Best tires for overlanding on stock suspensions, no lift?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking into replacing the stock tires with a set that'd be optimized for overlanding and long highway travels. Stock rims, suspension, no lift. I am a noob in the truck scene and could use good pointers here.

Here is mine, already running at 5300 miles just past its first payment. Along with tires, it will soon add a Leer cap.

 

Asking about what tire is the best is like asking which religion is the best.

It's obviously the BF Goodrich KO2 and everyone else is a terrorist asshole.

 

Km2/stt pro/end it.

 

Don't let someone say one tire is above all. Alot of good tires around.
Duratracs
Cooper at3
Cooper st maxx
Toyo r/t
Toyo mt
Cooper stt pro
Bfg km2

Lots of others. I liked my at3s I had on my truck. Sling ga Clay pretty good for being an at

 

O'Doyle Rules!

 

From what I've learned anything that is more aggressive than the stock OR ones will be better. Then again I have basically no experience. The little I used the stock OR ones they didn't seem too bad off road but they didn't have an aggressive enough look to keep me happy. Since replacing I can tell I get better grip off road.

 

Oh yeh, I forgot, duratracs, had those. St maxX maybe. Toyo m/t last a good while. Had those. Had km2. Had ko2. Once you get on that level can't go wrong with any.

 

whichever ones you like and get the best deal on. honestly any of the big names should be fine. skip the MTs for lots of highway. it really depends on your terrain. looks like you got some snow so i would probably look at which ATs do well in that.

 

Also think about load rating and sidewall, you'll want to be able to safely air down for some situations. Something I wouldn't do with the stock tires. I have always been a BFG fan so I went with KO2's, however there's alot of love out there for Cooper STT and some other brands mentioned in this thread...do some research and decide what works for you. I echo a previous comment about not going with a full mud terrain tire, unless it's solely a play toy. Good opportunity to go to a little bigger tire than stock if you want as well.

 

Michelin MS 2's or AT 2's

 

What would be the next size upward from the stock trd offroad tires?

 

Happy with my 265/75R16 Hankook ATMs for a daily driven weekend "overlander". When these wear out and I no longer daily drive my truck I'm going with a 255/85R16 MT, likely Bf Goodrich KM2s as they are easy to get my hands on anywhere in the country if one were to fail.

 

In the northeast I prefer an All terrain tire. I also do overland travel and since my trucks is daily driven, sees mild to moderate trails that have mud, snow, rocks, roots, rain, ice, etc. And highway travel of around 50 miles a day I didn't want a mud tire again. Currently running the Toyo Open Country AT2 in a load C. Great so far in winter conditions. I went up to LT 265/75/16. Best part was they were under $600 shipped

 

265/75/16 then 275/70/16, some folks run 285's but that's about all you want to do without a lift and may require some fender liner or mud flap removal or trimming

 

Those toyos are a great choice for op. They aren't the BEST offroad but great all around tire for a truck that sees some highway miles.

Im a big fan of the stt pros on the more aggressive side.

 

Figure out just what "overlanding" means to you, and kinds of terrain you'll be going over, and then think about the tires. The tires I chose for overlanding are KO2s. My idea of overlanding does not involve intentional rock crawling or mud pits, but will certainly involve tons of dirt and highways, so ride comfort on normal~ish roads was much more important than ability to get through mud - because of this, KM2s and similar tires were instantly out.

// edit - I see you're making payments on the truck. Pay it off first, mod after.

 

Good advice.

I wheel every other week in CO and rack thousands of miles a year on unimproved roads. The stock OR tires will be fine, but have a good tire repair kit along. There is a big "to do" about tires, but once you get into all terrains it's far more about picking the right lines, proper pressures, and knowledge in recovery and trail repair.

I have wheeled challenging trails all over on several different tires. With the combination of traction aids, diff lock, and driving techniques none left me wanting for more traction. Stock tires are less aggressive but provide fantastic traction on a multitude of surfaces.

That being said I found a set of Falken wild peak at3s to be very durable off road and quiet on pavement. They didn't ride as nice as stock OR tires on road which is why I'm keeping the stockers on the new taco until they get tired.

 

There is no such tire. There are great (optimized) overlanding tires, there are great (optimized) highway tires.

Start blending the two and you have compromise, not optimization.

Buy tires for how you use the vehicle 80+% of the time, not for what you dream you may someday do.

 

Nitto Ridge Grappler...

Better yet it's considered an all terrain and comes in a load range C..

 

Any LT tire with 2 spares is a good choice for over-landing.

I'm suggesting Toyo AT2's for their durability and quiet tread pattern on the highway. My Duratracs howl compared to AT2s.