Help me pick new tires. Lots of pavement, but also lots of mud.

So, I've moved to a rather muddy part of Alberta. Lots of pavement most days, and the weekend trails are mud pits. Which tires would you all recommend for me? No lift, currently running stock 265/70/16.

 

^The Mattracks are limited to 40 mph IIRC. 40 mph is unsafe in Alberta where semis do 70 mph on gravel

 

@SomeGuy_GRM with tires, there is always a compromise. You are on opposite ends of the spectrum. A mud tire does very well for mud but not so good on the road. A road tire is just the opposite. It might be advisable to have two sets of rims and tires. Just a thought. Look at the Michelin Defender M/S.

 

Three sets of tires is not an option (need winter tires up here too).


I've been considering the Cooper STT Pros

Edit: Just realized I had to go up to 265/75/16 when I bought my Hakkas. But my old ATs are 70s.

 

@SomeGuy_GRM Cooper is a solid option. It's unfortunate that we do not ship to Canada. Would love to be your tire guy.

 

I had the Yokohama g003’s on my truck for a bit. They were really really good on the pavement for a mud tire. Obviously they’re great in the mud.

You might want to look into those. They weren’t much louder than my General Grabber ATXs.

 

Sounds pretty good. Right now I'm booked for some ST Maxx's, do you know how they compare on the pavement? The g003's sound like they'd do better off road.

 

Loud, and will wear quicker than you'd want them to with continuous road use. With that said, they're an excellent tire off road (I hate mud and avoid it).

 

I have the Cooper stt pro in 265s
For a mud tire they handle great on the road. I've never felt unsafe driving it in the rain or snow either. Only downside I would say is they are louder than a street tire and you'll get slightly worse mpg. So if you're okay with that, Coopers are a solid choice. If you want something in-between you can get the AT3 in 8 or 10 ply

 

255/85R16 BFG MK3s.

You don't need a lift and and any rubbing is very very minimal at that. These are a skinny mud tire that actually preform just fine on pavement, great in mud and even great on rocks.

 

A bit too expensive, and worse on pavement than my current pick. I'd estimate my driving to be 60% Pavement 30% Service Roads 10% Rough Trails, with multiple long highway trips per year.

 

I’ve been driving the same set of BFG Commercial T/A Traction tires in the stock size for 12 years now. I love these f’n things.

 

Expensive, yes. I can agree with you on that, but they are a reliably tough tire and for the most part worth the price.

My experience with mud tires on pavement is that they certainly don't match the handling of a street tread due to the thicker flexible treads. However, I have driven highway speeds 55mph to 80mph all over Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana wet or or dry, and other than the slight hum equal to my BFG AT KO2 tires, they handle exceptional on the pavement IMO.

Now, I don't corner my truck like a sports car, so maybe I'm missing something?

But, as an all around tire I have been really impressed with them. I will certainly be replacing them with another set when these wear out.

 

The ST Maxx’s will have better on-road manners than the g003 because the ST Maxx is a hybrid tire and the g003 is a true mud terrain. Although I have never run the ST Maxx’s myself. So I would stick with the Coopers if you do alot of on-road driving.

I’m strongly considering the St Maxx’s for my next tire, the price is the only turn off for me.

 

I'm really happy with my Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires. My buddy runs them on his Ram 2500 and he has about 50k on them. If he kept up with the rotations, they'd be at about 1/4 life, but he stopped rotating at some point - so the fronts are wasted, but the rears are at about 1/2. They're at least worth a look - pretty well-mannered on the road and really good in mud/snow from my experience. They have some weird pattern in between the lugs that help "eject" snow / mud (see image). They also look great, I get compliments and/or "what tire is that" a lot.

 

I am trying to get 4 Toyo MT in 255/85/16 but they are rare as hen’s teeth in Western Canada right now. I’ve run them before (2 sets) in an FJ and they are great on mud and shot rock logging roads.
Great in deep snow, but iffy on ice and hard pack…you are wise to get dedicated winters.

They do wear on hot summer highways, but I tend to stick to the speed limit (even on the Deerfoot) so that helps. Running them at the right pressure helps too.

 

My ST Maxx have been great. I have 50K on them mostly pavement and they still have 9/32 left on the tread (which is still in the green zone 5/32 is yellow). I've had no problems with their performance on pavement.
Mine were quiet for about the first 30K, but only slightly noisy now. (nowhere near as loud as duratracs)
And they do great in the mud as well. Great tire.

 

I’m running the Cooper Rugged Treks in stock size. 265/70 R16. I have about 20k on them now. I’m not sure what is considered loud but you can hear them more than a highway tire for sure. I bought them because they are light, and have great traction. They look really good too. I think I’m going to go with the stt pro next in 265/75 R16. I know it’s heavier and probably louder but I’ll be moving to AZ and I will be taking it off road. Does anyone have a picture of a stock Taco with these tires in this size?

 

Is your Taco your daily, too? I decided against the pros because of road noise. Gonna run the Maxx's this time and if they're too loud or rough in the first 45 days I'll try out the G003 recommend above. I've been reading they might be a softer ride and people claiming no noticeable difference in road noise.