Not your average tire recommendation question

Looking for a lightweight, as mpg are going to matter and it needs to be a good winter tire for 2 portions of the trip. Not looking for crazy offroad but definitely many miles of BLM land and everthing Baja has to offer as I am planning to be driving from Alaska this winter through Canada down to the Southwest US then down to Baja. Spend 3 months traveling around truck camping the whole time then back to AK. Running the stock tires and don't want to think about 5000 miles of icy roads with them
Thoughts for a good tire?

 

What size ?

Do you want a Passenger tire or Light Truck tire? That’ll help wind it down.

Couple options I can recommend are:

Cooper AT3 XLTs (lighter and very good in winter considering LT)
Kenda Klever RTs
Goodyear Duratracs
Toyo Open Country AT3s
Maxxis Razr ATs

 

I run these Goodyear Territory MT 315/70/17 they are rated "C" , 6 ply and are pretty light. "MT" stands for "multi terrain" in this case and did great in the snow for me last winter.

 

Not positive yet but leaning towards 17s and LT as I need some better durability

One thought is get a dedicated winter tire for the stock wheel in AK and drive it thru Canada, store them at a tire place if they do that & get a set summer set of wheels and tires there. Make the warm part of the trip and swap when I come back north

 

Light weight, offroad tire. To my mind, contradictory requirements. Trans Canada-Americas trip. Sounds like a cool adventure. Regardless. Recommend you carry a full sized spare and a patch kit. Stay away from cans of fix a flat. Lots of tire places won't touch a tire that's been re-inflated with liquid patch.

 

Oh no, I have plugs and a patch kit in the tool bag

 

I've been happy with my decision, only 2,500 miles so far though.
Based on a lot of reading other posted opinions and reviews though. I think any A/T tire that is 3 snowflake rates and generally has positive feedback on posts and reviews on and off-road should be just fine. Sizes like mine are only available in LT, not P.


ToyotaOEM steel wheel 42601-AD030 like they sell for the spare,
Falken Rubitrek A/T LT235/85R16
Size: LT235/85R-16

$19 MCGARD 64002 Chrome Cone Seat Style Lug Nuts (M12 x 1.5 Thread Size) - Set of 4

MCGARD 64002 Cone Seat Style Lug Nuts (M12 x 1.5 Thread Size),
TPMS:
Huf North America 315/433MHz Univ Snsr part No. UVS705.

happy with them. No lift, no mods needed to make them fit, no interference or rubbing. I actually the the way they feel better than stock, even though it is possibly a bit stiffer

 

I would also add, I think the skinny/pizza cutter size helps compensate for the LT extra weight.

I am running a recommended psi on road, based on a psi calculation versus stock I do not really plan to do any real off-roading, but hope to try on some not at all challenging dirt or gravel roads soon. They were great in winter on road.

I have an acquaintance who regrets getting M/T tires for a Tacoma. I think the tire people have figured out how to make A/T decent on highway, but not so much for more extreme treads.

 

You went really skinny

 

265/70r17 duratrac in a SL is what your after. I ran those in every condition but sand and had 0 complaints. Some say weak sidewalls I never had any issues. Only flat was on my 285's caused by a long bolt. 10/10 I'm considering going back to them if I can get them in the right size.

 

I'm almost sold on a set of wildpeaks at3w 255 80/17

 

OP, sent you a private message with my recommendation . Check them out

 

At least get the at4w's. Otherwise, Goodyear Duratracs are solid off road.

 

From what I'm reading the 3s are slightly better in snow and a long portion of the trip is winter plus these will be my winter tires and winters are long in AK. I'm able to save some cash being discontinued and save about 8lbs per tire. I highly doubt the 4s are so much superior that they make up for all this or are they?

 

I've read at3w's have a lot of balancing issues. at4w's had some tread design improvements. The Goodyear duratracs now duratrac rt have fantastic reviews in snow/ winter.

I haven't run either. I run Toyo open country at3's. Great all around tire except tread wears fast and they get noisy after they wear a bit. Typical though.

If winter/snow is your main purpose I would run duratrac rt.

 

Duratrac RT, which is the updated version of the Duratrac. These are great tires, according to not just the YouTube "influencers" but they also get great user reviews on various truck and Jeep forums.

 

Yeah on my list of tires. I've figured out that if I want 33"s they are going to be 50lb tires unfortunately

 

You have to make a choice: good mileage (SL) or offroad durability (LT), you can't get both in the same tire. To narrow choices down, you definitely want an AT tire with a 3 peak rating. 32s or skinny 33s would lessen the mpg hit.

There is a labor of love website (forget the name) where a guy (must work for a tire seller or something) gives his rankings on AT tires currently on the market. Maybe someone can provide a link. It's a good resource to compare alternatives.

 

Firestone Destination X/T weighs 39 lbs in a LT245/75-16E and it is 3PMSF-rated (snowflake). I have them on my 4-cyl/4x4 and barely lost any MPG. Give them a look, we have been all over Colorado in them... super capable and no isssues on sharp rocks when aired down. Costco has them.

 

Screw the mpg consideration. Get the best tires that fit your needs. You might be looking at best 2 mpg better mileage with some tires. On your long trip you’d maybe save about $150 or so on fuel. On a multi month trip that is negligible. If that tiny savings will make a difference in your affording the trip then you can’t afford the trip. Get the best tires for your trip you can. Forget the tiny mpg savings you might get. It just doesn’t make sense. If you are all concerned about mpg then you shouldn’t have got a Taco to begin with.