Tire Choices

I have four that I'm going between. Have done plenty of reading on my own, but want some input from members here as well.

I got burned pretty hard making a stupid deal on FB marketplace, with a set of KO2 for $150. Two have chunks out of the sidewall, and two are cupped pretty badly. It was stupid, I wish I'd have known what to look for. Not the most expensive lesson I've hard to learn, but still. Plus, I live in FL and they handle terribly in wet conditions. I'm moving to TX in a few months, so my conditions will change from frequently wet to rarely wet.

In any case, I'm looking for new tires. I've just lifted to 2.75, getting a CMC done next weekend, and I've no qualms about trimming whatever I need to. Going with 285/65/75s. I know 295s can fit but I want to have a bit of gap in the wheel well for travel.

I've narrowed things down to four tires:

Toyo Open Country M/T
Nitto Ridge Grappler
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac
Cooper Discover ST/Maxx

Or I'll just go with what I had before, which is a set of Wildpeaks, but I'd like to try something new.

They all seem to have good reputations and review well, so maybe it doesn't really matter much.

So what are your thoughts on these tires? Any of them drive particularly well/poorly in wet conditions? Any of their compounds hold up worse or better in a lot of sun? I'm mostly looking to do some light trails, and am trying to get into the swing of camping more frequently. North TX can be rocky, so sidewall durability is a factor.

I would like to keep the truck as light as possible, so I'm considering weight as well. No armor or RTT or anything yet, just a softopper which is hardly anything. Not a work truck, so I don't haul anything super heavy very often, and don't plan on towing much either. Have the Sequoia for that anyway.

Hit me with everything you got.

 

Love my c load duratracs

light weight, aggressive tread, great traction, bit of a hum at highway speed but that is to be expected

edit:
Cooper max are heavy and a poll on this site shows 30% of folks with them say they pull to the left (or right i cant rememeber)

Never had a problem with my duratracs, they even get me through clay mud. Only thing they have slipped on is ice...

 

I ran the ST/Maxx on my 2014 Tundra. They look sexy, highway driving was nice with less noise than expected. Off the blacktop they didn't perform all that great to me. Even with a heavier Tundra they would spin in wet grass and overall required 4hi more often than the factory straight treads did. Just my 2 cents.

 

St maxx is awesome but probably the worst out off all these on ice. Id go nitto or toyo.

 

This data I put together may be of interest to you

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/popular-tire-comparisons.654241/

 

@Hobbs how about them Goodyear’s

 

Holy shit lol, yes it is very interesting to me. Thanks!

 

My $.02
I’ve had three sets of Falken’s over the years (two on a 2nd gen taco and one set on a Ram 1500). All three sets were great. They were quiet, long lasting, rode and drove great, and had good traction in snow and sand.

Now, I have the duratracs on my 3rd gen taco. Compared to the Falken’s I’m not very happy with them. They are louder and the ride quality isn’t as good. However, I haven’t had them in snow or sand yet so I don’t know how they’ll do there. Considering that they costs more than the Falken’s, I think I made the wrong choice.

 

for wet pavement, (and many other situations) I would 100% rule out duratracs. Ran them on and FJ and a Tacoma (work vehicle) and neither would hold traction at all on wet roads. Also found them garbage on ice.

 

https://youtu.be/jO6QYM59ANw

 

toyo m/ts are probably the heaviest out the bunch buutttt they do looks the best.


ide consider the toyo at3

 

Interesting... I haven’t had any issues with them on wet roads but then again, I’m sort of a conservative driver. My issue with them is more or less hard to describe. I suppose it feels like the sidewalls are thin. They seem to bounce over bumps. Squishy.... yeah that’s the word I’m looking for.

 

Side note: LOVE THIS !

 

I had several sets of Michelin Defenders on past Tacoma's and they were great ... not sexy looking ... but not like the tires on your Grandma's Town-Vic either.

 

OP, I love a good tire discussion here. For the folks who think there are already 2,143 discussions here on tires, you are correct. Now, move along please. You are right but we cannot help ourselves.

Bummer on the whole FB marketplace effort. But, you know what? Nothing ventured, nothing gained! So we move on.

I think one of the inherent problems with tire discussions is that no one person has likely had all of those tires and that makes a hands on comparison difficult when offering advice. For example, I am on my second set set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers and I love those tires. But how can I honestly tell you that they are a better choice than the others since I have had zero sets of those tires?

This is further complicated by the fact that I live in NY ... love the Grapplers here. Solid on the road. Great on dirt roads. Light off roading, rain and snow -- which we have been getting a lot lately. But that is a very different environment to drive in than in TX. So I can't be sure what works well here is the best fit for you there.

That said, many people have found the Nittos are among the best overall tires for street, off road and mud and snow driving. They may not be the best in each of those categories but are overall pretty great across the board for most kinds of driving. The Toyos are very similar from what my friends tell me -- and they the parent company of Nitto, I think, so probably very similar.

I do hear a lot of people are unhappy with the Goodyears. I have to say while they were the stock tires on my 2020 TRD OR, I found them to be pleasantly acceptable. I had no issues. But had a buddy who wanted them so I sold them with less than 3K miles on them. Not as good as my Nittos but not terrible either.

I have never driven on the Coopers ... so can't comment.

But I wonder if you might want to expand your search a little. I wanted to try the new Pirellis Scorpion Off Roads but couldn't get them. They look to be good. Also, you can never go wrong with Nokian (in my opinion the best tire for cold driving) and the Michelins, which are universally regarded as the best tires you can buy -- even if they don't have that rugged look that you might be going for.

In the group that you have, I would go for the Nittos ... but I really wanted to try the Toyos but we just couldn't get them. When I was buying tires there was a shortage here in the Northeast due to Covid, so inventories were low.

Good luck to you ... please report back with what you decide.

 

Agree with all you said, I know there are a lot of tire discussions, and I think the value of them is that there are a lot. I read a LOT of the things in those other threads and my goal is to kind of take an aggregate of all that experience and knowledge. I simply started this thread with the intention of adding to it. Also, new tires and new information comes to light as well.

I can only really speak to the experience I've had with KO2s and Falken Wildpeaks. KO2s were terrible on wet roads - particularly on takeoff -, which is a no-go for me since I have a kid and another on the way. The Falkens were great, I'd be happy with another pair but wanted to try something new.

I appreciate your input, and that of others here. Lots to study and think about.

 

What has your experience been with puncture resistance of the C load duratracs off-road?

 

Since i bought the tires in April 2019, I’ve done a ton of driving on Forest Roads, lots of sharp, pointy rocks. No punctures yet. (Knock on wood) Out here in New Mexico I’ve even driven on sharp lava rock many times and havent had any problems

 

I ran the Pro Comp A/T Sport on my F250 and really liked them. When I get bigger wheels and the lift done on my taco I may go with them again

https://www.procompusa.com/tires-product-details.aspx?pt=101509&pl=111330&pqq=2284&pqa=14124