Semi-aggressive street tire?

[outlaw]

Going to be needing tires sooner than later (now). Dealer originally gave us some money off towards new tires and I was hoping to get through this winter with them (they are already at the wear bars) but our first "real" snow of the season left the wife sliding around in 4x4. She also said she was fishtailing when braking. Not sure what that's about atm, but hoping it's just the tires. Dealer is going to find out whatever it is they were going to and call me back.

It currently has the BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain T/A's which I like the aggressive look of and I've been looking around and reading reviews. The BFs have some reviews which said they had issues in the snow (left to interpretation of course). Being in WI, snow traction is a requirement. And being honest, the most "off road" this thing will see is going to campgrounds/state parks so anything more (or like for that matter) than something like the T/A's on it is overkill. Something with the aggressive look but good on street/highway is ideal.

As for uses, we aren't planning to be towing a lot with this truck. Maybe using my dad's smaller trailer (6x10 i think) for dump trips. Primary expected function is people and their crap hauler. already got some of that action this weekend with the kids bball tourney.

I'm hoping to be in the ballpark of 150 per tire. white letter doesn't matter after seeing other burbs/yukons with black wall.
Price- No more than the BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain T/A at 165 each.

Using this as a reference- https://www.tires-easy.com/blog/top-5-off-road-tires-for-the-street/

Prices below are for a local Discount Tire.
Friend also recommended the Cooper AT3's which are in the price point (145ea).
The Kumho AT51's P rated would work for the price (134ea), LT rated 166ea.
Closest to the Nitto Ridge Grappler are the Terra Grappler AT for (173ea)
The Falken Wildpeak A/T3W are suprisingly cheap at (138ea)

On Amazon
Toyo Open Country A/T2 (152ea with free shipping).

These are all in the running. Just looking for input since this is the first go around on this type of tire. May use when we have to replace the F350's tires too (all 6-7 of them....) Most ever I've had to replace for is my jetta and our old TB EXT we ran Patagonia's (Milestar?) on (Amazon- 104ea free shipping). They seemed decent but we only used for a couple months before replacing the truck with an 03 Yukon XL (much better looking generation!).

 

[Chickenhawk]

Firestone Destination A/T fits the bill. Highly rated especially on our platforms, great snow traction for a 3-season tire, great looks and has a smooth and relatively quiet highway ride for an all-terrain tire. The old model had a bad reputation on Ford Explorers because drivers couldn't read door stickers, but the new model is now one of the best A/T tires on the market.

But if I were you, I would reconsider LT sizes. You are going to hate the ride, no matter what brand. Unless you are doing some serious off-roading, P-rated tires are more than any Trailblazer or Tahoe owner needs.

If you read the specs, the P-rated Destination A/T has a maximum weight rating of about 2450 pounds, depending on size. To determine if this fits your needs, take your GVWR (maximum weight of your vehicle, fuel, cargo, passengers and trailer tongue weight) and divide by three.

Why three and not four? This provides a margin of safety if you ever have a high-speed flat.

Your GVWR is on your door sticker but is likely around 7100 pounds. Three times 2450 easily exceeds your GVWR. But even if you are in a jam and need to get a full tank of gas, half a pack of smokes, four burly passengers, 200 pounds of camping gear and a trailer with a 400-pound tongue weight 200 miles to Chicago, and the 1600 pounds added to your dry weight exceeds the legal GVWR but is still under the max weight rating of three P-rated tires combined.

I would never have anything except Michelin LTX M/S on my trucks, but if I needed a good A/T tire, I would do the Firestone. We once had Firestone A/Ts (the old model) on my wife's previous 94 Blazer and they were by far the best tires I have ever had except for the Michelins (at almost double the price.)

And, trust me, if there is anything I am more anal about on my truck than tires, brakes and shocks, they don't make it yet.

 

[Bow_Tied]

I think the Coopers would be a good choice. If you have a lot of deep snow or slush, I really like my BFG A/T KO2s.

 

[outlaw]

Firestone Destination A/T fits the bill. Highly rated especially on our platforms, great snow traction for a 3-season tire, great looks and has a smooth and relatively quiet highway ride for an all-terrain tire. The old model had a bad reputation on Ford Explorers because drivers couldn't read door stickers, but the new model is now one of the best A/T tires on the market.

But if I were you, I would reconsider LT sizes. You are going to hate the ride, no matter what brand. Unless you are doing some serious off-roading, P-rated tires are more than any Trailblazer owner needs.

If you read the specs, the P-rated Destination A/T has a maximum weight rating of 2100 pounds or so. To determine if this fits your needs, take your GCWR (maximum weight of your vehicle, fuel, cargo, passengers and trailer tongue weight) and divide by three.

