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Posted By: Hudge Light Truck Tires - 03/30/19
Looking to see if anyone has any experience with a couple of different tires I have in mind for my truck. The truck is a 2016 Chevy 1500 Z71, and it's time to replace the tires. I thought I had made my decision and informed the wife, but she lost my quote for the tires I got. If I remember correctly, they are Nitto Terra Grappler G2's. Looking at the shop's website that gave me the quote back in January, I see they also carry Falken brand tires. The Falkens that have my interest are the Wildpeak AT3W. Does anyone have any experience with either of these tires? The truck will be my daily driver when I return back home in August, but I will also be using it for hunting and fishing. Mostly pavement, but some rough areas especially where we bear hunt at in the spring season, but I will be using the ATV for the really rough areas.
Posted By: WoodrowFCall Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/30/19
I just bought a new set of tires for my Tacoma.

I wouldn't buy the Falken Tires. A bunch of folks are crazy about them on Tacomaworld, but after researching, several had issues with the tires. Some were losing chunks of the tread.

I have no experience with the Nittos, but they are popular and look good.


I bought a set of General Grabber AT2s for my Tacoma when it was new. I got over 60,000 miles on that set. They performed ok in the mud. They performed great everywhere else. They are studable. Pretty quiet, hardly louder than the stock tire.

I just changed to General Grabber X3s and they are louder and heavier (they are an E rated MT though), but they perform well in the mud. I'm liking them, but they did hit my MPGs as they are 20lbs heavier than the AT2s each. Long term we'll see, but I don't expect 60,000 on them. They do talk a little on the highway, but not too bad.

I'd also check out the Toyo Rough Country MTs. Heavy, but great tires with a good reputation.

Hope that helps a little.
Posted By: SockPuppet Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/30/19
I run the Falken Wildbeak AT3W on my F-350 diesel. I'm extremely happy with them. Fairly quiet on the road, good traction in dirt, sand, snow, etc. Decent in mud. Mine are load range E and are fantastic with a load, either in the bed or towing one of my trailers. I'd absolutely buy them again.
Posted By: RickBin Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/30/19
I went with the Toyo Open Country RT on my Duramax. They are a relatively new category of hybrid tire that sits between the AT (least aggressive) and MT (most aggressive).

I am very happy with them, both on road and off. Jury is out on longevity, as I have less than 10K miles on them.

Worth a look, for sure. Toyos have a great rep.
Posted By: Sasha_and_Abby Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/30/19
I've run two sets of Toyo's on my present Land Cruiser... I got 95k on the first set and now have86k on this one. Great tires, but not as "soft" as Michelins for a ride..
Posted By: RaySendero Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/30/19
Hudge.
FWIW, Here's how I solved the on road/off road tires.

Have had 4WDs for last 25 yrs.
Been thru many all terrain tires, Was never satisfied with any of them.
Tried mud tires but got lots of road noise and poor mileage.

Last truck I ordered with highway tires.
Was easy to find a set of take-off steel rims for my truck.
(seems most would replace these steel rims with aluminum alloys - was very inexpensive)
Put a set of full out mud tires on the 2nd set of rims.
1" space between lugs with sidewall lugs also.

9 months out of the year I use the highway tires.
Put the mud tires on for hunting season and winter snow.

Am still amazed how much better the highway tires drive/handle on pavement.
Mud tires work well in mud and snow!
Posted By: saskfox Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/31/19
I have the General Grabber 275/55r20 XL on my truck now. I like them,good ride,fairly quiet. I haven't had them on long enough to comment on tire life. I have 2 winters on my General Grabber Arctic and I will get another winter 5 months out of them so roughly 30000 miles. The General is made in USA
My dealer has been happy with them. I've had Toyo summer and winter tires. Winter tires were fantastic but only could get 2 seasons out of them. Summer tires last a long time but they are very hard. I also had Kuhmo summer and winter tires and I wouldn't recommend them. Not a bad tire but they don't last . The factory Good Year that came with the truck were a pretty good all around tire I got a little over 60000 miles out of them.
Posted By: Hudge Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/31/19
Thanks for the input gentlemen. Since I am not in the state at this time and the wife has to deal with this as the truck has studs currently on it, and have to be off by 1 May, I am limiting where I get my tires at. I have had dealings with both places with one being a custom shop near the house and the other the Automotive/Tire Shop on base. Our Sam's Club closed last year, and I am ruling out Costco as an option on tires as I've had bad dealings with them. It wasn't Costco themselves, but rather the tires we bought from them. As mentioned I want a little more aggressive tire than what I currently have, and I will also be towing a trailer from time to time with my Ranger and 4 Wheeler when we go riding.

Anyways, I thought about the General Tires, but neither place is a dealer and the one in town that is a General dealer gave me an outrageous price on them, so those are off the list. I will see if the base carries Toyo Tires and take it from there. I had honestly forgotten about Toyo Tires, as I was looking for those tires before I gave my son my 09 Dodge Ram, but he got regular street tires instead. He has the BFG KO2's on it and loves them, but I notice the truck is quite a bit louder with them. I've run other AT tires in the past and never had any that loud, of course, KO2's are a little more aggressive tire as well.
Posted By: Hudge Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/31/19
Originally Posted by RaySendero
Hudge.
FWIW, Here's how I solved the on road/off road tires.

