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Powderboy
Well-known member
Vern, I pulled them back a few months ago from 60 psi to 55. Didn't seem to make a ton of difference.
Tires
- Thread starter Powderboy
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Vern, I pulled them back a few months ago from 60 psi to 55. Didn't seem to make a ton of difference.
That 96' F250 has a TTB D50 front axle, they ride worse than a F350 of the same year due to the geometry of the front axle (actually twisting the leaf spring & compressing it through a suspension cycle). Swapping to a D60 solid front axle with a reverse shackle kit and Super Duty springs will make her ride much better. That's a lot of work though...
I've never regretted BFG AT's but I'm just driving a 96' gasser F150.
I've never regretted BFG AT's but I'm just driving a 96' gasser F150.
On my 06 duramax I went with the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 2. Everyone that had a duramax told me not to even look at anothe tire. Nothing else will hold up. So far its been 1.5 Years and I love them. Great traction and hardly notice any wear yet.
I have had great luck with the duratracs. I have 23k miles on them and they are still probably 75% ish. That being said I am running them on an f150. I wanted a tire I could just leave on all year because I got sick of doing the tire swap thing every 6 months. I could see how they might wear fast with the heavier 1 ton diesels but they have been great on my truck. they are the 275/70/18 E rated, so probably way overkill for my pickup, but I used to haul a sled deck.
Traction has been really good in all conditions, can't complain. As for the guys having trouble with the "drifting" or what ever happens I would just watch your air pressure. And It may be the opposite of what seems most intuitive. If you put too much air pressure in these tires I have read they will feel squishy or what ever. This is because when there is 80psi in the tire, and you are driving an empty pickup, the only tread on the ground is the very center of tire, and these lugs in the very center don't have any lateral support, so your truck can move left to right on the highway. When I picked up my truck at discount tire they had 65psi in them, it took me a lot of driving to figure out I only needed 35psi in them (for empty, everyday driving).
I have never experienced the squishy tire thing, so the above is just a summary of what I read when I was researching tires online when I was in the market, so please don't blow me out of the water!
Although, I think I will buy the coopers next, just because I like to try different things.
Traction has been really good in all conditions, can't complain. As for the guys having trouble with the "drifting" or what ever happens I would just watch your air pressure. And It may be the opposite of what seems most intuitive. If you put too much air pressure in these tires I have read they will feel squishy or what ever. This is because when there is 80psi in the tire, and you are driving an empty pickup, the only tread on the ground is the very center of tire, and these lugs in the very center don't have any lateral support, so your truck can move left to right on the highway. When I picked up my truck at discount tire they had 65psi in them, it took me a lot of driving to figure out I only needed 35psi in them (for empty, everyday driving).
I have never experienced the squishy tire thing, so the above is just a summary of what I read when I was researching tires online when I was in the market, so please don't blow me out of the water!
Although, I think I will buy the coopers next, just because I like to try different things.
J
Jaynelson
Well-known member
The biggest thing with a truck is - do you want one set of tires to run year round? Or 2 sets summer and winter?
For one set of tires year round - I think it's hard to beat BFG A/T's. I've had many sets of tires on many trucks and always wind up back there. Get them siped when new and they are great in the winter, at least for the first couple years. Snowflake rating. Looks cool enough. Tons of size/weight rating combos. Other people will have their A/T of choice....safe to say there won't be any glaring difference between them.
Some A/T's (such as Duratracs) are stud-able, and that will greatly increase performance on icy roads. But once you stud them, they aren't a year-round tire IMO.
Now.....ANY M/T or A/T will not have the winter performance of a true winter tire. So if you want max performance, buy whatever you like for the summer, and buy a true set of winters....Hankook I-pike's, Toyo (has a few choices), Nokian Hakkapelitas, Yoko's, etc, etc. Studded if you drive a lot of ice.
For one set of tires year round - I think it's hard to beat BFG A/T's. I've had many sets of tires on many trucks and always wind up back there. Get them siped when new and they are great in the winter, at least for the first couple years. Snowflake rating. Looks cool enough. Tons of size/weight rating combos. Other people will have their A/T of choice....safe to say there won't be any glaring difference between them.
Some A/T's (such as Duratracs) are stud-able, and that will greatly increase performance on icy roads. But once you stud them, they aren't a year-round tire IMO.
Now.....ANY M/T or A/T will not have the winter performance of a true winter tire. So if you want max performance, buy whatever you like for the summer, and buy a true set of winters....Hankook I-pike's, Toyo (has a few choices), Nokian Hakkapelitas, Yoko's, etc, etc. Studded if you drive a lot of ice.
I have cooper AT3's with about 32k on them. I expect to put another 20k on them and probably change them fall of '16.
I know of other set's of cooper AT3's that have 40k on them that are on plow rigs. I'll be interested in seeing if they stay on the full winter or not. This was the same situation of the ATR's (the AT3's prior generation) in multiple plow vehicles a couple years back.
Also got a buddy that runs Dynapro ATM's and he swears he won't put a different brand of tire on ever again.
YMMV
I know of other set's of cooper AT3's that have 40k on them that are on plow rigs. I'll be interested in seeing if they stay on the full winter or not. This was the same situation of the ATR's (the AT3's prior generation) in multiple plow vehicles a couple years back.
Also got a buddy that runs Dynapro ATM's and he swears he won't put a different brand of tire on ever again.
YMMV
Just bought a set of the toyo open country rt 35x12.50r20 for my f150 super crew. They look like a real nice in between a mud terrain and all terrain. Haven't had them on any snow/ice but they look good and are much quieter then my toyo mt's were.
