I need the TNFJ opinion Truck tires

[Dave Hayami]

Hi,
The Vehicle 1985 3/4 ton 4x4 Diesel Suburban
The vehicle is used 90% on the road and 5% on dirt/gravel roads, 5% in snow.
If you have and drive a 3/4 or 1 ton 4x4 what have your experiences been with tires by brand, I have 16x6.75" rims currently, somewhat limits width lt 245 or lt 265 75r 16
load range D or E
Thanks in advance,
Dave Hayami

[Bob Kolada]

Radial swampers!

[Rick Denney]

BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA/KO

Yes, yes, and more yes.

If it's good enough for the Pass Patrol, it's good enough for me.

Rick "who has used All-Terrain T/A tires on 4WD jeeps and trucks, in real off-road conditions, for 25 years with no complaint" Denney

[tubashaman2]

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[Rick Denney]

Michelin tires are the best for what you want to do. They are made by the same company that makes BFG, but they are higher quality.

The OP said he does most of his driving on roads. From my experience and customer reviews, BFG All Terrain T/O work best for off terrain and dirt roads, and not so good on normal roads.

When I had to change out a Michelin on a rocky jeep trail in the Henry Mountains, where it was a 50-mile hike to the nearest town (Hanksville), I was wishing for those All-Terrain T/A's. It doesn't matter if it's better on the highway if it's unacceptable off-road, even if off-roading is only a small part of the usage scenario. Don't take this personally, but I bet that I have logged more highway miles on these tires than you have driven in your life, James. They are not particularly noisy, nor do they reduce fuel consumption. They are not like mud tires that sing, and they get reasonable traction on wet pavements compared even with highway tires. And they are affordable. I think they are the best mixed-use tire ever made.

As to Michelin being higher quality than BFG, that may be true for some models, and it may not. It is not in this case, based on long personal experience--these are BFG's best premium seller and they still make them in their U.S. factory. And I certainly don't base what I know on what I have heard from others, especially distributor sales dudes or tire shop owners. I will say this: The profit margin for Michelin is higher on their mixed-use tires, and none of that have the snowflake rating for a price less than 50% more than what the All-Terrain T/A's cost.

Okay, let's talk load rating. An LT225R16 tire with a load range D is rated at a little more than 2300 pounds when inflated to its maximum rated 65 psi. That's 4600 pounds on the front axle. On a dually rear axle, four of those tires would carry 8600 pounds, even with the derating required for dually applications. I don't think even 1-ton pickups have a GVWR anywhere near 13,000 pounds. The GVWR of a 3/4-ton pickup is about 7500-8000 pounds, I would guess, with at most 3300 pounds on the front axle. Many of them will work fine with Load Range C (capacity of 3880 on the front at 50 psi), rather than D. None need the extra weight and stiffness of an E-rated tire. My motorhome has a GVWR of 11,700 pounds on six tires, including a 4000-pound GAWR on the front, and the factory spec is for D-rated tires.

But you are right that the All-Terrain T/A's are not available in all sizes. I bet, though, that they are in the sizes most commonly used by full-size trucks. I have them on my Toyota T100, my '90 Toyota pickup, and have used them on an '84 F150, a '74 GMC 1500, a '90 Jeep Cherokee, and a '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I expect I have at least half a million miles of total experience on these tires, without ever having a failure, even when driving in extremely rugged high-difficulty jeep trails in the Utah desert.

The guy at Costco tried to upsell me to Michelins when I asked for All-Terrain T/A's on my T100, too. $200 a tire instead of a $130 for a tire that is not as good? Uh, thanks, but no.

Rick "who has had to explain tire truth to tire-store technicians before now" Denney

[tubashaman2]

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[Bob Kolada]

I would go with the 245/XX/16 personally and as many newer Chevy Suburbans have the 245 over the 265....but if you want the 265 you will need to have the techs test fit it to make sure it does not bump.