Have had 4WDs for last 25 yrs.
Been thru many all terrain tires, Was never satisfied with any of them.
Tried mud tires but got lots of road noise and poor mileage.

Last truck I ordered with highway tires.
Was easy to find a set of take-off steel rims for my truck.
(seems most would replace these steel rims with aluminum alloys - was very inexpensive)
Put a set of full out mud tires on the 2nd set of rims.
1" space between lugs with sidewall lugs also.

9 months out of the year I use the highway tires.
Put the mud tires on for hunting season and winter snow.

Am still amazed how much better the highway tires drive/handle on pavement.
Mud tires work well in mud and snow!



I am looking for some take offs as well. I run studs in the winter and would rather just have them on separate rims ready to go when the time comes. Also, less damage to the rims swapping over tires every 6 months as well. Before this winter, I never ran studs on my truck, but made sure the wife and kid had them on theirs. Since the wife drove my truck for a few months after we sold her Jeep, we put studs on it. Man, it drove so much better on the roads when I was home than my normal tires. I am sold, and since I will be back home this next winter I am keeping studs on it during the winter months.
Posted By: horse1 Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/31/19
I have the Nitto Terra Grappler (Not G2) on my '11 F250. They're pretty comparable to BFG AT KO2 regarding noise and throwing rocks on gravel. I run them as my spring, summer, early fall tires then run Nitto Exo Grappler in the late-fall/Winter. I can't speak to longevity yet, I put about 10K on them last summer. About the most I asked of them was to pull a 4K # boat/trailer up a slick concrete ramp last summer, which they did fine. Other than that just pavement and a little gravel here and there.

If the Terra Grappler is of interest to you, I'd probably go with a BFG KO2 instead (I've also had them on the same truck). If you're looking for a little more towards a "pavement" tire I'd probably put Hankook Dynapro near the top of the list.
Posted By: tikkanut Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/31/19

recent addition to my '14 Tacoma

Cooper ST Maxx...hybrid mud/AT tire

relatively quiet......3 ply sidewall......good lookin'

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]
Posted By: Windfall Re: Light Truck Tires - 03/31/19
It depends on where you live and what you do with your truck. I went with the aggressive lug, stiff wall, go through anything tires on my first trucks. As I've gotten older and wiser, I rather like listening to a nice sounding radio or normal tone conversation than sounding like a fire engine siren going down the highway where the truck spends most of its time. As a youth it was damn the bushes, full speed ahead and more than once I came home with the side mirrors in the back of the truck instead of attached to the sides of the vehicle. Today I'll be darned if I'm going to bury a $50,000. Platinum up to the frame in a mud hole. Drive it in 2wd and punch the 4wd button as needed. I pay a lot of attention to Consumer Reports test data and they rated the Continental and Michelin light truck tires as the best and today all of our vehicles wear the Michelin tires.

Most every outdoor enthusiast that I know with a 4wd, also has an ATV of some description and if you break one of those while inconvenient, you put it on the trailer or in the back of the truck and drive home. Break your only means of transportation because you thrashed it in the hinterland 200 miles from home and you are in a world of hurt. I broke an axle on the truck once in the Nicolet National Forest and it was more than just inconvenient.
Posted By: Hudge Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/09/19
Thanks for the inputs gentlemen. I have done a little more research on AT Tires, and I have added to my list. I have gotten one quote so far and they are for the Toyo's, which are $1289 mounted and balanced with road hazard warranty. I plan on calling around today to get some more quotes. I've got some time yet, as the truck is parked and the wife is having gutters installed on the house next week, so I've got to wait until May for them anyways.
Posted By: dennisinaz Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/13/19
I have the Wildpeak AT3W on my F150. They are amazing tires. I drove across the midwest twice last fall/winter in some conditions that had most people on the shoulder or in the median. I just kept right on trucking. They have great traction on [bleep] roads.

It is easy to buy take-offs here. I am going to buy a set of the new Bridgestone Duelers with factory aluminum wheels to put back on it for the non-weather season and put the Wildpeaks back on in November. $650 for a set of brand new factory aluminum wheels and tires. Hard to beat that.
Posted By: bsa1917hunter Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/13/19
Originally Posted by dennisinaz
I have the Wildpeak AT3W on my F150. They are amazing tires. I drove across the midwest twice last fall/winter in some conditions that had most people on the shoulder or in the median. I just kept right on trucking. They have great traction on [bleep] roads.

It is easy to buy take-offs here. I am going to buy a set of the new Bridgestone Duelers with factory aluminum wheels to put back on it for the non-weather season and put the Wildpeaks back on in November. $650 for a set of brand new factory aluminum wheels and tires. Hard to beat that.


