Need tire advice for a 2003 diesel F250 with Mickey Thompsons

[Buliwyf]

I'd put on 34" 285/75 r17 BFG ATKO's or KM2's. Not sure what the 18" wheel version of that tire is. Not my favorite tires, but they are both available in big E ratings.

The ATKO's will act like street tires and rule everywhere most of us go with a fullsize. When things get really messy I strap on mud rated chains and pass by the mud tired trucks in goo with ease.

There's a huge difference between using a truck to get somewhere offroad, and playing around offroad. Most of the loggers and oil field joes have fairly regular tires and use chains as needed instead of expensive mud terrains that suck at towing. Most of my heavy truck traffic is similar.

[bob91yj]

Another vote for BFG AT's. They aren't the best at anything but they are pretty good at everything! I find that the BFG AT's are the standard bearer in this tire segment that other tires are compared to. I run them on both my 2500HD and on my '05 Rubicon, same tire size on both (315/75/16). I have very little mud experience, so I can't speak for how they do there.

Before you think I'm on the BFG bandwagon, I hate their mud terrains, I can't keep a side wall intact when playing in the big rocks (Hammer's, etc) to save my life, flatted a tire with a manzanita twig no bigger than a pencil right through a tread block on a tire with less than 200 miles on it, stupid stuff happens to them for me. Interco's were required to save my driving!

[TrekAdvisor]

Wow thanks for all the expertise & experience, guys. Here are some thoughts based on what you've said:

1) What resonated the most is what @Buliwyf said, "There's a huge difference between using a truck to get somewhere offroad, and playing around offroad. Most of the loggers and oil field joes have fairly regular tires and use chains as needed instead of expensive mud terrains that suck at towing. Most of my heavy truck traffic is similar." That's exactly how I feel. The reality is outside of "aggressive looks" that I'd like, the reality is that this truck will be on the road 99% of the time. But @Buliwyf what confused me is that you proceeded to recommend BFG ATKOs or KM2s -- both of which are a pretty aggressive, "offroad ready" tire vs. a highway tire. So I'd love to better understand your position.

2) Based on @redthies and @jrose609's comments, I'm going to not consider the "BFG Rugged Terrains" due to them being completely useless offroad. Anyone feel differently?

3) @FishAll50, you mentioned the Nitto Terrain Grappler (I assume you're referring to the 'Terra' not 'Terrain') and @Regcabguy you metnioned the Dura Grapplers. Anyone have any thoughts on which would be better for me based on #1 above? Here's a chart showing the differences in the 2 tires: http://drod.io/1B2X3v1l1q2F1B182z3Q from the Nitto site.

4) @Fish, I agree that putting too small a tire on the truck would make it look silly. And I don't want to remove the lift. So I had an idea -- I wonder if it would be possible to go in a completely different direction... almost put semi-style tires on the truck. I bet that sounds weird, but Eco Roamer's F650 had these rims on it: http://drod.io/2Z3X3D0n0R2X2U3k3z1M ... I believe those are 22.5" rims... 4.5" greater than I have on there now, so I don't know if this is a crazy idea or somewhat doable on a non-dualie truck. Back in 2007 @Robthebrit said "Sticking with 22.5 inch semi type rims is a good call, you can get tires all over the world in one form or another" and that resonated with me since I want to take this truck all over. It just seems that with my lift, I could potentially pull the huge rims + tires off, and then I'd get a good highway tire that didn't look weird on the truck. Or maybe I'm crazy. I'd love to have someone give me thoughts on this approach. And if someone *doesn't* think it's a crazy idea, I'd love to know of a place to find used rims & tires of this size, even if just to kick the idea around a bit.

NOTE: The tire size that seems most consistent with the stock tires from a revolutions per mile standpoint would be a 275/65 R18 (assuming the rims will fit that tire -- I'll have to check; there's nothing written on the rim identifying its width). @Fish I guess you're saying a tire in this size might not look right on my truck. That's definitely something I'm thinking about... I guess I could try to go taller; anyone else have any opinions?

And I agree that I definitely need an "E" rated load tire.

So here are the top tires I'm considering (outside of point #4 above, which is probably just crazy), prioritized in order based on everyone's feedback so far:

- BFG All Terrain KO: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...217&navAction= ($250 each at Sam's Club)
- Nitto Terra Grappler: http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tir...94103&pc=40389 ($243 each -- it's a 70 height not 65; they don't seem to make the E rating in 65)
- Nitto Dura Grappler: http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tir...94103&pc=40480
(I'd really love some advice on Terra vs. Dura)

Also, does anyone have any experience with these tires?

- Wrangler ArmorTrac: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...117&navAction=
- Wrangler SilentArmor: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...301&navAction=
- Wrangler DuraTrac: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...108&navAction= (probably too aggressive for me)

Lastly, according to this TireRack survey, the Firestone Destination A/T wins in the A/T category: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=ORAT ... anyone tried those tires? Here they are in the size I'd go for: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....TOWL&tab=Sizes

[redthies]

I have only owned BFG ATs, and Terra Crapplers. Note spelling on the second. I would pick the BFGs over the Nittos every time, but that is based on SNOW use. I liked the Nittos fine for summer use, but they were not at all what I want in the snow. Note that I live in a town that gets 10-15' of snow. You likely won't see that in SF Bay area. Nittos would be ok for the occasional trip to Tahoe, but the BFGs would be better.

