I need tires - 2021 TRD ORP

Been reading through hundreds of threads between this and the other forum, Reddit, etc. and am cross-eyed...same ole same ole it seems around these parts.

I live in the Portland, OR area and plan to use the 4R on the beach, forest roads, high desert dirt roads, some snow and will be avoiding rock crawling or other heavy duty off-roading use.

Just when I think Im going to go with the Falken Wildpeaks, I see that there's the Trail and the AT3 version and cannot seem to figure out what the difference is.

Then, I go to start shopping and I see load index and rating with letters and numbers that make zero sense at all.

At least for the Falkens - AT3 at 265/70/17 115T SL, right? Going up to the 121 E1s and the price goes up $50 per tire, but Im not sure what it's buying me or the disadvantages, though I am thinking weight, yeah?

If Nitto Grapplers, would the same apply?

Also, where should I buy tires from? Discount is everywhere near me, but they charge $20+ per tire for installation. Is that reasonable?

Im open to other tire suggestions, too.

 

The E1 would be an LT tire. So, heavier load rating, better puncture resistance, etc. But, they'll be heavier and you might lose ride quality. If you're avoiding the rocks, I'd stick to the SL.

And, yes, the same will apply to all different tires. SL (standard load) are your light duty truck tires, then there's LT load range C, D, E, etc.

Discount Tire is a reputable chain. I've had good luck with them. I believe the mounting cost covers lifetime rotations as well. They also allow you to exchange the tires within a set time/mileage if you're not satisfied.

There are a ton of great AT tires to choose from. Since you mentioned snow I would look at tires with a 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rating.

 

General Grabber Atx, good price and they have been awesome for me so far. They have great reviews so that's what pushed me towards buying them.

 

+1

I put about 35k miles on my SL 265/70R17 Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires before swapping to my current Yoko Geolandar MT's.
I took my 4Runner on multiple rocky trails. I had 1 puncture from a screw and 1 minor sidewall cut. I bought the tire insurance from Discount Tire and had them replace the cut tire. At the same time I bought a 5th one for the spare tire.

The Falkens were great in the rain. Seemed ok in snow and worked well off road. Plus they were pretty lightweight. I kept a hand calculated average mpg of 18.75 with the Falkens.

 

Ppl love duratracs but I went with ko2s.

 

In Portland as well. Had wildpeak at3w tires on my taco and still have them on my Montero. Picking up my 4runner today and research is pointing me towards Cooper discoverer at3 4s tires this time. I assume you will be on the same terrain as me being in the same area with the biggest concern being rain and snow traction with some mud and ruts from forest roads.

The at3 4s tires are 3peak rated, proven great in rain on dirt and road surface and guaranteed for 60k, plus no chance of getting a tire made in china and does not have a history of balancing issues.

If you need to go bigger/more offroady , the Cooper discoverer at3xlt is supposed to be the same idea but a little more to the aggressive side. Again, no chance for a Chinese tire.

Wildpeak have been good too though, just try to support USA made and run from Chinese made when i can.

 

Some snow? Do you need a tire that is severe snow rated?

 

Most AT’s share the same characteristics, with some having unique specs to them which you can find on discount tires websites.

 

For deep snow on my FJ Cruisers, I've used General Grabbler G2's and Goodyear Duratracs, both are severe snow rated and do very well in deep snow.

 

Changed to the Falken A/T3W last year. Much quieter and smoother ride. I go overlanding, trounce around forest trails, and have used them in them in a few snow situations with zero issues. I will buy these tires everytime moving forward.

 

Congrats on getting that 4Runner. Cooper was not one of the tires I was looking and will now. Thanks.

 

This is what I have on my 2016 Trail Premium:

$201+ Kumho Road Venture AT51 Tires

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...r=2021&autoModel=4Runner TRD Pro&autoModClar=

Load Rating E, so they're ready for rocks. They ride REALLY nice. My two friends with SR5's have the exact same tires and we're all thrilled.

 

I had a set of these on my Tacoma and they were another very good all around tire.

 

Falken Wildpeak AT3W have been good for all the different types of weather in the PNW on and offroad.

 

For years and more than a million miles in all weather & on - off-road conditions, I still use Bf Goodrich KO2's C rated, before that KO's, never had a flat, smooth and little road noise on freeways & City, 6 ply sidewalls no balance issues; for longer I can remember using Discount Tire. Btw. Bf Goodrich tires are made in the US.

