I've got a 2003 4Runner 4wd and want new tires sometime. My current Dunlop AT20s still have a decent amount of tread, so I'm in no hurry.

I want an all terrain tire cause I will do some light offroading.

I've read a lot on the net and really wanted some Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors or maybe some Bridgestone Dueler Revos.
Both those tires have good feedback for onroad ride, bad weather traction, and pretty good offroad grip.
I had some BFG All Terrains on my old Tundra, but they were a lil stiff and supposedly only come in load range D for my size.
I wanted to stick with a P metric for ride comfort and 99% (realistically) of my driving is on road.

That said, Colony Tire has a buy 3 get 1 free special right now.
The only tire they have that I'd be interested in are the Michelin LTX AT2.
It'd be $867 for four installed.

Anyone have any feedback on the AT2? They're kinda pricey, but I'm guessing a set of the Silent Armor or Revos would only be around $100 less.
If the ride and treadlife is like other michelins then it might be worth the money...but only if it's decent off road too.

Any thoughts?
Anyone know where in Rocky Mount I can get a good and cheaper alternative to any of the mentioned tires?

Also, for those of you who've worked in tire places...
How much tread needs to be left for shops to give me any money for my current tires? Do many shops do that?

[Edited on November 20, 2008 at 4:28 PM. Reason : ]

11/20/2008 4:21:25 PM

Just google all the tire shops around, call and ask them if they can beat that price. I've also never been paid for tires w/ tread remaining.

11/20/2008 4:43:29 PM

BFG All Terrain, Nitto Terra Grappler AT, or maybe a Yokohama Geolandar AT would all work well, but the best tire, even for light offroading, is Michelin LTX M/S (if you can get it in your size).

That being said, I had an '03 4Runner and did some light offroading/beach driving and I had the 18in wheels with Kumho Ecsta Supra tires. Couldnt get it stuck no matter where I went on the beach, got bored after a while. So sacrificing road manners and durability to step into an all terrain tire that will only go offroad less than 5% of its life is a tough call.

[Edited on November 20, 2008 at 4:57 PM. Reason : almost forgot]

11/20/2008 4:54:27 PM

Yeah, that's why I'm keeping my choices to the Silent Armor, Revos, etc.

I had the LTX M/S on my tundra and those tires would slip pretty bad on wet fescue...course many tires probably slip bad on wet grass.

11/20/2008 5:33:21 PM

I can vouch for the nitto terra's. I had 35's on my fullsize truck and drove them hard for all of 80k miles. They were real quiet for the first 20-30k, but got progressively louder as they wore.

The smoothest ride tire I've had was the Michelin LTX M&S, they were $$$ but damn they rode quiet and soft for their size. Wore out too fast for me, though, maybe 35k on them.

It really depends which shop you go to that will pay you for used tires. Bigger independent shops can keep all sorts of sizes around, offer you 5 to 50 bucks for each of your old ones if they can resell them. They can turn them around for $texas for the poor schmuck who just failed his inspection because of bald tires and needs his car/truck immediately.

Everyone will have their own opinions, just try to find the ones with the least complaints on those tire sites.

[Edited on November 20, 2008 at 6:51 PM. Reason : dolla holla]

11/20/2008 6:50:54 PM

Goodyear - overrated
Can't go wrong with Michelin LTX M/S or A/T. I believe they make both in P metric
I just now replaced a set of 31x10.5 M/S's that the previous owner had put on my truck in 1997
I have fishtailed once, but it was probably my fault for going down an S-shaped entrance ramp at about 35-40 mph in the rain

11/20/2008 8:41:25 PM

haha, getting 35k or 80k out of a set of tires is a foreign concept to me. It's been years since I got more than about 15k on a set (usually around 10k).

11/20/2008 8:45:12 PM

Damn, you driving a fire truck or something? what kinda tires?

At work our engines usually don't get but a year (12-15k miles) on a set of Goodyear MTRs or Silent Armors...that cost racks up fast.
Considering they're one ton trucks with 3000 lbs worth of gear and water going off road I guess you can't expect much more.
But on a personal daily driver?

11/20/2008 11:18:51 PM

how do mickey thompson baja atz's compare to the bfg at? i'll be looking for some new AT tires soon and have had the bfg's for a couple of years.

11/20/2008 11:33:22 PM

Pirelli Scorpion A/Ts.

11/21/2008 12:59:00 AM

i'd go with the revos

11/21/2008 8:16:55 AM

Quote :

"Can't go wrong with Michelin LTX M/S"

11/21/2008 10:59:41 AM

^ehh...I want better offroad traction than the LTX M/S.

^^Have you owned a set of Revos? You think they'd be better than the LTX AT2?

11/21/2008 11:02:21 AM

Better offroad traction huh. For light offroading.

Just be honest, you are gonna pick a tire based on looks and price.

11/21/2008 4:54:54 PM

get some bawggers

11/21/2008 5:49:31 PM

Quote :

"But on a personal daily driver?"

