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So I'm in the market for new tires. My driving habits are 95% on road and 5% sand. I'll be using my Firestone account so I'm limited to certain brands unfortunately. My current tire size is 275 70R 18. I'd like something with a more aggressive look, but it's not at the top of my criteria. Since a wider footprint would help, I'd like to go up to a 285 if I can get away with it without modding my wheel wells or fenders.
The FS rep was throwing down these options based on my current size tire:
Bridgestone Dueler AT D695
Transforce AT
Transforce HT
Transforce MT
Nitto Grappler
I love a more aggressive looking tire, but don't want to compromise my ride or handling too much. Any advice appreciated.
My truck had Nittos on it when I bought it, and they seem to be a great tire. I think I'm going to go with them again when it comes time to replace them. Previous owner had put on 285/65/18, but I think I am going to go up to 295/70/18, so a little taller and wider. The Nittos in 295/70/18 also have the highest weight rating I have seen for 18" tires, something to keep in mind if you do any heavy hauling.
I have the 295 Trail Grapplers. They have been great on the somewhat heavy loads I work with. They dont sag or get squirmish at all. They seem to be wearing OK for a tire like that. Not a ton of road noise even with the windows down.
Another vote for Nittos. I have Nitto Terra Grapplers on my F250 and they wear great, ahve worked well in both the mud and sand I've had them in and are quiet. Oddly enough, the Terra Grapplers on my truck were made in the USA, while the Nittos on my Mustang were made in Japan. Just a little FYI...
I have the Nitto Terra grappler 275/70/18 and I love it! I've had BF goodrich A/T's and Nokian Vativa's on different trucks and the Grappler is much better than both. They seam to wear better and look more aggressive... Plus the load rating is much better! The ones I got were used and half worn when I got them and they are still a great tire at less than 50% tread. I will be getting another set soon.
I was actually thinking about that exact tire at first, but was concerned about it's ability to dig in to the sand (and not float above it).
I've used the Destination A/Ts on a Avalache 2x in Glamis for years and they worked great! I really love that tire, lasted for 50k+. I most likely will slap them on my F350 when the time comes, so long as u can get them in a E rated tire in the size I want.