 

I know many people love Falken Wildpeak AT3W. But I'm not a fan of them. Sure they are very cheap (265/70R17 would be around $190/tire). But they are heavy. For example the SL 265 Wildpeaks are heavier (47lbs) than a Load C BFG KO2 (46lbs) or a Load GY Duratrac (45lbs). If you look at one size up 275 Load C Wildpeaks are way heavier than some good Load E tires.

I'm also not happy to see my Falken Wildpeak AT3W are made in Thailand. Falken Wildpeak doesn't give me that confidence my BFG KO2 give me. For sure BFG KO2 are very expensive, around $232/tire for 265/70R17 but I per its worth the price tag.

I'm trying Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac now and it has started growing on me. But its too early to say much because its only about a month. Also haven't seen snow with it.

As for the road noise so far Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac sound like same as my KO2 and Wildpeak . For sure its quieter than Nitto Terra Grapler G2.

Nitto Terra Grapler G2 was little poor on mud and Falken Wildpeak AT3W was better and KO2 was the best for me. I would need more time to test Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac on mud before I sound like a Duratrac fan boy.

Yes I do sound like a BFG KO2 fan boy but let me give you a down side. I tried BFG KO2 275/70R17 Load E and my wife hated the firm ride on our road trips. It was not over inflated, I put 32-34psi on them but they were firm. So I switched to 285/70R17 Load C. It is perfect for our taste. It was the same feeling when I used 265/70R17 Load C. Since I use the 4Runner for road trips I would never use Load E tire on it.

Before picking Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac I ordered Nokian Rotiva but I was not feeling comfortable with the side wall look. I contacted Nokian customer care but no response till date (I think its been a month or so.) The side wall looks like a Yokohama Geolander A/T. I don't feel comfortable for the trails I take my 4Runner on those tires.

I see some people have problems like vibration with these tires but I don't have any problem because I go to Discount tire for RoadForce balance and I rotate tires every 5000 miles (little earlier with 285s since they have more miles than ODO shows).

 

I am in a similar pickle... I have 36000 miles on my stock Terra Grapplers 265/70-17 SL (2018 Pro). It has been a good tire for me. I go on one big off road trip and several day trips a year. and 2 vacations a year to OBX requiring a 10 mile drive on the beach aired down to 15-20psi. The rest is on road milage.

Ive been looking at some of the tires mentioned on this thread.. I can echo what others said, the Wildpeaks are heavy!

I would like to go to a LT tire, maybe E range. That would help a lot with the heavy load out when vacationing, and the time when I spend 1 week aired down. It should still ride nice a plush.

Ive also thought about going "+1" on the tire size, 255/75, It is the OEM jeep size for the Rubicons. The K02 in 255/75 is 0.5" taller and narrower and only 6lbs heavier. It might take some fender liner moving, but I think it will fit on stock Pro. Downside is, it is C range only.

My other option is Toyo A/T III in the stock size. It is available in load E. That is the way I am leaning right now. Then when I wear that tire out it should be time for suspension anyhow. Would be a good time to lift and revisit maybe 33"s? I am scared of the mpg hit honestly...

Anyhow here is a copy and past of my research if it helps you.


Nitto Ridge Grappler

https://www.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/ridge-grappler-light-truck-tire/

265/70-17 E 31.6” dia 10.7” w 54.6lbs

255/80-17 E 33.3” dia 10”w 54.9lbs 10ply

285/70-17 C 32.7” dia 11.5w 57.8lbs 6ply



Faulken Wild Peak A/T3W

https://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeaka/t3w-tire

265/70-17 SL 31.7 dia 10.8”w 46.5lbs

265/70-17 E 31.9 dia 10.7”w 52.9lbs

275/70-17 C 32.4 dia 10.8”w 57.1lbs 6ply

285/70-17 C 32.8 dia 11.2”w 62.8lbs 6ply

255/80-17 E 33.1 dia. 10”w. 52.5lbs 10ply

255/70-17 SL 31.1dia. 10.2w 42.3lbs 4ply



BFG KO2

https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tires/all-terrain/all-terrain-t-a-ko2.html

