What tires would you pick for this terrain? (pictures inside)

This would be for a second set of summer wheels, so winter/snow performance is not a factor, as I’ll already have a set of dedicated winter tires.

I’m willing to sacrifice some fuel economy and comfort to get a tire that will perform and grip well on these trails. That said, it is still a daily driver and it will see more miles of pavement than anything else, and likely a lot of gravel to get to these trails.

Ideally, not much mud, but a lot of decent sized, loose, sharp rocks, dirt, steep sections. No boulder crawling. I’d be looking at something around 33” on a 17” SCS or Method wheel. 255 or 285. Leaning toward a 255 for weight saving, but a little uneasy about airing down a 255 on a 8.5 wide wheel.

No experience with these trails yet (western Canadian Rockies), these are just images I pulled off Google, but I do have experience in heavy oilfield hauling. Thanks in advance for any help to help get me prepared.

 

I really like my Toyo Open Country AT3's on pavement. For offroad terrain I'd probably pick an aggressive AT with a chunky sidewall or an MT. Siping will help with wet pavement traction. Definitely 285's.

Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T, Cooper STT Pro, Nitto Ridge Grappler, Yokohama Geolander MT G003, Goodyear Duratrac, ect.

 

Falken wild peak at3's / r/t or toyo open country r/t trails would do good in those conditions and still have great street characteristics

 

Thanks for those recommendations! When you say definitely go 285 is that a recommendation based on the terrain or the rim size I was looking at.

 

I'm not a fan of pizza cutters. I prefer a wider contact patch for ruts and overall traction. 285/70/17 would be my choice.

 

Haven't pizza cutters been proven to have a larger contact patch when aired down? Or are you talking about on the street?

 

@Powchaser what is your concern with airing down?

 

Many Tacomas run Duratracs for this terrain in Alberta and Rockies.

I was able to crawl along and did a full river crossing with my peer pressure Duratracs.


A step up would be Mickey Thompson Mtz or any of the mt tires from the big companies

 

I've been quite happy with my mickey thompson baja legend. I wheel in rocky terrain very similar to those pics and I haven't gouged a tire at all. They are 10 ply and weigh 56 pounds. I also have 18 pound FN wheels. It's one of the lightest yet very functional combo I could find that didn't cost and arm and a leg.

 

• better contact patch when airing down
• lower rolling resistance on highway (better mpg)
• less frontal area in mud and snow
• weigh slightly less

 

That's what I was thinking

 

I really like my Kenda Klever R/T 35x10.5s. No issues with them in Death Valley, the Sierras (including through Rubicon), Utah, and Colorado. I'm sure that the 33-inch diameter ones are awesome, too.

 

They would have to be E rated. I like skinny tires. After that whatever you like.

 

Get your moneys worth when it comes to wheels. Always look for performance over value(bead lock, bead grip or icon studs) and look at the wheel sizes and tire availability. Idk why not many companies are making skinny 35”s for 16” wheel (35”s comment is just me venting).
Can’t go wrong with MT Baja Boss at or mt or some nittos, either recon grap or the ridge grap.

 

I think this is really the most correct post so far. E rated to reduce tire damage. Other than that, unless you're racing, it doesn't really matter. Almost anything is going to be ok.

 

There is a 255mm 35" baja boss that comes in a 35" but it's A/T. Do you know if they make from in a MT?

 

The thing is that my wheels are 16”s

 

Hey, thanks for chiming in! My concern is that a skinny tire on a wider wheel (ie 255 on an 8.5) might run a greater risk of losing a bead at low pressures than a wider 285 tire would in the same 8.5” wheel? Is that a valid concern or am I over thinking this? Always great to hear from the pros, thanks again.

 

@Powchaser loosing the bead is a huge concern, fortunately Method has Bead Grip technology to combat debeading and @Ricardo13x also touched on the Icon Rebound Pro for its bead lock technology. So you can go skinny and not worry when airing down.

 

Yup, get something out of your investment aside from looks.