Dayton Timberline LT tires - more prone to puncture?

Hello,

I have a new 2004 Wrangler that came with the Dayton Timberline L/T tires (31x10.5).

I've put 2200 miles on them, and took them off-road today on some rocky trails (nothing too extreme, though - I'm still just learning off-road driving techniques).

Later in the day, I stopped to clear a limb from the trail and heard a hissing sound. Yep - the rear driver's side tire was losing air - and fast!

I had to switch to the spare (identical to the others) to get home.

My question is - would another brand (say BFG AT) be less likely to puncture on rocky trail riding? I was dubious about these tires, even though they apparently received a high score from consumer reports.

I will mix on-road and off-road driving, but the Jeep is *not* a daily driver. I want good trail performance (rocky trails, a little mud) and decent on-road snow performance.

Should I consider trading these in on BFGs or some other brand? I really don't want to hassle with flat tires on the trail real often.

BTW, I did *not* air down the tires before trail riding today - I didn't expect to do anything more than some gravel roads and light trails - the rocky trails were a kind of spur-of-the-moment decision, and turned out to be a little hairier than I had planned. Would airing down the tires have reduced my chances of a puncture?

Thanks for any advice,

PLM

Reply to
Patrick Mills
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

Thanks for your comments, Bill. As it turns out, I was able to cut a deal with the local Firestone dealer (the guy owns three jeeps, and when he saw my muddy rig, he was real friendly, and even asked me to go four-wheeling with him sometime). I traded in the Dayton AT's (a Firestone product) with only 2200 miles on them for a set of five Firestone Destination MT's.

I know lots of people don't like Firestone products, but the new Destination MT's have the highest rating on the MT survey at tirerack and did well in a review in the November issue of "4-Wheel Drive and Sport Utility" magazine. I don't mind the mild noise on the highway, and the decreased wear of an MT tire also doesn't bother me at all. I think there's a good chance these will do a better job for me in on-road snow and on the types of trails I'm planning to run.

They have three-ply (rather than two-ply) sidewalls, and supposedly have a sidewall tread pattern that helps reduce off-road damage.

Plus, they are great looking tires!

I'll let the group know how they perform after I get some experience with them.

PLM

Reply to
Patrick Mills

Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

Probably why he was so nice...

True story about Firestone recalls:

I once had a '77 Camaro (first car I ever bought new) that had Firestone tires on it. I drove the wheels off of that car, and when I had about

40,000 miles on it (that was a lot for tires back then - the things were practically bald) I took the car in for new tires. I was a college student, and had been saving up to buy them.

I was in the waiting room and the manager came in, said my original factory tires had been recalled (I'd never gotten the letter) and he was going to replace all my tires with brand new Firestones. I drove out of the place on brand new tires and a new spare, and never paid a penny!

It may seem dumb, but I've always had a soft spot for Firestones since then (probably soft in the head...)

;-)

PLM

Reply to
Patrick Mills

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.