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 Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
#931694
02/18/09 03:34 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 23
OP
Need a Spot
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Howdy, folks,
The perennial tire question, for which I beg your indulgence after lots of searching and reading. Our T is a stock '97 4x4 5-speed presently with some off-brand LT265/75R16.
We drive mainly across the Southern California deserts and mountains, so it's hundreds of miles on highway at speed, then cool down and pull offroad into, say, Death Valley. We always air down, as low as 15psi (so far) as terrain gets rougher, and air up again with a dinky compressor when we reach pavement. Sometimes there is sand, rarely mud or slickrock, occasional snow, but mainly its jagged rocks and tight spots (for a T) on the jeep trails. So far, no sidewall punctures, but the tread lugs on the edges are getting ripped up.
So, what kind of tires should we get? From what I read so far, bias-plys sound ruled out given the long freeway drives, but I'm not even sure if we should choose among Tirerack's "Off-road Maximum traction" vs "On/Off Road All Terrain". Someone mentioned the Firestone Destination but they make a model in both categories, the M/T and A/T.
I see from the beautiful pictures that some of y'all live out in the West, so maybe you have some comments about your T and tires doing this sort of thing?
Thanks,
-Alex
'97 T100 4x4 5-speed, stock
Lots of desert pinstriping
'97 T100 4x4 5-speed
Lots of desert pinstriping
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: desertsandsho]
#931695
02/18/09 03:46 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 981
Rock Warrior
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An MT (mud terrain or max traction depends on tire maker) will be noisy on the road. Some are worse than others but you will know what tire whine is when you drive it. They handle most weather ok but do poorly on ice. Usually made of a softer tread compound so they wear faster. They have pretty good on road manners (some better than others) but are designed to be an offroad tire really. They do tend to dig in the sand, which could leave you stuck <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> An AT (all terrain) has better handling, tends to be less noisy, more predictable on ice/snow, will use a harder tread compound that last longer and will handle most offroad situations pretty well and will last quite awhile. I vote you go for an AT, you cant really go wrong with the major ones: -BFG AT, overall universal AT tire. Most everyone has had it or knows someone who has. Has a nice 3ply sidewall which resist puncture. I like them but they dont handle snow/water/ice well depending on the vehicle and terrain. -Firestone Destination AT (what I was gonna get but got a screaming deal on something else) -Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo (what I have, so far so good but I havent beenoffroad yet, but they did do well on ice/snow -General Grabber, these are pretty much a less expensive copy of the BFG AT. Many like them, but they dont make 265/75/16 except in load range E which is meant for a HD truck like a 3/4 ton or better, the sidewall will be very stiff -Yokohama goelander, many like them, no personal expierance here. -Michelin LTX AT2, geared for more on road, less offroad traction. Here is tire racks survey btw: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORATIf it were me I would go firestone AT, bridgestones or for sidewall puncture resistance or the goodyear silent armor wrangler, which so far I heard is very good but $$$. Be carefull, like I said some tires come in different load ranges. For our trucks C or D is ok-but C is a bit better on road b/c it has less sidewall stiffness. FWIW I have bridgestone dueler AT revos in load range C with no issues so far. If you routinely load the truck up with a good bit of weight I would seek a D range tire.
1996 T100, Mickey Thomson Classics, Bridgestone Dueler AT 265/75/16, custom offroad KC's.
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: CJMT100]
#931696
02/18/09 06:39 PM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,854
Roll Me Over
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An MT (mud terrain or max traction depends on tire maker) will be noisy on the road. Some are worse than others but you will know what tire whine is when you drive it. They handle most weather ok but do poorly on ice. Usually made of a softer tread compound so they wear faster. They have pretty good on road manners (some better than others) but are designed to be an offroad tire really. They do tend to dig in the sand, which could leave you stuck <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> An AT (all terrain) has better handling, tends to be less noisy, more predictable on ice/snow, will use a harder tread compound that last longer and will handle most offroad situations pretty well and will last quite awhile. I vote you go for an AT, you cant really go wrong with the major ones: -BFG AT, overall universal AT tire. Most everyone has had it or knows someone who has. Has a nice 3ply sidewall which resist puncture. I like them but they dont handle snow/water/ice well depending on the vehicle and terrain. -Firestone Destination AT (what I was gonna get but got a screaming deal on something else) -Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo (what I have, so far so good but I havent beenoffroad yet, but they did do well on ice/snow -General Grabber, these are pretty much a less expensive copy of the BFG AT. Many like them, but they dont make 265/75/16 except in load range E which is meant for a HD truck like a 3/4 ton or better, the sidewall will be very stiff -Yokohama goelander, many like them, no personal expierance here. -Michelin LTX AT2, geared for more on road, less offroad traction. Here is tire racks survey btw: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ORATIf it were me I would go firestone AT, bridgestones or for sidewall puncture resistance or the goodyear silent armor wrangler, which so far I heard is very good but $$$. Be carefull, like I said some tires come in different load ranges. For our trucks C or D is ok-but C is a bit better on road b/c it has less sidewall stiffness. FWIW I have bridgestone dueler AT revos in load range C with no issues so far. If you routinely load the truck up with a good bit of weight I would seek a D range tire. my bfg a/t's handle snow and ice great. 33x9.5 on my 89 4runner. BFG m/t's are awful in rain, snow or ice, absolutely awful.
