5 flats in a year - Stock OR tires suck!

Rocks too. Went to tire shop this morning and it's unrepairable. Big gash from a rock.

 

Sounds VERY familiar...

 

OP, if you're running over nails and screws it's hard to blame the flats on the tires. A nail and/or screw will penetrate any tire. Rocks can too but you can be better prepared for rocks with an LT tire such as an E load range. That will give you a stiffer ride (generally) and worse mileage due to added weight. I'm not sure you can have it all here. If you're running over nails and screws then your best line of defense is an E rated tire and take the MPG hit and ride hit. You mentioned KO2s and that's a tough tire. If you don't need tread that aggressive (for an AT) then go to an LT Cooper or Michelin. It sounds like you are running those smooth yet too soft stock GYs. I like them but if you're running over all that then you need a heavier duty tire. Maybe you can blame the tires on the rock issue but not the nails and screws. Best of luck to you. This sucks because tires aren't exactly cheap.

 

Yeah I'm talking about the OR stock BFGs. And at least 3 of these are driver side, so I'm not riding the shoulder. Only found screws in I think 2-3 of the flats.
Thanks for the input. I'm gonna check out some tougher tires. Tire shop guy said he had some hankook ATs he likes.

 

I was thinking that or a Nieghbor.. What do you do for a living? I Am a painter / body man and have got my own share of stuff in my tire .

 

Ugh man it's annoying trying to search for tire info on here. Tons of threads about how big of tires you can get... very little actual information on the tires themselves. Lots of overcompensation here! Who cares how big your tires are!? I actually use my truck off-road!

 

Even though I made my own thread about tire size I agree 100%. I wanted to see how much sidewall I could get, but the tire info and what works best where isn't easy to find.

 

This is mainly because it depends on individual needs and wants. I want an aggressive AT hybrid tire in a C load range so my options are very limited, say down to Duratracs or Grabber X3. For just run of the mill ATs there are a lot of choices and feedback on here like Cooper, Toyo, and Falken. I think the hardest thing is the information overload on here. There is just too much to wade through.

 

Be careful when tire shop guys recommend tires, they're often the ones they are trying to sell.

 

I used a plug kit and plugged 16 holes in my tires. Someone sabotaged my tires. They lasted till I replaced them. I wasnt running crazy speeds but just on the highway. I always carry a plug kit even on my atv.

 

Any good threads? I don't know what 'C' load range is vs 'E' load range or what my current Goodyear wranglers even are. Sounds like I'm looking something like what you're after. A little tougher than the goodyears but also still good for city/highway.
I often drive 2-3 hours on the highway to get to a nasty forest road and only drive ~10miles or so off-road once I get to my destination.

 

How much time do you realistically spend off road? When you go off road do you get in deep or just trails?

 

I have a policy of never buying extended warranties or road hazard. I am about to change that for my daughter. I swear as many nails as she runs over that she has magnets in her tires. I have not had a flat on my trucks in probably 30 years. Now boat and utility trailers are a different story.

 

Not a ton. Very rarely, if ever, do I off-road just to off-road. It's almost always about getting to a remote lake, remote mountain, shortcutting over a mountain pass, etc., but some of the roads are very, very rough. Big boulders that require careful consideration of line. Usually very rocky, which is what I suspect is causing the tire damage. I'd say I'm out 80-90% of the weekends from June through September.

PS - Like your username/avatar. Used to like this jimmy mcgriff song called "a spear for moondog". Only recently heard the real moondog's (aka you? LOL) music and heard his story.

 

Yeah, I picked up the nickname Moondog in the Navy. Then, I discovered the real Moondog and picked him as an Avatar. I'm now addicted to his music. Awesome story behind this guy. You would benefit from the Cooper AT3 in maybe a C load range (LT is stronger than P rated tire). I had them and they were good tires. All those flats really suck. I'm listening to some Jimmy McGriff as we speak.

 

Shit, I finally decided on the Cooper Discovere A/T3 and it looks like they don't make them in 265/70/16 (Load range C)... only in 265/75/16. Not interested in increasing size. Looks like it's back to the drawing board. I think they have the 70s in load range E, but I think I'd rather stick with load range C due to the fact that most of my driving is city/highway.

 

The Cooper AT3 is available is an E load range in that size. That will give you a heavier tire an that is why I like the C loads. The C still gives you added protection (not near as much as the E) with a minimal increase in weight. C rated tires are hard to come by. The Falken may have some in your size.

 

Try the link below.

 

Hey @The Real Moondog I saw a lot of your posts in the tire forum. What did you end up going with?

I think I'm just going to bump up to the 75s.

 

If you bump up to 75s it will give you a lot more choices for LT tires. I like 75s because they fill out the wheel well more BUT they come with a slight mpg hit. If you don't need the bigger tires or don't want them because of the mpg hit then I guess you could stay at the 70 and maybe go with a BFG KO2 in E load and have a tough as nails (no pun intended) tire. Pay no mind to people calling them K Bros. They are a good tire but I've heard mixed reviews on wet traction. You could also go with a Hankook Dynapro in a D load range at your size and have a really tough tire and it won't weigh quite as much as an E.

As for me, I only have 3,900 miles on my truck so I'm taking my time. I'm likely going with Duratracs in a C load range. They are great in rain and snow (doesn't do that much where I live) and have a true hybrid AT design. A dark horse is the General Grabber X3 but that's a very aggressive tire, maybe too much for me.