Those tires were also suggested to me by my tire shop. I guess they have a very good track record and work great in winter conditions and dirt roads, but still drive smooth and quiet on bare pavement. I took a picture of them just so I would remember these are going to be my next tire purchase:
[Linked Image]
Posted By: tikkanut Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/13/19


yep

Falkin WP3's are highly rated !
Posted By: AlaskaCub Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/14/19
Those wildpeaks are great tires, my son got a set last fall for his Tacoma and I was really impressed with how well they did this winter, I may try a set when I get new tires.
Posted By: Hiaring8 Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/15/19
On the Wildpeaks - specs show 19/32 tread on a LT275/70/18...Most AT tires are usually 15-17/32...Do these tires really have that much tread? Not complaining if true lol
Posted By: tikkanut Re: Light Truck Tires - 04/15/19


They are meaty.......made in Thailand if that matters

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/falken-wildpeak-a-t3w/p/26817
Posted By: Hudge Re: Light Truck Tires - 05/06/19
Well, the wife had to get my studs off shortly after this so the oldest could drive my truck. She put my old tires back on it, so I’ll see how they look when I get back home in August. Come Sunday, it’s parked as the oldest leaves for Army basic training. His Dodge Ram is having break issues, and the wife told him she was not getting it fixed for it to sit until he gets home from AIT in late Nov. The truck needs new rear brake calipers as one of them the piston is frozen up on it. That ruined the rotors etc. on it. I told him I would get it fixed before he got home so he can drive it to drill and college.

As far as the Falkens, I called several tire shops back home and none claim they carry Falken tires. Even the shop that does lots of custom work and their webpage says they are a Falken dealer denied they are. When I asked about why their webpage says they are Falken dealers, I got “well we can look into ordering a set possibly for you, but no guarantees”.
Posted By: handwerk Re: Light Truck Tires - 05/08/19
Both my sons and I all have the wildpeak AT3's and have had great luck with them. There may be better tires out there, but for the price I'm not sure they can be beat. They've been great in winter as well as off road and are fairly quit. My oldest son and I both have tacos and the other son a 4Runner.
Posted By: Magnum_Bob Re: Light Truck Tires - 05/08/19
Well you might look at Hancook Dynapro's also. My work truck came with them, they are highway tires that get me around ok in the winter. The ones on the front are the originals with 66,000 miles and not even close to the safety bars. A good friend found some Hancook off road tires at Wallyworld for his Doge Dakota mounted and balanced for less than $600(all 4) you might check them out. MB
Posted By: Hudge Re: Light Truck Tires - 05/10/19
Originally Posted by Magnum_Bob
Well you might look at Hancook Dynapro's also. My work truck came with them, they are highway tires that get me around ok in the winter. The ones on the front are the originals with 66,000 miles and not even close to the safety bars. A good friend found some Hancook off road tires at Wallyworld for his Doge Dakota mounted and balanced for less than $600(all 4) you might check them out. MB


Alaska Wal-Marts do not have tire centers in them. You can see on some that maybe at one time they did, or they build them to, but never installed them. Also, ordering from some place like tirerack.com is not really an option either. I'll look around when I get home, as in tow more days the truck is going in the garage since the oldest son that has been driving it the last three weeks goes to Army Basic Training.
Posted By: huntabsarokee Re: Light Truck Tires - 05/13/19
I also went with the Wildpeaks on my Tundra. I got the P version in 275/65 18. I typically buy Cooper's but was really watching my $$. I ended up seeing them on the Walmart website for $160. Never bought tires at Walmart so was hesitant. Put them in my cart and closed the PC. Next day I come back and they are still in my cart but at $143 a tire. Decided to pull the trigger. Sent direct to my local Walmart so with the mounting and balance came to $156 per tire plus tax. That includes lifetime rotation and balancing. I will say the Walmart employees had a hard time balancing them at first but finally figured it out. I was worried the agressive tread would hurt MPG. I just got back from a short trip to the beach with them. Computer was at 18.1 MPG and I hand calculated 18.2 MPG. Will add it was a very favorable 350 miles. Very little hills and mild interstate with lots of 67 mph driving. Tires are not too loud at all and look way better than the stock highway tires. They may not last 60k miles but for $624 for the set I am OK with that.
Posted By: ShortMag11 Re: Light Truck Tires - 05/13/19
Can't believe no one has mentioned the Nitto Ridge Grapplers. My previous 3-4 sets of tires have been MT/s but I was getting a little tired of the noise and vibration so I went with the Ridge Grappler based on reading tons of good reviews. So glad I did. They are a E load range tire so they do have a stiffer ride than a factory tire but not as bad as a MT. I think they are combination of offroad when you need it but road manners otherwise. Keep in mind I don't drive in deep mud or snow. I currently have 39K on mine and as surprising as it sounds they still appear to have about half the tread left on them or maybe a hair more. I will try to take a pic of them this afternoon to show how they are wearing. I do rotate every 5K.

https://imgur.com/ehyieK6
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