Yeah...285 hp Miata, 360+ hp S2000, and Evo IX...using BFG KDWs, Falken Azenis, and Yokohama Advans, and driving them pretty hard. Usually get about 10-12k on a set; got 18k on one set on the Evo, but that's because I was trying to sell it and was trying to avoid changing the tires beforehand, but I had to break down and do it because the steel belts were hanging out of the fronts, and the right front finally basically just came apart (stupid--I never should've pushed it that far, although it was on the inside shoulder and I hadn't noticed that it'd gotten THAT bad).

11/21/2008 6:33:55 PM

Quote :

"Better offroad traction huh. For light offroading. Just be honest, you are gonna pick a tire based on looks and price."

I know highway tires can get you a pretty good way offroad.
My work truck has some crappy Hancook highway tires and I've only gotten stuck once in that truck. I would have gotten stuck with any all terrain in that situation...Tires don't help bad driving decisions right?

But yeah, I still want the piece of mind that comes with having a tire that will have a little better traction offroad even if I'm not willing to push its limiits.

Looks aren't a big deal. The LTX MS doesn't look bad.
Price is always a concern, thats why I wanted to know if the LTX AT2 would last long enough to justify the increased price compared to other ATs.

^Damn. Sounds like you like to have a lot of fun with your cars.


[Edited on November 23, 2008 at 11:49 PM. Reason : BTW, I wanna try some trails at Uwharrie sometime.]

11/23/2008 11:44:29 PM

the BFG's just look so much better

11/24/2008 3:10:28 AM

try sam's and see what tires they have, usually a little cheaper than other places

11/24/2008 12:10:56 PM

Quote :

"Have you owned a set of Revos? You think they'd be better than the LTX AT2?"

no, michelin seems to always beat bs/fs, but they're pricey. for the money, i'd get the revos. gf's dad has a set on his powerstroke and i've been impressed with them the times i've driven it, including a little light offroad for hunting. they're great on the highway. he's pretty biased because he works at the plant in wilson, and i guess i might be too since he hooks me up with a nice discount. if you can find them for similar prices definitely go with the michelins.

[Edited on November 24, 2008 at 7:52 PM. Reason : honestly, if money were no issue, i'd get the ltx m/s. fine for light offroad and awesome on hwy]

11/24/2008 7:49:58 PM

I've done some searching.

Here are some prices, tax and any rebates/sales included, mounting expenses estimated on a couple:

Michelin LTX AT2 $867 (Colony Tire w/ buy 3 get 1 free)
Bridgestone Dueler Revo $744 (Firestone shop)
Goodyear SA $722 (Sears w/ black friday gift card and rebate)
Goodyear SA $715 (Sam's w/ sale and rebate)
BFG All Terrain $516 (Sears black friday sale and gift card)

My first thought is holy fuck, $516 for BFG All Terrains! But I don't want a harsh ride. I had a set on my Tundra and they wouldn't balance and were stiff. Load range D is all you can get in that size.

I think I'll just pay the $200 over the BFG and get the Silent Armors from Sam's. Sam's and Colony Tire offer lifetime rotations and balance, Sam's also has road hazard included in their installation fees.
Then I'll get the lifetime alignment from Firestone for $150...then maybe new springs and shocks...

Thoughts?

11/24/2008 8:18:14 PM

$516, just make sure to get the Duck's Unlimited sticker and croakey special.

11/24/2008 8:41:04 PM

for $22 i would get the revos

11/24/2008 8:53:51 PM

i have 285/65/18 Load Range E Michelin LTX A/T2 tires on my truck now. they definitely are pricey but i feel michelin is the best tire made. i only have about 10K on them now but they still look brand new. the ride is great and are quiet as hell. the one thing that attracted me to them besides the fact that they're michelin is the semi-aggressive look to them. they look aggressive but yet they don't. if you've seen them in person you'd know what i mean. i was steered away by other a/t tires because they have an aggressive look to them but just don't perform like they look and i didn't want that look on my truck. don't ask me how they do off-road because if i commented on it i'd be telling a lie. hell, i bought a yard tractor just to pull my boat from the garage behind my house to the driveway just so i wouldn't have to drive my truck in the grass.

11/24/2008 9:00:08 PM

^^^pot calling the kettle black?

[Edited on November 24, 2008 at 9:11 PM. Reason : ]

11/24/2008 9:11:39 PM

Quote :

"$516, just make sure to get the Duck's Unlimited sticker and croakey special."

WTF retard. Did I say I drive a tahoe or something?

11/24/2008 9:56:32 PM

i had bridgestone dueler at's on my yukon and never had a trouble with what 'light' off roading i did. actually went to uwharrie the other weekend with a friend that wanted to try his tahoe out and he got through stuff i had thought he would have had trouble with - he had michelin ltx m/s. we only did a easy trail, but he still got through everything i took a wrangler through.

both are great tires, that are also good for handling a load that big. i will say though that they do gum up in really sticky clay and grass. but it is what it is.

11/24/2008 11:23:43 PM

plz to explain how they're $516. i need new tires.

honestly, i'm all about looks, and i just don't think any of these tires look nearly as good as the BFGs. feel free to prove me wrong w/ some pics.