Anyone else see that picture of the 2 door Tahoe with 37" boggers on stock rims under a 3" body lift?

[Rick Denney]

Remember the OP said he did 90 percent of his driving on roads.

I had that in mind. But remember that off-road is much more demanding than highway driving, on tires. If a good highway tire fails off-road during that 10%, it doesn't matter if it's a good highway tire. So, for someone needing to do both at any percentage, they need a tire that is good off-road and adequate on the highway. Some off-road tires are not adequate on the highway, but the All-Terrain T/A is an excellent compromise tire.

Remember that before I drove those desert jeep trails in Utah, I had to drive there from Texas. So, 1100 miles of highway, followed by 72 miles of jeep trails, followed by 1100 miles of highway to get back home. You get the idea. 90% on the highway sounds like a LOT of off-roading.

Rick "who uses them now for their sure-footedness in the snow" Denney

[Jeffrey Hicks]

I really like the BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA/KO tires. Wait! I already said that. Right?

[Rev Rob]

I have an '04 Chevy Silverado 2500 Duramax Diesel 4x4, and when I had to get new tires I purchased LT235/85R16 Toyo Open County H/T tuff duty tires (10 ply rating). Out here in Montana, what constitutes highway driving is more often than not gravel roads, two tracks going through a pasture, as well as interstate/paved roads. They are holding up well, they have taken me through snow, mud - pulled out my wife's car (Honda Accord) when she got stuck in the mud trying to deliver her census letters.

You don't need monster mudders or the oversized 265s. 235s or 245s will serve you well. If you do engage in a lot of backroad - offroad riving then I would recommend Toyo Open Country A/T. Toyo tires will serve you well and not be too terribly expensive.

[SRanney]

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[hijack]
I don't get it. You do this often. Why delete your contributions to this community?
[/hijack]

SR

[Rick Denney]

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[hijack]
I don't get it. You do this often. Why delete your contributions to this community?
[/hijack]

SR

Some people, when presented with persuasive refutations of their statements, don't want to leave the evidence of their discomfiture. I prefer to leave my own silly posts there because they reflect what at least one person is thinking that deserved correction, and that correction may need that context when reviewed by posterity (not that anyone who needs to seems to be able to search Tubenet). But doing so isn't always comfortable.

Rick "who includes quotes for a reason" Denney

[SRanney]

Some people, when presented with persuasive refutations of their statements, don't want to leave the evidence of their discomfiture.

With deletions of over 99% of his posts (only 4 remain with anything more than a "."; one is "I.", one "a", one thread has been locked (which I imagine prevents editing), and one has been left untouched), tubashaman2 appears to be refuted often. Perhaps the "image he's carefully cultivating" may be best served by not being afraid to be wrong.

Oh well. Some people I will never understand.

SR

[Bob Kolada]

With deletions of over 99% of his posts (only 4 remain with anything more than a "."; one is "I.", one "a", one thread has been locked (which I imagine prevents editing), and one has been left untouched)...

If you think THAT'S something, I have seen a LOT of edited (to "...." or the like) posts by current tubenetters in old threads. Sometimes it appears as though a whole year or so has been deleted, sometimes it seems they got bested and didn't like it, and yet other times it seems as if they were just being jerks and didn't want "prospective employers,...." to look them up and see what a jerk they are.

[averagejoe]

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[hijack]
I don't get it. You do this often. Why delete your contributions to this community?
[/hijack]

SR

Some people, when presented with persuasive refutations of their statements, don't want to leave the evidence of their discomfiture. I prefer to leave my own silly posts there because they reflect what at least one person is thinking that deserved correction, and that correction may need that context when reviewed by posterity (not that anyone who needs to seems to be able to search Tubenet). But doing so isn't always comfortable.

Rick "who includes quotes for a reason" Denney

We all have done things and wished everybody else would forget.

Oh yeah.!.... this was a thread about tires.