89 4Runner
3" BL, M/T locks, 33"bfg mt, bilstein, Kayline, tubebumper, toyotafiberglass panels
TBI: Elocker,3.4 w/ORS,b+b,S2Sstg2cams,arias pistons,P+P intake,TRDs/c,URDpullies+7th,downey headers,MAPECU2,WEGO WB, SupraMAF,walboro255,stg4clutch, EPaOo2 sim
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: Greg_Canada]
#931697
02/19/09 02:13 AM
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Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 4,160
Toyota Moderator
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Take a look at the Toyo MT's. A great all around tire that should ride good and last a long time. Their only disadvantage is they are fairly heavy and have extremely thick sidewalls that don't flex that great unless you air down a lot. They act like a bias ply in terms of stiffness, but they ride like a radial. From what I've seen, they work well off road if you air them down enough.
I agree that BFG's suck on wet/slippery roads, but their hard rubber wears well if that is what you want. My experience is that BFG sidewalls are very prone to punctures too.
For what I do, I love my Goodyear MTR's (4runner) and Silent Armor AT's (T100), but they don't last as long as a Toyo or BFG since they are fairly soft and grippy. They do last a lot longer than Swampers though.
I've commuted on my MTR's and taken them on many trips to the southern California desert (Johnson Valley/the Hammers), wheeled them hard and then driven them home. They work great on and off road. They'll be going to Moab and back in a couple of months too.
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: ErikB]
#931698
02/19/09 05:32 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 981
Rock Warrior
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My old F250 would disagree, when it gets wet and sloppy out, as well as snow and ice I have had better tires than BFG AT. They do well till you try something else, then say wtf have I been missing!
Otherwise great tires, the sidewall in my expierance held up better than my hankooks that were on my truck and a friend had some regular bridgestone duelers and they were not great either. But coulda been how much we aired down.
FWIW another friend with nothing more than some add a leafs and shackles in the rear and maxed out torsions up front fit some Firestone MTs on his beat up 4runner. He had some other slight mods, but nothing special and was working the IFS, he followed this guys built up hybrid 85+ truck with iroks through hell and did pretty damned well imho!
1996 T100, Mickey Thomson Classics, Bridgestone Dueler AT 265/75/16, custom offroad KC's.
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: CJMT100]
#931699
02/19/09 06:24 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10
Need a Spot
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Goodyear MTRs are indeed a great tire. A new kevlar model just came out; well worth checking out. The tread looks a little tamer than the previous MTR but it still looks plenty capable and is probably less noisy.
I run MTRs on my FJ Cruiser with great success.
I also have a set of Yoko Geos for "civilian use" and they are very good too.
On my T100, I currently run ProComp ATs and I like those a lot too. Very good road manners and great off-road and in snow. Twice a year 4WheelParts runs a special where you get 4 for the price of 3.
I also have a great set of v-bar chains all chained-up on 2 full spares I carry in the bed.
Last edited by FJR; 02/19/09 06:25 AM.
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: desertsandsho]
#931700
02/19/09 05:40 PM
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,262
Body Damage is Cool
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I'm running the Destination A/T's on my T100. They've got 70k miles on them, and I might replace them before next winter.
They've worked just fine offroad. Never ran them in the desert, but I've run around in the mud and grass and slop and such. Nothing hard core, normal farming and trapping and such.
Fine highway tire. I commute 70+ miles a day on them without complaint. They balanced well, hold their balance well, aren't particularly noisy or ill mannered.
'97 T-100 SR5
'86 Toyota's, the variety pack (all gone)
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: foxtrapper]
#931701
02/19/09 10:54 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 23
OP
Need a Spot
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Lots of great information here! Thanks so much, everyone.
Sounds like there's a consensus on the BFG's in the wet.
Some of the more aggressive off-road tires, like the Goodyear Wrangler MT/R and Toyo Open Country M/T, FWIW, seem to come in speed ratings as low as P (93mph). Since speed rating is based on a 10 minute exposure, that feels a little uncomfortably low when cruising for hours across the desert and valleys at speeds near we'll say 80mph. S- or T- rating gives a healthier margin.
The Toyo also has the disadvantage that it's not carried by Tirerack nor, apparently, Discount Tire.
Comparing load ratings via both the numeric and alphabetic code is confusing.
The Firestone Destination A/T seem like a great buy at the moment.
The Goodyear Wrangler Silentarmor A/T seem like quite a decent choice, and also have the M+S (mountain/snowflake) symbol, which means that in California one may not need to mount snow chains.
Well, they ain't decided until she buys them!
'97 T100 4x4 5-speed
Lots of desert pinstriping
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: desertsandsho]
#931702
02/20/09 01:35 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 981
Rock Warrior
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Whatever you choose its pretty relative, all tires have draw backs, all tires claim they are the best.
So long as you buy from the top sugested bunch you usually do fine, its when you buy cheap crap you have issues. Although iirc some stuff pepboys sells is the same as the higher priced stuff but the materials arent as good-however many find they have no issues. iirc its the dakota at/mt tires maybe?
1996 T100, Mickey Thomson Classics, Bridgestone Dueler AT 265/75/16, custom offroad KC's.
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Re: Best off-road tires that can take long, fast highway miles?
[Re: CJMT100]
#931703
03/20/09 12:31 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 23
OP
Need a Spot
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She chose the Goodyear Wrangler Silentarmor A/T, but instead of the intended '114T', which seems like it slots in between a C and D load rating, DiscountTire put on the 'E' (123R?) version. What can I say? The truck /handles/ much more nicely on the road in the city, completely unladen. I guess the sidewalls are really stiff <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Definitely a bumpier ride on bad pavement, but nothing bad. Hopefully the tire will still sag appropriately when aired-down off road. -Alex
'97 T100 4x4 5-speed
Lots of desert pinstriping
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