Another tire ? 285 or ?????

[one8upcb]

I'm in the hunt for some new tires. Just curious on what brand of tire people are running and what size. Preferrably 285 70 17. The reason i say that is because it seems all the ball joint issues are coming from people running bigger than a 305 70 17.

 

[HOBrian]

Stock truck, stock tires... ball joints :{ bad

 

[BHolm]

I've got BFG AT KO's on my '03 QC and on my '05 QC. Both 285/70-17. I REALLY like these tires. You probably don't get quite the snow I do but an added bonus is that they are rated like dedicated snows. They also have about the most durable sidewall around if you do go off the road. I expect to get about 50k miles out of a set, which I think is pretty decent. That size is a "D" rated tire but carries nearly as much as a 265 "E" tire but at 65 psi instead of 80 psi. They are not the cheapest but IMO they are the best.

 

[rhino_50]

I'm running Goodyear mtr 285 70 17. I have about 3000 miles on tires. I like these tires , but they do have road a good bit of noise on the round. Get in a little mud and they are great tire. They are D rated. My dealer told me to rotate tires every 3000 mile. He also said I will lucky to get over 30000 miles with these tires. Rhino50

 

[EEdmondson]

Nitto tires

How about the Nitto 295's? Are you guys running them happy with them?

 

[PKnoerzer]

The Nittos are great in the snow and aren't as loud as my last set of BFG's.

 

[DBianco]

I am also running the BFG AT KO, 285-70-17. These are great tires. The thing that impressed me the most was how quiet they are. I have had many other brands of "Off- Road" tires on my previous rides and non compared to these. I have close to 20,000 on this set, rotate every 5,000 miles or so and can hardly tell these tires are used. I use my truck, not afraid to get it dirty, these tires handle great in mud, snow etc... I luckily have not had any problems with my joints yet... knock on wood. Just my 2 cents. .

 

[DocDetonancour]

I am also running the BFG AT KO, 285-70-17. These are great tires. The thing that impressed me the most was how quiet they are. I have had many other brands of "Off- Road" tires on my previous rides and non compared to these. I have close to 20,000 on this set, rotate every 5,000 miles or so and can hardly tell these tires are used. I use my truck, not afraid to get it dirty, these tires handle great in mud, snow etc... I luckily have not had any problems with my joints yet... knock on wood. Just my 2 cents. .

How much spedo error with the 285's. Any MPG reduction? thanks, Doc

 

[BHolm]

Doc, The speedo error was about 1. 5-2 mph on my GPS. It is easily corrected at the dealer though. The revs/mile number to use for the BFG tires is 634.



I have 285's on my '03 QC and on the '05. I haven't noticed any milage difference. I think the 285s actually mimic the hieght of the tires on the dually trucks. It brings the rpms down slightly on the highway and I bet they actually help the mpg a little.

 

[DBianco]

I noticed less than 1 mpg difference with the tires when it was stock. After putting the Edge box in, I am know getting about 1 mpg better than when it was setup completely stock. As far as speedo goes, I cant say for sure that it has changed, I have heard that going from 265 to 285 will not affect the speedo, I have been meaning to check the speedo vs. my GPS unit but have not done so, because I dont seem to notice a change.

 

[SVazquez]

I put on the Nitto 295's today. Have only put ~25 miles on them so I can't remark on their performance yet. Will say they look great.

 

[BMeier]

I had a set of Goodyear MTRs on my last truck, 01', and I ran them up to 56,000 miles. They were a 285/75/R16, I loved them except for a little road noise. Now on my 03' I am running the 305/70/R17, they are awesome, but way louder than the 285's on my last truck. If I would do it again I would go back to the 285's.

 

[EEdmondson]

Come on guys... If you change your tire diameter, you will introduce error into your speedometer. With 285's you will be going 68 when speedo reads 65. Dealer can program your computer for correct revs/mile. Check BFG's web site for tire specs.



265/70R 17 = 658 revs/mile BFG AT TA KO



285/70R 17 = 634 revs/mile BFG AT TA KO



295/70R 17 = 624 revs/mile Nitto



315/70R 17 = 601 revs/mile BFG AT TA KO

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Great thread! I am seriously considering BFG 285/70/17s for my '96 (putting on 3rd Gen wheels) and was hoping this would be a good tire choice. Can you guys comment on sidewall strength in terms of cornering on the highway? Do they feel mushy at all or as solid as the stock Michelins?? I had 265/70/16s on my '01 Ram and was disappointed by the sidewall strength. They didn't hold a candle to the Michelins in the corners, but that particular size was a medium Range D at 3042 lbs. I see the 285 17s are 3195 so that should help. Other than that I was fairly happy with my BFGs but I thought they were a bit expensive for what you got and I had a vibration issue with one. It was out of round and had to be replaced but they never did ride perfectly smooth.



Can you guys who have gone 285 & 295 tires show some pics or put some in your Reader's Rigs albums? I want to see how they look.



Vaughn

 

[jman]

I know you are looking for 285's, but I put Cooper Discoverer ATR's 265 70 17E. I am very happy so far especially in the snow. I hardly ever need 4wd anymore compared to the stock Michelins. Pretty impressed right now with the noise also considering the "meaty" tread. These have a 50K warranty so they should last, but only time will tell. They were under $200 a tire too, which seems to be a bargain with the limited selection in our size.

 

[MikeBeggy]

I've got 10k miles on my 295 Nittos and they are way better than the last half dozen sets of BFGs that I have used. No balance problems, excellent wet traction, no rub anywhere and nice look.

 

[one8upcb]

Well i went with the Nitto's. I will see how they do. I've only put 100 miles on them so far. They definately bite the road. I just hope i get some good wear out of them. Thanks for all your input.

 

[CSilkowski]

Been running my 295 Nittos for about 6 months now in snow, mud and rocks. Very happy with them so far and showing very little wear after about 10k miles

 

[one8upcb]

What air pressure are you guys running in the nitto's

 

[CSilkowski]

What air pressure are you guys running in the nitto's

I run 50 around town unloaded, but will crank it up to 60-65 when towing.



Also, their website is incorrect as they are rated to 3,600 lbs not 3,100 as indicated on the web page.