Truck tires

[Toyboy]

I'm in the market this fall for new tires on my '05 Z-71 off road Silverado (265-70R17) . Looking at the different tire manufactures offerings gets pretty mind boggling. Soooo much to choose from. Since I'm up here in N WI and have to deal w/snow in winter I need a good all around tread pattern that won't be noisy on dry roads but also give me traction and comfortable ride. As far as off road goes, maybe a little during hunting season but not really an issue w/tire choice.

Thought I'd see what you guys had to say as far as recommendations.

 

[97exc]

I've got Goodyear Wranglers on my Z71 Tahoe, have gotten 60k out of them so far. Pretty smooth and quiet highway ride. Haven't had any trouble in the snow, although we don't get much ice out here. I have been on 4x4 trails with these tires and the traction was impressive. I will be looking for a new set of tires by next year and will definitely consider these again. I guess the only drawback is they don't look as aggressive as some other all-terrain or mud tires.

 

[Wooddust]

I run Michelin 10 plys on my 3/4 ton Chevy.

 

[tractorsanmore]

If your truck is a half ton ( p series tires ) take a look at the firestone destination at's . We have been putting them on trucks at work and everyone seems to like them . Good in the snow and quiet on the road and not too expensive .

 

[woodchuckie]

All tires are basically the same. You can find bad tires from all manufactures. One thing that makes one cheaper than another is the brand name. Say for example Michelin has in order of cost Michelin, BF Goodrich and Uniroyal. They can all be made in the same plant with the only difference being which tire mold they are put in which molds the name on it.
The difference within brands which affects the price is the number of plys such as the three sidewall plys in a BFG All Terrain and most all have the two steel and one ply poly under the tread. Your local dealer may be more important than the tire brand.

 

[Thomas]

Cooper has darn good snow tire..thread design self cleans well.

 

[RickB]

I have Cooper Discoverer ATR's on my truck and the service truck I drive at work. I also can think of two friends with them on their trucks. We are all very happy. Decent mud/snow tractoin, quiet on dry roads, and great tread life (the service truck is on its second set). At least 3 sets are load range 'E' and the fourth probably is.

 

[Toyboy]

Thanks guys, I'm making a list of your recommendations so I can shop around for best price before I decide what tire to get. :thumbsup:

 

[Eagleview]

Coopers are a good tyre but there is always a trade off . They are a hard compound which gives good mileage but they tend to be a bit slippery on wet roads . I run Procomps and find they are similar , the rear end gets out of shape a little on wet roads .

 

[dmccarty]

My Ford F350 single real wheel truck has had Firestone's, Pirelli's and Michelin's.

The Firestones, can't remember the model, did not last long and the truck handled pretty badly. Driving through a certain curve twice a day the truck with Firestones could only do about 45mph. The truck front end started getting icky about 45.

The Pirelli's I think were STRs. Great tire. Long lasting. And they could do 55mph or a bit higher through the turn. :thumbsup:

When the Pirelli's wore out I wanted another set but the store did not carry them anymore so I had to go to Michelin's. I think LTXes. They are as good as the Pirelli's but were more expensive. The Michelin's can go through the turn at 55mph or a bit higher.

We don't get alot of snow and ice but we did get hit every few years. I did not notice any difference in off road performance with any of the tires. In mud, snow, or ice.

The Pirelli's were the best bang for the buck. It is a shame I could not get them again. Course it always felt a bit odd to have Pirelli's on the truck. I always have and still think of Pirelli's as tires for small red sports cars. :laughing:

 

[Western]

I had a Z71 when I lived in Colorado. Best tires I found for me where the BF Goodrich AT's, also tried the Goodyear AT, both worked great in the mud and snow, but were not to rough on the blacktop.

I found cheaper tires from various brands, but I wanted the AT's since I'm prone to diving off into the back country at times. I also tried some "knobby" type tires, great in the snow and mud, but get on the road and it was like a full time butt woopin.

 

[dmccarty]

Forgot to mention in my post but the tires I use are all Load Range E.

Later,
Dan

 

[ElDorado]

Coopers are a good tyre but there is always a trade off . They are a hard compound which gives good mileage but they tend to be a bit slippery on wet roads . I run Procomps and find they are similar , the rear end gets out of shape a little on wet roads .

Depends on which model tire. Cooper has a true snow tire that is real soft that is recommended not to run except in winter. I had the ATR's, real good blend between a true snow and an AT tire. They were best tire I have ever had. I could actually plow on flats in 2 wheel drive with them. If I weren't so cheap I swap off the OE tires for a new set of ATR's. Go with Coopers and you'll be happy.

 

[Eagleview]

Toyboy is after a good all round tyre that sees a lot of black top and can handle snow when it falls , with a bit of off roading occasionally . I don't think the soft tyres you mentioned would be very practical .

Other than that , I don't see were I was wrong in saying Coopers are a hard compound tyre .

 

[logdog]

If your truck is a half ton ( p series tires ) take a look at the firestone destination at's . We have been putting them on trucks at work and everyone seems to like them . Good in the snow and quiet on the road and not too expensive .

You can get them in an LT to. I have had very good experiences with the Destination ATs on my truck. They are quiet and have good traction in wet fields and snow.

 

[kenmac]

Just put a set of toyo open country's (10 ply) on my 3/4 ton dodge a few months ago. happy with them so far. Bought them from a web site & they shipped them to my door for around $200.00 less than I could buy them local

 

[om21braz]

Michelin LTX or it's lower priced Uniroyal counterpart give excellent ride, last very well and have good traction for wet, dry or snow-covered roads. I previously had BFG Mud-Terrains on a truck similiar to yours - they are a bit much unless much mud is in your path regularly. The GM half-ton front suspension does'nt seem to work well with off-road tires either - at least they don't for me, regardless of how I rotate them.

 

[RickB]

That's really going to limit your options. There's a good chance OEM brand and type might be your best bet.

Any tire that's worth putting on a truck is available in load range E. That is if one plans on actually using a truck as a truck. P rated tires are usually overloaded even on a fully loaded 1/2 ton. C rated tires are usually not enough cheaper than E rated tires to bother with.

 

[The Haymaker]

I had a Z71 when I lived in Colorado. Best tires I found for me where the BF Goodrich AT's, also tried the Goodyear AT, both worked great in the mud and snow, but were not to rough on the blacktop.

I found cheaper tires from various brands, but I wanted the AT's since I'm prone to diving off into the back country at times. I also tried some "knobby" type tires, great in the snow and mud, but get on the road and it was like a full time butt woopin.

This. Love them, on my third set now. Last ones were 70k on a Silverado Ext. Cab with lots of off road use. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Then again, I have the "TA" not the "AT". Aggressive tread with good wear and no road noise.

 

[timswi]

I always loved the BFG AT TA's...They are just too expensive for a truck that I clock going to work...Used to get 50K out of them with excellent traction and dry road driving. 200+ per tire scared me off...I run Wild Country's on my truck for cost reasons and run the BFG's on stuff that I don't have to run so much.

The knock off WC's aren't all that bad, you can squeeze close to 35K out of them for $100 per tire...