OK, Im still looking for the best all around MT tire and have started narrowing down the contenders. Does anyone have any experience with both of these tires? I am looking for decent off-road traction with a tire that is not incredibly noisy and that will last at least 40K. I know those kind of stats are rare in an MT, but from what I have read these two could possibly do it. Also, I'm not interested in BFG MT or Toyo MT, so please dont waste your time trying to convince me to get them. Thanks a lot for your help guys. See signature for truck details.

Bob

 

I have no experience with the Firestones. I have 35x12.5 TrXuS MTs. I've been very pleased with them so far on and off road. They have better dry and wet pavement traction than my stock Conti's. They have also done well in 12" deep soupy rutted mud. My ride is better than stock (lift springs may get credit here). You can hear them whine over my v10 at idle with the window down. Windows up, I don't hear them at all. I can't personally speak for mileage, since I haven't had them long. I do have a friend with 30K+ on them. I've heard they can have balance problems. I had mine pad balanced at a 4x4 shop and no problems.

 

I bought the 35x12.50R17E TrXus MTs on 2-8-2005 for my 2002 F350 PSD 4x4 CC SB SRW. I've put just under 7000 miles on them. No premature wear noted. Excellent traction off road and on pavement including wet conditions. So far my percentage of driving is 80% pavement and 20% off road. These are my first TrXus tires. When I get to 20000 miles I'll know better how the mileage is gonna be. So far good tire for the price. When I bought mine Toyo had not come out with their 35x12.50R-17E tires or at least no dealers had any. Not to diss the TrXus tires but if the Toyo's had been available I may have gone with them even though the price would have been higher but I'm pleased with the TrXus tires for now.

 

Robert6401 - It all depends on how you are going to be using your truck. If you really are going to be wheeling it the Trxus is the way to go of all the tires you mentioned. Why, better tread pattern for off road use and 8 or 10 ply sidewalls depending on the size of the tire. Both of these reason are why they do not ride as nice on road like the others would. I run them on my Range Rover which I wheel and DD. Don't know your reason for not looking at either the BFG or Toyo, but you are discounting two of your best options. I would probably give the nod to the Toyo over the BFG even though I am running the BFG's on my SD right now. However BFG is coming out with a new tread pattern and tire compound which could change that. I have never been impressed with Firestone tires either on or off road, but they have been improving since Bridgestone purchased them. So I would have to rank them last due to I have seen them chuck and their sidewalls seem paper thin. Good luck with whatever you go with.

 

The truck will be used as a dd with many highway miles, but I also own a small farm with some steep hills that would make the MT worthwhile. The reason I am not looking at the Toyos is because my father-in-law owns a tire shop and none of his distributors carry Toyos. Im sure they are great tires, but we're talking about a substantial difference in price here. They do carry BFG MT's, but really they are more expensive than what my wife and I have agreed to spend on tires *whipping sound heard in the background*. I am also looking at the Bridgestone Dueler MTs now, and am actually leaning towards them, so any opinions on those would also be greatly appreciated. Both the Bridgestones and the Firestones received really good reviews on Tirerack, so I'm pretty sure both would be a good decision. Just wanting some reassurance from the SD family. Thanks.

 

I hear you on the price of tires. I have run BFG AT's and MT's for some time and like everything about them except for the price. That is why I tried the Trxus on the Rover for wheeling purposes, but gave up some on road comfort by doing that. The Duelers are nice tires and I would go with those before the Firestones. Not as good traction or sidewall protection as the Trxus off road, but will give you better on road manners. Probably a better fit for you.

By the way, don't forget to check load rating. A lot of the tires we are talking about have different load ratings and vary by size within the same tire with some makes. You don't want to be giving up what you truck can haul or put yourself in a dangerous blowout situation. Let us know what you end up with.

 

I really appreciate the advice. I am pretty sure I will end up going with the Duelers. One of my buddies has them on his Z71 and raves about them so I figure I can give them a whirl. It will be a while before I can report on their performance because I am still in Iraq for a couple more months (need new tires before I get home). I will be sure to give a full review on whichever tire I go with though.

Bob

BTW, I am sticking with D rated tires. I dont haul or pull much.

 

Bob - Be safe over there and come home to all your family and friends. Including all your distant friends on FTE!!

 

Besides the ever-increase road noise, after having failures on 3 of the 5 TrXus tires I purchased for my '01, I wouldn't recommend those POS tires to my worst enemy.

I've had no experience with the Firestones, but those would be my choice for sure!

 

Ordered the Duelers yesterday. I will post some pics of how they look once my wife takes some and sends them to me. Thanks for the advice gentlemen.

 

Robert I wish I had seen this post earlier, I ran 285/75-16 Duellers on my 86 250.
It had the IFS front axle and I always came in at less than 30,000 for wear, but I did not get stuck in the mud.
I went with some cheaper tires this time around, but as soon as they are gone I am going back to the Duellers. I hate being stuck in the mud.
I have also upgraded to a Dana 60 front axle, so maybe the Duellers will give me better mileage now.
Be careful over there, my nephew is at Valad Airbase, I worry about you guys all the time.

 

Were the duelers you had before the newer version with the UNI-T technology? That is supposed to make a big difference in the life and on-road manners of the tire. Also, if you mean Balad Airbase in Iraq then your nephew and I are at the same place.

 

WOO HOO, 100 Posts, now a "Senior User"

 

Josh Paden....Air Force in the shop working on trucks installing more armor plate.
Yes my fat fingers hit the wrong key, I meant Balad.
My mother just called and she had an email from him about the heat.


Yes the ones I had were the uni T versions.
Quiet on the highway, drove very well, did great off the highway in the mud.
I think a lot of my problem was the independant front suspension on my 86. The Dana 60 that I have in it now is not wearing the tires on the front so bad.

If you can see him and tell him his Uncle Dave from Nutter Fort said Hi, it will flip him out.

 

Just so you know, Balad is a pretty big place, and Im in the Army so Im on the other side of the airfield than the Air Force guys. But I'll keep an eye out for a Paden. Thanks for the info, hopefully you are right about the ifs affecting the tires, I am really hoping to get at least 40k, but really want 50k out of them.