# Truck Tire Recommendations



## Ted Shih

I have a Ford F350 4x4 with Ainley Chassis Mount on it. I have never weighed it, but I know it is HEAVY. The F350 is rated to one ton, I mounted helper springs and still need to put 40# in my air shocks to get it to ride properly.

I am at 105,000 miles and will need to replace my tires and am wondering what others have experienced.

My original tires were BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A, P265/75R16. I had 51,000 miles on them, with maybe another 5-10K left on them, when I replaced them (I was headed to the National Am in Virginia, MN and wanted to make sure I didn't have any tire problems, so replaced the BFG tires early)

- Tires were fine
- Road noise OK
- Good highway ride
- Tracked well
- Not so good in the mud

Decided to go with Michelin LTX M/S

- Less road noise than BFG
- Softer ride (but not much) than BFG
- Wanders more than BFG
- Just as bad as BFG in mud

I have another 5-10K on my Michelins before I need to change them

Would like to go with BFG or Michelin - because COSTCO carries them and

1. Costco prices are great
2. Costco service is great
3. Costco rotates and balances tires for lifetime of tires for FREE
4. Costco fills tires with Nitrogen (which keeps inflation stable)

Any ideas on other BFG or Michelin Tires to try?
Or for that matter, other brands I should consider?

Need good highway tires, because I drive long distances to Field Trials
Need good mud tires because once I get there, I am off road
Tires must be able to carry Heavy Load

Thanks in advance

Ted


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## Greg Seddon

Ted I would take a good look at Cooper tires. I have had 4 sets great ride on the highway and great off road traction and getting between 60k and 70k on all terrain tires. The tire from Cooper is Discover ATR.


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## lablover

Ted,

I've had Michelin LTX M/S on a Tahoe and current Suburban, and could not be happier. Neither weigh as much as your dog truck, and I have gotten great milage out of these tires.
I had the Goodrich tires on a Tahoe, and could not wait to get rid of them.
The Michelins greatly improved the ride on both of mine.

To make the Michelins work in the mud, you HAVE to spin them. They don't really have "cleats" on the except at the edges, so they fill up with mud quickly. Spinning them, throws the mud out. You can also "saw" the steering wheel back and forth as the tires are spinning, which causes what little cleat that is in the tire, to grab more solid ground. It does work. 

A friend had Michelin AT tires on his Toyota and said they did good in mud. He states they were quiet on the road. The Michelin web site states they are better in mud than the LTX.
Mileage seems close. I will probably try the Michelin AT the next time around.

Your other option is to put a cleated mud tire on the rear and see how that works. If that's not enough, you can add cleated tires to the front also.

I would also check the Consumer Reports web site on tires.


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## Jason Ferris

Greg Seddon said:


> Ted I would take a good look at Cooper tires. I have had 4 sets great ride on the highway and great off road traction and getting between 60k and 70k on all terrain tires. The tire from Cooper is Discover ATR.


I'd second that - I've got Cooper Sure Tracs on my truck and they have been great.

Regards, Jason.


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## EDT

#3 recommendation for Coopers. I live in Montana and these tires are awesome in the snow and mud. I usually go with an aggressive tire which is a little noisier on the highway but well worth it when in you're in the mountains. I have got roughly 60,000 miles on the last 2 sets I have owned.


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## Matt Miller

I have had the Michelan LTX/ AT on my truck for 120,000 miles with 10k left. Great traction, low road noise !


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## Paul-TEXAS

http://www.maxxis.com/products/automotive/product_detail.asp?id=191

Here's what I have used for years.

I am also a Cooper fan.


Paul-TEXAS


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## tshuntin

Ted, 

I just called the Manager at out local Les Schwabb tire store that we do a bunch of business with. His first recommendation would be the WILD COUNTRY XTX made by Goodyear for Les scwabb. They are E rated (10 ply). LS offers free lifetime balance and rotation, free road hazard, etc.. The tires are rated to carry 3415 lbs per tire (13,660 total). He has ran these on his truck pulling 28 foot camper trailer and has been very happy. This doesn't help you for Costco but, something to look at. Les schwabbs are starting to be everywhere too. 
Travis


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## Golddogs

> Any ideas on other BFG or Michelin Tires to try?
> Or for that matter, other brands I should consider?


The new Goodyear Silent Armour line. Spendy but well worth it.


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## Jay Hinton

Ted are those Michelins 10 ply? If not, go up to the load range E and the wandering shoud cease. Caused by flexing of the sidewalls. If you want a good mud tire, Toyo Open Country MT is a dedicated mud tire available in a load range E, though obviously not available at Costco. BFG A/T may be a little better than the Rugged trail, though still not too good in the mud. I have a set on a diesel Excursion that goes 8500 lbs and they've gone 50+. Slightly noisy when they wear, though.

