I'm going to need four new M&S tires for my 98 Dodge Ram 2500 before hunting season.

I haul a 1500 # camper, and a 3 horse slant mule trailer that weighs about 6500 # loaded.Truck weighs about 7500#. I have a load leveler hitch. About 15.5K # total.

I am presently running Goodyear Duratracks M&S 8 Ply,but the side walls are too soft even at 75 pounds pressure.

Wasn't satisfied with Hankooks

I was considering Cooper's M& S but read a lot of reviews of them coming apart.

Suggestions. Don't want an all terrain tire, but something with an aggressive tread.Road noise doesn't bother me.

I'd give the Toyo Open Country MT a try if you can get it in 10 ply (you didn't say what size). They are pricey but I haven't heard a bad thing about them.

Those are on my F150 and they are holding up quite well.

Mileage was bad on the Toyo Open country M&S but they were among the best tires I've ever used period. I ran 38" tires on 17" wheels. They were E rated and did everything I could ask of a tire on such a heavy truck( cummins double cab 2500)

I just this late winter switched to the Toyo AT in 35" size. I did not need the aggressive Open country design I have Limited slips front and rear so I think I can get through most of my struggles with that setup. I also had planned many thousands of miles pulling my 7500b 22' camp trailer around the USA this year, so the additional Mileage was my priority.

E rated toyo tires are at the top of the heap in my opinion.

I have a 2001 1500 Ram, not sure if they come rated for the loads that you carry or haul, but I am on my fifth, thats 5th set of Bridgestone Duelers.

Truck has 250,000 miles on it.....

I would just go to Discount Tires there in the Springs, and get their recommendations.

I have the perfect tire for you buddy:



Good year wrangler authority mud tires load range E

Can you say front and rear lockers? No tire will do that without them.

I just got some Toyo Open Country R/T's, pretty aggressive tread pattern and a 45,000 mile warranty. Like them so far!

Toyo M-55 or Nitto Trail Grappler.

Take a look at the Nitto Exo-Grappler, a bit more aggressive than the Terra Grappler, a bit less than the trail grappler.
I like them, good on and off road, great in snow, and drive well on the road.

I've become a huge fan of the Cooper STT. We've put them on three rigs and have no complaints. Two pickups, and the Jeep.

I currently have Toyo Open Country MTs on my pick-up during the summer. While hauling hay they are the least squirmy tire I have tried. One strong tire. They have good steering response and surprisingly I did not see a reduction in fuel mileage as compared to the ATs I had before. That's the good.

The bad. They are terrible on light snow and ice. I don't know about deep snow since I want to live to see it. I have dedicated snow tires that I put on for winter. Kelly Safari TSRs. I am not hauling heavy loads then so don't know how the snow tires would handle heavy loads. Maybe if I had the Toyos siped they would be better.

Right now my favorite winter tire is the Firsestone Destination MT that I had siped. This is on a half ton suburban. The only time I have been stuck with these is when I got high centered in a snow drift. I don't know how well they will do hauling however.

Does anyone know anything about the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac?

Never owned the Duratrac but have read a lot of good about them and lots of folks recommend them.

Great tire. Excellent in the snow, ride good, and good traction, but the Authority I posted earlier is a better tire from what I've experienced: I had a set of Authorities on my wifes suburban and they rode smoother with less noise than the duratracs on my 04 GMC sierra 4x4. The traction was also better in the snow. Wear was about equal.....Keep in mind the Suburban is a heavier vehicle though...

I've had to pull guys out of the snow when they thought that's all they needed was their lockers: Too bad they had chitty tires. It doesn't just take lockers to get you where you want to go. Sometimes they are even a detriment. I'll give you credit for maybe knowing what you are talking about since you live in the same high desert conditions I grew up in and I know tires are a huge deal there. I've seen sagebrush go right through sidewalls and rocks just slice a tire like a hot knife though butter. When we were way out in BFE (black rock desert for example) we'd carry 4 spares..

That is what I have on now.I have run them for two winters and they are about 3/4 worn down. About 20K on them. I left them on this summer as I planned to replace them this fall. They are probably good on a lighter truck though.

