soon to be 4runner owner, tires question

I used the Goodyear Wrangler about 7 years ago on a Mercury Mountaineer (Fulltime 4WD).

So effective in massive snowstorm... Others SUV were sliding off the motorways. Wranglers kept cutting through the storms.

However, they were so aggressive, that Ford advised removing them. To avoid constant damages to the Drivetrain.

Said to limit aggressive tires to off-roading and extreme weathers.

 

Well, Ford probably wasn’t wrong, they know there shit isn’t good.

 

AWD helps too, but having the right tires is the most important choice

 

People like conforming to the majority I guess. I’ve never tried them. I’m running Nitto RG’s and happy with them.

 

Tires are the most important component for investment.
Running Summer tires in Full-time AWD is guaranteed to leave you hanging off a bridge in a snowstorm

 

Some manufacturers use a stiffer rubber compound on heavier load range tires. Also, I have noticed that there is less siping on the LT versions of the Toyo AT3. And, some 3PMSF tires are better than others.

That said, if I lived somewhere where there was a lot of snow every year and roads were not maintained well, I would probably run dedicated winter tires as well.

While you are shopping winter tires, I recommend checking out Nokian. I have Hakkapeliittas on a Scion TC and it's fantastic in the snow!

 

It wouldn't even be a competition.

I have had KO2s, and they were good in snow. I had Yokohama Geolander AT's that were very good in the snow. But, even those would be nowhere near as good as a true winter tire.

The market definitely caught up. I wouldn't consider them a trash tire, though.

I know a bunch of people who are still satisfied with them. I had a set for a little over a year and about 30,000 miles, also. I had no problems with mine. I found them to be a pretty good all around tire. And, treadwear was fantastic!

 

Might not be the popular opinion, but I agree with this comment on the BFGs. Ran them on a few different trucks (Tundra, Tacoma and 4Runner) and they were a big disappointment in both snow and on wet pavement. Went with these Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs in the XL load and am pretty happy so far after 6k miles, although they have not yet been through a winter.

 

Those look great!

I'm very interested in those tires! Please let us know about the snow traction.

 

I live in the snow belt in NE Ohio, so I am hoping they go good in the white stuff. I will follow up this winter after the first real snowfall.

 

Yes, I have used the KO2 for many winters (my previous 2009 Tacoma plow truck). The Blizzaks would be great in the snow, but its a winter tire. They are not made to run year round, so you would have to swap them out a couple times a year. Plus I dont think they would be great in the mud. As far as Black Ice, the only great tire for that would be a studded tire. The KO2 is just a great all terrain tire that is also snow rated. That's why I already swapped them out when I only had 1500 miles on the 4runner. The Best indicator for a good snow tire is if it has the three-peak mountain snowflake rating indication on it .

 

I LOVE threads on AT tires. Why? Because I have gone decades trying out various tires and treads on multitudes of vehicles from Hawaii to Iowa. From sandy beaches to frozen icy highways. From AWD Infiniti SUVs to `67 Dodge W200 crewcab pickups on 37's. I have been there and done that.

Earlier this year, I tried a new type of tire that was billed as a "hybrid". It was an aggressive all-terrain tire that was advertised as having good highway manners, wore well, and delivered exceptional winter and off-road traction while lasting an extremely long time.

Yeah, right...

I installed a set of the LT285/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler Ultra-Terrain ATs on my lifted 2019 4Runner a year ago and have been amazed ever since.

I have driven about 8k miles on every imaginable road surface from hot asphalt to sheet ice. I have gone from the gooey mud of logging roads in Idaho, to the deep sand trails on the Arizona/Mexico border, and to the heavy slush and rain-clogged roads of Seattle.

This tire is absolutely amazing! I hate it because I have loved trying out new tires and tread designs for decades. This tire is the absolute best and ends the debate as to what is the best tire for everything.

It is the Goodyear Wrangler Ultra Terrain...

 

I had new wheels installed the other day at a Discount Tire store in Spokane, WA. I told him that I was absolutely impressed with the Goodyear Wrangler Ultra Terrains, and he confirmed that he had heard nothing but great things about them, but that the higher price turned off a bunch of customers.

Apparently, the price on them has been increased.

I don't care. The performance and wear is worth the extra cost.

 

So I should get these on my runner, they got about 20k on them when I traded the taco.

 

How do they perform on dry streets and at highway speed, for noise and vibration? And they balanced well?

 

Wildpeaks, best AT for the snow.

 

swapped them today.

got 4K on the factories, now what to do with them.

 

Quiet and smooth on the highway with no detectable noise. Wearing like iron and will keep my tires and wheels when I trade in the 4Runner. My overall gas mileage increased from 15.7 to 16.2 mpg running these.

Just an incredible tire.


I did a YT video recording their snow performance...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaw7YjByNok

 

A few months ago I purchased a set of C-rated 275/70/17 Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus tires for my Tacoma on EBay. I've driven about 8 thousand miles on them and I'm very impressed. So impressed that I bought a set for my 4Runner. Wet weather traction is great, great traction off road, I have yet to try them in snow but apparently they're a snow tire as there is a snowflake imprint on the tread as well as the sidewall. C-rated tires tend to be heavy...these weigh 48 lbs each which is 4lbs heavier than OEM.

 

Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus C load rating
275/70/17

 

They had those at the tire shop locally when I was getting the Goodyears installed and they caught my eye. The counter guy said they were pretty awesome in the snow and a great AT. I would have tried them next if the Ultra-Terrains hadn't turned out to be so amazing.

 

There are no lack of tire tread threads on the forum!

 

I have been eyeing these to replace my stock tires when the time comes

 

Looks great! Did you paint or plastidip your stock rims? I really like the look of the stock rims black with the KO2s.

 

The Continentals are great winter tires so you are all set there. In regards to the best AT tires look around what is available in your area at a decent price. Canada has different models at different price points than the US. For example Nokian seems to be a great value in Canada vs others. The top tires will be similar so try to get the best deal near you. No one tire model is that much better anymore. The top companies all make good tires now.

 

I just took off the junk Toyo AT3's w/24k. Rotated every 3 k and they still went out of round and dipped. Loud has hell too. I have duratracs on my tacoma and they are quieter. Went with Michelin LTX/MS for the 4R now, super best tire ever.

 

I'm curious what went wrong with your Toyos. I have about 30K on mine. They look and perform like new. Last I checked, I was at about 70% tread.

Are you sure they were the AT3 and not the AT2?

 

Yup the 3/s. Put them on a 1,300 and bought them right after they came out. At 24k they still had 8/32's on them. They had some cup & flat spots. 1 of them from the beginning would never balance out, but I was stuck with it. Really the noise & vibration did it in for me in the end.

 

Weird. It seems like you got a bad set. I have generally heard good things about them.

 

The rims came this color, part of the Trail Edition package.