Your Best Opinion?

[kodachrome9319]

As Christmas and snow in the mountains gets closer and closer and my crappy road tires get balder and balder, I've been bugging my family for new tires for Christmas. Not wanting some pussy soccer mom street tires, I've asked for something aggressive... Just, I'm stuck on what to ask for.

It's an 03, 4WD, all stock. Not planning on asking for wheels too, since my family is already going to pay for an early XMas present to send my ass back to New Jersey to visit a few friends (one of which is getting married )... So, I am on a budget. Okay, enough with the rambling, but anyone have any ideas or good suggestions?

I looked at Tire Rack and saw the General Grabbers for $112 a piece, and the BFG K/O's were like $170.

Thanks fellas, looking forward to your replies.

[fishsticks]

If I may, allow me to plug the brand I run. The Hankook Dynapro MT. Easy on the budget, great street manners for a MT tire, available in load range E, and will dig into anything. I tried an uphill pass with about 24" of snow on it earlier this year. These tires kept pulling through until I high centered so bad I had all 4 off the ground.

They are wearing much better than I expected as well.

If I don't do Treadwrights next time around, I'll buy another set of these

[bartonmd]

FWIW, M/T tires are great in DEEP snow, but suck in the kind of snow we get on the streets a lot of places... thin, icy snowy crap... On packed snow, and on ice/slush, you want siping, and that's what mud tires don't have (FWIW, I have a $60 siping gun on the way to me, as we speak, for the Destination M/Ts on my truck)...

I went with 245/70-17 on stock wheels with no spacers, this time... Having had trouble with cutting the sidewalls on "standard load" tires in the stock size, I stepped up to this size and did the BFG A/T in load range E, this time... If I hadn't have just had the bad experience in the rocks, I would have gotten the Grabber AT, in a second... They're much cheaper, are "snow tire / severe snow service" rated, and actually get better ratings on Tire Rack than the BFGs do... Literally, the ONLY reason I didn't get them this last time was just wanting an LT tire, instead of a "P" tire...

Mike

[fishsticks]

In the interest of full disclosure, I had the center lugs on my tires siped as well. I forgot to mention that.

This of course causes the wonderful chunking problem due to the soft rubber.

[Trail X]

BFG all the way. I have no comparison data... but they've stood up to my abuse very well. I've put 50k miles on them so far... expecting another 30 or so.

[Saxis]

I got my Goodyear Duratracs mostly for the high praise they get in rain/snow. They are somewhere between an A/T and M/T. Only slight road noise and have the option of being studded. They aren't exactly the cheapest tire, but as MuddyWaters posted, the Kelly Safari TSR is nearly the same tire at a cheaper price.

[TangoBravo]

I love my treadwrights they have my buisness for life, you can beat the price and they are a quality tire.

[Regulator1175]

I love my treadwrights they have my buisness for life, you can beat the price and they are a quality tire.

[tbangert]

I love my treadwrights they have my buisness for life, you can beat the price and they are a quality tire.

+2

Although I am still waiting for that awful white stuff to fall from the sky so I can see how my Guard Dogs do in the snow. So far they are a great tire!

[Mooseknuckle]

Pro-Comp Extreme M/T Load Range E. I love these tires wearing nicely but definitely on the pricey side. Awesome in the rain and off-road but havent had them in the snow yet. I know everyone has their brand they like or have tried and you can get a good deal on similar tires but for me you get what you pay for. BFG..great tire. Firestone destination great tire. Hankook Dynapro M/T great tire. It all depends on your budget. Good luck.

[BSalty]

I can tell you what not to get. The Goodyear Wrangler RSA. Thats what I put on in fall of 09. After 10k miles they are half worn and have a LOT of plugs and several sidewall dents. I HATE this tire and can't wait to get rid of them.

I narrowed my choice down to the Kelly or the BFG A/T KO. Should be getting them within a couple of weeks.

[kodachrome9319]

Thanks gentlemen! Bonehead idiot question here... (these questions are allowed, right?) Are M/T tires also M/S? Only reason I ask is, I do a lot of driving in the Sierras during the Winter, where Caltrans puts their chain control out... I'd like something where I could get by the checkpoints on their lower restrictions without needing to have chains on... I LOATHE chains.

Thanks again, looks like I'll be asking for Treadwrights...

[Jon A]

The Goodyear Duratracs are M+S with the Snowflake/Mountain symbol so they should get through any chain-up checkpoints. That helped sway me to them as I was looking for something that was better in mud than the BFG A/T KO's, but didn't want to sacrifice the packed snow/ice/slush on-road performance as much as most true mud tires would.

They seem to be getting a pretty good reputation but I haven't been through a winter with them yet. I'll know more in a few months.

[fishsticks]

My buddy runs Duratracs on his Titan, he loves them.

My M/Ts are not M+S rated.

[irishboy02]

Chain control? Here in jersey were lucky if the roads are even plowed - let alone people on them checking for chains. I dont see why any Mudterrain tire would be deemed insufficient in snowy terrain. With the aggressive lug pattern i feel they would just wave you through without hesitation

I had the BFG KM2's and absolutely loved them. I bought foosh's old set so they were 245/70-17 on the OEM envoy rims.

Im now running Hankook Dynapro MT in 33x12.5r15 on a 15x10 procomp rim


Now with the obvious differences in the size is substantial, i have hit the same locations, where my KM2s needed 4wd and have walked through in 2wd(open rear) with these Hankooks with just feathering the throttle. Waiting to see the snow conditions though.

[TangoBravo]

My treadwrights are M/S