Ok, I'm tire shopping right now for a purchase later on this year. I've read past user reviews but face it, a tire purchase must be based on individual needs and of course wants.

You all know that my truck is a commuter and is used for some light hauling of top soil, mulch and building supplies on occasion.

I've never had it off road nor do I intend to, I got that out of my system when I owned my '88. Here in SE Virginia, we do get some snow about every 2-3 years. This winter so far we've had two small storms dropping about 7-9 inches each. The issue here is that snow removal is slow and the snow becomes packed ice after a day. REPORTING FOR WORK IS NON-OPTIONAL.

Currently I'm running the OE Hankook Dynapro all season 235-75-17's. I must say that as much as I complain about them, they've actually been more than adequate this winter. After 34K, they are still showing 6/32's of tread on all four. They won't wear out.

I intend to upgrade to a 265-70-17 like my Expy has. There are literally dozens of choices in this size as opposed to just 7 in the 235's.

I intend to purchase my tires from BJ's wholesale club. Don't fret, they get their tires from the same warehouse as all the other tire stores do. They sell everything made by Mich, BFG and Uniroyal and I can order what ever I want from this selection. The Michelin X Radial IS however a "club" exclusive tire.

Last summer, I purchased a complete set of BFG Long Trail T/A's from BJ's for the Expy and I love them. They are a highway tire.

Please advise me on the correct choice for my needs and intended use.

Thanks for any and all input.

 

Tim, you should know where I'm going with this.
I'm a die hard Michelin LTX M/S2 fan. That's their highway biased all terrain. They are whisper quiet, roll forever, 70k mile treadwear warranty and they laugh at rain and our VA wintery mix and snow.
If you wanted something even a little less chunky than the M/S2, then I would suggest the Lattitude Tour. My father put a set on his Honda Pilot last year and is extremely pleased with them. They roll even better than the M/S2 and they appear to be more efficient.

Michelin will always get my vote for anyone that doesn't do much offroading. I can attest to the M/S2 being able to handle some pretty messy hunting trails as I had the previous truck in some pretty bad spots and they never let me down.

The Bridgestone Alenza's on the new Plat are pretty impressive in my eyes for a factory supplied tire. I am pleased with their performance, especially in the last two snowy mixes that we had recently. I don't know if they make them in a size you're looking for, but they could get my vote.

 

I am currently in the tire shopping phase as well. 37,XXX on my stock Michilins and they are at 6/32s as well. Although they are a few months from needing replacement, I like to explore my options and analyze them to death.

My stock tire size is 265/60/18. Due to the terrain that I drive on at work (crushed limestone and mud), I prefer A/T tires as the limestone tears highway tires up. I have found that in my stock size, A/T tread designs are far outnumbered by highway tread. Of the A/T designs available, some I just will not use such as General, Goodyear, or any Chinese branded tires like Nankang. Moving up to the next available size, 275/65/18 doesnt allow for any more options, just different branded options so I will stay with the stock size.

That said, my current choices are the BFG Rugged Terrain (new tire, really slick looking, good reviews although limited), Cooper Discoverer ATP (DTD exclusive) or its brother the A/T3 should I not purchase from DTD, and absolute last is the Firestone Destination A/T.

 

I've been eye balling this one pretty hard and it's reasonably priced to boot.

 

It has had my eyeball on the internet and pictures for a while now. Safety man at work had a set put on his 2010 Ram 1500 at our local Sams Club. They look every bit as mean as they do in pictures. I have my 3 picked out and its looking like its going to fall on the better price to make the decision for me.

As far as other brands, I really wanted to put Nitto Terras on but they arent made in this size for a decent price.....its cousin the Toyo Open Country is, but like Michelin and the BFG A/TKO, I refuse to pay for the tire companys pride in their products.

 

I would look at Goodyear's Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure tires. I've been very pleased with them so far. I always run an E range and with that don't have expectations that the tires will be the most comfortable. However, the set I have offer as smooth a ride as any of the Michelins I've had in the past. And they have been great in the snow this past winter. Visually they are not an aggressive looking tire, as they have tons of small tread blocks with a good amount of sipping.

In my world, a little weight in the back of the truck, adequate tread depth (regardless of which tire brand/model), 4 high and sensible driving, you should always be able to get where you need to go. These simple things haven't failed me yet in the many decades of winter driving that I have done.

Good luck with your quest to find the right tire.

 

I'm at the tire shop right now having new shoes installed. I have right at 38,500 on the truck and the stock Michilens are at 6/32 all around. They are sold to a co worker for his dads truck at $20 a piece.

I'm going with the Cooper Discoverer AT3. I looked hard at the BFG Rugged Terrain but couldn't really find any reviews on them. 3 people at work (safety man, salesman, and another project manager) had them installed on their trucks and all 3 have had problems including 3 with tread seperating. The salesman had the tread seperate on 3 tires. With this small sampling of "would not buy again" reviews I decided on another tire for my truck.

Not worth much but thought you would like to know Tim.

 

I've recently read similar poor reviews on them and have decided not to go with them as well. Since I don't get much snow I think I'm going with the BFG Long Trails instead. I love them on my Expy. It's a highway tread, smooth and quiet and they carry a 60K mile tread life warranty. Still deciding though. I can't wait to here your reviews on your coopers.

 

Obligatory poor light, filthy truck pics




Don't have but a few miles on them, but they ride smooth as far a I can tell. I dig the way they look too.

 

I think the BF Goodrich's would be good for your needs and should be available easily where you where you want to get them. I just can stand how all-season tires look on trucks, too "balloony" for my tastes. So far I am loving my Toyo Open Country AT2s in 275/70/18. They are quiet, handle great and ride very well for an E Range tire with 50 psi. I wish this size came stock.

 

Very nice

And very nice

Something about that Tuxedo Black just shivers me timbers!

 

Tim,

I would go with the BFG Rugged Terrains. I loved the RTs on my F150. Great feel and good for the on road and off road. I had a set of Long trails on the Explorer and got 55,000 miles out of them. I replaced them right before the winter which turned out to be a good idea this year. Those are Goodyear Fortura HLs. My wife said they handle very well in the snow.

BJs, Sam's Club, Costcos, Walmart's Tire and Lube Centers will usually only replace what is on the door spec. You might run into an issue if you move up a size.

Good Luck!

 

I saw a previous poster had just put Cooper Discoverer AT3's on his ride. I got them on mine too. We are about to break our record here in Central/Northern Illinois(Peoria area) for our snowiest winter ever!! I have only had my truck in 4wd twice this winter I think, once was when I pulled into an unplowed parking lot after a 8 incher to do some donuts and I got stuck on the way out and had to drop her in dig. I like them a lot, and FWIW, they are very visually pleasing. Good highway roll but also more open tread than you would expect.

 

I have the BFG Rugged Terrains on my 2007 F-150. I wanted the BFG AT KO but they were back ordered and I needed tires asap. I may only have a little over 1000 miles on them as I needed new tires for winter and the winter hasn't been horrible. They are great in the snow, I like to see how far I can get without having to shift into 4x4 and I have been able to do quite well. In 4x4 they're fantastic. I have no idea about how long they'll last though.

 

Good info! The BJ's here has to order tires for my truck as they don't stock many of the 265's. They probably won't be offering me my money back because they're taking 235's off and replacing them with 265's. The 265's are an OE tire size. So if I have issues with BJ's then I'll go elsewhere to get what I want. These 235's have got to go!