Opinions on new tires

[JimWilson]

I'm going to dump those puny 245's that come on the 2500HD, so I've been shopping around for my next set of meats. The optional PYO's look real sharp, so I'm going to keep them. Unfortunately, this will most likely limit me to 265's. Yes, I've seen pic's of people who've put 285's on those rims, but it seems like most have some type of story to tell; abnormal tire wear, tread separation, incomplete contact patches, balancing problems, etc. Since I do a lot of highway miles I'm leery of the consequences of stuffing huge tires on 6.5" rims, so I think I'll avoid the potential problems and stick with the 265's. Shame too, because the 285's sure do look good. Oh well...

I know there are a couple of favorites that I've seen on the pic's of other peoples rigs. Here's the list I'm looking at. Any comments, suggestions, experiences you might have would be beneficial.


BFG TA/KO -- seems to be quite popular, but a bit expensive comparatively

Dunlop Radial Rover RT -- I've had good luck with Dunlops in the past. $50 less then the BFG's too.

Dunlop Radial Mud Rover -- again, I've had good luck with Dunlops, but this one seems a tad too aggressive.

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R -- nice looking tire, but perhaps another one that's a bit too aggressive for highway (noisy or harsh riding?)

Nitto Terra Grappler -- my brother says these are nice, but I've never even heard of Nitto.

Mickey Thompson Radial MTX -- haven't found a sole who've used any Thompson's tires though, so this one's a crap shoot.

Anything else I might have overlooked?


What's your 2 cents on tires?

[TXDMAX]

I've been running Goodyear Wrangler AT/S. Similar to BFG A/T KO. I've had them for 14k miles and love'em. They are quiet w/ good wet traction and seem to be wearing well. I chose them ove BFG only because of price.

[JimWilson]

I've seen the Wrangler AT/S tires, but they appeared to be a bit odd looking. Have you tried them in either mud or snow yet?

[TXDMAX]

No, just a little ice storm we had last winter and never been in deep mud, just trail riding w/ about 1-2 inches deep. It is an excellent hwy all terrain tire imo. ;)

[ThePend]

Jim

Im trying the 285's. So far I bought 1 wheel and one tire to check for fit and whatever else I have to do, had them mounted and balanced. Heres what I found so far;

I need to trim the lower front air dam by 3/8" on each side.

I need to zip tie the front driver wheel well in the back to keep it from rubbing in tight turns.

I dont care much for the caps they sent with the rims so Im going to modify the exsiting caps to work with the new rims.

Thats it.

The wheel and tire combo is;

Mickey Thompsons Classic II 16x8 with a 4 9/16" backspace. $166.10 includes shipping from www.driverfx.com

Yokohama Geolander A/T+II LT285/75/16. $157.00 includes mount and balance from www.tirerack.com via one of their local installers.

As for balancing you couldnt ask for anything better, there are no weights on the outside of the rim and only one 1 ounce on the inner rim lip.

Now that I know they will fit with very minor mods, Ill order the other 3. One day Ill get some pics up on the net.

Good luck !!!!!

[cogburne]

I run the Kelly Safari MSR 265 Load range D tires. They make this tire in a C or D load range. The D is a great tire and reasonably priced.

I've had bad luck with GoodYear Wrangler AT/S's on a 98 Z71. The couldn't hold up on gravel roads.

[ZFMax]

Have you given consideration to load rating?

Many 265/75R16's are "C" rated at 2470lbs, which is too light for your truck. By comparison, your factory 245/75R16's are E rated at 3042lbs. You wouldn't catch me putting a set of 265/75R16C's on my 2500HD.

265/75R16D's are generally rated at 3000lbs, so you wouldn't be giving up much.

A few companies make 265/75R16E's, they carry a 3415lb weight rating. Michelin offers it in the LTX A/S and LTX M/S. Pricey, but a damn good tire.

[NutNbutGMC]

^......Michelin... 'Nuff said.

[imported_]

wrangler at/s suck for mileage..... been there done that..... instead use the michelin ltx all terrain or m/s tire.... best tires i have ever used... long wear doog traction and a nice ride.
just my opinion though.... right at the moment i am running michelin ltx m/s on my alcoas and the combo is great!

[shft22]

"Mickey Thompson Radial MTX -- haven't found a sole who've used any Thompson's tires though, so this one's a crap shoot." OK, you found one. I love this tire it has a lot of grip on the dry and wet, I have 285's and so far after 7k miles they are OK. I love the way the tread, and the side wall looks. An incredible improvement on the look of the truck. I did turn the torsion bars 3 turns. I found them at desertrat.com for $130, but after looking on mickeythompson.com I found a local dealer and show them the desertrat price he lower his price from $180 to $135. and mounted them for $12.00 each.

[pushpole]

Shft22-Where did you get your Mickey Thompsons? After searching the Web for 285's the Radial MTX's tread pattern seems to fit my needs best. I drive mostly highway with frequent stops at nasty boat ramps. (You gotta go where the fish are!) :D

[DmaxMaverick]

The Bridgestone Dueler M/T 285/75/16's that I run are rated at 3305#'s, well above that of the stockers. I do haul a heavy 5'ver (12K), but will never come close to overload. They ride and wear well, and the traction is tops. They are a little noisy, though. The Dueler A/T's are a very good tire as well with the same rating, and are very quiet.

[Riverholic]

I have a set of the BFG AT's. I like them very much and so far with 10k on them they are wearing just fine. Sorry they are 285's. My tire guy gave me $350 credit for my puny stockers and so I put that towards the BFG's. A little more expensive but I had a set previously and liked them very much. Another brand he tried to talk me into was Bridgestone A/T's. He said he like them better and they were less expensive. BFG sets a price that is standard for all retailers is what he said and that is why he has less control of the price.