Survey - Tires

In my opinion the compound is way too soft. I had them on a Jeep Cherokee and they rode like shit after only 20k. Great at first with a rapid decline in ride. I thought I hated that truck,turns out when I switched to Toyos I loved the truck, just hated the BFGs.Never again.

 

Thanks for chiming in. I heard the opposite.

Were both Toyo and BFG E load tires?

 

It seems in southern california desert areas that most people seem to think that ATs actually outperform MTs most of the time. KO2s/KO3s seem to be the most popular tires here. It is mostly hard packed ground, hard rocks and some sand. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

They were both LT prefix

 

That is my experience in so cal. mostly desert trails and rarely rains here to warrant MT though I've encountered some rocks that I wished I had MT.

I've experienced chunking on tires and found myself needing to replace only after 3K miles (It's OEM, but it's designated as onroad AT). Does anyone know if this is something to be expected also on offroad A/Ts or R/Ts?

 

Airing down helps ALOT especially on rocks.Ive had no issue ever running 15.

 

Perhaps I need to airdown to 15. I airdown to 20.

 

I wouldnt expect much chunking at 20 either to be honest,are you spinning your tires on rocks?

 

It is important to look at how much deformation there is not just focus on PSI. My friends KO2s and KO3s arent all that deformed at 15 but my nitto terra graplers look almost like a flat tire. When it comes to chunking though I think a lot of it comes down to the tire material.

 

The term mud terrain is a bit misleading I think. What it really means is that the tire is engineered to be the best non-snow off-road tire while still being road legal. All-terrains focus more on road and snow performance. All terrains are designed to be the jack of all trades while mud terrains are more focused on off-road.

My “mud terrains” are labeled “extreme country”.

More info here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx4YaxEc5PQ

 

I probably have. LOL. I'm new to this, so was having some fun. I'd there would be chunking even with e load if I spin my tires?

 

The thing is it seems that "mud terrains" are focused on certain off road terrains as it is a very wide term so in some off road terrains all terrains may be better. The MTs are going to have bigger voids between lugs which means less actual rubber touching the ground. They will be able to grab protrusions better in some terrains while the ATs will grip better in others where the voids arent helping grab such as hard packed dirt and smooth rock. Also the voids can be detremental in sand and soft snow. That is my understanding atleast. Matt from Matts offroad's favorite tire is an MT but I have also heard him say that in the summer when he is mainly doing sand rescues he wants them worn down to almost bald. Less agressive tires have better floatation and run less of a risk of quickly digging you into a hole.

I am still mulling over what tires to purchase. Currently running nitto terra graplers that came on my truck. Thinking I would ideally have 2 sets, one larger more aggresive set and a smaller one for more around town duties so I am open to getting an MT but not certain it is really best in socal.

 

https://youtu.be/U6nrYL-pTKQ?si=MZle4Y2I2ZPoWXiB

I found this one interesting as his opinion changed from the last time he posted on the topic.

 

I’ve heard Matt mention that bald tires are best on sand, but I take it with a grain of salt. If that were true, one should use summer road performance tires, yes?

I’m no expert on desert sand. The sand here in Minnesota, unless agitated my motorized vehicles, is super dense and high traction. One caveat is the flood deposited sand along the Mississippi, but there are no trails that allow motorized vehicles; only mountain bike trails. That sand it a PITA, often times unridable without a fat tire bike.

My intuition about why mud terrains are not the best on snow/ice is because the tire compound is designed for higher temperatures and toughness and lacks sipping. The deep tread depth is probably an asset in deep snow and all other soft surfaces.

 

If you look at actual sand tires you will realize that they are trying to maximize floatation and contact patch and are a lot close to a highway tire than an MT. A worn down MT gives you a tough tire that can handle being aired down but with better floatation and contact patch so it makes sense as a budget sand solution.

Of course then there are the sand paddle tires and things that take the opposite approach but they are designed to dig in in front of the tire to pull the vehicle up and forward instead of just slinging thebsand from the bottom of the hole out the back like a fast aired up MT will do.

Obviously I way over think things

 

Socal is mostly densly packed sand, dirt and rock roads that have a tendency to get horribly washboarded. A lot of the washboarding smooths out at about 30-40mph and I have a hunch that on those surfaces and those conditions an AT tire will grip and handle better than an MT. A lot of the obstacles are smooth rock which again I would not be suprised with an AT outperforming the MT on many. Although when the obstacle has anything to grip I would expect the MT to truly accel. They are also built stronger so less chance of puncture and can probably be aired down more. But is it worth the added weight?

I am not so worried about MPG but weight means less range, less power and a higher chance of breaking things.....

 

My mud terrains are loud, abrasive, and have high rolling resistance, but sling the mud, dirt, and sand and grab onto the rocks. My all-terrains are quiet, supple, and better on snow/ice covered roads.

 

Most of what I am saying is conjecture. I haven't found any hard published data on MTs vs ATs. Would lovd to see actual test results of Ko3s vs KM3s.....

 

You will learn to spin your tires when you need to,and sometimes you absolutely have a need. Spinning them on rocks is different than spinning them in dirt.Having fun is where its at, just stick with a good quality tire and they wont let you down. Everyone has an opinion on what that tire is depending on where, how ,and what they drive. Ive been running Toyo AT3 for a long time and there are the tire for me.

 

Both are overpriced IMO.

OP, this might help:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/test...q2SEbXvDsJ3l8rdeyzQtwnXLLaw2aBeL_G7djapX6VO2t