Recommend a good truck tire for the price?

[Dattebayo]

I am 95% done with the rehab of my old D21 and the last thing I have to choose is tires. I am probably going to end up with a set of good used tires, but just incase I was looking for new/relatively new, what should I get based on the new price?

My current tires are 205/70/R15, but they have all kinds of dry rot...

Thanks very much!

[MinisterofDOOM]

My favorite truck tire is Toyo's Open Country A/T. I've spent a lot of time driving on them in a wide range of conditions..dry, wet, icy or snowy asphalt, dirt, gravel, mud, grass, rock... Great blend of on- and offroad capabilities. Quiet and smooth on asphalt, but still very much at home offroad. They have also proven to have a very good treadlife, though that's sort of implied with truck tires.
If you're looking for something a with more onroad focus, the Open Country H/T is worth looking at. I have no personal experience with them, though, so I can't speak for their capability.

I know a lot of people who run Hankook Dynapro ATms. They generally have good things to say bout the tire. Hankook is very much a hit-or-miss brand in my experience, so I'd do some research first. I've had some VERY good Hankook tires (V12, iPike), but also some exceptionally terrible ones (V4). I haven't heard much negative feedback about the Dynapro, though, so it's probably worth looking at. Should be a lot cheaper than the Toyos but is a pretty similar design.

[Dattebayo]

I can't seem to find any prices on those tires for my size, seems like you chose a couple of very niche types?

[MinisterofDOOM]

I don't think so. I see both of them EVERYWHERE. I did come up with a Walmart Tire Center price for the Hankooks, but in the wrong size: http://www.walmart.com/ip/17792686?wmls ... 50&veh=sem

And here's one for the Toyos in almost your size:
http://www.onlinetires.com/products/veh ... s+owl.html

[Dattebayo]

Well stock it came with a different size (195/75-14), so i assumed the different tire sizes on my wheels were to make up for the different diameter and width...

These wheels are apparently from a Pathfinder?

[Dattebayo]

I see tire rack has a pretty good deal and warranty on the Kumhos, and they have worked great on the methwagon, any ideas on that?

[Rev_D21]

I am running Sumitomo HTR AS P01 in 205/60r15 on mine. Tread is holding up well and the ride is smooth, on smooth roads of course.

[Dattebayo]

Yeah, I do a little dirt and gravel road travel sometimes due to the construction aspect of my job, so a thicker profile would do me good IMO. I'm also a speed demon, so keeping my speedo accurate is very important. DC tries to charge $250 PER TICKET when you blow one of their speed cameras... at 5 mph or greater difference.

Also, I seriously need to find a rear bumper. No body has been in the trucks forum in a long time it looks like.

[NolimitZ32]

Good A/Ts for a good price would be General AT2, I have these on one of my 4Runners, they resemble the BFG AT but with a fatter pattern, they do very well in all off-road environments but are not up for serious rock terrain abuse. They should be perfect for street/gravel application with the ability to do mud and sand as well. THe Generals will run you about 70% of any other decent ATs because they are generals and because they really aren't up for serious off-road duty. Another good tire is the Cooper AT3, these will be a bit more than the General but are a better tire all around and much quieter on the road than the Generals. They have a much better sidewall and will put up with heavier off-road duty.

C/N:
General AT2 - Cheap good all terrains.
Cooper AT3 - Not as cheap but twice as good all terrains

[Dattebayo]

Cool, but even those seem a little too knobby for regular street use. Let me clarify: when I say I get off road, I mean I get off road only a few times a month. I'm more interested in saving gas money, but don't want to slip around like a fish on wet dirt/gravel either. Is there any sort of compromise?

[Kompresshun]

Ditto on the Hankook Dynapro ATm. We had them on our old Jeep and they were great tires. Nice aggressive tread pattern, but not real noisy and not too knobby looking either. I ran them for about 20k miles and will definitely buy them again.

I also really like Bridgestone Duelers a lot, if they still makes them.

Of course if it were for my truck, I'd be buying a set of BFG ATs. They're pricey though and not that practical.

[Dattebayo]

Holy crap you guys are all rich or something. How come NICO is the only place someone can ask for recommendations about value and you get super high priced options? lol

I'm seriously trying to get something around $80 a tire max. It's all I can afford and manage to make rent. I would save if I could.

[BusyBadger]

Holy crap you guys are all rich or something. How come NICO is the only place someone can ask for recommendations about value and you get super high priced options?

Price and value aren't mutually exclusive. Take a look at the treadwear ratings and see what the cost per mile ends up being.

