Help me choose a tire

[Prairie Dog]

Help me decide between these two tires.
Background: I have worn out a set of the original Toyo AT's and at only 31K miles, I'm rather disappointed. I don't have a ton of power and I don't hot rod it but I do tow (7200# plus 800# tongue weight) in the mountains a lot and use the exhaust brake coming down them.

I'm considering either the newer Toyo AT II's or the Cooper back country AT all terrain. Price is the same for either.
Or do you have another suggestion for an AT type tire? I don't want or need anything too aggressive like the Toyo MT's but I want more than a highway tread.
What does the TDR's brain trust have to say?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[MrBodecker]

IMO the General Grabber HTS. Good all-around.

 

[MrBodecker]

Double post

 

[Prairie Dog]

IMO the General Grabber HTS. Good all-around.

That's the one I was trying to remember a while back. I think the AT2 is more what I'm looking for though ~ Thanks!
BTW, it looks like a set of those would save me more than $400!

Scott

 

[MrBodecker]

That's the one I was trying to remember a while back ~ Thanks!

Scott

I got 75k out of a set. Bologna skins yeah, but 75k!

 

[Regcabguy]

That's the one I was trying to remember a while back. I think the AT2 is more what I'm looking for though ~ Thanks!

Scott

My AT2's are wearing well. The stock 8" rim has induced premature center wear though. Probably my fault for running 60 psi in them. I have 285-75-17's

 

[Prairie Dog]

My AT2's are wearing well. The stock 8" rim has induced premature center wear though. Probably my fault for running 60 psi in them. I have 285-75-17's

I ran that size in the Toyo's and could tell I lost a little pulling power. They were much better once 1/2" tread wore away. So this time I'll get the 285/70/17's.
I have the factory alloys though - I think they're 8" wide too. Wonder if I'll have even more trouble with center wear.

 

[cerberusiam]

The 285's and even 295's are fine on a 8" rim. Wearing the centers is just typical on a diesel and there is too much wheel spin form the TQ, or, they are over inflated for the load. With the 285/75's that is problematic as they have too much sidewall to feel firm with the correct air pressure.

A 285/75/18 is a much better fit for these trucks and rated quite a but higher than the 17's, but, that is a 35" tire so it will kill towing power with a higher ratio. With a G56 they are about right, the autos and NV's suffer a bit tuning will help that.

I have struggled to get 30k usable miles, some a lot less, out of multiple brands with the 17's anymore, especially towing. The compounds are just too soft for heavy use in most case. The Firestones off the never trucks seem to be a lot better in the 20" versions, whether the current production runs is a s good unknown.

 

[jeepit]

Cooper AT3

 

[Prairie Dog]

The 285's and even 295's are fine on a 8" rim. Wearing the centers is just typical on a diesel and there is too much wheel spin form the TQ, or, they are over inflated for the load. With the 285/75's that is problematic as they have too much sidewall to feel firm with the correct air pressure.

A 285/75/18 is a much better fit for these trucks and rated quite a but higher than the 17's, but, that is a 35" tire so it will kill towing power with a higher ratio. With a G56 they are about right, the autos and NV's suffer a bit tuning will help that.

I have struggled to get 30k usable miles, some a lot less, out of multiple brands with the 17's anymore, especially towing. The compounds are just too soft for heavy use in most case. The Firestones off the never trucks seem to be a lot better in the 20" versions, whether the current production runs is a s good unknown.

I really notice the performance difference of the bigger tires when I'm in 6th and just cruising along on the highway (towing). It's OK but certainly doesn't respond as nicely as the smaller diameter tire.
Seems like a manual trans is harder on tires when taking off. With the window down I can sometimes hear the tires grinding away as it pulls hard from a stop. My buddies auto wont do that at all but then again, he's all stock.
I think I'm going to go with the Generals; $400 is a lot of ​scratch.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Scott

 

[Regcabguy]

Cooper AT3

I won't settle for a 2-ply sidewall.

