I was doing some four wheeling this weekend, and was advised by a tour guide to not go much farther on this particular trail because he thought my Big O 'Big Foot" tires were not as strong as he would use. He suggested Light Truck tires. What is your opinion. I won't be doing this every weekend, but every now and then. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

Check out the replies in this thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...light=pmetric+

 

Amazing. I read some user reviews on a tire site, and they all stated that Michelins were a total waste of money. Guess I'll keep looking. Thanks.

2nd post: Now I read that another model of the Michelins are great. Now I am confused.

 

It's kind of like asking which is better...Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. You don't get an accurate answer unless you get into specifics like year, model, etc...I have owned, and I currently own all three and have had good and bad experiences with ALL of them.

Now for the tires...It's less about which is better and more about RISK. If all you do is 4-wheel at Moab, then LT's would be the way to go. If most of your driving is on the highway, then P-metrics or similar is the tire of choice. If you do a little of both, then you must be willing to risk damaging a light tire on the 4-wheeling trips, or you must be willing to give up a smooth ride on the highway and perhaps tread life if you get LT's. Whatever you do, get a quality name-brand tire. If your local shop's offer an extended warranty, consider those and their cost.

I worked in a tire shop for 8 years, but it was over 15 years ago and maybe things have changed. Michelins have always been great tires, but a little weak in the sidewall. Driving carefully will avoid damage there while 4-wheeling. I currently have BF Goodrich All-Terrains on my Explorer. I love them, but the vehicle was purchased with them already on. It rides a little rough and I'm still undecided what I'll buy next. As for my personal preference...I'll stick with LT's because I live in the west next to the mountains.

 

For me there are no better semi-offroading tyres for the Ex than BFG M/Ts or Yokohama G001's. Pretty good tyres, and the cheap, too. If you want to go further, there are real good tyres from Interco, Simex, Maxxis.

Forget about well-known trademarks as Michelin, Bridgestone etc. They don't do any serious offroading tyres.

Personally I use the Yokohama Geolandar A/T+ II G011, but normally I don't leave the road.

With best regards,
Yuri

 

Thanks for the replies. I am getting closer to making a decision. I have been baffled by the hype.. I will do 15% (that's a large estimate) off road. And not major off road. Thanks for all the help.. (My wife loves this stuff). I do appreciate it I am NOT going with the Mich stuff. Don't need to . Just need to keep her happy. Which is of course the ultimate challenge at best.

 

When you go off road what do you usually encounter? (eg. mud, dirt, sand, rock)

Chris

 

So far, no mud. But I have to be able to use the vehicle in my business the majority of the time.

 

I agree with Jet Lizards response, maybe I should have said "quality" instead of "quality name-brand". One reason to get a name-brand tire is for warranty issues, especially if you are somewhere remote and need to replace a damaged tire. On the other hand, it's usually best to avoid the cost of extended warranties, they're not worth it. Whatever your purchase, if you feel good about it... those are the best tires for you.

 

I'm sold on BFG AllTerrain ATs. I have them on all of my 4x4's except my Mercedes ML320 (It will get ATs this winter). I live in snow country (35 years) and they are, by far, the best tire that I've ever driven on for the conditions. The noise and ride are fine.

92 Ranger 4wd
92 F150 4wd
94 Explorer 4wd
92 Jeep Wrangler 4wd
00 Mercedes ML320 4wdundefined