Why three and not four? This provides a margin of safety if you ever have a high-speed flat.

Your GCWR is on your door sticker but is likely around 5700 pounds. Three times 2100 easily exceeds your GCWR. But even if you are in a jam and need to get a full tank of gas, half a pack of smokes, four burly passengers, 200 pounds of camping gear and a trailer with a 400-pound tongue weight 200 miles to Chicago and the 1600 pounds added to your dry weight is still easily under the max weight rating of three tires combined.

I would never have anything except Michelin LTX M/S on my trucks, but if I needed a good A/T tire, I would do the Firestone. We once had Firestone A/Ts (the old model) on my wife's previous 94 Blazer and they were by far the best tires I have ever had except for the Michelins (at almost double the price.)

And, trust me, if there is anything I am more anal about on my truck than tires, brakes and shocks, they don't make it yet.

Thank you for the detailed reply. Much appreciated. I should have worded the comment better for the P and LT availability for the Kumho's. I agree with you 100%. The LT version is very much the acceptable and preferred option, and being ~$1 more than the BFG's, I wouldn't have chosen the P series over it. I should have said "they also have the P rated". Sorry for the confusion. Being the daily for the wife and kid hauler for everything (they say the jetta doesn't cut it lol) plus the fun stuff when we aren't using the 5th wheel and threefiddy, I'm OK spending my max / slightly more for a safety cushion.

Ahh yes.. those Firestone's, I remember those days. No issues with the Firestone brand here.

And just re-read your post. I'm confused on the P vs LT. Are you saying I wont like the LT and should just look at P? And sorry here too. I forgot to mention it's a Yukon XL these are going on. The TB EXT comment was the last time I had to purchase tires for an SUV/truck and that was 5-6+ years ago.

I think the Coopers would be a good choice. If you have a lot of deep snow or slush, I really like my BFG A/T KO2s.

Thanks. The coopers are definitely at the top of the list. KO2s are said to be nice tires from my friend running them. That price though. lol. He and his father-in-law also recommended TreadWright AT WARDEN's. They are near identical to the KO2s without the price. He ran them for nearly a decade with no issues to report.


Thanks for the help!
Outlaw

and I did not receive a call back today from the dealer, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Matt]

I've had the Firestone Destination A/T and currently have the Cooper Discoverer A/T3's on my 02. From my experience the Destinations were great when brand new but after some wear, maybe about 10,000 miles or so the wet and snow traction started to degrade too quickly for me.

I've had the Coopers on my truck since early last year and have over 10,000 miles on them due to a trip to Florida and back. I just plain like them over the Bridgestones. The wear, as far as I can see, is better and the traction is still like it was when they were new.

Having said that, you may want to look for a severe weather tyre as denoted by the snowflake symbol, like the Cooper Discoverer A/TW. Both the Destination and Discoverer are not snowflake rated tyres.

 

[outlaw]

Thanks for the input and direct comparison. Nice to have that info. Another vote for Coopers. While not A/T, the Michelin LTX M/S I think would be at the top as well with the recommendation, reviews and high mileage rating.

The only thing that worries me about the specific snow rated (any brand) would be the high wear rate which is expected but not ideal. Still another thing I hadn't considered though. Thanks

 

[Sparky]

It doesn't always mean that. My BFG KO2 tires are snow rated, are nearing 40k, but they have a lot of meat left on them.

 

[outlaw]

Thanks. I still have to do more looking. I've always assumed the snows were going to wear faster due to being softer but that is based solely on my experience with specific snow tires like blizzak. I'll still look just have to check the reviews more carefully.

For the A/T tires rated for snow is that more of the tread pattern and it's ability to kick the snow from the tires?

Thanks again for all the help

 

[Sparky]

Actual snow tires will wear faster due to being softer, yes. But you can get snow-rated all seasons or all terrains that last a long time. Yes, A/T tires rated for snow have a tread pattern and the extra siping needed to grab well in the snow. I know the KO2 does really well, I was having some fun just yesterday actually

You don't really want tires kicking snow from the tread but rather grabbing the snow for traction. If it just throws snow from the tires, it just digs itself into a hole without actually grabbing to move forward.

 

[Chickenhawk]

And just re-read your post. I'm confused on the P vs LT. Are you saying I wont like the LT and should just look at P? And sorry here too. I forgot to mention it's a Yukon XL these are going on. The TB EXT comment was the last time I had to purchase tires for an SUV/truck and that was 5-6+ years ago.

