Help me select tires...

makes sense, hope you like them

 

I guess my experience has been a bit different. As mentioned above I had dedicated snow tires on my truck once before- Cooper Discoverer AT/Ws, and they were an animal in the snow. I could go up (and down) moderate inclines in 2wd with 200 lbs of sand in the bed and not have the wheels spin or slip. I have yet to find any kind of all season tire that can do that. There is a difference. I have very little experience with all terrains such as the Michelin A/T2 or any kind of mud tire. My truck originally had BF Goodrich Rugged Trails on them and they were absolutely terrifying in any situation other than off-road. Some people call them Rugged Fails.

 

The falken wildpeaks will give you great on-road manners with the aggressive look you want. I think it’s also cheaper than the coopers or generals.

 

Other than the snow/ice thing, I was in pretty much the same boat as you. I ended up with the Cooper AT3 4S in 265/70/R17. I only have 15 miles on them so far, so take others' word for long-term impressions, but they look good, feel good, and (very important to me) are quiet on the highway. We have lots of rain here at the moment and they have felt very confident in the wet so far (again, just 15 miles).

 

I've looked at these but the AT version is very heavy, like E load range heavy.

David

 

Have you considered airbag suspension for when you are loaded up?
I had 2 sets of wheels and tires, one "P" rated, the other was "LT". The LT tires were firmer, yes, but the truck still had massive sway in the rear end when loaded to GVWR and slightly above. Airbag suspension smoothed everything out 10X better than the LT tires did and beat driving around with 15 extra pounds per wheel in the least desirable place of the whole vehicle.

 

You originally stated you wanted excellent snow and ice traction and an A/T tire. No A/T tire will come close to the Michelin LTX's, or Nokian Hakkapalitas in these conditions. If you are more interested in the look of a/t's, at least get "P" rated ones.
Honestly, nothing comes close to third generation snow/ice tires like the Nokians. Even good Hankooks are phenomenal. Figure out how important traction in these conditions is to you.

To me there are three things to consider when buying tires: does it meet the intended use, cost, and looks.
Typically, I'll buy in that order, with the first two having equal precedence and alternating places on occasion.

 

I bought Falken AT3W's.stock size.245/75-16.balanced well.ride great at 35psi.

 

Yeah I have air bags on the rear. Firestone ride rite. But I still find that you really want the LTs when you're heavy. With the P rated tires it was like driving on flat tires when the truck was heavy.

 

X-2
Put on the AT3's 35k miles ago. Very happy with them. Still have 8/32nds left on average. Highway noise has picked up a bit but as expected with an AT tire. They work for my needs.