New Tire Options/Opinions (Yes, I searched).

Well you better believe I'll keep you posted!

 

I've put about 25k on my General ATX's and I don't know if I would recommend them. Could be that I got a bad set but mine seem to have a lot of road noise and vibration at freeway speeds, enough that you can see my passenger seat visibly shaking above 70 mph. That being said they do pretty well in the snow and I don't think I've ever noticed them slip in wet weather.

I will be switching them out in the next couple months for either wildpeaks or toyo at3's.

 

Thanks for the insight. I'm leaning heavily towards the Falken Wildpeaks!

 

I went with E-Rated tires simply because they're heavier construction and deeper tread depth. My first experience "off-road" in deep snow with some Jeep friends destroyed a Michelin LTX Defender (big cut in the sidewall). I swore never to do weak sidewalls again. After that I had the Cooper ST Maxx which were just stellar tires performance wise. I had 255/85/16's and did 70-80mph 7hours at -20F on winter roads to pick up a dog from a breeder. Then did 7 hours straight back home the same day. Truck felt planted the whole time. That said, after a couple winters I knew I'd want new tires before the third winter set in. I couldn't afford a new set of Coopers and they almost never go on sale here. So I went cheaper. Had been reading a lot of really positive reviews on the Falken AT3W so I took a leap. I have not put them through the same abuse though, so it's hard to really compare them. But I'm pretty happy so far.

My Cooper ST Maxx in Moab

In the Mountains

Playing in the snow with the Coopers

Some light rim carnage

This is my truck now with the Falkens on it.

 

Dang! Those are some great pics and some really good looking tires! I'm leaning heavily towards the Falkens. I called the mechanic that originally installed my suspension 4 years ago about getting a rebuild done on the Icon Stage II and it turns out he switched from the KO2s to the Wildpeaks and had nothing but excellent things to say. He did say he also ran the 10-ply. I'm thinking of going with the 275/70/17 though and it looks like only come in the C, 6-ply, form. But that's what the KO2s are and they never let me down. It'll be adding about 50lbs of weight to the tires though. I expect even less performance, but so be it. Need new shoes and the Falkens look awesome.

Incredible truck, by the way. Really like everything you've done to it.

 

Thanks. LOL I blame TacomaWorld.com for my truck. Had I never found this site I'd still have money in my wallet.

Only thing I kinda wish was that a 255/85/16 was available in the Wildpeaks. Having gone from 255's to 285's there was a noticeable difference in icy road handling. Narrow is better on ice. Wider is better in deep snow. Size and tread being very different it's hard to stack the ST Maxx and Wildpeaks against one another. Just too much difference there. Treadlife aside though I absolutely LOVED those ST MAXX. Absolute confidence in those tires everywhere I went. I beat them up a lot harder than these Wildpeaks. LOL Haven't gotten out as much the last couple years.

 

I got 80k out of an E rated set of duratracs. No flats, rotated every 10k. On a stock truck thats not 5800+lbs and periodic alignments I bet you could push 120k.

 

Wow!!! Good to know. That's insane. Much off-roading???

 

Run the E’s if you subject them to a lot of strain, including heavy loads, running fast over sharp rock, hitting sidewalls against sharp or rough stuff, intentional low air pressure etc. Otherwise C’s will probably do you fine with lower cost & unsprung weight.

 

Thanks a million, man. All my older tires on my 1st gens were big and heavy and I always had the 4-bangers so maybe I'm over thinking it. I think you're right. And Lord knows I like to drive fast over sharp rock and air down for sand. Appreciate the insight. Hope you're doing well over there on the rock. Lived in Honokowai for 5 months a year until I was 12. Still have aunties and uncles over there. Miss it and love it. Visit frequently. Aloha nui loa!

 

It’s not perfect, but Maui is the sweetest place on earth I’ve been able to find. Just got home from a long day in town for supplies, drove back in my wife’s brand new 4Runner ORP, even had time to do some steep mud & rock & slick grass to test out the 4lo & traction gadgets. Beautiful evening in the wilds of Kaupo, SE Maui.

 

LOVE IT! Those new 4 Runners are so awesome. If I didn't actually need a bed, I'd be running one of those for sure. Great looking rigs and from the previous 4Runners I've owned, really hold their own off-road.

 

Also put C rated KO2’s on the funky old farm wrangler today. First good rubber we had on her in about 15 years. Figure it’s light enough for the C’s to handle, and they were available on island at a good price.

 

Came home really impressed with the new ‘runner. Better torque band than my gen3 taco, love the old style lever shift xfer case, goes in & out of 4 low like buttah, grab handles & comfy seats abound. Wish it had a couple more auto tranny gears and more storage compartments for tools & jumpers & recovery gear etc are my only critique. Built like a brick shithouse.

 

Wish they'd do all that with the Tacos!

 

I'll leave it to other people to comment on their off-road performance, because I got them mounted right before everything shut down for COVID-19 and I haven't had the chance to thrash them yet, but here are the Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my truck. MPG dropped a bit, but I didn't notice them being any louder on-road than stock.

 

Wow. That is a fine looking machine. Those tires look incredible too. Pretty much going with the Falken Wildpeak A/T 3w at this point after all I've read and compared, but the Nittos and the Duratrac would round out my top 3. I've read a lot of good things about those Nittos. I asked my buddy if he had ever ran them and he said, "I haven't, but the sure look fucking cool." I concur. Thanks for sharing. Really appreciate all of the helpful replies today. Was definitely expecting to get reamed for just starting another tire thread. Pretty stoked on all the help and good vibes.

 

i ditched my grapplers at 1/2 tread left. they got wicked loud, with slapping noise, got some general grabbers ATx's now, not as aggressive but i really like them, smooth and quiet..

 

Mostly highway, probably 80% highway 20% gravel.

 

Well, just want to say thanks again to everybody for chiming in with the tire help.

I ended up going with the Falken Wildpeak AT 3W in C rated 275/70r/17.

At the moment, I have lots of rubbing, but I am getting the suspension (Icon Stage II) rebuilt tomorrow and will have the front raised up a bit. When Mike at Mike's Custom Toys installed the suspension, I remember telling him I only want 1.5" or so and he told me we could get some more out of it if I ever wanted. So I'm hoping after we dial that in tomorrow, we'll be all good. Keep ya in the loop.

I'm definitely thrilled with the size and how they fill up the wheel well. I've also read a few people having issues with the Falkens right out of the gates with balancing, but I got my rig up to 85 mph on the way home and kept it at a steady 65 mph with no issue. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I was also pretty nervous about performance loss going to a heavier tire, but I didn't notice it at all. I guess 40lb total pounds isn't enough for a guy like me to notice. Stoked about that too.

Here's some pics.

The first one is this morning on the old 265/70r/17 KO2s and the rest are with the new Falkens. They're definitely not as aggressive as the KO2s, but I just wanted to try something else out and am really happy with how they look and ride (so far, it's early).

Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate all of your input, time and energy. It really helped me out.