 

[Regcabguy]

The 285's and even 295's are fine on a 8" rim. Wearing the centers is just typical on a diesel and there is too much wheel spin form the TQ, or, they are over inflated for the load. With the 285/75's that is problematic as they have too much sidewall to feel firm with the correct air pressure.

A 285/75/18 is a much better fit for these trucks and rated quite a but higher than the 17's, but, that is a 35" tire so it will kill towing power with a higher ratio. With a G56 they are about right, the autos and NV's suffer a bit tuning will help that..
I have struggled to get 30k usable miles, some a lot less, out of multiple brands with the 17's anymore, especially towing. The compounds are just too soft for heavy use in most case. The Firestones off the never trucks seem to be a lot better in the 20" versions, whether the current production runs is a s good unknown.

Would the Nitto Dura grapplers work for you? Recently I spoke to an '05 Ram owner and he said his truck's never handled better than with 285-75-17's.

 

[jhenderson]

X2 on the Dura Grapplers. I ran them on my 3rd gen. They were smooth, quiet and wore like iron. The only downfall is they're not good in snow or soft ground.

 

[Prairie Dog]

What about the Terra Grappler or the Terra Grappler G2? (What's the difference?)
Probably not as long a life on the tread but looks like a nice cross between a mostly highway tire and a bit of aggressiveness.

 

[JR]

Ive got the Tera Grapplers in 285/75/17. I was initially disappointed in soft terrain and snow but this was my first AT tire coming from a MT. Sometimes I still miss my MT but the majority of the time an AT works for me so I've learned to deal with them. I am coming up on 35k with them and without measuring I'd guesstimate they are somewhere around 1/8"-3/16".
The G2 from what I have seen is supposed to be a better compound for increased longevity but have no experience with them.

 

[cerberusiam]

None of the G2's in a 17" are rated for more than 3195 lbs, except the 37's. You have to go to 18's or 20's to get a viable tire and then the height is a problem.

 

[Prairie Dog]

None of the G2's in a 17" are rated for more than 3195 lbs, except the 37's. You have to go to 18's or 20's to get a viable tire and then the height is a problem.

Are they at least "E" rated?
I don't carry much weight but I want the stiff side-walls.

 

[cerberusiam]

Are they at least "E" rated?
I don't carry much weight but I want the stiff side-walls.

Therein lies the problem, the E rating. That is nothing but an equivalency rating for the rated PSI, tells you nothing about sidewall strength. You have to look at the weight rating of the tire to see what it will handle. A tire rated at 3195 at 80 psi will have a lot less sidewall strength than one rated at 4000 lbs at 80 psi. If you want the stiff sidewalls so you can air them up for a load, air them down running DD to get a decent ride and they don't wallow, and the tire is heavy enough to take a beating for 40-50k without having issues. The 17" tire offerings just don't cut it anymore as they lightened to something less than ideal for an HD truck.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Therein lies the problem, the E rating. That is nothing but an equivalency rating for the rated PSI, tells you nothing about sidewall strength. You have to look at the weight rating of the tire to see what it will handle. A tire rated at 3195 at 80 psi will have a lot less sidewall strength than one rated at 4000 lbs at 80 psi. If you want the stiff sidewalls so you can air them up for a load, air them down running DD to get a decent ride and they don't wallow, and the tire is heavy enough to take a beating for 40-50k without having issues. The 17" tire offerings just don't cut it anymore as they lightened to something less than ideal for an HD truck.

I see what your saying but the worst thing I ever did to my old RAM 250 was put LR D tires on it. Didn't notice till I got home and when I called the tire guy he pointed out that they had a higher weight rating (in pounds) than LR E's.
They were disastrous. Terrible, almost dangerous, handling with a trailer attached. Even though they LT tires and could easily handle the weight, they didn't have the sidewall stiffness of a "real" truck tire.
Never did that again, Next tires were E's even though they were rated lower in #'s and the handling returned.
So for me, I don't care how many pounds they'll support, I only care about the letter load rating.

 

[cerberusiam]

The only thing you should use an E rated tire but that doesn't always tell you how still the sidewalls are. The BFG's are an E rated tire and their sidewalls are terrible compared to others.