I don't think you will find a tire that is good on both highway and mud.


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## Ted Shih

Jaybird said:


> I don't think you will find a tire that is good on both highway and mud.


JB

Don't know if they are 10 ply, but they are load range E. 

Yes, it is hard to find a multipurpose tire. My truck spends most of its life on the road (I have 100,000 plus miles in three years), but when I am at a FT and the roads are wet and muddy, I really need a good mud tire.

With a chassis mount, six dogs, water and gear, you cannot spin them as Lab Lover suggests - I have and all it does is get you buried to the axles - the truck is just too damn heavy

But, if I got mud tires, when I drive 1000 miles plus one way to Texas, the noise and ride would drive me nuts.

Oh well,

Ted


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## Keith Stroyan

*Bridgestone*

I have Bridgestone AT Revo's on my Sequoia. An off-road tire with better highway performance than the original highway tires.

BUT, I don't know if they make them for enormous trucks like yours...


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## Anthony Heath

Another Cooper fan here. I don't think you will get quite as many miles as with the Michelin's, but they are quiet and are better in the mud


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## GregorMac

Schwab's also carries Avon/Dean tires. I've got about 50k on mine and they are doing great. A little more than the Wild Country TXR's but, I think they will last longer than the TXRs I've had on in the past.


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## Jay Hinton

Ted, E range are 10 ply, so scratch my earlier suggestion. The Bridgestones mentioned may not be a bad choice, a little more aggressive than what you have had on there. I know of what you speak with heavy trucks and mud. It's like oil and water.


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## lablover

Ted,

Google "mud tires"

Some reading there for you.


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## Gun_Dog2002

lablover said:


> Ted,
> 
> Goggle "mud tires"
> 
> Some reading there for you.


And if that doesn't work you could use a search engine like yahoo or google...

/Paul


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## Gun_Dog2002

tshuntin said:


> Ted,
> 
> I just called the Manager at out local Les Schwabb tire store that we do a bunch of business with. His first recommendation would be the WILD COUNTRY XTX made by Goodyear for Les scwabb. They are E rated (10 ply). LS offers free lifetime balance and rotation, free road hazard, etc.. The tires are rated to carry 3415 lbs per tire (13,660 total). He has ran these on his truck pulling 28 foot camper trailer and has been very happy. This doesn't help you for Costco but, something to look at. Les schwabbs are starting to be everywhere too.
> Travis


Ted, these are the tires I have on my F350 and I've really liked them. Wear is great, stability is great, noise is not bad although with the diesel tire noise may be drowning out. Course with my hearing damaged from blowing fox40's for so many years with a little shotgun blasts every day road noise may be mute issue. I've had good success off road with them as well...

/Paul


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## zipmarc

Ted Shih said:


> I have a Ford F350 4x4 with Ainley Chassis Mount on it. I have never weighed it, but I know it is HEAVY. The F350 is rated to one ton, I mounted helper springs and still need to put 40# in my air shocks to get it to ride properly.
> 
> I am at 105,000 miles and will need to replace my tires and am wondering what others have experienced.[....]
> 
> Need good highway tires, because I drive long distances to Field Trials
> Need good mud tires because once I get there, I am off road
> Tires must be able to carry Heavy Load [....]


Have you considered Toyos? We have Toyos on all our trucks on our ranch. I have the Toyo Open Country A/T for my dog truck - not as heavy as yours (it is a Titan 3/4 ton V8 4X4 with 6 holes). I put LT275/70R18s on it. What an improvement over my BF Goodrich Rugged Trail (hated them).

My worse half drives a F350 and puts stuff like steel beams and cement on his truck bed and hauls around Caterpillars and John Deeres, and the performance of his Toyos convinced me to switch when the BF Goodrich tires were only 30K miles old.


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## kjrice

I had:
Michelin LTX's - too loose and not good in mud. Smooth highway ride.

BFG A/T - tempermental and not as good in mud and snow as you would think. The M/T's are good, but too aggressive for your needs.

My favorite by far is the Bridgestone Revos and they make the E-rated 10 ply. Aggressive, but not overdone. Excellent in rain, mud and snow. My second choice would probably be the Toyo Open Country tire. If Costco doesn't have them, try ordering or see if Sam's Club will order. I know Sam's Club will order them here.


