Tires, what are the best options for the 20 inch rims in AT tires

[MRoberts]

I've been running Michelin Defender LTX tires for the last year. True they are not a good "AT" tire, though they are M+S rated. They are an outstanding road tire. Great ride, mileage, handling and wear! But.....

I drive over two mountain passes multiple times a month and they are not a great snow tire. If it was just an occasional trip, they would be ok. But since it's my paycheck, I recently changed out to the Nitto EXO Grapplers, primarily because of the 3 Peak rating. I haven't made a work trip yet, but I'm much more confident in the Nitto's versus the Michelin's.

As for how they look? I liked the Michelins for the clean look and ease of cleaning and dressing. The Nitto's have a more aggressive look and the option of two sidewalls, one is more aggressive looking. Nice touch.

I doubt that there is a better riding street/highway tire then the Michelin, plus the mileage was great, depending on weather and my foot, I'd see 19-21 mpg on my 145 mile commute.

The Nitto's feel very solid so far, they are definitely noisier on the road. Nothing I can't live with though. I'll post back after I get to try them on the snow.

Both are 285/65/20 on XD wheels.

 

[SCOTTY088]

I run a 35x12.59x20 Toyo AT II on a Black Rhino 9.0"x 20" wheel with a 2.5" level kit. No rubs or scrapes. Only problem is water/mud spray all over exterior. Impossible to keep a clean truck in winter. But it looks great and tires perform awesome.

 

[PT02063]

I've been running Michelin Defender LTX tires for the last year. True they are not a good "AT" tire, though they are M+S rated. They are an outstanding road tire. Great ride, mileage, handling and wear! But.....

I drive over two mountain passes multiple times a month and they are not a great snow tire. If it was just an occasional trip, they would be ok. But since it's my paycheck, I recently changed out to the Nitto EXO Grapplers, primarily because of the 3 Peak rating. I haven't made a work trip yet, but I'm much more confident in the Nitto's versus the Michelin's.

As for how they look? I liked the Michelins for the clean look and ease of cleaning and dressing. The Nitto's have a more aggressive look and the option of two sidewalls, one is more aggressive looking. Nice touch.

I doubt that there is a better riding street/highway tire then the Michelin, plus the mileage was great, depending on weather and my foot, I'd see 19-21 mpg on my 145 mile commute.

The Nitto's feel very solid so far, they are definitely noisier on the road. Nothing I can't live with though. I'll post back after I get to try them on the snow.

Both are 285/65/20 on XD wheels.

Agree 100% on the Michelins. Replaced the factory Firestones with the Michelins and ride improved 1000%. I had the Michelin Defender LTX's on my last truck and they never let me down. IMO, I've found with my Rams that ride is greatly improved with the same size Michelin as the stock Goodyear or Firestones.

 

[Eagle6.7L]

To add to this topic of All-Terrain,I found out that Firestone has redesigned the Transforce AT,it is called the AT/2.To ease comsumers mind about the lack of mileage before tread bars show,was addressed in 2 ways first a new tire compound,and second the tread depth was increase by 3/32.I was curious about this tire and went to the local company owned store.The pricing is right at the out going model and the store manager stated he would match any advertised internet price.When I look at how much I tow my 5th wheel which is around 7000 miles a year,I gave into the notion that highway surfaces today that are groove and design differently in each state will I get over the "Famed 50,000 miles".I really don't see the need to pay extra for a tire I may or may not get 50,000 out of.The cost for these Firestone AT/2 are a great deal he quoted 767.32 for a set of 4.After all the normal tire install cost it ran it to 844.54.I will concider this tire against Toyo AT,and Michelin AT/2.But I serious doubt that they will come with in that number mounted.During the time I check this quote was 11/24/2017 there was a in store corporate store discount which was zip related that gave me 77.22 off and 42.96 off the total as well.So I will watch the tire forums to see how this new Transforce AT plays out.

 

[brillmtb]

Can the 12.5 x 35 x 20 fit on the stock 20inch rim and without lifting truck. I would think no and no to the questions

 

[MRoberts]

Can the 12.5 x 35 x 20 fit on the stock 20inch rim and without lifting truck. I would think no and no to the questions

I am running 285/65/20 on my truck without a lift, in inches that is a 35x11.22x20, had no clearance issues with the stock rims. That 1.25 additional inch of width might be an issue.

 

[Regcabguy]

The original poster was asking for an All Terrain tire, not a highway tire...the Michelin tread is a highway tread. Don’t get me wrong, if I was going to put a highway treaded tire on my rig, it would be Michelin, I love em....but an All Terrain tire they are not.

Yeah I've got Michelins on our Honda Pilot. Great tire but I never get mileage provided by the manufacture. Typically 10K under the specs with 5K balancing and rotation. The Toyos have substantial 3-ply sidewalls and will not ride quite as smooth as say a Cooper AT3 which is 2-ply. In all the years I've used Toyos 3.5 oz max for balancing.
If Cooper offered an AT3 with the beefy carcass of their ST Maxx's I'd be all over them,

 

[MRoberts]

Update on the Nitto EXO Grapplers. I don't have a lot of miles on them, but a couple observations:

They are really good in light snow, it's been a mild winter so far so no big dumps to drive in.

They are fairly quiet, though I really don't care about tire noise.

The ride is good, especially since I reset the TPMS system and have lowered the tire pressure.

My fuel mileage is suffering compared to the Michelin Defenders, that was expected going from a highway tire to a traction tire.

They still look really awesome!

 

[Flash1034]

I’m at 15000 miles on my Toyo ATIIs. They still look new and drive great. My next set will most likely be Toyo ATII again though I think I’ll go with the 35-12.5-20s next time.

 

[Task125]

I am putting on new tires and wheels in a few weeks . leaning towards the new BFG AT2s .

 

[Dodger2014]

I put 295/75-18 on mine and a week later put leveling kit on. Had it aligned to Thuren specs and the Nitto Terra Grappler G2’s are wearing very well! Have over 20k on them and can see very little wear and are very quiet. I Have rotated them twice so far. Don’t know about snow and ice too much here in Ga though.