Would appreciate help with tire selection

[mdonathan56]

Wow! That's a cool tool. I'm going to have to use that thank you.

Does anyone have experience with a tall skinny passenger tire such as a 255/85/16 or a plus two equivalent 255/~60/18 that could share?

My truck originally had 235/85/16 and now it has 265/75/16 Continental Terrain Contacts. They are a great tire, excellent wet weather, which is why I got them. Nice ride and handling. I don't 'off road' the truck so on road manners were my primary driver. They are an A/T tire so should work for off road.

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[Apples]

I'm considering Base. Looking at a 255/75R17, four I'm thinking about:
BF Goodrich T/A KO2
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
Kumho AT51 Road Venture
Hankook Dynapro AT2

Thoughts?

Some people love the KO2s. I know more than a few who experience bad wear patterns and tons of road noise as they wore. I've never run them so I can't comment beyond that.

I've heard really good things about the Discoverers.

The Hankooks were the stock tire on the Xterra. I've never met someone with good things to say about them.

 

[Austin26]

My truck originally had 235/85/16 and now it has 265/75/16 Continental Terrain Contacts. They are a great tire, excellent wet weather, which is why I got them. Nice ride and handling. I don't 'off road' the truck so on road manners were my primary driver. They are an A/T tire so should work for off road.

That's great to hear. I have plenty of time to think about it but they look like the ideal tires for me.

Oh and thank you for your help.

 

[Apples]

Go with 265/70/16 for just a bit more sidewall. The Terrain Contact tires are on my wife’s SUV. They are very impressive, and I think they have more than a dash of off road capability. They do generate a little more road noise than an all season tire, but it’s perfectly acceptable. Just for reference, the SUV is used in SW Colorado to get to alpine lakes, hiking trails, fishing etc. on rutted roads, and mild/moderate shelf roads.

I'm assuming (HOPING) the Bronco has the ability to adjust for tire size, because of the large variation of sizes available. If it doesn't just be aware, tire size will affect the accuracy of your speedo. A mild change won't really affect it much. Going from 31" to 34" tires on my Xterra results in ~6% inaccuracy. That really adds up at 75mph..

 

[rtaylor]

I'm considering Base. Looking at a 255/75R17, four I'm thinking about:
BF Goodrich T/A KO2
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
Kumho AT51 Road Venture
Hankook Dynapro AT2

Thoughts?

I am a big fan of BFG T/A KO2. The sidewalls are very tough and the wear is acceptable. Great on and off road. Plus, I just like the looks. They are the "Michelin" of off-road truck tires. Literally. BFG is a Michelin brand.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Good experience with these....
Michelin (winters and all seasons, always great)...really want to try their truck tires, siping looks to be good for ice.
BFG (truck and car tires have been great)
Bridgestone (winters have been great- no all/3seasonal experience)
Firestone....yep, still around...have had REALLY good performance from them on my F250. I wouldn't hesitate.


The General CAR tires, I've had two sets, two cars, two different tire models ….same exact problems.. In both cases I COULD NOT wait to for them to wear out so I could replace them.
God how I hated those tires
BTW, both models had RAVE reviews on Tirerack.com...…

 

[stampede1]

And of course, on behalf of all my peers on this site, Thank you, sir, for your service to our great country. Good luck on your tire selection and bronco experience-well deserved!

 

[MaverickMan]

BFGs wear like crap and are barely competent in dry dirt areas. Look more at AT/MT hybrids like some goodyear tires like duratrac and authority and others from Mickey Thompson, Toyo, Nitto. Otherwise there is always some 34x10.50 super swampers.

Tall narrow and will get you out of anything.

 

[Garemlin]

I hear nothing but good about the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W's. Great traction on and off road, low noise and great tread life. It's what I'm going with for sure.

 

[GotGOAT]

I'm considering Base. Looking at a 255/75R17, four I'm thinking about:
BF Goodrich T/A KO2
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
Kumho AT51 Road Venture
Hankook Dynapro AT2

Thoughts?

I ran the Hankook Dynapro AT2s on my truck. I liked the grip in both wet and dry conditions. They were ok in the snow. However, they cupped pretty early in their life so I moved on from them.
I do not know if I got a bad set or if that is a common problem with that tire.
If they hadn’t cupped, I would have been pretty impressed with their overall performance.

 

[Garemlin]

I ran the Hankook Dynapro AT2s on my truck. I liked the grip in both wet and dry conditions. They were ok in the snow. However, they cupped pretty early in their life so I moved on from them.
I do not know if I got a bad set or if that is a common problem with that tire.
If they hadn’t cupped, I would have been pretty impressed with their overall performance.

They did Ok for me on my F-150 except in the snow.

 

[Mattwings]

Keeping with your original question, a few things I would keep in mind. If you drive in snow/ice I would look at a "snowflake" rating if not using dedicated snow tires and narrower is usually better. Narrow tire=more pressure per square inch. That is a benefit in ice and can be better in snow, if your not trying to stay on top. The opposite is sand, where wider=more flotation. In MI we have lots of snow and sand, so it's somewhat of a dilemma. I don't want two sets of wheels and tires (one winter, one "other") so I end up shooting for the middle and look at reviews and for 3 season ratings for snow, so they are at least "passable" in the winter.

 

[JT1]

Wow! That's a cool tool. I'm going to have to use that thank you.

Does anyone have experience with a tall skinny passenger tire such as a 255/85/16 or a plus two equivalent 255/~60/18 that could share?

I've run 238/85 r16s on a wrangler, great off road, not on road. 255/75 r17s are still fairly skinny, and they were better on road, switched to 285/70 r17s and like them more.. KO2s are a decent all around tire with decent off road chops, for a more road oriented tire, the Dueler Revo 3s are the best compromise of offroad performance, and not being a penalty box on road, followed a very close second by the Toyo open country at3's

 

[Mountain Goat]

On the Disco in my profile pic, I ran 235/85R16 BFG KM2s and they were phenomenal tires. Sold them 2 years later for over 80% of their original price and downgraded before selling the rig. They were fantastic all throughout southeast Idaho, and the vehicle was more than competent on deep snow, ice, slush, and hardpacked winter roads.

That particular tire size will give you the "pizza cutter" look you are describing, but are generally load range E and HEAVY, negating any potential fuel savings you might otherwise get. Same is true of the taller cousin 255/85R16, which would potentially be a better choice for the Bronco (bigger rig = bigger tires).

Another thing, since both these tire sizes are generally load range E, they are a little stiffer than most passenger tires. This negates some of the squirm you might expect from such a tall sidewall.

Both good choices, just don't expect "fuel savings" per se.

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