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## Ted Shih

I will probably go with another pair of the BFG Rugged Trail or the Michelin M/S. Size 265, 75R16

A large part of the decision was based on Costco
- Their prices are GREAT and I get a rebate each year of 3%
- They rotate, balance, and reinflate with Nitrogen for FREE every 3k miles (which I think has kept my tires going, and going)
- They really stand by the product (Last year, I had three sidewall punctures at FT and Costco replaced each of the tires)

And I got to thinking about SNOW. As I talked to a number of people about tires - and they mentioned that I also needed to consider SNOW performance. A big issue here as I have had 5-6 feet of snow in the past three weeks.

Both the BFG and Michelin worked well in snow. Both are E rated. 

I am leaning toward BFG, although just about everyone I have spoken to says I should go with Michelin

However, for me - on my F350 with chassis mount
-BFG had better highway stability than Michelin (the Michelins wandered, the BFG did not)
-BFG had better wear than Michelin (I think maybe 10k miles more)
-BFG cheaper than Michelin ($50 per tire less)

So, I am tempted to go back to BFG
However, reviews uniformly rank Michelin higher

Went to a website http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp and looked at individual reviews for tires. 

The anomaly is this .... although BFG rated poorly overall, if you read the actual reviews they were glowing

Costco will have the tires on sale next week and I will have to decide whether I can make another 4 months on my existing tires

Ted


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## tshuntin

Ted, Just go ahead and get the new 2008 Super duty. Then worry abotu tires when needed.  Travis


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## FOM

Any thoughts on the Yokohama Geolander tires???

I'm going to get some for my truck.......especially after yesterday's driving experience in the snow :shock: :shock: 

I don't have a heavy duty truck like Ted.....but I'm sick of the tires I have not lasting a year....

FOM


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## Ted Shih

tshuntin said:


> Ted, Just go ahead and get the new 2008 Super duty. Then worry abotu tires when needed.  Travis


Travis

I haven't had any truck payments in a year and I like it that way. I have 100k miles on my F350 and it still runs like a dream. In fact, my fuel mileage has been improving with age. Exterior and interior are clean. I think I will drive it another two years (probably 60k miles) before I get a new one.

At that time, I might get a new chassis mount, too. Although my Ainley still looks and works great after six years of service. 

Ted


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## Ted Shih

FOM said:


> Any thoughts on the Yokohama Geolander tires???
> FOM


Lainee

I would check the reviews on the specific Geolander you are considering at the Tire Rack site listed above.

I found the information to be pretty useful.

Ted


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## Gun_Dog2002

Hey Ted, any chance we can get a 6 month checkup on whatever brand you buy?

/paul


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## Purpledawg

*Re: Bridgestone*



Keith Stroyan said:


> I have Bridgestone AT Revo's on my Sequoia. An off-road tire with better highway performance than the original highway tires.
> 
> BUT, I don't know if they make them for enormous trucks like yours...


Go with these Revo's I got them for my F350 diesel from Costco. They really are good. Noted for the ability to stop in the wet. Load range E too.


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## Ted Shih

Finally pulled the trigger. Went to Costco and ordered four tires.

Thought about trying a different store, but good price, plus great service, plus yearly rebates, plus tire sale ($60 off set of four) added up to Costco.

I had played around with waiting a while longer, but with Field Trial season coming on, I decided to get new tires. I think I could have gotten another 10-15k highway miles on my Michelins, but was worried about traction at FT Grounds.

Decided to go with BFG All Terrain T/A KO. Costco only offers Michelin and BFG. Went to www.tirerack.com and read the reviews on different Michelin and BFG tires, and decided on T/A KO, which had uniformly good reviews.

Should be in the store in two weeks and will let you know how they are.


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## kjrice

Lainee - Seriously look at the Bridgestone Revos.


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## lablover

Ted,

What does having the tires filled with nitrogen do for you, or the tires?
Never heard of that.


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## Ted Shih

lablover said:


> Ted,
> 
> What does having the tires filled with nitrogen do for you, or the tires?
> Never heard of that.


Nitrogen molecules are larger than Oxygen molecules. As a result, you have less leakage through the walls of the tire and tire pressure stays more constant.

Nitrogen molecules do not expand with heat and cold as much as Oxygen molecules. As a result tire pressure stays more constant.

With Nitrogen, I don't have to worry about tire pressure between rotations.

Every 4-5k miles, I take my truck to Costco. They rotate, balance, and refill with Nitrogen for free. I think that this has really helped tire wear. In addition, I had two sidewall punctures, and Costco gave me a credit on the tire against new ones. Prices at Costco are as good as Discount Tire and other major stores (or better). So I am very loyal to Costco.


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## BamaK9

those BFG AT tires are the best "all around" tires I have ever owned. They are great on the highway and do pretty darned good in mud. I think you'll be very happy with those tires.