Sorry. My fault. I didn't read the topic header before I posted. I edited my post to change the GVWR and tire numbers. I estimated Yukon XL curb weight around 5600 and GVWR of about 7200. (Your actual numbers will be on the door sticker.)

The Firestone P-rated tires will carry about 2450 pounds each. If you multiple that number by three (instead of four, which gives you the safety margin if you have a blow-out and all that weight must suddenly be borne by only three tires) you will find P-rated tires will still carry a maximum loaded Yukon XL.

If handling and ride quality on the highway is more important to you than extreme off-roading, I think the P-rated tires will be fine. Unless you regularly exceed your legal GVWR (maximum gross vehicle weight rating, which equals total of curb weight plus all passengers, gear, gas, fluids and trailer tongue weight) the P-rated tires will be more comfortable. Tire pressures should be around 80% of the maximum pressure as listed on the tire sidewall for best ride and handling when lightly loaded, and air them up to 95 to 100% if your truck gets loaded to the max.

Interestingly, on the police Tahoes that I am most familiar with, even when they will be loaded with all that police gear, plus two officers and possibly a person or two in the back, they still come with P-rated tires.

As for Firestone versus Michelin, it is no contest. Michelins cost a lot more but they also last a long time. Total overall cost of ownership over many years will actually be less with the Michelins. As one poster already mentioned, the Firestone A/T will wear faster. Personally, I will never have anything except the Michelin LTX M/S on either of my Trailblazers (but then I am anal about handling.)

Also, living a bit north of you, I also run dedicated winter tires (Latitude X-Ice) in winter. This extends the life of my summer tires, and theoretically, total cost of ownership over many years is exactly the same with four all-seasons, versus four all-seasons and four winter tires, simply because you now spread the wear over eight tires instead of four.

I say theoretically, because in actual practice, I had to factor in four new wheels (because I want black wheels on a red truck) plus in actual practice, I have NEVER worn out a Michelin LTX M/S to the wear bars. I end up replacing them every eight to ten years because they simply crack from old age. Mind you, I do probably fewer than 16,000 kilometres in a year.

 

[outlaw]

Actual snow tires will wear faster due to being softer, yes. But you can get snow-rated all seasons or all terrains that last a long time. Yes, A/T tires rated for snow have a tread pattern and the extra siping needed to grab well in the snow. I know the KO2 does really well, I was having some fun just yesterday actually

You don't really want tires kicking snow from the tread but rather grabbing the snow for traction. If it just throws snow from the tires, it just digs itself into a hole without actually grabbing to move forward.

Thanks. I definitely learned something here ( i was using sipping wrong) and looked up some info on it. Very interesting and makes a lot of sense now. I will definitely keep the snow rated A/T's in mind now. The current ties do an excellent job of holding on to the snow until you give it some juice to clear off the treads.. but they are 2 maybe 3/32 left.

Speaking of having fun which I'm jealous of. Is there a way to turn off off traction control? I hit the button on the dash under the radio and the light came on but it still tries to be smart and not let me have any fun.

Sorry. My fault. I didn't read the topic header before I posted. I edited my post to change the GVWR and tire numbers. I estimated Yukon XL curb weight around 5600 and GVWR of about 7200. (Your actual numbers will be on the door sticker.)

The Firestone P-rated tires will carry about 2450 pounds each. If you multiple that number by three (instead of four, which gives you the safety margin if you have a blow-out and all that weight must suddenly be borne by only three tires) you will find P-rated tires will still carry a maximum loaded Yukon XL.

If handling and ride quality on the highway is more important to you than extreme off-roading, I think the P-rated tires will be fine. Unless you regularly exceed your legal GVWR (maximum gross vehicle weight rating, which equals total of curb weight plus all passengers, gear, gas, fluids and trailer tongue weight) the P-rated tires will be more comfortable. Tire pressures should be around 80% of the maximum pressure as listed on the tire sidewall for best ride and handling when lightly loaded, and air them up to 95 to 100% if your truck gets loaded to the max.

Interestingly, on the police Tahoes that I am most familiar with, even when they will be loaded with all that police gear, plus two officers and possibly a person or two in the back, they still come with P-rated tires.

As for Firestone versus Michelin, it is no contest. Michelins cost a lot more but they also last a long time. Total overall cost of ownership over many years will actually be less with the Michelins. As one poster already mentioned, the Firestone A/T will wear faster. Personally, I will never have anything except the Michelin LTX M/S on either of my Trailblazers (but then I am anal about handling.)

