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

I have both Wildpeaks on the 4r and Duratracks on the Taco. Snow/rain performance is damn near equal between the two in my experience which
is exceptional for not being dedicated snow tires. I replaced the KO2's on the 4R with the Wildpeaks and have not looked back. No balance issues
with them as well as the Duratracks but have friends that have had issues with the Goodyears. The WP's re wearing like iron and running around in
the desert they have performed excellent.

 

Fellow New Mexican 4R owner! I'm about to ditch the stock 684's on mine, and was debating Wildpeak vs Duratrac.

Had Duratracs on an old 2010 Wrangler, and it seemed like they ran small. That said, the E rated Duratracs were exactly the same feel as the C rated KO2s they replaced in terms of stiffness etc that people often mention about driving unloaded on E rated tires. Drove them to Costa Rica and back without problems, never had a sidewall issue. Definitely not a mud tire, but made it through some water crossings in the jungle. I'd like to install 275/70/17, but no Duratracs in that size. So, thinking about alternatives. Maybe just stay stock size.

 

Link of the original post-
https://www.4runners.com/threads/tires-its-enough-to-make-your-head-spin.20972/#post-262033

I ordered Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus LT 275/70R17 Load C. Should have it tomorrow or day after. I'm in a big doubt, I see no reviews with 4Runner using them offroad.


With this size KO2 only has E load and my wifey did not like the firm ride on long drives (I've used these in the past on my TRD ORP). There is Load C Falken Wildpeaks in this size but heavier than Load E tires.
My brain still says cancel the Nokian tire order and get Load C KO2 or Duratrac in stock size.

 

If they're anywhere near as good as their snow tires, the Nokians should be fantastic! I was considering a set of those awhile back.

 

As for winter performance they have 3PMSF rating and not sure how good it actually is.

As for offroad it is stated "can also manage light off-roading and offer very good durability." "Strong, synthetic Aramid fibers reinforce the tire's sidewall and make it more resistant to impacts and cuts that could otherwise easily break it." on their site. But that is all on paper. So no clue how much I can push these with small sharp rocks I see on CO trails. I'd def buy tire protection package. Hope they can survive. If they fail on a trail I'm screwed as I won't be able to return them after using on trails.

 

Damn it, and I just went ahead and bought some garbage K02s. Should've read this thread 1st.

 

I couldn't help myself. I canceled the Nokian Rotiiva order and ordered Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs in stock size (since they don't have 275s). Not feeling comfortable with Nokian Rotiiva A/Ts as my 4R would be the trail running 4R vs wife's with Wildpeaks be the city / occasional dirt road 4R.

 

I've had good experience with Duratracs on and off road. That said, I'm debating a set of Patagonia MTs. I'm probably off topic now.

 

I met my neighbors buddy and he got Patagonia MTs on his 4Runner. I'd love to have those those but CO winters might be a challenge for me. I think they are in the top list among Jeep community.

 

I'm sure the Nokians would have been excellent on pavement and snow, but couldn't say about durability. Duratracs are a safe bet.

Those Milestars have great reviews. I wouldn't use them in winter, though.

I hear a lot of good about them. I think I read that they run small. But no other real criticism.

 

Yeah, that's the one aspect I don't have a good feel for. I've read plenty of people say they've driven them in snow, but, it's too anecdotal right now. I know Duratracs work on a snowy road from my own experience, and I know KMs, KM2s and KM3s are mediocre in rain and snow on the road. I'm mainly thinking about those times when you have light snow, or hard pack snow on the road. Deep snow, whatever. I have chains.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong. Winter rated tires like Duratracs / KO2 / Wildpeaks are good for the tarmac with light snow right? For deep snow trail driving M/Ts would be a good choice to run? just like clearing mud the big rubber blocks would clear the snow?

Normally on winter trail runs only me and few of my friends run on KO2s but the experienced folks seem to run M/Ts and some brands were unheard like this one. (sorry its not very clear, its from my google backup)


Another KO2 on FJ80 equivalent Lexus (Solid axles baby...!!)

 

Well, I've had the original BFG All Terrains on a CJ7 and that thing went everywhere. Took it through fresh snow up to the axles and in 4Lo it just moved along like there was no snow. Duratracs have been through everything, and did okay, but I have had to winch myself out of mud. KM3s were horrible in any sort of wet road or light snow. I mean, in 2WD, I had the Wrangler side ways so many times my wife refused to ever get behind the wheel. In 4WD, they're fine, but do I really have to use 4WD when it rains? With the KM3s, yes.