FWIW, I had General Grabbers on the Xterra and thought they were ok, switched to BFG Rugged Terrains and love them. I was really surprised how quiet they were given the tread pattern. Neither of them are in the size that you mentioned, but you might find them in a size that's close enough to work for you.

For what you're looking to spend I'd say that Walmart, or Costco/Sam's if you have a membership or know someone who does, are your best bets for a set of new tires.

[Bubba1]

Best SUV tire I've had by far are what's on my 4 Runner now. Goodyear Wrangler RT-S. All season P265/70R16 Quiet, inexpensive and wears extremely well. I'm on my 2nd set, with the last ones lasting well over 80K miles (mostly highway miles). I don't rock climb with the dang thing, or go mudding, but they've been good enough in severe snow/rain that I've rarely feel any urge to engage 4WD (but then again I don't mind driving in that kinda stuff). The only problem is they might be discontinued now.

[Kompresshun]

Holy crap you guys are all rich or something. How come NICO is the only place someone can ask for recommendations about value and you get super high priced options? lol

I'm seriously trying to get something around $80 a tire max. It's all I can afford and manage to make rent. I would save if I could.

You asked for a good truck tire value, so that's what you got

Seriously, tires aren't cheap anymore and if you want a cheap new tire, you're going to end up with complete junk. When we bought the Hankook Dynapro ATm's for the Commander, they were some of the best bang for your buck tires available for it and they were around $160 EACH on sale. They were right at $800 installed. Every other tire I looked at was between $180-200 each for it.

If you want something decent and are trying to save a few bucks, then i'd just pick up a set of good used tires. Around here used tires go for $40-80 each depending on the tread depth, size, and condition.

[float_6969]

Take a look at Kelly. The are NOT an off road tire. I've had them on my work truck for a couple of years now. I'm getting good mileage out of them, they seem to wear evenly, they're quite, and they're good in the rain. They are NOT good in the mud/snow though, but I always have dedicated snow tires for all of my vehicles.

[Bubba1]

Holy crap you guys are all rich or something. How come NICO is the only place someone can ask for recommendations about value and you get super high priced options? lol

I'm seriously trying to get something around $80 a tire max. It's all I can afford and manage to make rent. I would save if I could.

Keep in mind, you did not mention how much you wanted to pay or how many miles you want to get out of the tires. If you put on very few miles annually and your tires tend to dryrot before they wear out, then you might want to look at used, which should be within your $80 price range. I suppose you might also find some cheapie unproven off-brand Chinese import tires on sale at Pep Boys, but you specifically asked for good tires.

But if you put on significant miles, then you might want to rethink spending more for a better new tire. Think of it this way, If you drive that car 12000+ miles per year. $160 dollar tires that last 60,000 miles (or up to 5 yrs) makes more sense than $80 used tires that might last a year or two (or 15000-20000 miles). Then add in the cost of mounting/dismounting/balancing each time you replace them.

[Jesda]

If you want a bargain, Nexen has some I think. I've been driving a Suburban with a pair in front and they're okay.

Discounttiredirect.com sometimes has killer deals on clearance tires. I just bought a set for the Miata, $221 shipped!

[Dattebayo]

Keep in mind, you did not mention how much you wanted to pay or how many miles you want to get out of the tires.

Yeah, I hear you, but I did say I was thinking about used. I expect people to infer from things from what I say, it's a bad habit I picked up from my job.

If you put on very few miles annually and your tires tend to dryrot before they wear out, then you might want to look at used, which should be within your $80 price range.

This is my first personal truck, and I haven't even inspected it yet. I have been building it up to completion slowly over the last year because the body and suspension was in good shape, but not much else. The tires are dry rotted because the truck has sat in the same place for about 6 months.

I suppose you might also find some cheapie unproven off-brand Chinese import tires on sale at Pep Boys, but you specifically asked for good tires.But if you put on significant miles, then you might want to rethink spending more for a better new tire. Think of it this way, If you drive that car 12000+ miles per year. $160 dollar tires that last 60,000 miles (or up to 5 yrs) makes more sense than $80 used tires that might last a year or two (or 15000-20000 miles). Then add in the cost of mounting/dismounting/balancing each time you replace them.

Can't rethink it, bubba. Don't have the money, won't have extra for a while. I'm hoping to find a good set for cheap, sorry I didn't make it clear what I was after! The truck has to get done in the next month, and the extra finds to afford most of what I've been shown won't be able to happen for quite some time.