Also, living a bit north of you, I also run dedicated winter tires (Latitude X-Ice) in winter. This extends the life of my summer tires, and theoretically, total cost of ownership over many years is exactly the same with four all-seasons, versus four all-seasons and four winter tires, simply because you now spread the wear over eight tires instead of four.

I say theoretically, because in actual practice, I had to factor in four new wheels (because I want black wheels on a red truck) plus in actual practice, I have NEVER worn out a Michelin LTX M/S to the wear bars. I end up replacing them every eight to ten years because they simply crack from old age. Mind you, I do probably fewer than 16,000 kilometres in a year.

Thanks for the continued in-depth info.
Seeing the P rated is a fair amount cheaper $10-$30 and my expected use for them. I have no problem going with a P rated A/T or similar. I'm getting the vanity cover for the hitch since I have no reason to use it at this point. Just needing to haul peeps and crap. I do remember the Michelin's drying up before wearing out when I worked at a shop many years ago. The highway/pavement is what it's going to see 99% of the time. I was hoping to get the aggressive look so I could complete a full 'mall cruiser'. It does seem the manufacturers started doing this with the shoulders of the tire but still give it a street tread which is nice. Kinda best of both worlds.

You are definitely below the average, at least for in the states. We are probably in the 12-15k miles (19-24,000 kilometres)

Thanks again,
Outlaw

 

[Chickenhawk]

It's not how many miles one does; it is the cool stuff one gets to carry in the back.

There is a good reason why my Trailblazer is officially known as the gun truck.

 

[outlaw]

It's not how many miles one does; it is the cool stuff one gets to carry in the back.

There is a good reason why my Trailblazer is officially known as the gun truck.

Amen! lol We've definitely made some stories getting to the destination (what it's suppose to be, no?) and having a good time when there. It's just all the times in between that the miles get racked up and you want something that fits the bill. And let's be honest, what ever your taste is, it has to look good!

It's because you carry a lot of goats?

 

[Chickenhawk]

No, that would be the gnu truck.

LOL.

 

[Mounce]

Just recently put tires on my 03 Silverado, quite possibly the same size as what goes on your ride. Ended up with Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2's and have been happy with them. Absolutely no knowledge on how they handle full on snow though (I'm in Alabama and typical snow just doesn't happen).

Was stuck on the Hankook A/Ts for a while when shopping due to decent price on Amazon at varying times (sometimes under $100/tire) but price jumped about $20 and I found a hookup at work for the Bridgestones so I hopped on them. Was 100% going to go with the Hankooks otherwise, but again I wasn't worried about snow capabilities so I don't know where they rate.

Other than that I also recently put tires on the Trailblazer and went with a discontinued flavor of Michelin's (through another hookup) and have been very happy with them as well.

 

[outlaw]

Thanks. Looks like another 2 real possibilities. Both appear to be highly rated on different sites. Price is great too.

 

[Shaw520]

Got my Cooper MT's 265/75/16's for $110 ea. mounted and balanced,...sweet deal !

 

[outlaw]

Got my Cooper MT's 265/75/16's for $110 ea. mounted and balanced,...sweet deal !

Do you have a link? When I search Cooper MT I get the STT. Are these the same? If so, they look awesome for mudding but might be a little too aggressive for regular street use. Looking at that shoulder too, they are probably pretty noisy. Can't beat that price though.

 

[Shaw520]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/191106125160
These are AT3's ,..less aggresive but still good deal,.. I got mine at Mavis

 

[outlaw]

Ohhh. OK. Sorry about that. I got thrown off with the MT. Name brand and price are definitely good here. Probably be the winner too. Thanks

 

[Shaw520]

Yea the pictures are true to the tread design too,...and a lot of beef on these baby's!

 

[outlaw]

keeping the sections true. When we replaced the truck, we did get brand new tires. They put on Bridgestone DUELER H/L ALENZA

While they weren't the ones being looked at here. I won't complain since they came with the truck and were brand new (still had nubs on them). These should also help with mpg/quiet ride on our drive to FL being all-season road tire instead of an at/mt.

 

[CHEVY-PARTS-GUY]

I replaced my OEM Michelin Cross-Terrain SUV on my 2007 TB with Michelin LTX AT2 about 30000 Miles ago. My TB is primarily street-driven also.
These tires look Aggressive but perform very well in the snow and on the highway, and after 30K, still look new.
Would definitely recommend.

 

[itsatruck]

I ordered these, and they are due to delivered today, so I can't really speak to their actual performance. But I think these would hit all the marks you're looking for. http://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeak/t3w-tire

 

[rizzo20]

I love my Cooper Zeon LTZ's. Very quiet still after 12k miles, not showing much wear and they go awesome in the snow.