Rugged "Fails" earning their name - My truck embarrassing me.

So, it started to rain, hard, on the job site I was working on the other day. Activities were cancelled and everyone began to drive off. I think to myself "I'll just go out the dirt road I came in on this morning because I have a 4x4 tacoma" which at this point was very muddy and maybe a 10-12% grade at the steepest point, so not THAT steep.

Started to spin a bit as the hill began to climb - engaged 4wd
Spinning again with 4wd on midway up the hill - engaged 4wd lo and locker

At this point I was spinning all 4 wheels (not hammering it) and floating sideways. Tried the ATRAC - nothing different happened apart from hearing it try to work.

I go back down for faster attempt but to no avail, when the grading crew supervisor pulls up beside me in his F-250 and says "Woulda thawt that new Toyota'd make it outta here huh huh huh" at which point he offers to hook on to me and pull me up. I decline. He goes right on up the hill with a bit of spinning but nothing major.

Defeated, I leave the site on the longer, paved, road out.

I checked today and his F-250 has Cooper Discovery A/Ts with maybe 4/32 left on them. All I can decided is either I am a terrible driver, Rugged Trails are a terrible tire, or a combination of both.

So my question is this (and I have searched) what is the best Mud/MPG tire? I know it's not easy to find one that does both of those well but I drive long distances to be on dirt/mud during the day.

And has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

The stock tires sssssssssssssssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I can't believe toyota even has the balls to put such a dangerously worthless tire on a vehicle.

 

How much offroading will you be doing? all-terrains are better for MPGs than M/Ts

KM2's, hankook dynapro M/Ts are great Mud terrains.

I run the KM2's- quiet onroad, great offroad, but i've still lost 3 MPGs cause of their weight/the fact they're mud terrains.

 

be prepared for a lot of comments regarding which mud tire is best haha..all of the top brand mud tires perform well ,and will usually come down to what you can reasonably afford. i liked my Hankook Dynapro MT mud tires when i had them, i liked them well enough to have 3 sets of them on my taco.

sometimes in a wet no traction situation it's best not to have the rear locker engaged such as being on snowy or icy roads..and i bet that's what contributed with the sliding slideways. sometimes all you need is some nice tire spin to help keep the momentum going. but if your tires are not doing their job in providing some kind of traction or bite there is nothing to do but try bypass the situation like you did, or get pulled through by a winch or another vehicle.

 

the rugged trails really do suck though.

 

i had good luck with mine before i got the hankook mt's mounted..but then again, i never had them in mud so i wouldn't know..im a pussy when it comes to mud!!!

 

I'm running Nitto Trail Grapplers right now and would definitely suggest them. I do plan on trying out some km2's when these wear out though, just to see what they're like.

 

me too

our 2010's had trouble going up wet asphault... As well as wet grass.
they suuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

 

Just get duratracs if you use ur truck for work,dd, weekend play.... Or my personal favorite nitto terra grapplers... U don't need a mud tire to get good all around traction

 

Michelin LTX AT2's are great as well

 

I have read quite a bit of discussion/reviews of various M/T or devoted "Mud" tires like the KM2 and Nitto's and such but my main concern is MPG. The 265/70r16 Rugged Trails I have on now weigh like 37 lbs a piece so I would want something in that range that has great highway manners but performs "acceptable" in mud/dirt/gravel.

I don't really do much extreme offroading that would require bigger tires and a lift or anything like that. It's usually just a long highway drive to a job site that is rocky/hilly/muddy enough to require me to use 4wd multiple times every day. So MPG first then ability to get around once on site.

Any tires fit the bill? I would probably do 245/75r16s or 265/70r16s

 

there's tons of great all-terrains.

Goodyear wrangler duratrac, BFG AT KO all terrains, and michelin LTX/AT2's are the most popular on the site, with tons of positive reviews. Since they are lighter and have less agressive treads, theyre a lot better on MPGs as well

(Personally, I've ran the LTX AT2's and the BFGs- onroad they're as quiet as a street tire, and have pretty good grip offroad)

 

When i bought my truck I got a "tires for life" deal. The only problem is that the truck came with Rugged Trails, and that is the only tire the dealer would replace it with. After the second set and numerous really scary situations on wet roads, I told them to keep their free tires and I installed Nitto Terra Grapplers. These at ATs, not MTs, but I don't see the need for MTs - these grip really good and they are good onroad and offroad. I really like them.

 

Exactly.

Highway manners of the Nittos as good as the Rugged Trails? I can't complain about the BFGs on the highway.

I'm assuming I'd be taking a mpg hit as they only come in 265/75r16 or larger.

 

If you are looking for a good onroad AT tire, with good MPG, low road noise, but good enough off road, look at the Bridgestone Dueler Revo. I have not had them, but several friends and some of our work trucks have them, and they appear to be great tires. A little less road noise than the Nitto Terra Grapplers, and long life.

 

From what I've read the Duratracs will ding 1-2 MPG even if I go down to 245/75r16s.

The BFG AT KO's are the scariest tire I have ever had in the rain. Offroad and on road I like them when it's dry. Wet on/offroad I didn't.

I had some Kumho Road Venture KL78s that were great in rain, mud, on/off road but were toast in 20,000 miles.

Runway Enduro's do well in mud/rain/offroad but were noisy as hell on pavement.

The Michelins you mentioned look cool but they are pricey... Do they have a downside? I guess all tires are $$ now though. I paid $69 a tire the last time I got BFG A/T KOs - not anymore.

 

This. ^^

Being locked will often kick you sideways under such conditions, plus those lame A/T's probably filled up and didn't self-clean.
Sounds like your only chance was to hit it with some mo (read High Range) on the first try.

A dedicated mudder will add noise and take away fuel mileage as has been stated.
Maybe a combo tread like the Duratrac would be a good trade. I don't run it but it looks like its side lugs might self clean.

 

I didn't run into any problems with them, they had great grip on wet asphault (something I miss now that I have the KM2's) and were whisper quiet.

only downside is their price

 

I put 1/2 tread cooper discoverer S/T's (not a mud terrain but better than a street terrain) on my wifes dodge ram right after she brought it home. Now she has 28K miles on it and there is still 1/4 tread on them. They do great on the road (I drove the hemi down the ALCAN from fairbanks alaska to minot north dakota and got 23 MPG's w/ a four wheeler in the back and the bed packed around it in December.) They do great on ice and mud. I'm getting them for my truck as soon as it comes time. They are a softer Rubber than most tires and really do last a long freaking time. There is not a whole lot of road noise on the highway either.

 

Which ones exactly? The Dueler A/T RH-S is rated pretty high on the rack.

I will look into these as well.

Any opinions on Firestone Destination A/Ts for pavement/mud?