Just another "I need your advice/recommendation on tires thread." Get in here please.

Good day everyone. I know there are a million threads about tires, but I can't find specific information about the brand of tires that were recommended to me. I went to my local Costco and America's tire to view their inventory. The technician at Costco recommended the Firestone Destination A/T2, but informed me that I had to order it first because it was not in stock. I headed over to America's Tire and recommended their Corsa Highway Terrain Plus because I live in CA where it does not snow and barely rains. He then informed me that the only real advantage of getting AT tires is that it will last a bit longer, but I will have to put up with the loud road noise compared to highway tires. He also recommended The Rocky Mountain AT or Corsa AT tires if I wanted to go the AT route. Does anyone have any real world experience with these tires? Their website states that the thread life was in the 45k estimate which is a plus. The price difference between Costco and AT is also around $400. I am open minded to all recommendations. Thank you in advanced.

 

BF Goodrich KO2 All Terrains are the best on the market in my opinion. No road noise at all and they last at least 50k miles. Plus they are very capable off road if you ever do such a thing. If you don't, then don't do all terrains and save some money. My family's used them for over 12 years and never been let down. For reference I run 275/65/r18s

 

What type of driving do you plan to do with these new tires? The way I see it, there are 3 general types of truck tires, Mostly highway (Michelin Defenders), mild off-road (Michelin LTX AT2 + handful of models) and full-on off-road (KO2s and others with similar treads).

The first 2 types won't make road noise (2nd type have mild side snipes for most mud, sand/soil type surfaces + superb silent highway driving - my personal favs) while the last for certain will above about 30-40mph.
-

 

Hey guys. Thanks for responding. I would say the majority of my tire use would be for highway and city. Basic commuting so to speak. I am however planning on taking my Sequoia on outdoor road trips particularly Sequoia and Yosemite national park, which is why I am strongly considering AT tires. My Sequoia is a 2WD also so I need all the traction I can get. It also rained quite a lot here in CA a few years back, so having tires that are good in wet traction is nice to have just in case. I currently have Hankook highway tires on my Sequoia, will AT tires reduce my mileage?

 

What size wheels are you running? If by mileage you mean mpg then there might be a slight decrease but nothing major (maybe .5 to a full gallon less but it also depends on the size tire you want to get). You bought a sequoia so I'm sure you are aware that fuel economy isn't really it's strong suit and tires should be the least of your worries XD. Depending on wheel size you will find it ride much smoother than your highway tires at 30-35 psi or whatever you have them at currently. I run mine anywhere from 22-28 psi and although I do get the pesky tire pressure sensor it rides way better than your typical highway/all season tire. Also, running lower psi makes a bigger contact patch with the ground thus giving you more traction off road (this information could come in handy when off-roading with a 2 wheel drive vehicle). Take everything with a grain of salt and do what you want with your vehicle, but for me BFG ATs on a truck/suv are a no brainer for my midwestern lifestyle.

 

I am sorry if this seems provocative…but I have never had a AT tire outlast a highway tire PERIOD. I could see that statement being true if you off-roaded everyday.

Highway tires have more consistent performance over it’s lifespan, ESPECIALLY the Michelin Defender LTX (class of its own really…).

AT tires don’t perform as consistent.

Point being, if you need AT tires get AT tires, if you do not, you will be MUCH better served with different tires.

 

I’m not going to disagree with any of this. I like the durability of the all terrain light truck tires from an impact and sidewall standpoint. I also like the slightly firmer ride.

I’m running falken wildpeaks after my K02’s disappointed in the rain. I like the Falkens quite a bit better due to their rain performance. That said, I have not run them in the snow or off-road.

 

If you want a very mild AT that has an excellent highway ride and a decent amount of tread depth, look at General Grabber APT. I had these installed on my son's '06 DC, my wife's '11 Sequoia and my '16 CM 4WD. Been very pleased with these on all vehicles.

 

Sidewall durability makes sense to me as well, AT being stronger. I was never a fan of any BfGoodrich truck tire in the rain. Goodyears got pretty bad after a year of use IMHO. Duratracs and Triple Treads were better among their line in the rain. Many other brands such as Falken have really stepped up their rain game. Honestly I don’t know why the big boys can’t.

Michelin owns BfGoodrich, and they need to trickle some of that technology down.

 

Yokohama GO15 has been a great choice. Any weather, any speed, any load, any terrain, all is well.

 

I always though that too, Had multiple sets. Once they get some miles on them they’re down right dangerous in the rain. I wouldn’t buy them again and won’t recommend them to anyone. I was planning on trying the toyo at3s this time but got a killer deal on the cooper rugged treks I have now.

 

Toyo AT3 are fantastic.

 

Understatement of the year. I can't for the life of me figure out how or why people like KO2s in anything but dry or desert conditions (i.e., AZ, SoCal, etc).

I think most people buy them because they've been around so long, they're perceived as a classic. They're considered the quintessential aggressive-looking AT. Lots of 4Runner friends had them, too. Never again.

Mine were terrifying on wet pavement after 20-25k miles. That's properly inflated with regular rotations. Thousands of people have this issue. There is a huge thread on T4R about it. They also have deep, tight tread that is absolutely worthless at clearing the kind of mud you encounter everywhere but the SW US.

I'm at 45k on Duratracs, which a lot of people hate, too. Lol. They're more of a hybrid AT/MT and will wear funny and get super loud if you don't do regular rotations. Mine are still quiet on the highway because I rotate every 3k religiously.

