Best Tires and Shop

So I’m in the need of some news tires for my 21 SR5 4 Runner. Bought it used last year and now the dealer is telling me that I need new tires. Ripped me off I guess. Anyway what is the best brand or kind of tire to get. And any recommendations on shops, Big O, Costco, Discount Tire etc..I drive mostly highway during the week and city on the weekends. Not much of an off roader, but I do like a little bit of an aggressive look. Want something that is going to last and not noisy. Sticking with stock size also and don’t have or plan on getting a lift. Your help is appreciated.

 

Falken wild peaks at4w or toyo at3

 

Where are you located, might update your profile location. Some tires work better in some locations (PNW, Texas, Right Coast).

 

I went from the stock Bridgestone Duelers to Cooper Discoverer AT3. We had a puncture and flat with the Duelers, so that was one reason I looked at a more rugged tire. We live back a 1/2 mile lane and they do pick up more rocks than the old street tires:

https://www.4runners.com/threads/cooper-discoverer-at3-4s-picking-up-rocks.38842/#post-599091

I decided to just live with the rocks.

We also had some vibration early on and they have been balanced twice -- pretty good now. Ride and noise is decent, but definitely a bit harsher than street tires.
Depends what you like -- I don't mind the feeling the road a bit more.

Might try the Toyo Open Country A/T's next time.

 

America's Tire / Discount Tire / America's Discount Tire all the same company named differently based on geographical location and are really good. Tires are all they do.

Ask them to price match. They will.

 

The Toyo AT3 are the same diameter as factory tires. The coopers are slightly smaller diam.

The AT3's are narrower than the coopers -- might throw less rocks outside the wheel well.

The AT3's are also lighter than the coopers.

This article has a nice comparison:

https://trail4runner.com/2021/12/18/toyo-open-country-atiii-overview/

 

I'd look at the BFG Trail-Terrains for the off-roady look but more street oriented than a bona fide AT.

Costco's free/cheaper installation (I forget which) is a plus and warehouses are common but the line to talk to someone at the Tire/Battery center and the wait has always taken a long time in my experience.

Discount Tire (and it's other names) are faster and is a nicer place to sit down and wait. Coffee too.

Back in the DMV area there weren't any DT's so Costco would be the way I would go since both offer free rotations. But now that I live near DT's, DT all the way.

I got Defender LTX tires (quiet, long-life, not very aggressive looking) at DT but if I were to do it over I would have gotten the Club version of it, the X LT A/S at Costco and taken to DT to install.

 

Try Costco

 

@Americastire

 

Hard to beat Discount Tire for price and service. They ad matched and even beat prices I found lower when I went to 285's and Methods. I will say that some Discounts are better than others from my experience.

 

Where to buy: I'll add another vote for Discount Tire (they just bought Tire Rack) - great prices, nice people, nice facilities, etc.

What to buy: Well obviously, BFG KO2s or KO3s. ;-) Kidding (mostly) aside, I'm a fan of the BFGs. I've had ATs and MTs on lots of trucks - from 265s to 35s and have had great wear and performance. I've also had Swampers and Boggers so I do recognize the BFGs limits in the soupy stuff. Fortunately IH8MUD, I mean, I hate mud so it's rarely an issue. On the road, I've been getting 50,000+ miles out of a set. And, that's on a 100 Series Land Cruiser - heavier and full-time 4wd.

 

Costco will only sell/install OEM sized tires, well that's what my costco told me, so if the OP doesn't mind that then go for it. Can't beat the 4% cash back either.

 

I’ve been running 265/70/17 Michelin LTX AT/2’s on my 4Runner and Tacomas. They are awesome.

Discount Tire for the win.

 

Also Costco doesn’t do Road Force balancing. At least my local one doesn’t.

 

That's almost never needed.

 

Tires are almost equivalent to the motor oil debate. Subjectivity rules all as size, different wheel setups, frequency of rotation, driving styles, weights, temperatures.....all play a role in forming the anecdotal opinions of what works best for whomever and whatever.

That being said....I have run BFG, Coopers, Toyo, Nitto, Falken, Hankook and General.

I currently have 275 Falken AT3's on my 4Runner with roughly 7k miles and fall, winter, spring and summer with em. I love them. Light weight, excellent wet and snow traction, super quiet, excellent tread wear and they look super cool. Now mind you....they are the AT3's not the newest released AT4's which I have been told are heavier but supposedly have longer tread life and an upgrade to everything else I mentioned.

I have 35' Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my Raptor and they're great for that truck. Hard to imagine running anything else on it vs. maybe the Recon Grappler. And it is my understanding, that Falken made adjustments to the sidewalls of the AT4's to capture more of the full-size/towing/heavy duty demographic.

BFG just released the new KO3's. Might be worth looking at those.....supposedly they improved the wet/snow traction on it.

For me though.....and my use with the 4Runner....the Falken AT3's are ideal especially in the stock size as they should match the stock tire weight better than the AT4's....and with all the benefits of the Wildpeak platform.

I've also worked with the same manager at Discount Tire for over 15 years. He always price matches for me with warranties, etc.

 

What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Always great service and prices at my local Discount Tire.
Make an appointment for your free 5,000 tire rotation. They attack your truck like a pit crew. In and out in 20 minutes.

 

You specifically state that the majority of your driving is on road but just want a more aggressive look. I assume you wouldn't object to tires that are somewhat tougher and have some off road chops, too.

If you go to tire rack's website they list a category of tires called "on road all terrain" which seems to fit your desired profile. These tires are supposed to be quieter and behave better on road than full bore AT tires but are better off road than highway all season tires.

I've been eyeing the BFG Trail Terrains, Conti Terrain Contact A/T's, General Grabber ATP's and a few others. Some of these are 3 peak rated which is nice if you get a lot of snow.

This should link the correct size for your vehicle.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...SpeedRating=R&minLoadRating=S&performance=ALL

 

Since you want stock size tires, and you're in Reno, I suggest BFG AT/KO2 or KO3. They are snow rated, but aren't a dedicated snow tire. In some states that snow rating serves as a "traction" tire or device, meaning you get let through snowy areas when others require chains. They are not a dedicated snow tire so they don't wear as quickly as something like a Blizzak (don't perform as well in snow either, but a good compromise).

 

I ran the original Bridgestone Duellers, then a set of lightly used Dunlop Grandtrek. Both were fine for highway, city, dirt roads. I Wanted a tire with some sidewall lugs for airing down on washboard dirt roads and some remote camping. Also 3 peak snow rating. I saw Pirelli Scorpion AT plus in XL rating for $162 at Walmart and $188 at Sams Club. I asked my local tire shop to meet the Sams price, which they did. They are more capable than the stock All Seasons being a true All Terrain.
They weigh about 2 lbs more than the All Seasons or about 5% more. Road noise is about the same, and handling more positive. Smooth at any speed (they are Pirelli). I have not aired down yet as my onboard air compressor installation requires a little more of my time and I have the dirt road selected to drive on this summer.

 

Do they use a torque wrench ?

 

They do attack it like a pit crew. But you have to be careful who is part of the crew. They have some newbies just training that don't know squat. Also they tried selling me two tires with a road force number of 36. I outrightly said no. Anything over 20 is asking for trouble on a 4Runner. They matched the tire to the rim and got it down to 20 which I was okay with. But yeah, overall good of you can keep an eye on them.

 

They do in the shop I go to.

 

Another thing I like about my local DT is that they don't have much turnover. I recognize most of the guys whenever I go in there. YMMV