Tire Question

Have you tried adding 200 pounds of sand/gravel/cinderblocks/firewood in the back of the bed --- makes a big difference on PU traction. All tires are a compromise with tradeoff.

Here's what The Tire Rack lists for Goodyear AT/S's:

--Dan

"Doug Kanter" sez:

These tires are pretty

Lousy indeed. I picked up a second set of rims and mounted up some badass studded snows on 'em. The fancy rims will get a set of Michelin LTX/ATs when the OEM rubber is shot. With the floor jack, compressor, air tool and torque wrench, I can swap out all four in about 15 min.

There is no such thing a "good" tire for all conditions so I prefer to specialize on the edges and compromise in the middle instead of vice-versa.

VLJ

No....haven't wanted potential projectiles rattling around the back, but I may be ready to try it, just to see if it's worth the time to prevent them from becoming projectiles. Cinder blocks are cheap, and always useful for something later. Toothbrush holders or something....

I'm still wondering about the AT tires. I have no intention of hopping boulders and driving through streams, but I do spend a little time (maybe

vice-versa.

The "edges" are different for everyone, and I'm not even sure what mine are yet. Perhaps the "edgiest" for me is hauling my boat out of the water on a ramp covered with slime. My Taurus did fine there, with Toyo all season tires. I may be headed in that direction when these Goodyears wear out, or maybe sooner.

Interesting site. Thanks.

I've had Goodyear AT's on my '85 4Runner before and I hated them. They were no good in snow, mud, sand or anything else not paved. I found that basically all they ever did was get balled up with whatever the road surface was and turned into slicks. I'm not a big 4 wheeler, but I went to a tire that I'm not sure is even made anymore, Goodyear Workhorses. Back then anyway, they were a cross between an AT and a mudder and worked pretty well across the board. This was largely due to more agressive tread and much better lug cleaning. They do ride rougher though due to slightly stronger sidewalls. I got over 60,000 miles out of the set I had too, no BS. Currently, I have Goodyear MTRs. They are probably more than you want to get into, but boy do they grab and howl ;>)

Chris whitewall junkie Mfinja's Hot Wheels with WhitewallsAll Small Wheels Error Cars

It's my habit to gather far more information than I need when considering a large purchase like tires, especially when I'm stuck with the purchase for a few years. So, I'll toss this into the hopper.

I'm leaning toward a Nokia tire recommended by my mechanic. It's supposed to be more like a passenger car tire: Better in rain, a little quieter, maybe somewhat better mileage. This mechanic's tire ideas have been right on the money for the past 20 years.

Use sand in plastic bags from the home center, and tie a rope lasso around the center of each bag and to the rear tiedown points in the bed. If you get in a severe accident the rope rips the bag, and loose sand is a lot safer coming at you than a loose concrete block.

Plus, after you get stuck on ice you can spread the sand to get some traction.

-->--

Nokian WR is an excellent choice. They're the only all-season tire with the "snowflake-on-the-mountain" snow tire qualification. Other possibilities for all-season tires that are pretty good in the snow are Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo and Michelin LTX M/S...but you won't beat the Nokian WR in the snow with anything except maybe an exclusive winter tire.

Ken

Bingo - the WR is the one my mechanic mentioned.

considering

I guess it depends on how much snow you're driving on, but we've had really good luck with BFGoodrich TA/KO's on our 96 4Runner. I can't say enough good things about the tires, actually. We use them with chains when required, but by themselves they have really great traction. Had trouble even forcing the damn truck to go into a slide on a level parking lot covered in about 3" snow with a good coat of ice below that. About all we could manage was a little rear wheel drift, and believe me we really tried! It handles well on the slush/ice mix on twisty mountain roads (of course, driving style and the weight of the vehicle has a lot to do with that as well.) Road noise is minimal, no different than hubby's car (which has BFGoodrich TA radials, IIRC.) Mostly driven on semi-good roads, some gravel, dirt and potholed farm roads, and then the winter driving in the mountains. We're not big offroad enthusiasts (yet, *grin*) but the tires fit our needs really well. I can't remember how much the tires were, but likely well below retail as we got them at a military store.

--Dee-- ~Remove all preflight tags before replying by email.~

I'm with you, I'm on my second set of BFG All-Terrains. I couldnt wait to ditch those Goodyears that came on my Tacoma. They were terrible.

I'm gonna end up with the Nokias next week. How's this for a great mechanic? I had the truck at his place for oil/filter yesterday. We were discussing my lousy tires for the 4th time. He suggested putting on the Nokias now, and putting the Goodyears back on in the spring. Keep doing this till the Goodyears wear out. Good idea, but I mentioned that my divorce is almost finalized and that money's still extremely tight. He says "All the tires I'm getting are on consignment right now and I don't have to pay for them until mid-February. If you want the tires, I won't put them on your credit card until then."

Amazing. I wonder if there are others like him.

I had Goodyear GSA, they suck. now I have Michelin LTX M/S and it sticks like glue.