I don't get the sense that the Wildpeak AT3W is particularly useful off-road. Am I wrong?

Also, check Youtube for a guy running a Jeep with and without chains in the snow. Having chained up the Jeep running KM3s to go over Donner Pass when a snowstorm turned into a white out right in front of me, it was the difference between getting out of a bad situation, and spending the night in a ditch.

 

Not sure these are made in China, but if they are I share your desire to boycott them. Let those guys achieve world domination without my money. But the info I have is that Falken’s are made in the US. I’d like to know for sure though - can anybody confirm this?

 

I suppose I should have been more clear. I just meant that I wouldn't run MT's for winter on maintained roads.

I believe @kmeeg is correct. According to what I read, MT's are good in deep, fresh snow. But they suck on icy roads and packed snow. This is due to a lack of siping, and generally the rubber compound is harder so they don't grip well in freezing conditions.

This seems to match my experience, as I put my Yokohamas on in the middle of this past winter. I only did so because I wanted to see them on the truck, and I don't drive it to work anyway. I drove it in fresh snow and it was fine. But, they were sketchy in icy conditions.

 

I have them on my 4Runner Limited. I don't have that feel of confidence to push hard like my KO2s. But on road comfort is really good over KO2s.

 

There are a ton of guys who wheel in wildpeaks. They seem to think they're the holy grail of AT's. I wouldn't hesitate to run them off-road unless my main concern was mud traction. Mud and jagged rock are the only situations that really demand mud tires, IMO. Sand, gravel, dirt are all probably fine on any decent AT.

 

Heh. Too many opinions!

 

Wildpeaks are way better than Nitto Terra Grapplers.. I mean sooo much better. (Just my personal opinion)

 

I got an email reoly directly from Falken saying they are made in Thailand, China, and the US. The only way to tell where your tires are made is to look at your specific tires.

If you can look before buying that works, however, I don't have that option so I won't buy them.

 

Tires are one of the products that make sense to buy American. I'll be honest, though. I am not really sure where my Yokohamas were made.

 

I'd have to agree with that, nonuniform. I've had those before as well, and I haven't regretted my purchase, not one bit. Bf Goodrich tires are definitely high-quality tires.

 

Pretty much all tire makers have some production in China. You can look up the plant of manufacture on the DOT code. My Coopers (Goodyear subsidiary) code UT are from Texarkana, AK and my Wranglers code PJ are from Fayetteville, NC. This all probably says nothing about the quality of materials or where they came from.

 

I think you are going to be hard pressed to find a 3PMSF rated true "all terrain tire". Maybe a Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2 would be a good compromise. And at 38lbs (265 /70 R17) very light for great handling and braking performance. I choose Michelin on both my bikes and 4 wheeled vehicles. My current "all terrain tire" is a Michelin Defender that comes in at about 40 lbs in my 265 /70 R17 size. I'm a big advocate on choosing the lightest wheel/tire combo possible on any vehicle.

Oh good lord Donners Pass!! I can relate!! I had to chain up a big rig high boy flatbed loaded with smoothbore tanked generators sloshing around. It freaking sucked and was one of the most frightening experiences in my life. I chickened out and followed a snowplow down the hill.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, both Michelin Latitude X-Ice & Michelin Defender are not "all terrain tire" right? One is a winter and one is an all season / 3 season tire right?

With my personal experience all my Falken Wildpeak, KO2 and my newest GY Duratracs have 3PMSF rated and they are true "all terrain tire" right?

 

Yes that's right. I just happen to like the Defenders as they are a great all around tire on and off road. My last set of tires were the Falken Wildpeaks. While a very durable tire it was a darn heavy one and got no better traction off road than my Defenders.

As a disclaimer, I'm not a fast off road guy with my daily drivers. As long as I have clearance and traction it's all good.

 

Oh man, I feel like a rank amateur when I see people driving big rigs through the snow.

 

Me too!! I have been operating heavy equipment and driving big trucks off and on since my early 20's. Snow blizzards on Donners Pass are some of the most dangerous in the world.

 

My almost new Falkens say made in China right on the sidewall.

 

Yeah it's just a luck of the draw where the current tires are made according to Falken.