My complaint is the soft side walls.Go around a corner with a load and you can feel them roll even with 75 psi in them. That is even with the truck empty,not pulling anything. Truck weighs right at 7600 empty. That heavy diesel engine doesn't help on the front end.

I live at 7650 feet, lot of snow and the truck is usually in 4wd all winter ,so no AT tires.

I had Duratracs on my F250 for about 2wks, squirrly as all get out, no likey. In load E they were great on a previous F150.

Exactly my experience

Bullshyt. I've driven miles through 12-14" of snow with my '04 Grand Cherokee and before that my '98 Explorer with no lockers and no chains.

Around here 12-14 " is just a skiff of snow

Some of those drifts were as high as the top of his tires, 30" +.

It is here too. We sometimes get 3-4 feet in one storm.

I've driven through drifts that deep on my way to work in the morning many times. Most of what he's driving through in that video isn't up to the bottom of his doors and it's flat ground. No big deal. Coming up my driveway after work when it's been snowing hard all day is more of a challenge.

I talked to a Forest Ranger last year who had them on his patrol pick-up. He loved them. He was the only one with them on, he said, and never gets stuck whereas the other rangers with other types of ATs are getting stuck or can't go where he does.

Coopers are very noisy on my suburban...
I just bought a 97 Chevy with wore out uniroial lerados..still drive nice and quiet...I'll be replacing them with another set...made by mischlin...so there you go...

Years ago I ran the wrangler. And they were crap...sidewall gave out before tread...same on my buddy's ranger...never do that again...

Your problems isn't the Duratracks, it's that you're running a load range D tire (8 ply) on a truck that came with E's (10 ply).

I've got a 98 dodge 2500 diesel, it came with E's and I've always put them back on there. Never had a problem.

A friend has a 2000 dodge 2500 diesel and when he wore out his factory tires he tried to go cheap with D's. I told him not to but the tire guy said it'd work fine, he didn't listen to me and put the D's on anyway. He couldn't get them off quick enough, they wallowed all over the place pulling his horse trailer.

Put some 10 plys on there.

I am running "E"'s for the Duratracks. I mispoke when I typed 8 ply.They are indeed 10 ply.I checked yesterday to make sure that wasn't my problem.

I figured that was the case. I'm even running 10 ply (load range E) duratracs on my 1/2 ton GMC...

The current tires on my Excursion are Michelin LTX M/S 2. My truck weights around 8000 pounds. I up-sized with this tire from the stock 265 to 285 size, load range E of course. I don't even run the max air pressure because I don't tow anything heavy. No wallow from over flexing sidewalls. Checking the reviews on Tire Rack you'll find they work great on snow and ice, as good or better than most. These tires are very round and took very little weight to balance. I've rotated them a couple times.

They have around 80,000 miles on them, with another 5000 to 10,000 to go. For my use, there is no better tire.

How do the Michelins do in mud? I don't get in it often but often enough to need something that won't just clog up to leave me with racing slicks.

Another question. I see some of the recomendations are mud tires ,not M&S. What is the difference?

I would go Cooper ST Max.

Hankook ATM

Or the good Toyo version. M55?


I've heard the Toyo's hold up well on gravel but are fairly hard and might slide more on ice.


Hankook's are tougher than hell and offer pretty good highway traction on slick/icy highways.

Cooper's kinda in between.

I run all terrain tires on my 4x4's all year round. Alot of all terrains are M&S rated but don't have the snowflake rating of a true snow/winter tire. A true winter tire with the snowflake will be made of a softer rubber comound that is supposed to offer increased traction on packed snow and ice. They usually have silica added to the rubber which is supposed to offer more grip on ice and usually have holes for studs for the same reason. Truthfully, I've found some all terrains to be better in the snow than some winter tires and a good all terrain like the General Grabber AT2's I have on my Jeep to be superior in deep snow to any winter tire I've ever run. True winter tires, because of the softer rubber compound, also wear much quicker on bare roads than an all terrain, particularly on hot pavement.

