Ok, I'm going to re-phrase this post from last week.

I will soon be putting tires on my '06 F-150 Screw, 2WD, 255/65/17. I live in IL so winter traction is a factor, but I also put on a bunch of highway miles a year and don't want howling full blown AT tread.

I have several choices, all about $675 (4) mounted and ballanced:

Cooper Discoverer ATR

Toyo Open Country A/T

Yokohama Geolander H/T-S

Toyo Open Country H/T (NOt M&S Rated, scared of it's winter abilities (or lack of abilities))

I also can get Cooper H/T in 265/70/17 (oversize)


Which would you pick if they were going on your truck??????

Thanks

 

I have had Toyo Open Country AT before and I live in South Dakota and they did fine in the winter months. Not much howling on the highway either.

 

On my last 2 trucks i've ran Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor's. They are a great all terrain tire (the best tire on ice and snow that I've found) And I think they look cool to when kept clean.

 

Like I tell everybody, BFG All Terrain T/As. The absolute best tire on the road, of course that's just my opinion. I'm gonna take some shots and post pics of what these look like with 92,000 miles on them. Will probably last me another 30 or 40,000 miles with regular rotation

 

2nd that, they are good tires, quite on the highway and excellent traction. soft rubber compound makes them good in the snow and ice. if you do alot of gravel road running they will get eaten up pretty fast but you can get 100,000 if you stay mostly on ashfault

 

that makes no sense.... soft rubber gets eaten up on asphalt faster than a hard rubber... The tire compound is the material the tire is made from -- a softer compound can provide more grip but wears faster, while a harder compound will last longer.A hard tread compound may enhance tread life and fuel economy but detract from both wet and dry traction. Short, stiff sidewall construction may enhance cornering power and directional stability but detract from ride quality. A wide tread with minimal grooving may enhance dry grip but detract from traction in wet and snowy conditions. An aggressive, open tread may enhance snow traction but aggravate tire noise and sacrifice tread life on pavement.

 

trust me the bfg's AT are a good long lasting tire on asphalt, but on gravel roads the rocks just chew the **** out of them, i worked in a tire shop a few years ago and seen it all the time. lots of oil rig guys, and pipe line

 

I also like the BFG ATs. Not loud on the highway and I've never had a problem in the Michigan winters. In fact, I just purchased my second set for my 04. 100k and still going..

 

I have the BFGs too and i'm not impressed with them. They're too mushy for my taste... they'd be perfect IMO if they were 1 load range higher... but I guess they have to be this way for the offroading aspect of it. I certainly wouldn't try and tow anything crazy with them (1st because of the gearing disadvantage and 2nd b/c of the mushyness).

 

Give me a call if I can help, I'd be glad to help you tailor a tire to your needs.

 

for the money i would go with the yoko's that was my second choice after the bfg AT KO, but i worked at discount tire and got a sweet discount at the time, another thing is that you do not want to have to special order your tires if its for a daily driver or work truck, cause youll have to hunt or order them if you get a flat then your truck is out for a few days. i saw a lot of people get mad when they realized that little tid-bit

 

Special order? Mine is a dd work truck and had a railroad spike in it one day and went back to the place I puchased from the same day and they keep them in stock. Had it replaced same day! I guess it depends on what size you have?

 

What are you running for tire pressure? I have never had the mushiness in mine. If you tow with them air them up to max. (50 or 52 psi I think)

 

I have them at 40 for around town. I thought max was 45; i'll look again I guess. what size are yours? Mine might be mushy b/c of the large sidewall :\

 

Thanks for all of the input.

To clarify just a little bit more, the truck and tire combination I'm asking about spends 95% of it's life on asphalt. I'm looking for a good M&S rated highway tread tire that has reasonable winter traction, or a mild AT tire that has very good road manners. Since the truck is 2wd, I feel I need a bit more traction than the std. Conti-Trac "car tires" that they come with.

If it was about picking the best AT tire I could handle that, but my question is really aimed at the best "cross-over" tire between the H/T and A/T styles.

I I had my 1st choice, it would be a Michelin LTX M&S (265/70/17), but at $1080 for 4 mounted and ballanced, that's quite a bit more than the ~$680 I was quoted for the other options. I know lots of people say they are worth it, but WOW....they sure as hell better be!!!!!