I own a 2009 F150 XLT with the XTR package ... 18inch rims with Goodyear P rated tires. I want to upgrade to a more aggressive tire.

I was interested in this tire: Dunlop Radial Rover M/T Maxx Traction. The size I want is 275 70 R18. I believe this tire is taller by an inch (33.2 vs 32.1). Will i need a 2.0 level kit?

As far as rubber, i want something that is alot more aggressive but not too lound on the pavement (highway & city). I also looked at a Toyo Open Country M/T as well. These seem pretty good as far as user reviews. Any coments?

 

Have you ever had a set of M/T tires before? I'm not trying to be a smartass, just trying to get a feel for what your definition of too loud might be.

I have never had either of those exact tires before, but I have had multiple sets of M/T tires before and all of them have been very loud. A friend of mine had some Goodyear Wrangler M/T's on his 7.3 diesel SD, and you could hear his tires before you could hear his engine when he came down the road. They did great in the mud and lasted over 50k miles, but they were a nuisance on the road. You pretty much had to yell in the cab to have a conversation at 70mph. Also, I'm not sure where you live, but M/T's suck on icy roads.

The hardcore off-road guys may disagree, but a set of aggressive A/T tires might suit your needs better if you are worried about road noise and driveability. I have had excellent luck with BF Goodrich All Terrains, and my dad has a set of Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors on his SD. They do pretty well in the mud and clean out the tread with a little wheelspin. The road noise is a little more than most "street tires" that come stock, but much less than M/T's. Treadwear is typically better than M/T's (although those Goodyears did really well). Also, they are great on winter roads.

 

This is my first truck so i'm a complete noob. The loudest tire i had were a snow/ice tire on my mini-van and they were kinda loud on the highway. I obviously expect the MT tires to be louder but not so loud that i can't talk in the cab at 100KM/h.

I do live in Canada but not very north. We hardly get any snow in Van. BC but i intend on going skiing in the mountains so i need something with good snow / ice traction.

I am leaning toward an A/T tire rather than a M/T. Any advice on the size re level kit?

Thanks,
Mike

 

My personal preferences are:

1) the BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO - I've run this tire in the past on anything from an F250 to a little Jeep Wrangler and have been happy with performance both offroad and in slick conditions. You can get this tire in just about any size, so I'd suggest sticking with your stock size and avoiding any concerns about leveling kit, etc.

2) the Mastercraft Courser AT2 - this is what is run on the local police cruisers in my area, including the Expeditions they have. My personal opinion is that this tire provides wha tis possibly the best slick condition traction around.

Just my two cents - hope you find it helpful.

 

I'd go with Toyo open country A/T first. Awesome Tire. Looks great too.

Then Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2nd.

 

Congrats on the new truck.

Another tire to consider is the General Grabber AT2. Something else I forgot to mention is that the BF Goodrich, the Silent Armor, and the General AT2 are all "severe weather rated." Apparently that means that have passed some sort of government test that certifies them as a capable winter road tire. Some of the others mentioned here may have that as well, but I'm not as familiar with them.

One more thing. It seems like every tire available in the 275/70 R18 size is E-rated. Going from a P-rated to an E-rated tire will probably make the ride of your truck noticeably rougher. However, I just spent some time looking at the different makes, and unfortunately for 18" rims it looks like E tires are going to be it if you want a larger size.

If I'm not mistaken, you may not need a leveling kit for tires that size. There are some guys on here that have added leveling kits to run 35 inch tires, but you probably will clear 33" tires with the stock ride height. A good tire shop will put one on to see if it will rub if they know you are serious about buying something from them.

 

Does anybody know when Consumer Reports last tested light truck tires and what they rated best? On my previous 4WD F150 I was using Michelins and getting around 80,000 miles or so out of them. The only problem was that off road the sidewalls, being thin, could slash easily, but that's the problem with almost all radials.

 

The best set of Tores that I've ever had were Wrangler A/T's. Excellent traction and they lasted over 55K miles. I also had a set of Kumo (spelling) with a similar pattern to the Wranger and they were very good as well.

Tim