Thanks .Knew about the softer rubber

BFG All-Terrain KO2

Don't worry. You'll never be able to do what blackheart can do with substandard equipment. He'll do it better, and faster. Just ask him...friggin Yankee.

Just because you suck at everything doesn't mean everybody does. Better keep that gov't job. They're used to substandard performance and your stupid fat ass wouldn't make it anywhere else.

That's a damn good tire. All the way around...

This bfg KO s have the silica like mischlins...should last longer

I just replaced the Michlins mentioned above... Sidewall blowout at 45k miles, not quite 4yrs old. Replaced with the BFG AT K/O 2's - my first set of 2's, had a few sets of the originals and they worked and wore great. Not a lot of snow experience though.

Vince-
Is 75 psi the max pressure?

I don't know if setting the tires at 80 psi would make a difference, but when fully loaded, or nearly so, I run max psi.

I had a Dodge 2500 with the diesel and extended cab that I put Michelins on. I made one pull with a trailer and had them replaced with BFG A/T's. The Michelins have too soft a sidewall and caused a mushy feeling ride and stability issues. Never again.

Our new Jeep has BFG A/T's and I think they're every bit as good as the older ones were and maybe quieter.

I usually run 75.Tried 80 ,didn't deem to make difference

And you can get em in E rated. I have them on my Ram 1500. They've been great in sand and snow.

Whatever you say Yankee.You have it all figured out.

BFG KO 2 for me. First set put on my 2012 Ram 2500 HD 4x4 about 15K ago and I have been very impressed with them in every respect.

I run the KO2s and I am happy with them but didn't recommend them since the OP said he did not want an all terrain.

I had a set of the KO2's on a Suburban some years ago. They lasted a long time. I didn't pull anything real heavy to know how they did for towing, though.

Yea,I don't think many noticed that.
Must be snow tires and good for heavy loads.
I have two sets of rims,I keep AT tires on for summer, change out in winter

I had BFG KOs on my 2000 GMC 3/4 ton for a time. First set didn't make 50,000 miles before braking a belt in the left front. Put another set on that lasted ~30,000 miles. A friend had some on his 1/2 ford back in the 80s and 90s and was still going strong at 80,000. He didn't haul much and rarely took them offroad. I thought they were real good on ice and light or packed snow, but not any better than other ATs in deep snow. Which means not good at all. I hope the KO2's are better.

It would take an amazing tire to do better than the Firestone Destination MTs that I had siped for ice and snow, however I haven't hauled heavy with them. I would imagine they wouldn't be very good in those conditions if they weren't siped. In deep snow they just keep digging and plow on through. When new they even allowed me to push snow up a steep hill with the bumper.

I ran KO's on my '06 F-250 and currently running a set of KO 2's in fall/Winter on my '11 F-250. Happy with both of them. Because they're my "winter" tires, I run them about 40K mi and then give them to a buddy who's happy to run tires until he can see the air in them.

If it was truly 'some years ago' they were the original KO's, not the 2's.

Don't underestimate the BF Goodrich all terrains in the snow. They actually work quite well. The KO2's have some pretty aggressive sidewalls too, which help to grab in the deeper snow...

Just put these on my Sierra......

I've had several sets of BFG T/K KO's in the past,(not the 2's) but the majority of the reviewers rate the Maxx better than the BFG's, so I decided to give them a "spin" this time.

I was seriously considering a set of Coopers,but reading all the reviews,most say they tend to come apart and Cooper has poor customer service. I have them on my Toyota though.

The problem I have here is there have not been many replies about tires and heavy loads. Most light truck tires will work on most trucks,but I am running 9500#'s loaded on the truck and pulling a three mule slant bumper trailer at about 6500#s with a load leveler hitch.

This. Great tires.

Expat

I've got the ST Maxx on my '11 2500HD. Its up around 10K while hitched to my 11K lb fifth wheel, a bit lighter when hitched to my 10K lb boat.

The Coopers were a bit squirrely for the first couple hundred miles,but once they got a few heat cycles in them have been solid.

I was basing my recommendations on 'heavy' work pickups.

Haven't heard of any Cooper blowouts.

