Next best option to Wildpeak's and KO2's now that the Wildpeak's are made in China?

I was really wanting the Wildpeak's for my inbound 4Runner as the Trails on my wife's RAV4 have been great and are made in Thailand, however, since I found out they are being made in China I've lost interest in them. I have KO2's on my 2016, however, they seem to flat spot horribly even if just sitting for a day and they shake for a few miles.

I want to have the 3PMSF rating and would prefer a load range C tire in the stock 265/70R17 size but I'm struggling to find something that's at least somewhat off-road worthy with those specs.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

Toyo open country at3s have 3pms, people seem pretty happy with them so far

 

They seem to be pretty light for an E Rated tire at 48lbs. I wonder how they ride and how the road noise is?

I'll see what I can find.

 

I'm very happy with my General Grabber At's. no C rated in stock size, but they do have the 3pms and have been great in all conditions.

 

I'd put more stock in tire weight than Load Range. For example some C are as heavy as E, and some P are as heavy as some C.

Nitto Ridge Grapplers is another decent choice. Also manufactured at same location as Toyo, but to Nitto's specs rather than Toyos.

 

I'm noticing this as well.

I was looking at the Nitto Exo Grappler, however, they're supposedly rather loud on pavement and I really don't want anything much louder than the KO2's.

 

I didn't check if they have stock size, but mickey Thompson also just came out with a new at that looks pretty sweet. Baja boss at

 

Nittos tires tend to be loud IMO.

The Ridge Grappler is a somewhat anomaly. The Terra Grappler, a milder tire, is actually louder...

 

Yokohama Geolander M/T ftw

 

I love my Falkens so far. Not sure where they were made. They look good and ride very well. They're only about 6 months old though.

 

Nitto Ridge Grappler is what I went with and everyone that worked at the tire shop that owned a truck also had on their own vehicle. So far they have been great and look super on the 4runner.

 

+1 wildpeaks - 18 months old

 

Sadly not made in the stock size.

 

I have KO2 and Wildpeaks in 285/70R17 and I love KO2 over Wildpeaks. I want to try Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac. But sadly they only come with Load D & E which is not to my taste.

These days I'm looking for 275/70R17 and pretty much have no good options. Wildpeak Load C are much heavier than Load E KO2.

But for the size 265/70R17 you are in luck as Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac are in 3 options SL, Load C, Load E. I really wish I have that option in 275 where I will def jump on it. Or if I can get KO2 in Load C.

 

Happen to have a part number for the Load C as I can only seem to find SL and E?

 

I buy tires from Discount tire.

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-wrangler-duratrac



Also as per Goodyear site they have 3peak mountain snow flake rating for this size just like KO2 and Wildpeaks (except for the size 275/70R18)

 

Thanks!

I'm not sure why I couldn't seem to find that size when I was looking.

It's either going to be them or the Toyo Open Country AT III.

 

I put about 15-20K miles on a set of these in load range C from last April until this January. Ride quality was fine. Off road traction was good all around. Road noise was noticeable but tolerable. They didn't drone but had a higher pitched noise like a semi tire. They'll go back on when snow starts flying again.

These do look awesome! Mickey Thompson lists the weight very high, and they seem very limited on sizes so far.

I love mine! But, the OP is looking for a 3PMSF tire which means he's interested in snow traction, so any MT would be a terrible choice.

 

I still lean toward Falkens. I may be ignorant, but I don't think our runners really care about 2-5 lbs weight, in either direction, no matter which brand you choose. Someone, please enlighten me if I'm ignorant on this issue.If a few pounds effect me on tire weight... then I give up. I don't think my Runners care much about tire weight.

 

I think the weight difference affects people differently based on their driving habits. The heavier the right foot, the worse it will be.

I have 295/70/17 LT/E MT's at about 65# apiece and have gotten everywhere from 12 - 20 MPG even with about 400-500# of armor and gear.

 

No way have I ever run that kind of tire pressure on any vehicle I have ever owned. I can see how it might improve gas milage, but at what cost to the tires?
Seriously...I'm curious.

 

Which post are you referring to?

If it was mine, I was referring to tire weight. I run 35 PSI as recommended by the tire pressure calculator on simpletire.com

 

Your last post my friend, however, maybe I'm mis-understanding it.

 

Yes, I was referring to tire weight.

Agreed! 65 PSI would ride like shit! And my tires would wear poorly.

I don't believe in over-inflating tires to gain fuel economy. Tires are expensive. The cost of premature tire wear would negate any fuel cost saved.

 

Cool...I used to work with a guy who ran with his tires at the maximum pressure shown on the tire.
He would not listen to me when I told him he needed to air down to the VEHICLE'S recommended pressure, usually shown on the door jam. This idiot would argue that he was right.
I tried to explain to him that his tires were not made exclusively for HIS truck. All vehicles that those tires will fit on have a different weight. That is why you go with the vehicle recommendation. He wasn't having it...

 

I don't care about the weight of the Falkens. I very much do care that they are now being made in China so I refuse to buy them.

 

Hey, I definitely support made in America, however, I don't think any of us can say we don't own anything made in China.

 

You aren't wrong. I just refuse to pay top dollar for Chinese made tires and quite frankly I don't trust Chinese made tires. They are fine for putting on an irrigation pipe trailer but *not* on a vehicle that's carrying my family. Nobody will die most likely if my keyboard or cell phone stops working.

ETA: I'd happily pay *more* for the Wildpeak tires if they'd make them anywhere else as I really wanted them for my 4Runner until I saw they moved production to China.

 

Your point is well put and understood.
BTW..do you know when they moved production?

 

I'm curious as to where you find they are now made in China. I've searched, and all I come up with is

. Where are Falken Tires made?
Falken tires are manufactured in the factories of its parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Company in Japan, Germany, and Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Edit: found this:

Meanwhile, outside of Japan, the company has built a solid presence, resulting in several manufacturing facilities. In the past years, they have started making their tires in China, South Africa, Brazil, the USA, and Turkey...

I don't know how anyone would know where their particular tires were made, though.