I have a new 2018 F250 Lariat that I bought last May. It came with the stock OEM Michelin Defender LTX AT2's. They are very smooth riding tires and I love Michelin's. They always ride well and last forever. But, I keep noticing they consistently spin on wet concrete , and they also spin quite a bit every time I put my boat into and out of the water. I've noticed a lot of other 250's around that are running Nitto Ridge Grappler's, Toyo Open Country's and BFG TA KO2's. Most often, I'm seeing the Nitto's and they look REALLY good. For those that are running non OEM tires, what are your thoughts? I don't want to put a lift on the truck, and want something that doesn't rub at all with stock height. What would I gain and lose by adding another tire like the Nitto Ridge Grappler's in 35's? Would they be better, or worse, than the Michelin's I'm currently running? I don't run my truck off road. I pull an 8,000 lb travel trailer, and a 6,000 lb 24' bay boat. Otherwise, it's a daily driver and gets quite a bit of highway miles and miles around town. Any opinions or experience is appreciated.

 

What size wheel are you running, 18" or 20"?

 

20". Current tires are 275 65r20's.

 

For your needs and in my experience, I would go with 285/65/20 or 295/65/20 Michelin Defender LTX. You get exceptional road performance, will fit factory height, very good snow/ice performance, 3860 or 4080LB rating, all while not sacrificing much mpg. I've had 2 sets and love them every time. I also really stand by the newer Cooper AT3 XLT, which I'm currently running in 295/70/18. They offer more of an aggressive look but still have good on road characteristics.

 

I'm running the Ridge Grapplers, and I'm super happy with them. I can't vouch for snow or ice because I live in South Florida, but the Ridge Grapplers handle rain better than the Michelin highway tires that were on my last F-150. I like the look of Mud Terrain tires, but I hate the loud noise that comes with them. That's another aspect of the Ridge Grapplers that I love, they're quiet. They are barely louder than highway tires, and they have no drone.

 

 

I had a set of the 285/65/20 BFG TA KO2's on my 2010 I just traded in for 2019 and really really liked them. I had 28,000 miles on them when I traded it last week and they were still in great shape. I'm sure I would have gotten another 25,000 or more out of them unless they really started wearing fast. The 285 look so much better than the factory size. I kind of kick myself for not having the dealer swap the tires as part of the deal. I'll putting a set on my new truck in the next week or two.Another one to consider that's getting good reviews from users here in Colorado is the Goodyear Ultraterrain AT.

 

A friend of mine went from a set of Coopers ( I forgot which ones) to the Continental Terrain Contact. He tows a 10+k 5'er and daily drives in all kinds of conditions. He absolutely loves them.

 

 

How is noise and mpg compared to stock michellins?

 

 

I am running BFG KO2's on my current rig. Have ran them on other trucks as well. Very happy with them. With that said, just put a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3's on my wife's Grand Cherokee and they are impressive. Might switch over to the Cooper's when the BFG's wear out as i suspect I will get more miles out of the Coopers.