NEED TIRES

I'm a new member!
With past Tacomas I always had BF goodrich all terrain k02. The ride was rough and tires didn't last as long as they said they would by long shot. I live in ABDSP so do off roading but it is my main machine, so use it to go everywhere. My off road guru recommends Coopers Discoverer AT/3 LT 265/75/16, a little taller than the 70 I have on now. Thoughts, suggestions? I really don't want to deal with getting tires during covid but have no choice. Thought I'd go to discount tire in La Mesa CA ...

 

Welcome to the forum
Happy 4th
@Discount Tire will set you straight.

 

Perfect. Go with the coopers. You'll be fine with the 265/75r16. Look around for deals fast because the 4th of July savings are ending.

 

265/75/16 is a good size. Just enough bigger to look a bit better without any real negatives. Which brand can get hotly debated. Cooper isn't a bad tire for the money, there are better tires, but they cost more. I've used them on several trucks, but they have gone up in price to the point that I no longer consider them a good value.

Lots of guys highly recommend Falken and I ALMOST went with them on my F150 last Fall. This is the Falken with another name stamped on the sidewall. You can get them for less than Falken, and probably less than Cooper.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=Encounter+AT

I ended up getting a good deal on the new Pirelli tire. You'll see some negative comments about the original Pirellis but this is a different tire. It compares pretty close to the BFG's but cost me about $400 less for a set. I've had them 8 months. Ride is good, great in mud and rain. I'm happy.

Photo of my tires before mounting them next to a set of BFG's in the tire store.

 

Unfortunately most of these tire threads turn into - get these tires cause that’s what I have. I’m going to make a suggestion based on my experience with 3 sets of these tires with 2 different trucks. They are Hercules Terra Trac II AT’s. They are made by Cooper and are moderately priced.(cheaper than the tires your are thinking of) They have a 60,000 mile warranty. I got 50,000 miles plus out of all of them but I tend to replace tires before I really need to. I’ve used them in all conditions and they are excellent.
Off road I found them excellent traction in dirt and gravel even on steep trails and rocks and sand. They are ok in mud and clear mud pretty well from the treads. (but they aren’t mudders). Outstanding traction in the rain on wet pavement. Good in snow although I haven’t driven them much in snow. The are very quiet for AT’s. My next tires will be another set of them. Check them out I think you’ll like them.

 

This^
Goodluck

 

A pic of the Terra Trac

 

Have been running on those Hercules for about 10,000 miles now, one of the things that sold me was the good combination of being highway quiet but with somewhat agressive tread. I've noticed that the handling can get a little "spongey" especially with a load on (just like Michelins I've used), and I have yet to see if they start getting a noticeably harder ride when wearing toward the 2nd half of "tread life" (a stat that is always overstated, imho), just like Michelins.

 

I think you would be very happy with the AT3 LT's in LT265/75R16. There is no best tire for everything so it really comes down to what matters most to you. The Coopers will have better wet traction than the KO2's and will be much quieter but the KO2's are better in snow. The AT3's will last longer and be less stiff of a ride than the KO2's but the KO2's have a slightly stronger sidewall. All tires have their strengths and weakness's so its kinda of a pick your poison.

While cooper makes tires under other brands that are also good they usualy keep there premium technology in there name brand tires such as better tread stocks.

 

Thank you for the tips. I'm not sure if this is going to all or last person who wrote me. I have the new Coopers on. The are much quieter than the ko2 AT. Handled all on the phone, drove into bay, and watched from 100 feet away.

 

You will like them.