[NolimitZ32]

Check out onlinetires.com search by size and you will get some very cheap options and some decent ones at good prices (you will have to pay shipping and find your own mounting shop) but its probably the cheapest option for buying tires I have found. On a side note, I found a long time ago that in the long run (2-3) years it will usually cost you more to buy cheap new tires or used tires (unless you get lucky and snag a fresh set of takeoffs) than it will to spring for some decent tires with warranty from a national retailer. That being said you could always try going to some discounttire stores in wealthier areas and asking if they have any takeoffs, people will buy brand new cars and go directly to discount to either put on better tires or A/M wheels. Discount keeps these tires and sells them as used for negotiable prices as they are legally barred from selling them as new. GL on your search man.

[OriginalWheelman]

I've always run Cooper Discoverer for my Hardbodies / Pathfinder. When I sold my Pathfinder to a friend, we were driving home with 2 feet of snow on the road. The road was unplowed. He lead in the Pathfinder, and I was behind him in the D21. I followed in his tracks. He cut clear groves for me to follow, and the road behind me was clear down tot he pavement. We had a Malibu tailgating me try to go into the right lane to pass us only to get burried in snow and slowed down to the point he was forced to follow us. I LOVE those tires.

When I went to buy tires for my 85 F250 HD I couldn't get the Coopers in the right size, so I went with the Toyo Open Country A/T. While there was nothing wrong with them, I just didn't like them as much. The load range was good, they ran quiet, but they didn't feel grippy like Coopers, and they didn't channel mud / snow as well.

[Rev_D21]

Yeah, I do a little dirt and gravel road travel sometimes due to the construction aspect of my job, so a thicker profile would do me good IMO. I'm also a speed demon, so keeping my speedo accurate is very important. DC tries to charge $250 PER TICKET when you blow one of their speed cameras... at 5 mph or greater difference.

Also, I seriously need to find a rear bumper. No body has been in the trucks forum in a long time it looks like.

If you look you will find that your truck most likely shipped with 195/75r14 tires. Using a tire size calculator a 205/60r15 will keep your speedo more accurate than the size you are running now. You are currently driving slower than your speedo is showing and you're acceleration is suffering slightly because the taller tires act as taller gears.

[Dattebayo]

Oh yeah, thanks for that. Wheels and tires are definitely my weak spot...

[MinisterofDOOM]

This thing is awesome: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[Dattebayo]

In that case, it says i should go with 65 R15 then... only a difference of .1%

[Looneybomber]

Best SUV tire I've had by far are what's on my 4 Runner now. Goodyear Wrangler RT-S. All season P265/70R16 Quiet, inexpensive and wears extremely well. I'm on my 2nd set, with the last ones lasting well over 80K miles (mostly highway miles). I don't rock climb with the dang thing, or go mudding, but they've been good enough in severe snow/rain that I've rarely feel any urge to engage 4WD (but then again I don't mind driving in that kinda stuff). The only problem is they might be discontinued now.

I an loving my Goodyear Wrangler silent armors. Excellent traction in the wet and snow. I don't go mudding, but muddy roads they do fine. Mileage is awesome and like the name says, they're pretty quiet, though not as quiet as the Michelin AT's I had on my bronco2.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... ilentArmor

They rank 3rd in their tire class.

*edit* Nevermind, they don't come in 205/75, but they do have 235/75. Time for a little body lift?

[ScrapMetal]

Any new tire will be better than slapping used tires on your truck. From the looks of it you don't need an AT tire so you should easily be able to find 205-60r15s from Kumho or Sumitomo for around 60 bucks each, check Tire Rack. I have Kumho Road Ventures in 215-75r15 for 70 bucks off TR on my S10 and they are very smooth on the highway, not noisy and I live in a rural part of town with dirt roads and these tires still look new even after a year of ownership. And yes, people here on Nico are rich or at least pretend to be.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Used tires can be a damn good bargain. I usually swing by a few shops to see who has what in inventory. I can usually find at least a matching pair, if not a full set, of slightly-used tires for dirt. Got four <900 mile tires on my last attempt. Paid under $400 for the set...installed. New, that would have funded one end or the other, not both. Downside is, of course, that history is unknown and you get no road hazard/warranty coverage. But if the tires look like-new (as mine did) it's definitely worth the savings.

[Kompresshun]

I've run used tires many times with zero issues. If you buy them from a reputable place, you should have nothing to worry about. Yes, there's no road hazard warranty, but I think i've used a road hazard warranty once in the past 10 years. That spans across 20+ vehicles i've owned.