Our F350's go 10k up to 14k loaded and knock on wood never had a tire let go(lately).
One time about 10 years ago and that was with a highway type Michelin.

And honestly I think you would have to really cheap out to find a chitty tire.

I agree with sam on the last part. I ran a set of the Cooper STT's for a few years and they are good tires. Don't wear quite as good as the duratracs, but the OP is looking for something better than the druatracs I believe. My list of suggestions would look like this in order of what I'd personally buy for my own rig:

1. Goodyear authority
2. Goodyear duratrac
3. Cooper stt
4. BFG all terrain KO2's
5. Toyo open country mud tires


Too bad they don't make the Kelly safari MSR anymore, as that was one bad azzed long lasting great tire...

I was in a local tire shop today getting a repair. They have a set of 95% BFG KO2's for $900 including chrome rims. They're the wrong size for mine, though. They're 245R75 16's, range E. I need 17's.

I have the Duratracks on right now. Too squirrely

You might take a look at Toyo M-55s. I haven't run them myself, but have read good reviews on them.

Cooper discontinued the STT and now it is the STT Pro, $1200 for four out the door. More of a mud tire, high performance

The Cooper ST is about $750 out the door.

I'll say it again, I really liked the Cooper STT, The newer version I have not tried. Used the STT on my f350 and an f250 with no issues. They wear well, great traction, but are a little loud. Worse as they wear down.

I am using the BFG KM2 on our Toyota 4Runner. Can't say for a heavier load but they are TOUGH tires. Great sidewall, not as good on ice, better in mud, must rotate frequently.

My hunting truck is probably going to get a set of Interco TRXUS. They are 10 ply, sidewalls are crazy strong. Interco TRXUS

BFG Commercial Traction TA is what I've run on my 97 Dodge 2500 CTD 4x4. I don't really tow that much. Extreme winter rated so it uses a softer compound. Best snow tire I've used. Downside is I only get about 20k out of them.

I have a 2016 Colorado (small truck). When the stock tires go, I plan on getting a set of Hankook DynaPro M/S if I can get them in my size. Had a set on a Ford Edge and liked them a lot. Just slightly aggressive, not too noisy, held up well.

Finally decided. Cooper STT Max. The ST is discontinued. I have used the Hankooks were. OK ,but not impressive. The Goodyear Duratrack is too squirrely with soft sidewalls.

Got these myself after running Duratracs and Hankook MT's. Toyo's rule over them all. R/T's just right for Nevada. I'm on dirt every week.

My brother runs those Coopers Max and loves them.

I put Cooper STT Pros on my Ram 2500 before archery season. They performed like champs both on highway and in 12"+ of snow over mud and rocks. Extremely pleased with them so far.

If you want a tire that will last a long time, rides well and has a good tread pattern to get you through the mud/snow, I'd recommend the BF Goodrich Rugged Trail. Not cheap but last alot longer than the ATs and definitely worth the $$ IME....

In the snow playing video it appears there are chains on, if so, almost any tire or tread could do that.

If you were to go to something with decently aggressive tread as opposed to really aggressive, I would look at Michelin LTX A/T.

I bought a used truck a year ago June. It had the LTX tires on. Owner thought they had about 15-20k on them. I have put on another 75k miles on them since then. Tread is almost wore down to the wear bar indicators.

Phenomenal wear. They are spendy, but there is no doubt what my next tire will be on this truck.

EDITED: I just reread OP. I am not certain how stiff a sidewall these have for hauling that heavy of a load.

Vince

How do you like the Cooper STT Maxx? I'm in the same deal

as you were, 04 Dodge Cummins 2500, pull a 3 horse bumper pull.

I have Hankook Dyna Pro on now 285 70 17 10 ply, but time

for new tires.

Thanks
Craig

I posted this on the safe tire thread but it's something to consider...
If you need new tires, consider going to a narrower tread. My stock size is 265x70x17. I'm running 245x75x17. They're the same diameter and load rating but an inch or so narrower. They handle better on slick roads and in rocks plus they leave more clearance for tire chains. Their one disadvantage is that they will dig in a little deeper in sand, which isn't a problem here.