Totally agreed on AT longevity vs highway tire longevity. I'm pushing it with the DTs. In contrast, the Defenders on our 200 series still have some life left at 65k miles. Lol.

 

I agree!

 

Hey everyone. Thanks for your responses and the information. I stopped by another local, but highly rated tire shop in my town to view their inventory and the technician gave me his personal advice. He told me to stick with HT tires because I will be doing mostly pavement / highway driving. He even recommended getting smaller tires (265 60R18s 34 LBS or 265 65R18s 36 LBS) because they are lighter, have lower rolling resistance, and would acceleration/performance and fuel economy which is perfect for commuting. I honestly want AT tires not for its intended purpose, but for it looks. I even wanted to go 285s if I could, but I am not willing to lower my gas mileage anymore and reduce performance. Sorry for my lack of knowledge of the subject, but are the advantages of smaller tires significant? Thanks.

 

I swear by the Michelin Defenders. Rotate every 5K, and be amazed at how long they go!

Randy

 

Everything that guy told you is true.

That said, I knew all of that going in and I’m happier with AT LT tires. I like the durability for parking lot mishaps and nasty potholes. I also like the way they look. In fact I like the way they ride better as well. I like a tad more firmness to my tires. My AT tires last longer than P rated tires as well. My gas mileage didn’t really change. It was crap before the AT’s and stayed roughly the same.

 

What I am wondering now is how significant will the performance and gas mileage gains be if I go with the smaller HT tires. Will it cut my 0-60 by a second and give me 2 MPG better or is it negligible? I can see a lot of advantages with AT tires. The Rocky Mountain AT tires are the same price with the HT tires and only weight about 6 LBS more.

 

I wouldn’t get smaller tires just to save gas. IMHO I don’t believe you will save much if any money.

I have modified many Toyota’s (lifted/larger tires etc etc) and they are getting more finicky to these changes. I believe in keeping stock size tires due to certain ABS and transmission quirks I have noticed over the years. This entails Tacoma’s, 4Runner’s and my current Tundra.

My best advice OP, to save gas money is drive the Tundra very gently. Boring I know, but I average 15 to 16 around town and 17 to 18 highway (cruise control at 70-middle/right lane). Mind you I have a 1inch front lift and a .75 rear lift.

A stock size fairly light weight quality HT tire along with driving conservatively with yield you decent results (for the Tundra at least…).

 

I read in a different thread that getting smaller tires will lower the accuracy of the speedometer. I am not sure if I read it correctly, but there were claims that the MPG did not increase at all with smaller tires because their engine had to run at higher RPMs. I am currently averaging 13.5 in my Sequoia with Dynapros Highway tires. Someone also above mentioned that AT tires are more durable for real world driving mishaps. I still have a few months left on my tire life and I am taking my time to decide. Lots of great inputs, but the information can be overwhelming for me to decide haha!

 

I'm an AT tire guy. I've always loved ko2's for the snow performance, appearance and longevity. They have been my last 3 sets of tires my first gen, and I just put a set on my 2nd gen. I also ran them on my 01 tacoma. Im not sure what I'm doing wrong but I've yet to have that oh shit moment in the rain in any of those 150k plus miles. For what it's worth, I do live in the mountains in central CO and have plenty of twisty up and down roads across those miles.

 

Look for P rated AT tires in the stock size with less aggressive tread but more aggressive sidewall to get the look with as little of the performance hit as possible. Michelins are close to this, but sidewall is not so aggressive.

 

I have the Toyo AT2 extreme, currently getting rotated and they are dry rotting in between treads pretty bad after only 24,000 miles. Considering the amount of tread left I'd say it's shit. Ozone warranty is 5 years through manufacturer but that is still like 600 something outta pocket after 2 years if I want the same tires. They suggested replacing of course.
I'll add pictures after a bit

 

My good friend a mechanic says not to worry about it pretty normal for tires being outside all the time.... discount guy said if they were his with that many miles he'd be replacing. So either someone is trying to sell tire or....

 

Those look fine

 

Dude thanks! I don't know the depth but it seems he was just trying to sell tires to me prematurely which is how people lose customers imo.

 

An update with the dry rot cracking, I had to go back because I noticed some scuffing on my wheels in the shape of a perfect circle and a scratch. Wasn't there before they wanted to see to see if it was from their install. Manager says there's no possible way their cones for balancing couldve done it. WTF ever, I can possibly polish it out but that's not the damn point, did bring up the rot to the manager though. He said it's nothing, Toyo wouldn't warranty that and he didn't know why his employee even said anything about it to begin with. Still lost a customer at that location at least. Dude was a total asshat about the whole wheel situation. Probably because I called corporate initially. Who knows...

 

I wanted to mention that the HW tires have a longer tread life than the AT tires that I was comparing. Can't deny though that the Rock Mountain AT looks so much better than the Corsa HT. I was shown a set of BF Goodrich K02s and they are by far the best looking tires for my Sequoia IMO. I just can't convince myself getting them due to their price and weight. I believe they are 50 lbs for the 275 65 R18s if I remember correctly. I was also told they come in 265 60 R18s P rated I think? And they weigh 40 lbs or so. Very tempting lol.

 

I know someone above mentioned about the speedometer being off with a certain tire size. I am currently running 275 65R18s Dynapro HP2s and I noticed my speedometer is off by 2 MPH. My GPS recorded that I am actually going 2 MPH slower than what my speedometer is indicating.