Tire Choices--Help Me Decide

Owyhee H

Adventurer
So I am getting tires for my new 2011 4cyl Tacoma and need some help deciding.

I have narrowed the search to three tires, mainly two, but cant make the final choice. The tires will be in the 235-85-R16 Flavor, so will all be E rated tires and I assume 10ply. The choices are BFG T/A KO, Cooper Discoverer AT3, and Yokohama AT2.

The last two sets of tires on my last vehicle were BFG T/A's and they were great. Good traction, not too noisy, and wore well. The BFG's weigh in at 49lbs and are more aggressive so may hurt gas mileage, they also don't have a mileage warranty. I love these tires but think they may be too heavy and aggressive for my realistic needs.

The Yokohama tires have a good reputation, but I don't have any experience with them. They are 51lbs and so are the heaviest of the three. I hear they have good traction and wear well, they are also less aggressive so may not hurt gas mileage as much.

The cooper discoverer AT3's are a new design from cooper. I had the ATR's on a truck long ago and they performed well. The new design is supposed to be quiet, wear well, and have good traction. The Coopers also have a 50,000 mile warranty. They are the lightest by far at 43lbs, which with a 4cyl is probably a good thing.

The BFG has a good off road reputation and have strong sidewalls, but with an E rated tire on a Tacoma I don't think the sidewalls are going to be a problem. I do like the aggressive traction of the BFG but don't think that it is necessary. I spend a lot of time in the desert, forest, and snow, but do not go "4wheeling". I go where my adventures take me, which has worse roads than most would encounter when "wheeling".

So I am not worried about the toughness of the tires seeing that they are all E-rated, but am not convinced I need the extra traction of the BFG T/A. Im leaning toward the Coopers but wanted others opinion before i made a 50K mile commitment. All of the prices are very comparable, so that is not a factor. I looked at other choices but theses are the three that have the best price/reputation/traction for my needs. As with most around here I do a lot of highway and freeway travel so road comfort and manners matter.

Thanks for your input and any guidance you can give me for or against any of these tires,

Harlan
 

eric1115

Adventurer
Have you considered GY Silent Armor's? I've got the DuraTrac's and love them, but it doesn't sound like you need tires that aggressive. The SA's are awesome in snow, great on the road, and very durable. Spendier than the others on your list, but worth considering if you haven't taken a close look at them. Other than that, I ran the old Geolanders for a while in that size and was pleased for the most part. Great in snow, good on the road, but definitely not as good as the BFG AT/KO in the dirt and terrible in the mud. My DuraTrac's are better in the snow than either, only a little noisier on road than the Yoko's (about the same as the BFG's), similar in the dirt/rocks to the KO's, and much better in anything muddy than either of the others. I ran BFG's on mini's and 4Runner's for years and was pleased with them, but there are some great designs out there now that I think work better for my needs. No experience with the Coopers.

Hope this helps!
Eric
 

Owyhee H

Adventurer
Yes I considered the Silent Armors but they are significantly more expensive. The three I choose were for the cost, mileage, and need. There is a huge part of me that wants the BFG's but they are a lot heavier, more aggressive, and dont have a warranty. I just need to decide whether the extra aggressive traction is worth the loss in mileage and not having a warranty.
 
IMO, it is tough to beat the BFG AT as a "do everything" tire. They perform great in just about every condition other than deep powder snow and mud, are extremely durable, and are reasonably priced. I would not hesitate to go with them just because of the lack of mileage warranty. On that truck, I would be very surprised if you didn't see 50k miles out of them.
 

christianoffroad

Cheap Adventurer!
Yes I considered the Silent Armors but they are significantly more expensive. The three I choose were for the cost, mileage, and need. There is a huge part of me that wants the BFG's but they are a lot heavier, more aggressive, and dont have a warranty. I just need to decide whether the extra aggressive traction is worth the loss in mileage and not having a warranty.


