Tire recommendation for 2014? Mom wants safe/practical. Kid wants fun.

Also…no matter what you pick, rotate them on schedule…makes them last so much longer. I rotate mine every oil change

 

I would agree with this and add the same comment for the BFG "K" series with the exception that they look less boring.

 

Ive got a soon to be 16, & he's stoked dad bought him a 2010 ford ranger...
We're trying to figure out how we can slide some "fun" bigger non practical tires under her now that were done installing the "fun" lift WITHOUT having mom notice........
Im really blown away I havent got an earful at this point, 4" spindle lift just on the front & havent heard a peep from her as of yet, the "ya bro" lean is very noticeable....

Im sure its coming...

 

I cant emphasize this enough....
You have no idea how many grown men I get in arguments with & they feel tire rotations are a huge waste of money....

 

ThEy ROtaTaE aS i DrIVe!

 

I mean, they are.

If you buy your tires from Discount Tire, they're free.

 

I buy at Discount and they do them free for the life of the tire.

 

here we go...
Theyre not...
Regardless if you pay or get them done for free, do it yourself, etc, every oil change....

I dont care what you do, but I know tires are expensive....
You may not visually see what not rotating tires does to the wear pattern in just 10K, but I can....

My nieghbor went 20k without rotating tires on his $100k+ gmc denallli 2500 & in his mind his tires look great......

They look like absolute dog shit, uneven wear, cupping / feathered edges, etc....

Tires aren't cheap & rotating every 5k makes a world of difference..
not 10k, not 15k, & so on...

 

... I think the joke got missed.

I wasn't saying tire rotation is a bad practice/useless, I was saying that you can basically pay for them for the life of the tire when you buy the tire if you're smart about where you get your tires. (And honestly, I'm not sure how closely they check to make sure you actually bought your tires from them).

I DIY because I already have the tools, and it's quicker to do it myself than to drive to a shop and have it done.

 

Without mentioning brands what you want are a set of All Terrain tires that are designated 3PMSF (3Peak Mountain Snow Flake). They are great off road, on road/highway, daily driving and the 3Peak Mountain Snow Flake rating mean they are rated for severe winter driving. Everyone here has their favorite brands but in reality there isn’t that much difference in the brands other than price. Go to a tire store and tell them you want a set of AT’s that are 3PMSF rated. See what they have, compare the prices and decide which you can afford. As long as you stick with a known national brand you’ll be just fine.

 

give him some options.
Goodyear Duratraks
Toyo Open country AT3
Nitto Recon or Terra grapplers
Falcon Wildpeak R/T

 

I always do this as well, on all my cars. I think sometimes the oil change or

I get tires on all our cars rotated with each oil change.

 

I rotate mine every Fall.
Fluid Film and oil change as well.

 

Don't do the BFGoodrich KO3 or any tire that has LT in the size. They are too heavy and stiff for a Tacoma and are really only justified for people who do a ton of off roading.

For a great looking all around good tire, the General Grabber A/TX would be my pick. Mountain Snowflake rating for snow, aggressive looking, but surprisingly quiet. I have had the previous version of that tire and it was one of my favorites. If I didn't have dedicated snow tires and wanted a solid year round tire it would be my pick.

Personally, I run the Michelin LTX M/S2 others mentioned. Fantastic tire, but very boring looking.

 

I didn’t see @Road_Warrior post in here but he has some great recommendation for tires.

I have the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs (285/75/16) and love them. They look great and have fantastic performance. Also 3 peak snow rated and a tire life warranty.

 

https://www.treadwright.com

 

Just get him a set of the nitto ridge grapplers like all the other kids get on their trucks. He will like the aggressive tread design but also will have the peace of mind of a good quality tire. My last set lasted me like 60k.

 

+1 for Yokohama. I've had very good luck with the Geolandar ATG015 and other tires from them.

There are plenty of other good suggestions in here, as well.

Side note, @MazzyStarfish , not sure if your username is in any way associated with the band Mazzy Star, but they did one of my favorite songs back in the '90's.

Edit: still one of my favorite songs, actually.

 

Go quality... BFG or Toyo All Terrain. Make sure they're rated for snow.