I had these on my 1/2 ton and they were great tires. Awesome on the ice because they are a little softer. But my dad burned through them on his Duramax. You really need to rotate those and watch the tire pressure because they wear quickly. Good looking tires but I think most guys will have short life with them. Good to see you getting your money's worth with yours.
I run Dynapro ATMs on my 02 D-Max until it starts getting a little sloppy or through the summer months I throw on the 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers and rims, love these things just cant argue with the Dynapros price compared to Nittos and they been wearing like steel. Both get my vote.
Ran 285/75/16 fierce attitude mt. Had 35k on them when I got rid of the pickup and still had plenty left. Pretty good on ice and snow for a mt tire. Went through damn near anything. Currently running 315/70/17 Duratracs on my duramax. They are better than half tread with 20k on them. I like em. Really good on ice and snow IMO. Run cooper atp on my work pickup and they are definitely no duratrac. Dad used to run BFG ta ko's on his duramax for years. Kicked the bucket and now runs general grabber at2 due to wearing out the BFG in under 20k. Multiple sets were this way. But still a great tire, just the wear was ****. So with all this being said, going to probably go with fierce attitude mt next time around if I can figure out how to stuff a 325/65/18...
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C
capulin overdrive
Well-known member
These are my next tires for my snowmo pickup.
Had great luck with the Terra Graps on my work pickup.
Well I put on Toyo Open Country AT/2's and I just replacing them now. Put them on a 2013 f-150 with 2,000 miles on it and now just rolled 86,000 miles. Still had tread, my side walls had weather cracks. I rotated them once.. Not very proud of that.. I have towed way to many things 24ft trailer loaded down with a cotton wood tree etc. great tire feel like I am on rails driving in the winter.
Mike
Mike
If the Scorpion ATR is what came factory stock on F150s, then the verdict is they are crap. Well known in these parts as having ZERO traction in the winter.
Uniroyal HDt were the best tire I have owned for wear,traction and durability. I wish they made them in 18 or 20s.
I'm about 20k miles into a set of toyo at2's on my 3/4 ton dodge with a heavy flatbed. I decided to try them after grinding up m/t's. It's my first set of all terrain tires and I'm impressed. Wear is good, traction is very good in snow. They're 10 plys and have a mileage warranty thru schwabs. Good tire imho. Another option is the m55 but they aren't really known for a "soft" ride.
I had cooper at3's on my f250. Good tire. Wore well, never had any issues with them. I swap out to a studded tire in the winter so I didn't really have much time on them in the snow. The couple days I did around town they worked well, or as well as a non-snow tire should work imo
Getting a set of cooper m+s natal led tomorrow on my f450. Very excited to see how they do in the mtns next weekend.
Winter tires
I am going to get flamed for this by several tire stores but a common term used for the drifting, floating or loose handling with new tires they like to call it "tread squirm". There are many things than can attribute to this. To much air pressure as stated earlier can help cause some of this.
ALIGNMENT= Anyone putting on new tires that does not have their alignment checked is senseless. Our shop checks alignment for free. If the vehicle needs alignment we charge $44.00 with a new set of tires. We have several vehicles every month that come in with less than 5,000 miles that are out of alignment. As parts wear they become out of spec.
TIRE BALANCE= About 90% of the issues you guys are having is because they are not balanced properly. I run BFG All terrain KO. I have had several sets with no issues. The last set I put on my 2003 Dodge 2500 diesel handled terrible. I complained about it and they advised it was "tread squirm". One of the veteran shop guys drove my truck one day and brought it straight into the shop. He then "tag" balanced my tires. It was night and day difference. I could tell the difference in less than a mile. Tag balancing takes much longer and most shops hate doing it or don't know how. It is also not required for the majority of the vehicles out there.
The new balancing machines will tag each tire with a number. That number is then wrote on the tire. The computer keeps track of each tire and where it was balanced. At the end of balancing the 4 tires it will then tell you where to place them on the vehicle. When you start dealing with bigger tires with a lot more rubber you typically have to add more weight if they are out of balance. (If they are not out of balance there is never really an issue and typically no handling issues either). If you have two tires on your truck that required "more" than normal weight to balance and the weight was required on the outside of the tire and they are both put on the same side it will definitely affect how it handles.
I am going to get flamed for this by several tire stores but a common term used for the drifting, floating or loose handling with new tires they like to call it "tread squirm". There are many things than can attribute to this. To much air pressure as stated earlier can help cause some of this.
ALIGNMENT= Anyone putting on new tires that does not have their alignment checked is senseless. Our shop checks alignment for free. If the vehicle needs alignment we charge $44.00 with a new set of tires. We have several vehicles every month that come in with less than 5,000 miles that are out of alignment. As parts wear they become out of spec.
TIRE BALANCE= About 90% of the issues you guys are having is because they are not balanced properly. I run BFG All terrain KO. I have had several sets with no issues. The last set I put on my 2003 Dodge 2500 diesel handled terrible. I complained about it and they advised it was "tread squirm". One of the veteran shop guys drove my truck one day and brought it straight into the shop. He then "tag" balanced my tires. It was night and day difference. I could tell the difference in less than a mile. Tag balancing takes much longer and most shops hate doing it or don't know how. It is also not required for the majority of the vehicles out there.
The new balancing machines will tag each tire with a number. That number is then wrote on the tire. The computer keeps track of each tire and where it was balanced. At the end of balancing the 4 tires it will then tell you where to place them on the vehicle. When you start dealing with bigger tires with a lot more rubber you typically have to add more weight if they are out of balance. (If they are not out of balance there is never really an issue and typically no handling issues either). If you have two tires on your truck that required "more" than normal weight to balance and the weight was required on the outside of the tire and they are both put on the same side it will definitely affect how it handles.