[bob91yj]

I'd say give the Kevlar Silent Armors a try if you want something a little different.

I'm a believer in Kevlar belts after the last Baja 500. The Herbst Trophy Truck rolled into our pit, they had blown a left rear tire, beadlock's kept the sidewall's on the wheel, the tread was gone but the Kevlar belts of the carcass were still holding the tire intact. The tire was so hot it was smoking when we got it off. Granted this was a BFG project tire but I think a Kevlar belted tire from brand X would be worth a shot if the tread pattern and load rating's meet your needs.

[mtbikerTi]

I've put several hundred thousand miles on Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors, 99% of that was towing, and they were good tires. I don't know if they make them in the size you want, but if they do you might take a look at them. They're pretty quiet and well mannered on the road, handle well in the wet, and are pretty decent off road (more of an AT tread design).

We would get around 40k out of a set, but they were never rotated and there was always a trailer on the back. At that point the rears were getting worn out but the fronts still had quite a few miles left in them, I would estimate that you should be able to hit 60k miles with proper rotation.

This was on a 6.0 Diesel Excursion, '04 F-350 Diesel, '08 F-250 Diesel, and an '08 GM 3500 Duramax. We had a few sliced sidewalls (but never through the entire sidewall), but other than that they were pretty durable and always got us where we needed to go, on or off road.

[drodio]

Hey guys thanks for all the responses. I'm really leaning towards the Wrangler Silent Armors. And crazily, it looks like they're available in a 35x12.5 tire! Here's a good review of them: http://www.moabjeeper.com/articles/g...?articleID=444

They seem like exactly what I need: Aggressive enough to not be totally useless on the trail, but well mannered enough for the mostly-highway driving the truck will be doing.

I'd probably get the E rated 275/65/R18 ones from Sam's Club: They're $275 each http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...301&navAction= ... not sure if they'll look silly on my truck (would that be about a 33" tire? I have 35's on there now).

Anyone see any big problems with this plan?

DROdio

[FishAll50]

Here are my thoughts to confuse things even more now that you are almost at a decision.

1) Yes, the 33" will look funny with your lift - enough that I wouldn't do it. Actually, the 275/65/18 is closer to a 32".
2) Did you ever find out what width your wheels were? Maybe I overlooked it. If 12", that will be too wide for a 275 tire.
3) I ran several sets of Goodyear Wrangler ATS's (275/65/18 E-load) on my F250 and was very disappointed in them. Soft sidewalls, flat prone, etc. The Silent Armor is likely an improvement but I got a bit soured from the ATS's and the Silent Armor at least in appearance looks similar to the ATS. OTOH, the GY Wrangler MTR's on my Jeep have been great but more agressive than what you want.
4) If you are going to keep the lift, I still think staying with a 35ish tall tire in a non-agressive tread is the best way to go. Why not the 35/12.50 Silent Armor?

Does that help? lol


(btw, yes I did mean Terra.......not Terrain - good catch)

[Buliwyf]

Silent Armors absolutely Rule in factory sizes! But we're talking big tires here. The bigger non-E non-80psi Silent Armors suck. Too Squishy. Same goes for the Duratracs and Kelly Safari TSR's. No big 80psi rated sizes.

That truck needs a tire that is rated for up to 80psi.

Now I mentioned the BFG ATKO as a regular tire. It's excellent in snow and sand. It comes in larger sizes that are still 80psi E. It's mediocre offroad. It sucks in mud. It's not an aggressive tire at all. The Silent Armor is actually louder than the BFG ATKO. More good news, the ATKO is excellent at towing and twisty mountain roads. Mud tires feel washy.

Bottom line: The BFG ATKO really should do anything a decent street tire can do, but has some decent offroad manners. It deosn't have any real negatives compared to a street tire. And when you need a mud tire, get out the tire chains. Chains> Super Swamper TSL's in my neck of the woods.

[Buliwyf]

Something we haven't thought about. What kind of lift is it? If you're talking about campers and you've got some lame Skyjacker or Procomp lift, you might be in trouble. BIG TROUBLE. Since the truck is used, it may be due for some suspension work anyways.

It may be wise to lose the 4" stuff and put a quality ICON 2.5" spring on the front with a ICON trac bar. And stock F350 springs (that you,likely still have) and 4-5" blocks with airride airbags on the rear. Bilstein shocks.

That's the exact setup I'll put on my 2008 F250 next year when I'll likely need tires. I'm going up to 285/75r17 BFG ATKO's or KM2's. I just can't decide if I want to drive on KM2's in the snow?

This year a Detroit locker in the rear is my budget along with other assorted minor improvements.

If you keep the lift and wheels, you'll have to flush the idea of less aggressive tires. And I'd install airbags at all four corners to stiffen her up and keep her from traction rolling when towing or hauling a camper. I'd run the 80psi E rated BFG ATKO's LT325/65R18/E if you decide to keep the lift and wheels.