265/70-17 C 31.7” dia 10.7” w 45lbs

255/75-17 C 32.1” dia. 10”w 46lbs

275/70-17 E 32.2” dia. 11”w 55.1lbs

285/70-17 C 32.8” dia. 11.5”w 51.3lbs



Toyo Open Country A/T III (M&S, 65K Warr)

https://www.toyotires.com/product/open-country-at3

265/70-17 SL 31.7” dia 10.7”w 39lbs

265/70-17 E 31.7”dia 10.7”w 48lbs

255/80-17 E 33.1” dia 10”w 50lbs

285/70-17 C 32.8” dia 11.5”w 55lbs



Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx

https://us.coopertire.com/tires/discoverer-s-t-maxx

255/75-17 C 31.7” dia 10.2”w 55lbs

285/70-17 E 32.9” dia 11.5”w 62lbs



Dick Cepek Fun Country (M&S, 45K Warr)

https://www.dickcepek.com/tires/fun-country

265/75-17 E 31.9” dia 10.7”w 55lbs

285/70-17 E 33” dia 11.5”w 62lbs



Dick Cepek Trail Country EXP

https://dickcepek.com/tires/trail-country-exp

265/70-17 E 31.9” dia 10.8”w 53lbs

285/70-17 E 33.1” dia 11.5”w 58lbs



Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac(Snow, 50K Warr)

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/wrangler-duratrac

255/75-17 SL 32” dia 10”w 40lbs

265/70-17 SL 31.7” dia 10.7”w 45lbs

265/70-17 C 31.7” dia 10.7”w 44lbs

285/70-17 D 33” dia 11.5”w 54lbs

285/70-17 E 33” dia 11.5”w 55lbs



Maybe

255/75-17 Avalible in C (6ply) Stock jeep Size

or

255/80-17 Only available in E (10ply)

 

I wouldn't be worried about this unless you're in the rocks a lot. Have you had any punctures on the stock SL tires yet?

You're going to take a hit when you switch to LT's anyway. I'd be more concerned about the weight than the ~4% increase in diameter.

 

Good points! I guess I just meant I am trying to be mindful of weight; steering clear of Wildpeaks no matter what while still increasing tire performance. even if that is marginal... I try to replace parts with a better version... I know Toyota has many engineers dedicated to this during the design and build process... but sometime I bet their designs are heavily influenced by brand loyalty, contracts, pricing?

Anyhow, I have no complaints about the Terra Grapplers other than they are starting to get noticeably louder at 36k miles. Ive had them in some gnarly situations (no rock fields). Ive completely folded the sidewall to the wheel on almost stock psi.. probably lucky it didn't pinch! Also the 2 weeks a year I drive between beach and paved road on 15-20psi with no problems. Winter performance is hard to judge when in 4wd, although I notice they are more likely to spin then I remember in my wife's old WJ on Michelin LTX in 2WD. Wet weather is good, I don't recall any massive spins from a stop or hydroplaning...

I am also a very proactive and cautious driver; slow. lol. that might play a role too.

In all honesty, If it was a SR5 or Limited I would probably go LTXs. there is a article on Expedition portal basically comparing LTXs to "aggressive" ATs and how they pretty much do just as well and better in some situations..

I have just come to really like the look of the aggressive AT tires... I don't think I could go with a "normal" tire..

 

You're going to get tons of opinions on tires. Many will be conflicting. I live in the Portland area and have been extremely satisfied with the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S. It does everything you're needing without the weight, potential noise, potential ride degradation and other drawbacks of an E load tire (whilst losing some of the puncture resistance of course).

 

I think a C rated tire would be the better choice.

 

Yup I had e load falkens and damnnn I felt the weight.. rip...

 

"So far", how far is that?

 

Only issue i have ever had was in mud, but do love how long they last. I try others, but always come back to the BFG's.

 

Your right, I mixed up C and E... doh.. in that case, the 255/75 will probably be the tire I choose..

 

Thanks, again, everyone.

I keep reading comments about the weight of the Falkens, but it appears to me that they weigh 1# more than the KO2s and less than some of the others (unless folks are referring to the LT version?).

I'm going to also look closer at the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S now as well.

 

Alsdo, Ive read several different comments that buyers were getting a set of Wildpeak AT3 for less than $600. Granted, those comments are a year old, but are there places to score these tires for cheap like that and make sense to order online and then take to DT or another shop to install?

 

Ok, think I have narrowed this down to the Wildpeaks or the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S...

Buying at Discount Tire - does anyone else buy their Certificates?

 

I've seen people talk about the wildpeaks being made in china now so if those are what you narrowed it down to I would run the Cooper's.

I got my general atx's from discount and did not buy the certificates. They did a good job on my t4r tires. Took my 3/4 ton there and got the worst service ever, so I will not be back.

 

I generally do not buy certificates (insurance) from tire stores, but this last time my wife picked them up for me and they included them without even asking her ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It probably depends on your driving style, the condition of roads in your area and your ability to absorb an unexpected expense as to whether they'd be worth it. Plus some people are just naturally magnets for nails/debris/potholes etc.