Tire Opinions

[dbmead99]

Hello all - I was hoping to see what Black Friday would bring in terms of tire deals, but a puncture the other day kind of advanced my search. I am looking for that right mix of traction for my conditions, mileage, towing performance, noise, etc. Seems like towing info is the hardest to find online when looking at reviews, but maybe that is because I am tending to look at AT tires more. So, I have a short lit below that I thought I would see if anyone has thoughts on.

My TV is a 2018 Ram 1500, Crew Cab, 4x4. I currently have the 265/70/17 SR/As on it. I actually have not been getting the tow mileage I expected, and I don't know if any of that might have been tire related. I have been getting 8-9 in conditions I was expecting to get 10-12 based on other's reports. So, I don't want to lose anything if I can help it.


I probably drive about 12k miles per year. Mostly in the Midwest. My driving has lots of variables but nothing extreme. I tow, but am kind of in the mid-range of my towing capacity. I go off road more frequently than most – but not into mudding or rock crawling. I drive in bad weather that can be pretty sketchy ranging from ice to snow to freezing rain - but not like what I might see in Montana or something. So, a little bit of everything.


Here is a better breakdown -
• About 3k to 4k per year are towing my camper, I want to say dry weight is about 4500 lbs, so fully loaded maybe 6000 lbs. As a percent of miles, this is pretty high, but total days are fairly low - maybe 15 or 18 towing days per year.
• Live in KS, so lots of rain and wet conditions. Pretty important to perform in the wet.
• Snow and ice maybe 10 or 15 days per year, but those can pretty important days to be able to reliably get around. They also often correspond with needing to drive long distances on the highway, maybe 145 miles or so
• Like to hunt, and spend time working on the farm – maybe 45 days total. So, need to be able to drive on wet ground, gravel, pastures etc.
• Gravel roads – lots of driving on gravel roads. I don’t know what kind of rocks they use in SE KS on gravel roads, but they are tire killers. Actually what just took out my factory tire was a rock puncture.

Here is what I have narrowed down to so far and was wanting opinions on, particularly as they relate to towing. I don't know that I *need* E rating, but maybe I do and just don't know it.–
• Cooper Discoverer A/T 3
• Nitto Dura Grappler - $143,
• NEXEN Roadian AT Pro RA8 –
Also like the Geolandar, Toyo Open Country, and Hankook DynaPro (although with this one, I have seen some reviews saying doesn’t do so well on wet pavement, so not so good around here. )

A partial list of what I have looked at and rejected – loved some of he Pirellis I saw, but heard they were terrible for towing. Also Nitto Terra Grappler , CONTINENTAL TerrainContact A/T (Price), BFG KO2 (same deal – Price – seems like can get something similar for less). Falken Wildpeak, Dra Trac, Michellin Defender, Cooper Evolutio, Wrangler AT/S. All rejected for various reasons

[JIMNLIN]

I use the wifes '16 1500 chevy 4wd crew cab short bed with OEM P265/70-17" with 44 psi rating and pulls a 10k trailer. I pump the rears to 44 psi and have no issues with sidewall runover or flex .
Years ago we could get 10 ply rated (E) tires in 15" and 16" tire sizes like our 1/2 ton trucks came with then and tried the E.... Always went back to a passenger tire(P) tire or LT C.

I run Bridgestone Dueler LTH which is a very quiet good wet dry road traction tire . These are sold only by Discount Tire.
For pasture work....muddy worksite work or big snow storms I have a set of the same size Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac AT tires for those needs.

[valhalla360]

For towing, the primary consideration would be load rating. I would want at least what max RAWR covers in an LT tire (ie: if the rear axle is rated at 6000lb on the door sticker, I want at least a 3000lb rated tire).

Best MPG is typically going to be a highway design but if you do some offroad work, you probably want to trade off for a slightly more aggressive tread (but nothing crazy). But unless you get into extreme off road tires, I wouldn't expect much impact on MPG regardless of choice. You certainly shouldn't be seeing 2-3MPG difference based on tires unless something is wrong.

I know people swear by brands but never had an issue with off brand tires of the proper rating. Always got good life and no issues. Only failure in the last 15yrs of towing was when a leaf spring on the trailer failed and the broken end swung over and cut into the sidewall of the trailer tire.

[ppine]

Good luck with Toyo and Cooper on my one ton Ford. More than 60,000 miles, they are quiet and the traction is very good.

[Grit_dog]

Cooper ATs were great in AK winter and quiet. IDK about longevity, didn't have the truck that long.

Toyo ATs, same size tires as yours, P rated, have worn like iron on my half ton. City, towing, highway, mixed. First 2 winters, siped treads, they were great in snow. Have close to 60k mi on them and plenty of life left if winter wasn't coming.
They aren't cheap, but if you get E load Toyos, they will last a LONG time.
PS, get them siped if you like traction in snow.

[ksss]

I have a set of the Nitto G2's on my wife's half ton. They have 55K on them now and could go longer but going into Winter, I will replace them. Towing has been light (Jet ski, light cargo trailer, ATV trailers). Put a set of TOYO AT3's on my 3500 DRW, way early to tell, but in the light snow we have had so far I like the traction. Looks like it will be real good on ice. Not sure what took the Falken's off your list, but here in Ag country, by far the best selling tire according to the local tire dealer.

[theoldwizard1]

For a better "towing" experience, you want a tire with a stiffer side wall. You will find this in tires that are listed as "LT" (light truck). They will also have a higher load rating (in pounds) on the sidewall.

[Cummins12V98]

I have been running the NITTO Ridge grapplers for two years now and I am more than impressed! US Made also. Stay clear of NEXEN's.

[pitch]

I have a '13 Ram 1500, 5.7. First set of tire was Cooper AT3 D rating. Loved them rode nice incredible wear. Dealer told me no longer available.
2nd set Cooper AT 3 E rating. Great tire quiet,good on wet mud and gravel. Snow so-so Most decidedly a much stiffer ride.
My driving is much the same as yours, lots of dirt and gravel roads,soft mud several inches deep and soft field driving.
I have nothing else to compare to though. The GY wranglers that were issued with the truck sucked all the way around!