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## Steve Hester

Well, since no one else has mentioned them, I will. I have tried alot of tires on trucks over the years (including Bridgestones, Goodyears, Michelins, and BF Goodrich), and I like my current ones the most. They are Micky Thompson Baja Radial MTX's. They are an off road tire that doesn't have an overly aggressive tread pattern. They are the most quiet off road tires at highway speeds I've owned. They also get very good traction in the mud and the rain. I have about 10,000 miles on them now, and they seem to be wearing very well.


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## john ma

*tirerack.com*

tirerack.com best source of tire info going


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## Ted Shih

Got back from a week in Texas with Rorem. New tires BFG All Terrain TA KO mounted yesterday

Will be driving back to Texas next week for Coastal Bend trial and should be able to provide report on highway performance and mud traction, too.


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## Keith Stroyan

*Tire ratings*

Found this:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...Sequoia SR5 4wd&autoModClar=&minSpeedRating=R


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## Ted Shih

Well, I have now driven 1200 miles on the BFG All Terrain TA KO (from Golden, CO to La Grange, TX)

Ride is equivalent to Michelin
Road noise is equivalent to Michelin
Tracks well on highway, but a bit twitchy when you change directions

Seems to do well in snow
Do not know about mud, yet


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## John Norris

Definitely check out Toyo tires. They balance better than any other tire out there (less weights) and you get terrific mileage out of them.


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## Ted Shih

Have driven 2,300 miles on new tires so far

Highway ride - good, but can be twitchy in lane change at 75+ mph
Highway noise - good
Heavy Rain (Victoria, Texas) - good
Mud (Rockport, Texas) - good
Snow (Salina, KS to Colby, KS) - excellent


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## Ted Shih

Not so great on black ice (but, what would be?). Slid off road at 10 mph.

Back in Colby, waiting for roads to clear.


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## msdaisey

*Re: Bridgestone*



Keith Stroyan said:


> I have Bridgestone AT Revo's on my Sequoia. An off-road tire with better highway performance than the original highway tires.
> 
> BUT, I don't know if they make them for enormous trucks like yours...


They DO make them for trucks like ours, BUT DO NOT GET THEM. They were the worst experience I have ever had with tires. They tracked terribly and just were not safe. I took them off after about 2K miles. My truck weighs over 13K pounds when loaded (went to the Tyson grain place and pulled on the scales!).

We went back with the original tires -General Ameritracs - and were very happy, even though we had never heard anything great about them.


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## kjrice

*Re: Bridgestone*



msdaisey said:


> Keith Stroyan said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have Bridgestone AT Revo's on my Sequoia. An off-road tire with better highway performance than the original highway tires.
> 
> BUT, I don't know if they make them for enormous trucks like yours...
> 
> 
> 
> They DO make them for trucks like ours, BUT DO NOT GET THEM. They were the worst experience I have ever had with tires. They tracked terribly and just were not safe. I took them off after about 2K miles. My truck weighs over 13K pounds when loaded (went to the Tyson grain place and pulled on the scales!).
> 
> We went back with the original tires -General Ameritracs - and were very happy, even though we had never heard anything great about them.
Click to expand...

I thought you put them on a dually? If so, I can see that being a problem.

They are the best tire I have put on my truck.


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## huntingrdr

Get the BFG All terrain, great tires! They are going on my truck once the rugged trails are worn out!


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## msdaisey

*Re: Bridgestone*



kjrice said:


> msdaisey said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keith Stroyan said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have Bridgestone AT Revo's on my Sequoia. An off-road tire with better highway performance than the original highway tires.
> 
> BUT, I don't know if they make them for enormous trucks like yours...
> 
> 
> 
> They DO make them for trucks like ours, BUT DO NOT GET THEM. They were the worst experience I have ever had with tires. They tracked terribly and just were not safe. I took them off after about 2K miles. My truck weighs over 13K pounds when loaded (went to the Tyson grain place and pulled on the scales!).
> 
> We went back with the original tires -General Ameritracs - and were very happy, even though we had never heard anything great about them.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I thought you put them on a dually? If so, I can see that being a problem.
> 
> They are the best tire I have put on my truck.
Click to expand...


Yep, my truck is a dually. They were fine on our work trucks - single rear wheel.