They are a heck of a lot better than the Duratracks.In the past,I got about 25K out of the Hankooks.

The Coopers have a lot of tread,so you are sitting up there on some pretty aggressive soft lugs.These let you squirm around a bit under load.Side walls are a lot stiffer I really did not get to put them to a test on mud or snow the 2nd season as it was so warm.

They grab the bare pavement pretty good in an emergency stop.The stop was such that the deer still ran into the side of my truck. It hit between the left front wheel and front bumper.Pretty hard to lockup 16,000 pounds, but I sure made some black marks.Going faster and it would have centered on my left door.Slower and I would have caught it dead center on my winch. No sheet metal damage though,just bumper and turn signal/head lamp

Thanks, appreciate you sharing your experience with them. Sounds like what I'm looking for. Know what you mean about the deer, hit a doe a mile from home this summer on my last load of hay. Got lucky hit her square with the front bumper.

Craig

Anyone running the cooper at3's? I am looking at them for my next tire in my 3/4 ton diesel. I am mostly concerned about road noise, as I tend to put lots of long mileage days in during the summer months.

I ran the AT 3's on a 2002 F350 with truck camper on it, no issues. Just bought a Ram 3500 and put some 295/70/18 AT3's on so we will see what they are like. I also have some AT3's on my Tacoma and they have held up great in the rocks/snow.Great treadwear warranty also.

I've got Cooper STT Maxx's. They are a superb tire. Tread is slightly less aggressive than some true M/T's but more aggressive than any A/T. Road noise is, surprisingly, negligible. They're a great compound; wear like iron and come in load range E. They have great traction, both forward and lateral, which is often overlooked but nonetheless useful. They deflate well for offroad traction and then air right back up to full capacity when you hit the asphalt.

Edit to add: the tires are studdable for potentially increased snow traction, and they're siped so wet traction is also very solid.

I ended up buying Toyo E rated tires from treaddepot.com for a significant savings. Delivered to my door and had Discount Tire mount and balance for $140. Haven't put many miles on them but they ride nice enough and aren't too noisy. AT II model.

Cooper's web site shows an S-T Maxx but no STT Maxx. Is that they tire you're talking about?

I'm getting a little annoyed (well, a lot annoyed) at what the local guys want to balance and mount a tire. On the Semi, we stopped balancing, and started using the counteract beads to balance, and we don't need the shop anymore. Mount tire on rim, add beads, inflate, bolt on and go.

Anyone have any experience with balance beads in pickup tires?

I have a set of Balance Masters on my Ram 2500 and they work very well. Pricey, but worth the good ride.

I have never heard of balance beads, will they effect TPMS ?

This is from their FAQ's:

Thanks for the info.

Bfg at ko2

Snowflake rated unlike a lot of mud and AT tires if you see much snow....

This is a better tire than the KO it replaced 2 years ago

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

BFG AT KO2

YES. Very happy with KO2's second gen on my F150 off-road and on.

the boss..........

I just put the 285/65r20 KO2's on my FX4 after having the same size KO for the last 45,000 miles, they would've gone further but I never once rotated them. The fronts had no tread left on the edges but the backs had 7/32 after 45k miles!


I used tirerack.com pricing to get discount tire to come down and match the price!
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T%2FA+KO2
the size i got was $299
on sale down from 366$

Not enough air causes that.

Discount Tire Direct

no tax.......free shipping............

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.do

I use Goodyear

Look at nitto Exo-grapplers. They are a semi aggressive AT that is made for heavy diesel trucks and towing. They are supposed to be great in the snow and ice too.

JUNK!

I have them. They suck ass in everything but sand and snow. Mud=suck, water=suck, gravel= kinda suck, wet pavement= mega suck, ice=suck

I've had better luck/tractin with the 1st gen KO's than these overpriced rubber piles.

But all the teenagers think they "look sick."

I've been happy with the Toyo AT2's I have on my gmc 2500 that weighs in at a svelte 7,800lbs. E rated and keep them at 80 psi. Milage has been great. I think they are relatively low on road noise for a large all terrain tire. I think I should get about 55-60k out of them.