugene, OR after an ice storm when the hilly road i was on had 2" of clear ice and a melt layer on top... it was unwalkable and undriveavble without actual chains, which luckily my buddy had stashed in his garage.

[anotherVTskibum]

There's one guy who seems to have background to know claiming that Falken quietly changed the compound on the AT3W and they're no longer as sticky as they used to be. If you get another set, I'd be very curious about your thoughts on how they compare.

ETA:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fal...#post-13794155 is the ih8mud post that discusses it as best as anything I've found

I've seen other reports of grip not matching initial reviews on the AT3W, and I don't know if it's an issue with different vehicle dynamics (especially size), a change in the tires, or just different perceptions of different drivers. I'd still love to see a real winter test of truck tires including several of the leading AT options against actual winter tires, because it would be rather nice not to deal with two sets of rims and tires...but I'm afraid to commit to that leap without data to back it up, as my last attempt at running 3PMSF tires in the snow had me reaching for my wallet pretty quickly.

[zion zig zag]

If you ever see yourself doing any off-roading, and think you'll only need chains to show to highway patrol for on-road use, then consider a set of V-bar off road chains. They'll turn your truck into a tank for muddy/snowy off-road conditions. And remember what the old guys say about chains; put them on before you need them, and only for use to get out, not to go deeper into trouble. Most trucks don't have clearance from brake lines and control arms to run a set of these on the front, so typically rear only. The cam tightening system below works well.

https://tirechain.com/load-range-e-m...iced-per-pair/

[Cocximus]

I was quite excited to find many Bridgestone Dueler AT takeoffs from Wranglers being sold cheap with nearly 0 miles. My offroading mainly involves accessing decommissioned FSRs that are in terrible shape. However, I ended up using these tires to drive to the city, which included lots of fast-paced, twisty road driving. Unfortunately, that wore them out quickly, and now the fronts are nearly half worn after just 10,000 miles. I need to find new tires and fix my 6spd avant to drive like a douche to the city.

[MarsB]

I was quite excited to find many Bridgestone Dueler AT takeoffs from Wranglers being sold cheap with nearly 0 miles. My offroading mainly involves accessing decommissioned FSRs that are in terrible shape. However, I ended up using these tires to drive to the city, which included lots of fast-paced, twisty road driving. Unfortunately, that wore them out quickly, and now the fronts are nearly half worn after just 10,000 miles. I need to find new tires and fix my 6spd avant to drive like a douche to the city.

Sounds like you might be a good candidate for the BFG Trail Terrain T/A.

[SchralphMacchio]

6spd avant

Are you talking Audi? or something else?

[Cocximus]

Yea those trail terrains seem like really nice all around tires.

Yes Audi A4 avant 6spd I'm running pilot sport, and I'm happy how they wear.

[Toadman]

You can always stop by a Les Schwab if one is near by and pick up a set of chains. If you don't use them you can return them for a full refund at the end of the season.

https://www.lesschwab.com/article/dr...er-chains.html

[Toadman]

There's one guy who seems to have background to know claiming that Falken quietly changed the compound on the AT3W and they're no longer as sticky as they used to be. If you get another set, I'd be very curious about your thoughts on how they compare.

ETA:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fal...#post-13794155 is the ih8mud post that discusses it as best as anything I've found

I've seen other reports of grip not matching initial reviews on the AT3W, and I don't know if it's an issue with different vehicle dynamics (especially size), a change in the tires, or just different perceptions of different drivers. I'd still love to see a real winter test of truck tires including several of the leading AT options against actual winter tires, because it would be rather nice not to deal with two sets of rims and tires...but I'm afraid to commit to that leap without data to back it up, as my last attempt at running 3PMSF tires in the snow had me reaching for my wallet pretty quickly.

Wondering if they couldn't hit the 55k mileage warranty with the softer compound.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

My 285/70/17 TA KO2 on my Tundra are worn. I have always run the gnarly E rated ones. Ride is pretty harsh and loud, but man those are tough tires. Seems like everwhere I search is C rated tires and very few E tires around. Are you guys running Cs on bigger trucks like Tundras up rocky ass roads? Am I gonna regret going from 10 plys down to whatever (7?) ply of the C tires?

[El Chupacabra]

My 285/70/17 TA KO2 on my Tundra are worn. I have always run the gnarly E rated ones. Ride is pretty harsh and loud, but man those are tough tires. Seems like everwhere I search is C rated tires and very few E tires around. Are you guys running Cs on bigger trucks like Tundras up rocky ass roads? Am I gonna regret going from 10 plys down to whatever (7?) ply of the C tires?

Tundra is not a bigger truck, they come with P-metric tires, which are sufficient to hold the load that a Tundra can carry. If you want more sidewall stiffness than a C rating, look at D rating tires; they might be a little softer riding than an E rated. Also, E rating is not literally 10 plies -- that old construction went away years and years ago.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Tundra is not a bigger truck, they come with P-metric tires, which are sufficient to hold the load that a Tundra can carry. If you want more sidewall stiffness than a C rating, look at D rating tires; they might be a little softer riding than an E rated. Also, E rating is not literally 10 plies -- that old construction went away years and years ago.

Yeah I know it's not a 2500, but it's also not a Ranger/Taco either. It's a 2012 Tundra Rockwarrior and it came with E rated tires. Costo has the Es for a good price so I will probably just stick with them. I don't even think they make the KO2 in 17" in a D rating.

[bodywhomper]

I struggled to find tires in the size that I wanted that were c or d rate and went with e rate. Land cruiser. I explained upthread that the installer put them at 55 psi, but for no clear reason that he was willing to explain to me. I used this toyo guide to calculate that the optimal cold pressure should be 45psi for my truck, which drastically changed the ride quality: https://www.toyotires.com/media/pxcj...s_20200723.pdf

[Dantheman]

Yeah I know it's not a 2500, but it's also not a Ranger/Taco either. It's a 2012 Tundra Rockwarrior and it came with E rated tires. Costo has the Es for a good price so I will probably just stick with them. I don't even think they make the KO2 in 17" in a D rating.

E-rated can be nice piece of mind if you do a lot of off-roading with sharp pointy rocks. If the price is good and you've been running E's already you might as well stick with them. D-rated is a nice compromise if you can find them and will probably improve your MPG a bit.

[El Chupacabra]

Depends on what you're really using the Tundra for, IMHO. My take is that if you don't need E rated for some reason (heavy load, very rocky trails), you're just spending more money and getting a harsher ride and worse mileage.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Depends on what you're really using the Tundra for, IMHO. My take is that if you don't need E rated for some reason (heavy load, very rocky trails), you're just spending more money and getting a harsher ride and worse mileage.

You're definitely right. I rarely off road, but when I do it's very much gnar super sharp rocks. We don't really have dirt here. It's hunting season and I'll be going up some sketch "roads". I think the shit milage is worth it. It's a 5.7L. The milage is gonna blow no matter what.

[Buzzworthy]

The milage is gonna blow no matter what.

This. We have the same truck.

[SchralphMacchio]

WRG, what pressure were you running, and what’s the door jamb GVWR of your truck? Have you ever looked at BFG load inflation charts to see if you could safely air down to improve the ride quality?

Looking this up would be a quick and easy way to see if there is room for ride improvement while sticking with the tried and true solution you know.

There are also a new batch of road centric but AT capable year round 3PMSF tires that would be likely smoother/quieter than the KO2. Cooper Discoverer ATP is the main one that comes to mind there’s E rated, it’s a Discount/America’s Tire exclusive. Reviews look good. Too bad BFG doesn’t make a D or E rated version of the Trail Terrain, which seems to fall in this category as well.