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## Glynn Matthews

2003 GMC Sierra 1500 2wd with air shocks and add a leaf spring and Shamrock 4 hole topper (about 450#)
Went with BF Goodrich Long Trail TA (Load range D) LT 255 70 16" and have rears inflated to 45 psi fronts at 35 psi. Can inflate the rears to 65 psi when pulling the trailer have not done this yet but plan to. Love the low tire noise and ride track and today in the rain they were great. Have only 2500 miles but like them so far for stability. The only sacrifice so far is ride quality is a little less than before.
Glynn


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## Ted Shih

Have 10,000 miles now on my BF Goodrich Tires. So far, no different than Michelins in Road Noise, Highway tracking, or Ride. BFG MUCH better in Mud. 

Only time will tell on wear. So far, very happy with selection.


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## CO Retriever

I agree with John Norris, I have run BFG, Nitto, and now Toyo Open Country M/Ts and they are the best "true" all terrain tire. My neighbor across the street has 35" BFG AT's and with all of the snow this year he had to dig out of his drive way to hit the street. The Toyo's on my Land Cruiser took me write out the drive and onto the street without a problem and didn't even need 4 low.

This topic has been discussed a lot on some of the 4x4 forums that I visit. The BFG, while a great tire is really not a true AT, as most aren't. The "new" true AT tires are the MT/R, Cooper STT, and Toyo MT. They have a slightly more noticable hum than the BFG, but I know when I am out by myself I have a ton more lugs for extra traction to pull me out instead of walking out. I think that if more people truly need a more aggresive on road/ off road tire to give them a look. They balance and ride well, come in load range E, and all around are great. My .02


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## nevercry_wolf

I really like Les Schwab's service- After all they have tons of practice it seems. 

4 bad valve stems over the course of one year. The rubber seems to rot at the base of the stem. In talking to a few people I know they just had a bad stem in the past month (from Schwab) - I suggested that they change out all 4 so they don't get stranded for each occurance. 

I did ask each of the 2 separate stores if they had a bad batch of stems, they just kind of avoided the question.


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## lablover

I've got 70 k on Michelin LTX MS and estimate 10 k left.
Still a quiet highway ride. NEVER been stuck at a dog event.
Have been stuck going to hunting site, along with everyone else; but I got the furthest! :lol:


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## Ted Shih

lablover said:


> I've got 70 k on Michelin LTX MS and estimate 10 k left.
> Still a quiet highway ride. NEVER been stuck at a dog event.
> Have been stuck going to hunting site, along with everyone else; but I got the furthest! :lol:


What kind of truck do you have?

I think they would work fine with standard vehicle, but was not satisfied with their off road traction on my chassis mount.


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## lablover

Ted,

Chevy Suburban, '03 model. Has an automatic locking rear end and limited slip front, with 3.73 gears. 5300 lbs I think; much lighter than yours.
The LTX MS seem to be very popular around here on all sorts of 4x4 trucks... some dog trucks included, and some of those are dually's.

I do rotate the tires every other oil change, about every 6500 miles, and keep the tire pressure at 36-38 lbs.

Good luck at the Natl. AM!


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## kjrice

Ted Shih said:


> lablover said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've got 70 k on Michelin LTX MS and estimate 10 k left.
> Still a quiet highway ride. NEVER been stuck at a dog event.
> Have been stuck going to hunting site, along with everyone else; but I got the furthest! :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> What kind of truck do you have?
> 
> I think they would work fine with standard vehicle, but was not satisfied with their off road traction on my chassis mount.
Click to expand...

Nor mine.

As previously stated, my picks are:
1. Bridgestone Revos
2. Toyo Open Country


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## D Osborn

Since I am rereading this-
I have a 1997 4WD GMC suburban. it has 200000 miles, and it goes everywhere. I put about 25-30 thousand miles a year, ( I bought it used w/93000 a little over 3 years ago)

I need new tires. Badly. I have the michelins, and only got stuck once. I think that was my fault not the trucks.

I am on the highway, I drive in the mud, I drive in snow and occationally ice. 

Ideas?
I am thinking the michelins, but what about the Revos?
Thanks!


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## brlcon1

*truck tires*

Anybody buy replacement tires for 275/70r18's ? My truck came with continental contitracs , nice highway tire , but worthless in mud or snow !!! was considering Cooper ATR's orS/T or Toyo open country A/T. Big money for tires !!! ATR's $950 , S/T's $1200 , or Toyo"s $1350 ?


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## Anthony Heath

> Anybody buy replacement tires for 275/70r18's ? My truck came with continental contitracs , nice highway tire , but worthless in mud or snow !!! was considering Cooper ATR's orS/T or Toyo open country A/T. Big money for tires !!! ATR's $950 , S/T's $1200 , or Toyo"s $1350 ?



I am a big fan of the Cooper ATs/ATRs. Really good all around performance. Don't get clogged by mud as readily as the BFG AT and priced decently...........at least comparatively.


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