Help picking tires

What about the Nitto Ridge Grapplers? I'm pretty happy with my C load Ridge Grapplers. Mine are 285/70/17, though. 265s will be lighter and less of a hit to fuel economy. I'm getting 15-16 mpg with the 285s compared to 19 mpg with the stock Toyo Open Country 265s.

 

DISCOVERER AT3 4S

I’m in AZ and wheel moderate trails most weekends. Daily driver in Phoenix, otherwise. Can’t say the stock Goodyears have let me down, but my research has led to the Coopers. Light weight, good ratings, and a tiny bit more aggressive than stock.

Good luck with your pick.

 

BFG Commercial T/A in the stock size is my pick

 

Yeah but if dependability is a key criteria, get the E.

These (non-E-rated) bastards left me stranded once and eventually I tore a hole through the tread. I'm in southern AZ.. Not wheeling, nothing crazy, just dirt roads and a few minor rocks here and there...

 

I'm running 265/70/17 BFG KO2's and have been very pleased with them. They get a bad wrap for not doing well in the rain or mud but I've never had an issue, and we get a lot of rain here in NC. If I wanted a good mud tire, I would've went with a mud terrain. I haven't had the chance to test them in snow yet, but I can't see that being of much concern in your neck of the woods.

 

If fuel economy is your biggest concern then find the lightest tire of the bunch and go with that.

 

Load rating has almost nothing to do with puncture resistance. Higher Load rating just means the tire can operate safely with higher inflation pressures to support more weight and requires more pressure to support the same weight as a lower load rated tire. In fact, many E load rated tires have fewer plies than some C load rated tires. Puncture resistance is more about tire construction than load rating.

 

C-load duratracs!
They dont weigh much more than stock

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

 

The stock tire weight is 35lbs, and all of those tires you listed will not help your fuel economy in the vast majority of driving, especially the KO2s which weigh 50lbs a piece. If you're looking for the cheapest acceptable for the job, the Destination AT2s, which come in at 37lbs, also have a $70 rebate. I would personally try the Pirelli Scorpion AT+ because the reviews are good and the snow rating is the best rated of all tires on Tire Rack, and they're pretty cheap for a set of four. Of those you listed, I would probably choose the Discoverer.

 

I believe you got a lot of good choices, I like the discoverer but I run 2 sets of tires and rims but that's because of the winter conditions here and lack of road maintenance.

 

Nope, can't agree with this. Most E rated tired for LT trucks are 10 ply tires and have considerably better puncture resistance than P rated tires. Just gota make sure they are actually 10 ply tires.

Here ya go: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6-SDBhCMARIsAGbI7UjLjY2Q9CRc0EHs8TMJoecWG_reSsYc-8JsSLwz9AOJKVihpQWx2iAaAiFEEALw_wcB&techid=55&ef_id=Cj0KCQjw6-SDBhCMARIsAGbI7UjLjY2Q9CRc0EHs8TMJoecWG_reSsYc-8JsSLwz9AOJKVihpQWx2iAaAiFEEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3756!3!354820920374!e!!g!!load range c&gclsrc=aw.ds

Edit: Intersting, I can't actually verify the number of plys on my LTX At2 E rated, so now I don't know what to think. I always thought these were 10 ply but maybe I am wrong.

 

E load tires are 10 ply rated based on an old ply construction design but I don't think any modern e rated tire is actually 10 plies anymore.

There may be e rated tires that are more puncture resistant than lower load rated tires but it's not because if their load carrying ability, it's because of their construction.

Your link says exactly what I said and what you don't agree with.

 

This.
My Toyo AT3s are great. They do great on the highway and on the trails. No complaints in the rain.

 

Living in AZ myself it's possible several times a year to drive in all four Seasons in a day !

Since the 80's my trucks have had BFG's as it's hard to put a price on ' Peace of Mind '
especially when you consider that's the only thing between you and the road or trail

The very first thing I did was to put a set on my '21 TRD Off-Road, the 70 series was on back order
so I went with the LT265 /75 R16 123R E1 RWL's and I'm glad I did, 1" more clearance and they do
not stick out, with the stronger side wall I do not notice the ' Dive ' when cornering as it almost seems
like it's riding on rails



RF looking back


RR looking forward

 

Fair warning, if these are manufactured in Japan the sidewall tread will be very shallow and give the tire a generic, soft look. There is a thread on TW somewhere about this...

Personal experience: I really wanted a set of Toyos and ordered some. When they came in to Discount Tire they were the Japanese-made tires and the sidewall tread was super shallow and lacked that aggressive look common to ATs. If you get the ones made in USA the sidewall tread is deep and looks amazing. I switched to General Grabbers AT and I’ve loved ‘em. Those aren’t on your list but I went with General’s because they were close in weight to the Toyo AT3’s. I almost went with Falken as my 2nd choice, which are nearly identical tread pattern to Toyos but fell in love with the Generals once I saw them in person. Web pics don’t do ‘em justice.

Also, I too have a 2020 TRD Sport (DCSB).

 

It sounds like op is less concerned with looks than performance. I'm a Nokian fanboy to a degree and occasionally hesitate to recommend them when it's apparent that the person looking for tires is going for appearance over performance but I don't think that is the case here.

 

From the link: "Today's load range/ply ratings do not count the actual number of body ply layers used to make up the tire's internal structure, but indicate an equivalent strength compared to early bias ply tires."

You are correct that load rating doesn't imply the number of sidewall ply because tires are built differently now and ply isn't a good metric for sidewall strength anymore. LT (higher load range) have reinforced sidewalls:

https://beta.discounttire.com/learn/passenger-vs-light-truck

 

That's exactly what I like to do. I like having one set of lightweight wheels with lighter highway/summer tires that still can do light dirt roads for efficiency, and one set for snow/mud/heavy duty. An impact wrench, a torque wrench, a floor jack and 10 minutes of time and you can rotate/swap out for conditions at hand. OP seems like he may not have the time or know what he's getting himself into every day being a forest ranger, so a tire like the Discoverer makes a lot of sense, when he could be waist deep in snow minutes after driving off pavement.

 

@rangertacoma

You are probably covering a fair amount of miles each year over the surfaces you describe.

If I were in your situation, I'd take a serious look at the Michelin LTX AT2 or the Defender LTX. Both have good UTOG ratings and good mileage. Price may be slightly more than competitive tires, but they will be in the same $$ realm.

 

I have wild peaks luv them. Toyo tires are great but suck in the rain. No road hazard warranty on them.