11/25/2008 12:38:35 AM

They'll be on sale on black friday for $120 each.

http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/sears-black-friday-ad.html

11/25/2008 1:16:40 AM

^ thanks

11/25/2008 1:22:56 AM

Quote :

"WTF retard. Did I say I drive a tahoe or something?"

4Runner, Tahoe, old Range Rover...all driven by these types.

11/25/2008 9:48:30 AM

Quote :

"4Runner, Tahoe, old Range Rover...all driven by these types."

you are sadly mistaken. obviously you have no clue what you're talking about.

my idiot brother, on the other hand, fits right into this category

11/25/2008 12:22:59 PM

I've got Toyos on my explorer and they are great on the road and on the beach. They are the A/T's and are 32's.

11/25/2008 1:20:57 PM

the balder the better on the beach

just ask the guys in old bread trucks rolling on implement tires

11/25/2008 3:14:13 PM

That is true on the hard pack beaches of the obx but down here we like a little tread in the loose shit.

11/25/2008 5:41:14 PM

hard pack? what obx have you been too? north of corolla stays packed well up to the dunes, but down south it gets nasty above the tide line, especially in the summer when it hasn't rained in a while. good luck getting across a lot of the ramps with out a good tight treaded/bald tire aired way down. anything like a mud terrain and you'll be digging or getting pulled.

^^is right though. a wide, bald tire is the best beach tire for nc. in fact, i was able to successfully navigate my 2wd suburban around on hatterass a few weeks back thanks to a wide, street tread tire (24's y0 ). of course, momentum and the big block torque to keep wheel speed was definitely crucial as well.

i can't tell you how many times i've seen a skilled driver with some worn out street tires fly past the retard in the 12" lifted chevy on 40" boggers that's buried to his axles. every type of off roading has its different skill set in terms of driving and vehicle setup.

[Edited on November 25, 2008 at 6:20 PM. Reason : .]

11/25/2008 6:15:40 PM

hell, any tire can roll on a hard pack. it's the loose shit that you really want that wide, bald tire.

and, yeah, big block powR never hurts

11/25/2008 9:06:30 PM

I got my Wrangler Silent Armors installed tonight.

I was a little worried cause a friend of mine worked at Just Tires for a year and he said maybe 20-30% of the Silent Armors they sold wouldn't balance out.
Mine seem balanced and didn't require much weight. You shoulda seen how much weight my BFG ATs had...

The SAs ride much better than the BFG. That could be because my BFGs were load range D and these SAs are P metric. They're only noticeably louder than the stock Dunlop Grantreks. They are stiffer, but not too stiff and they feel good. They don't feel sluggish even though I jumped up a little in profile from a 265/70r16 to 265/75r16. I did the same change in size when I went from LTX MS to BFG in my Tundra and they felt really sluggish at any pressure.

Time will tell how they hold up and how well they do offroad.

BTW, I got lucky and the mechanic at work is gonna buy my Dunlops for $100

12/1/2008 8:58:47 PM

Quote :

"That could be because my BFGs were load range D and these SAs are P metric."

That makes NO sense whatsoever.

12/1/2008 9:18:52 PM

I never had the slightest problem beach wheeling on MT-Rs, but I was driving a TJ which we all know is like the best beach crawler ever.

[Edited on December 1, 2008 at 9:28 PM. Reason : l]

12/1/2008 9:28:16 PM

i'm on my second set of at2's, they're the shit...I drive dirt roads, etc daily, in mountainous areas and they dominate, good in snow too, but unless you're driving snow or dirt all the time then I would just get the ltx/ms

12/1/2008 9:47:18 PM

Quote :

"That makes NO sense whatsoever."

Why not?
The BFGs were an LT tire with more plys and heavier sidewalls than the P metric SAs I got.
Wouldn't fewer plys and thinner sidewalls = more comfort?

12/1/2008 10:21:57 PM

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=55

Quote :

"Today's load range/ply ratings do not count the actual number of body ply layers found inside the tire, but indicate an equivalent strength based on early bias ply tires. Most radial passenger tires have one or two body plies, and light truck tires, even those with heavy duty ratings (10-, 12- or 14-ply rated), actually have only two or three fabric body plies, or one steel ply. "

maybe? maybe not?

12/2/2008 1:16:29 AM

Quote :

"Why not? The BFGs were an LT tire with more plys and heavier sidewalls than the P metric SAs I got. Wouldn't fewer plys and thinner sidewalls = more comfort?"

First, comfort is an end user quality, not relevant to tire sizing- which is the part I think you have confused.

The reason it didnt make sense is P metric is a tire sizing system, and load range is totally independant of tire sizing system. Even an HF sized tire will have an load range on the sidewall.

12/2/2008 8:25:06 AM

Would it work if I said

Quote :

""That could be because my BFGs were load range D LT metric, these SAs are P metric and the LT metrics tend to be stiffer""

12/2/2008 11:03:02 AM

Makes sense now.

12/2/2008 11:10:23 AM