Opinions on new tires

JimWilson · May 10, 2002

I'm going to dump those puny 245's that come on the 2500HD, so I've been shopping around for my next set of meats. The optional PYO's look real sharp, so I'm going to keep them. Unfortunately, this will most likely limit me to 265's. Yes, I've seen pic's of people who've put 285's on those rims, but it seems like most have some type of story to tell; abnormal tire wear, tread separation, incomplete contact patches, balancing problems, etc. Since I do a lot of highway miles I'm leery of the consequences of stuffing huge tires on 6.5" rims, so I think I'll avoid the potential problems and stick with the 265's. Shame too, because the 285's sure do look good. Oh well...

I know there are a couple of favorites that I've seen on the pic's of other peoples rigs. Here's the list I'm looking at. Any comments, suggestions, experiences you might have would be beneficial.

BFG TA/KO -- seems to be quite popular, but a bit expensive comparatively

Dunlop Radial Rover RT -- I've had good luck with Dunlops in the past. $50 less then the BFG's too.

Dunlop Radial Mud Rover -- again, I've had good luck with Dunlops, but this one seems a tad too aggressive.

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R -- nice looking tire, but perhaps another one that's a bit too aggressive for highway (noisy or harsh riding?)

Nitto Terra Grappler -- my brother says these are nice, but I've never even heard of Nitto.

Mickey Thompson Radial MTX -- haven't found a sole who've used any Thompson's tires though, so this one's a crap shoot.

Anything else I might have overlooked?

What's your 2 cents on tires?

MarkD · May 10, 2002

heh heh, he said meats, heh heh.

MarkD · May 10, 2002

Seriously,

I have the firestones (stock on my K1500) and I do not like them.

A friend just bought Bridgestone Dueler AT's in 285's and loves them. Very good price too. They are slightly louder than the f-stones. I have a pic on my site linked below.

Michelin, never cheap, almost always worth it.

I would expect 25-30k miles out of the BFG's, but I don't know what the "KO" designation means.

I think the Nitto tire is there first entrace into L/T tires. I LOVE their car tires, both the Z rated and their Drag Radials.

kirkl · May 10, 2002

I had BFG all terrains on a dodge i had and loved them. They were quiet and aggressive, you ll get way more that 25-35,000 miles on them, i think there a 50,000 mile tire but i know people getting 50-60,000 miles out of them.

gandolphxx · May 11, 2002

You may want to think about the wheels, 265's on the PYO 6.5 rims is not a very good match IMHO, if you like the looks and want a forged 95 psi wheel look at: Mickey Thompson Challengers [Alcoa] - I have them, 16x8 and love them.

regcab02HD · May 11, 2002

Gandolphxx, I thought you had Mickey Thompson Challengers. If you don't, what did you do with them?

gandolphxx · May 11, 2002

Gandolphxx, I thought you had Mickey Thompson Challengers. If you don't, what did you do with them?

Your right, slip of the keyboard, sorry, and again, I have never seen a tougher wheel, even the wheel shop guy drooled over them while installing.

MarkD · May 11, 2002

I had the BFG's on a Jeep Cherokee when I got that mileage. It may have been my fault for the short life. I was happy with the tires other than the wear.

BTW, I had it built to 285 hp after throwing a rod, punching holes in the block, and BREAKING the cam.

I sold it with 75k miles on the Michelin LTX A/T's and still had "sellable" tread on them.

MountaineerTom · May 11, 2002

Gandolphxx, I thought you had Mickey Thompson Challengers. If you don't, what did you do with them?

Your right, slip of the keyboard, sorry, and again, I have never seen a tougher wheel, even the wheel shop guy drooled over them while installing.

They are one of the best looking wheels in my opinion. I love those oblong shaped holes in them. I wish they were cheaper though. ???

Shaners · May 11, 2002

In order to keep the "E" rated tire, your choices become limited in a 285/75. There should be alot more options in the 265's.

I personnaly don't need a very aggrressive tread, because I won't be driving on any logging roads etc in the percievable future. I'm thinking of the Michilens (LTX is what I think they are) or the BFG LongTrail tires. Both would give me enough traction for what I want to do, they should provide long life, and they will be relatively quiet over the road.

2001 HD · May 11, 2002

If you do mostly highway driving, you might consider the BFG Long Trails. You can get a 265 in a "D" but "E" is only available in 245. The "D" is only about #100 less than the OEM FS R4S. I don't think I'll ever get the truck loaded that heavy, and they still exceed the max GVW of the trucks capacity. Good ride and seem to ride on the factory PYO's pretty good. Very little sidewall bulge. But they still don't fill up the wheelwell like the 285's do. Slight loss in torque due to the equivilant gear ratio change and no decrease in fuel milage. But I guess practicality wins over looks this time. The A/T's throw to many rocks for my tastes.

Ranger354 · May 11, 2002

I plan on putting 255/85's on my new truck. This height is the same as a 285, but it is not as wide and will fit the stock wheel much better.

I have a friend with the Wrangler M/Ts and they are not noisy on the highway. I was truley impressed with this tire. I have not checked to see if they come in the 255/85 yet.

JimWilson · May 13, 2002

heh heh, he said meats, heh heh.

I guess 'meats' is reserved for rubber larger then 38's?

JimWilson · May 13, 2002

You may want to think about the wheels, 265's on the PYO 6.5 rims is not a very good match IMHO, if you like the looks and want a forged 95 psi wheel look at: Mickey Thompson Challengers [Alcoa] - I have them, 16x8 and love them.

265's on the stock PYO's should fit fine. 285's, now that's a bit much IMO...

Those rims are sharp -- even look a bit like the PYO's (which is a good thing). What backspacing did you go with?

JimWilson · May 13, 2002

In order to keep the "E" rated tire, your choices become limited in a 285/75. There should be alot more options in the 265's.

I personnaly don't need a very aggrressive tread, because I won't be driving on any logging roads etc in the percievable future. I'm thinking of the Michilens (LTX is what I think they are) or the BFG LongTrail tires. Both would give me enough traction for what I want to do, they should provide long life, and they will be relatively quiet over the road.

A lot of the 'd' rated tires seem to have 3000lb max load. Since that's only about 50lbs less then the stock 'e' rated 245's I think I should be okay with that. I want to fill the wheelwells up a bit more then 245's do.