Help me pick a tire

[ToddziLLa]

Hey folks, Time to replace the lowest-end OEM tires on my 2005 F-150. Just rolled 56k!!! I have a regular cab 2wd, and for the longest I thought I wanted to replace them with BFG ATs. After seeing the price, I'm thinking twice. Here's the thing: I'm an outdoorsman and every once in awhile will be in a field for deer or waterfowl hunting, or on the river chasing the flatheads. I would like more grip than I have now, but I've gone this long with the cheapies (plus I don't exactly have the best off-road truck), so I'm thinking until I get my next truck, the BFG ATs are a little much at the moment. What tires would you all recommend for year-round use, the occasional muddy field, and lots of snow in the winter? Most definitely willing to buy quality tires, so something better than my OEMs and not quite as aggressive as the BFG ATs will be just fine. Thanks much.

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[alex7191]

you could just get two mud tires or all terrains for just the back wheels. like old-timey 2wds and farm trucks. and replace the fronts with a quality road tire. itd look half as good but cost less!

or all 4 with BFG Rugged Trail T/As

[Real]

Originally Posted by ToddziLLa

What tires would you all recommend for year-round use, the occasional muddy field, and lots of snow in the winter? Most definitely willing to buy quality tires, so something better than my OEMs and not quite as aggressive as the BFG ATs will be just fine.

Thanks much.

I have 1000 miles on a set of Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor 255/75/17's installed by my local dealer for a better price than buying from TireRack, shipping and paying a local shop to M+B. These are really, really good all-around tires. They put the Hankook A/T 235/75/17's to shame (both on road and off road). The Wranglers have 4 ply sidewalls (at least in the above mentioned size) compared to the 2 ply Hankook that were OEM. They were so bad I replaced them immediately (the sidewalls were too squishy and I did not trust the tread or the sidewalls for puncture resistance). The Wranglers are exceptional! They are almost as close to silent as an "A/T" gets, they work really well on wet pavement and have amazing traction on steep wet clay, leaf muck, and they drive nicely on gravel roads. They do have the snowflake on the sidewall and judging by the tread pattern and good sidewall compliance/control I expect they will do great in snow and I'm hoping they do o.k. with ice (considering it's not a dedicated winter rubber compound). So far I've only run them at 39 psi (max is 44) and I think that is close to their ideal pressure for most surfaces/loads.

I was surprised at their very low price in this particular size. TireRack is asking $109 and my local Ford dealer gave me a quote including M+B that couldn't beat the TR price once shipping and M+B is considered.

These tires straddle the line between a passenger car tire and a truck tire very well, probably leaning closer to a truck tire due to the puncture and cut resistance built into the tread and sidewalls and especially because of the relatively firm sidewalls and limited "squirm" which will make them good for towing without causing a harsh ride. They track very precisely for an A/T tire. Best of all is their grip. I like to push the limits sometimes when it's really slippery but these tires continually amazed at their ability to grip on all types of slippery surfaces whether accelerating, braking or cornering.

I doubt I'll get 65,000 miles out of them (even though they show no appreciable wear yet) but would be happy with 40,000 given their performance and relatively low cost. I have heard they wear very well.

This size geared me up by about 4% and brought my speedometer to within 1 mph of dead on. Because they remain relatively narrow I have not noticed a decrease in drag or fuel economy although they are bigger and heavier than the stock tires so they will impact stop/go MPG slightly. I like the way they look, they fill up the wheel well better. Do make sure they will fit a 4x2, I suspect they will but have not confirmed.

[mjb1032]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....el=LTX+A%2FT+2

[Real]

Originally Posted by mjb1032

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....el=LTX+A%2FT+2

Thanks for the link but there is no tire size associated with your recommendation. I've found the same brand and model of tire to have very different characteristics depending upon the specific size.

Here is a page that sorts 21 all-terrain tires according to any of 14 different categories (dry traction, wet traction, snow, ice, road noise, etc.):

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ll&sortValue=0

I notice there are 4 different Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires represented and 3 of them have consistently poor marks in most categories (as well as overall ranking) while the Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmors consistently rank at the top or very near the top in every category. This goes to show that one should not rely upon general names or brands when selecting a tire.

The Wrangler SilentArmors scored best in class in all of the winter categories (light snow, deep snow and ice traction) while maintaining 5th position (of 21) in treadwear life. I still haven't had a chance to try them out in winter conditions but I don't think they would have won best in all three winter categories if they didn't perform.

Stay away from all the other Goodyear Wrangler models, they are rated quite low.

[aPINCHbetter90]

Go with the General Grabber at2's there pretty much exact replicas of the BFG all terrains but run around $150 per tire, I used to run them for awhile till I went more aggressive and they were a great tire and sound like there just what your looking for.

[wandell]

Yes, BFG AT KO's are expensive, but with tires you usually get what you pay for. I'd suggest a quality all terrian tire like the BFG AT KO, Nitto Terra Grappler, Toyo AT, Mickey Thompson ATZ, **** Cepek FC II, Bridgeston Dueler AT Revo or Pro Comp Xtreme AT. As for size, I'd suggest a 265/70-17 or add a leveling kit with some 285/70-17's.

[wandell]

Yes, BFG AT KO's are expensive, but with tires you usually get what you pay for. I'd suggest a quality all terrian tire like the BFG AT KO, Nitto Terra Grappler, Toyo AT, Mickey Thompson ATZ, **** Cepek FC II, Bridgeston Dueler AT Revo or Pro Comp Xtreme AT. As for size, I'd suggest a 265/70-17 or add a leveling kit with some 285/70-17's.

[Real]

Originally Posted by wandell

Yes, BFG AT KO's are expensive, but with tires you usually get what you pay for.

Oh, and I wish it were that simple. In general I agree with that principle but in real life there is a lot of wiggle room. Different tires will accel at different things even though they have the same cost of manufacture and the same overall quality. Some people want to pay for extended treadlife, some want maximum grip under the tricky conditions they encounter the most.

I recommended the Wrangler SilentArmors because the OP said he would be dealing with a lot of snow and also some fields, etc.

And prices can be strange. Look at the prices TireRack has for the full size range of the silentArmors:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....er+SilentArmor

You will note that one size is much less than all the rest (and it's far from the tire with the lowest load rating or smallest size/lightest weight). I'm guessing this is their lowest profit margin Wrangler SilentArmor. But I am guessing it is not built to a lower standard than the rest of the line.

It just so happened this was the size I wanted (regardless of price) and I am extremely pleased with their performance so it looks like a got a great deal.

[ToddziLLa]

Thanks!