I will second the recommendation on the Duratracs. Yes, the are more expensive, but they out-perform my old BFG A/T's and have held up excellently. They have worn great, and a co-worker who used to work at a shop that sold both Goodyear and BFG said they FAR loulasted the BFG's. I have never been a huge fan of Goodyear, and bought these on a friends recommendation. I have never regretted it! Ya, they cost more, but in the long run, I would rather spend a little more now than be stuck with inferior tires on my rig for the next 50K (or in the BFG's case, 35-40K) I'm running these on a 1987 Ford F-350 that does triple duty as my expo-rig, tow- vehicle, & off-road support truck, so they arent treated too nicely!
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
I loved my Cooper STTs; different tire but same family.
Cooper makes most of the offroad boutique tires; good pedigree.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
E rated tires are going to be a mistake. A bit stiff, and more expensive than the C or D that a little Taco needs. I'd try to find C or D's in your size befroe commiting to 10 ply's designed for 1 ton trucks.

I'll second the nomination for the Goodyear Silent Armors. They'll be a bit more plush than BFG AT's and will do better in slightly muddy conditions. I doubt that they're as heavy as the BFG's but you may want to look that up. They are a bit noisier than the BFG's though.

I'd rather have the Duratracks, but if you don't need a tire that aggressive then the Silent Armors are the way to go. The BFG ATKO's just seem kinda old and obsolete to me now that Goodyear and others have AT tires that do ok in mild muddy conditions now.
 
Last edited:

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
If you haven't already bought tires, it seems like you know what to do... Buy the ones you know you like. But as buliwyf said, I would look at load range D. They are plenty for a Taco with a 4 cyl. I always figure if you find something that works well for you, stick with it. You mention your "driving down the road is often more than the average persons wheeling". Sounds to me like it would be good to have a tire you have faith in, and a IS bit more aggressive. You won't likely even be able to calculate a difference in mpgs from BFG to Cooper etc.
 

Owyhee H

Adventurer
Thanks for the replies. I didnt know if there was going to be a calculable difference in mileage. The BFG is not that much more aggressive and I might as well have somthing I know and trust. As far as finding a tire that is not E rated, the only tires available in 235-85-16 are E rated and I dont want something as wide as a 265. It is overkill going with the E rated but that will give me peace of mind when in rough terrain and this size is considerably cheaper than the 265's of similar diameter. The 235 E rated tires are also lighter than the 265 c rated tires.
I do like the Goodyear tires and if I went that direction I would get the silent armor but they are soo much more expensive and I have had bad customer service from them(my local goodyear dealers) in the past so they are not an option. I hate the duratracs, they look good on paper but in my experience they did not drive well and are not useful except off road, YMMV.
Really its down to the coopers and BFG, ive looked at lots of tires and these are the two that I like from the companies I will buy from. It just comes down to is the BFG worth 6lbs a tire and a little more agressive tread. Will I even notice the 6lbs? Will the tread from the AT3 and BFG TAKO make a difference in mileage?

BFG TA/KO 49lbs
Cooper Discoverer AT3 43lbs
235/85R16
 

FLYFISHEXPERT

LivingOverland.com
Although I do not have any experience with the AT3s, I did run the ATRs on my 4Runner (thanks to the previous owner) prior to getting the S/Ts. I thought the ATRs performed very well on most of the dirt/gravel roads we traveled on. They were a great tire for my needs at the time. My only complaint was mud traction. We have some thick gumbo-like clay mud over here and when it came time to replace them I went with the S/T. I am not sure how many the ATRs saw but my S/Ts have seen 50K and will be replaced this summer.

I ran BFG KOs on my old Jeep Cherokee and they performed well too. When compared to the ATR, they had an edge off road.

When I was choosing tires for the 4Runner, it was between the KOs and the S/Ts. I chose the S/T because I felt the design would provide better wet traction. I commute 100miles/day over rutted interstate and after a hard rain hydroplaning can be an occasional issue.
 
Last edited:

broken1

Observer
not on your list but............general grabber at2's have been great to me

X2 I love them. 31-10.5-15 load range C under a 2004 TJ unlimited. Was thinking of going more aggressive but after 35K miles they still have about 40% left and still haven't let me down. I am thinking they are a perfect match for me and what I do. NE wheeling and exploring. Great in snow, rain, mud, sand, etc...

They are available in your desired size, they are also load range E, they also weigh 51 lbs, and cost less than your other selections.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,533
Messages
2,875,602
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top