Knowledge base: Pickup tires

[jt2]

Yeah, 31s seem like a lot of tire for a small truck.

Though I'll second the BFG KO2 for a good all-around. Most sizes of them are Severe Snow Service rated.

I've driven those tires in some pretty nasty conditions and they are notably better than other AT tires I've had on snow/ice.

 

[cheez]

I was a BFG fan for a long time but now run Pro-Comp ATs on my Ram 1500. They are excellent and have a 50k treadwear warranty that I wasn't able to get on the BFGs when I switched over (no idea if they've added one since.)

 

[NorCalAthlete]

I had the KO2s for ~45k miles and could have gotten another 5k out of them, and they were awesome in deep snow in Tahoe, but for the other 90% of my driving they were loud and had a pretty decent amount of vibration.

The Defender LTX's on the other hand are supposedly almost as good in snow (at least, mild snow and plowed roads with a dusting) and much better the rest of the time regarding smoothness of ride + road noise, plus have a 70k mile warranty vs 50k. So I went with them this time around.

 

[augustiron]

I'm thinking of going cheapo on my next set 2008 Silverado 1500 4x4, 285/70-17 pathfinder AT at discount tire. Just normal truck stuff, and snow. Oh lots of snow.

Change my mind.

 

[JesasaurusRex]

I had the KO2s for ~45k miles and could have gotten another 5k out of them, and they were awesome in deep snow in Tahoe, but for the other 90% of my driving they were load and had a pretty decent amount of vibration.

The Defender LTX's on the other hand are supposedly almost as good in snow (at least, mild snow and plowed roads with a dusting) and much better the rest of the time regarding smoothness of ride + road noise, plus have a 70k mile warranty vs 50k. So I went with them this time around.

i also rock the KO2s, good traction and not too obnoxious when it comes to noise (they're pretty quiet when new, less so when worn), i also find they need to be rebalanced at least once before going through a set

 

[doc4216]

I wanted the KO2s for my 4runner but was having a hard time finding them in stock, so I went with the Toyo ATIIs. Have about 5k on them right now and they are leaps and bounds the crappy tire the dealer had on them (it was a prior lease so they replaced with new but crap).

Also, I have had great luck finding good deals on Tirerack.com. My brother turned me onto it back in 2003 to find tires for my midsize truck.

 

[mrzuzzo]

I have Hankook tires on my Ranger with the 14" wheels. It wasn't as easy finding tires for it as people say. I got the best deal at a Mexican tire shop since they have a bit of negotiation room.

I would look into getting bigger tires than stock, just because it raises you and looks good.

 

[rtmac]

My current pic is: MICHELIN Defender LTX M/S
Cost a little more up front, but worth it for the performance and excellent tread wear.

 

[afm199]

My current pic is: MICHELIN Defender LTX M/S
Cost a little more up front, but worth it for the performance and excellent tread wear.

I had such bad experience with Michelin I have never bought them since. The sidewall ozoned out and split, and the wear sucked.

 

[rtmac]

I had such bad experience with Michelin I have never bought them since. The sidewall ozoned out and split, and the wear sucked.

Interesting. I just bought my 3rd set of these Michelin's for my current vehicle (probably 5th set total). I got about 80k miles out of the last two sets, great ride, even wear. I bought a set of Cooper tires in between those two sets. The Cooper's rode and handled like shit, I couldn't keep them balanced, and I got just over 42k miles out of them.

Note- The Cooper's were about 25% cheaper, but only got about 50% of the mileage. So, if you do the math, the Michelins are a less expensive tire.

 

[Yakoo752]

I had the KO2s for ~45k miles and could have gotten another 5k out of them, and they were awesome in deep snow in Tahoe, but for the other 90% of my driving they were loud and had a pretty decent amount of vibration.

The Defender LTX's on the other hand are supposedly almost as good in snow (at least, mild snow and plowed roads with a dusting) and much better the rest of the time regarding smoothness of ride + road noise, plus have a 70k mile warranty vs 50k. So I went with them this time around.

Yeah, but the only thing similar about them is they’re tires. :laughing

 

[NorCalAthlete]

Yeah, but the only thing similar about them is they’re tires. :laughing

https://tractionlife.com/michelin-defender-ltx-ms-review/

I dunno man, they seem pretty solid offroad, snow, etc in addition to a much better on-road quality of life.

Huge thread on them here too (some posts there partially influenced my choice) :

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/michelin-defender-ltx-ms-replaced-bfg-ko2s.494945/

 

[Yakoo752]

I’m not knocking them but the K02 is like an off-road tire designed for the street and the DLTX is a street tire designed for the snow/dirt.

It’s what I will be installing when I lift soon.

 

[NorCalAthlete]

I’m not knocking them but the K02 is like an off-road tire designed for the street and the DLTX is a street tire designed for the snow/dirt.

It’s what I will be installing when I lift soon.

True, point being they are both very capable though (and likely far more so than the vehicle they're going on at least in my case :laughing).

The KO2 definitely have more street cred / *$ gram photo allure but meh.

 

[Critter]

I know it's not the 2.3 four, it doesn't have enough torque to turn those. :laughing

:laughing:laughing:laughing 3.0 5 speed 4x4 drives like an old 70s Muni Bus!

 

[RS250 Chester]

Late to the party on this, but after several years of using Tire Rack just for research, I finally bought a set of tires from the website. They have a a ton of tires and great prices, especially on closeouts.

I was concerned about shipping and mounting. But shipping is included with price and they ship directly to the installer of your choice (from an approved list with prices). 2 year road hazard protection included. I got 2 255/35/18 and 2 225/40/18 for $650 installed.

I'm usually a big advocate of Costco, but for tires, they don't have a large selection and they usually only carry the more expensive tires in a handful of sizes.

 

[NorCalAthlete]

I do appreciate their roadside hazard warranty. I had some meaty 315/35r17s on my Camaro back in the day...hit a pothole and they caught the fender and got chewed up with only maybe 100 miles on them. Got a new set for free (and then rolled my fenders, but that was a separate expense).