TIre comparison

[Nissanland]

Need some input from y'all. I'm looking at some different tires to go on my 95 pathfinder. I'm not sure which is most trail worthy for Pacific northwest type terrain. I have been leaning towards the duratrac's due to my having them on my Titan and really like how they ride, but thats a full size truck. SO here's my list.

1) Goodyear duratrac

2) Goodyear authority

3) Mickey Thompson radial stz

4) Mickey Thompson radial mtz

5) Mickey Thompson radial atz-p3

6) dick cepek fun country

7) dick cepek mud country

8) firestone destination mt

9) bf Goodrich mt

10) hankook dynapro mt

11) fierce attitude mt

 

I will be running around the 285-75r16 size. I didn't know the rims I have on truck are $225 to replace. So I'm not going to get new rims, just best possible tires in the $165-$235 range. Any and all advice or opinions will be greatly appreciated in my decision making process.

 

Thx y'all. I will post the before I start the build and after. Once I figure out how to from home and this note2' LOL

[Trogdor636]

Duratrac. I don't have them, but I've seen enough good things written about them to know that's a good choice.

[Nissanland]

Yes. The duratrac's are really good in the heavy E ratings. Hvy truck. But are they as good on the much lighter pathfinders? Thx that's one for duratrac

[AndyC]

I've run BFF km1, then km2's in the 33x10.50 side. They perform fine on most of our NW trails. Haven't cared for the km2's in the snow as much. I'm eyeing the MTR's for my next set, 33x12.50. Two guys have sets on wd22's in our club and they seem like an incredible all round tire with good wear. <br /> That being said, if you're not wheeling that much, modern AT's will do the job well 90% of the time around here, with less side effects.

[gv280z]

I would skip the Goodyear Authority, those look good but I personally get a bad feeling about them, call it instinct but they worry me for some reason.

 

The Mickey Ts and Dick Cepeks are big name offroad racing brands which would be fine but overkill and probably cost another third or two more than they should.

 

Where I do agree the Duratrac is a great tire, it seems to have a short life due to being a little on the softer side...I'm on the fence with this one.

 

I don't know the Fierce brand, and Firestone is another one that scares me, I stay away, leaving the BFG M/T long lasting mud / road tire (rumored to get 60 K out) , I did look at this tire for a moment, only reason I opted out was because of road noise or hum and the Hankook M/T I also really liked a lot...The Hankook is my top pick, and then the BFG below that from your list.

 

Not on your list, which I rate above the Hankook is the Cooper Discoverer STT M/T. I have a set of AT/3 WHICH I LOVE, have not gotten stuck yet with them tho I've been through some light to some what moderate areas, there are times I wish they were an MT instead of A/T...but I swear to you everytime I see a set of BFG A/Ts on another truck I'm again reminded how happy I am with my Coopers.

 

 

Edited October 5, 2013 by gv280z

[gv280z]

delete this one, don't know what happened here.

Edited October 5, 2013 by gv280z

[gv280z]

I forgot about the Treadwright Guard Dog, I've heard some really good reviews about these Treadwrights, probably a really great way to go actually, cheaper than dirt and seems to be a quality product, I kinda wish I had looked more into these. I just looked at NTB.com and they've got Federal Couragia mud terrains for around 130 to 150 in our size range but I class that into a harder core tire, wouldn't want to live with it on the road too much.

 

https://www.treadwright.com/p-12-31x10-50r15-guard-dog-m-t.aspx

[Nissanland]

The only thing that scares me about the guard dogs are that they are a retread. The carcass are not guaranteed to match. You could end up with heavy-light tire combination on one side or on same axle. I'm going to be trail riding with this truck about 50/50 trail vs road. Don't mind some noise just not to loud. Thx for information.

[Rebelord]

I can attest that the Cooper STT are excellent mud tires.

 

Sent from my Moto X! now Free

[nismotr]

Go with the Goodyear Authority if they have your size, They are just as good as the duratracs for a lot less. I've had mine for about a year or two now, they've worn well and do great offroad. Just like the duratracs though, they are @!*% in the rain, really easy to spin out even with our underpowered v6's.

Edited October 5, 2013 by nismotr

[Precise1]

I'll say x2 for the BFG MT KM2. They are mid range in price, a good tire and not very loud. A lot of people swear by them, but I have heard that a lot of people swear at them in the snow/ice, like most MTs. Not an issue for me so I rate the tires well overall.

 

B

[gv280z]

That guy here on this board that got horribly stuck was using the km2s, if going with the BFG I'd definitely go with the original mt. BUT..I guess in all fairness he probably would have gotten stuck even if he'd had boggers or swampers or TSLs or whatever they are. You know in this league of tire it's not about performance anymore but price, fitment and personal style because you probably can't go wrong if your choosing between tires at this level.

[5523Pathfinder]

Working on cars for a living, I have seen how tires wear, listened to the road noise, and got to drive plenty in the rain and snow. I will try and give a little about what I know abut each tire.

 

1) Goodyear duratrac- not a fan. I thought they broke loose easy in the rain, and wear funny. I see them a lot on f150s and explorer/ rangers/taco as.

2) Goodyear authority- can't say I know this one very well. Sorry.

 

3) Mickey Thompson radial stz- good all around tire, a bit noisy, and price is as bit high in comparison.

 

4) Mickey Thompson radial mtz- my buddy had theses on his jeep for a while. He noticed some rapid tire wear when driving it everyday.

 

5) Mickey Thompson radial atz-p3- once again, good all around tire, but haven't seen enough of them.

 

6) dick cepek fun country- meh, not that great for what they are. A friend has these as well and wished he bumped up to the mud country.

 

7) dick cepek mud country- great tire, but maybe not for everyday use. Loud.

 

8) firestone destination mt- I am not a fan of any firestone tires. They wear uneven, sidewalks are soft ad are prone to punctures. Probably the most repaired tire in our shop. Always sounds like a whirring noise when driving.

 

9) bf Goodrich mt- gonna sound biased here, it I love these tires. My original KMs seem to last forever. One work quickly due to worn steering and alignment, but kicked arse in the mud, rain and snow. I know have the KM2s and I would say they are quieter than the KM1's but perform every bit as good, if not better. I got fantastic mileage out of the KM1s, as I was commuting 100 miles a day, for 5 years. The KM2 are wearing nicely, and out almost 40k on the already. I recommend them to everyone.

 

10) hankook dynapro mt- I love the looks of these, and have considered them to try when my BFGs are done. A little noisy, and some I have seen have inner wear issues, but that might of been the vehicle. I also noticed they are typically priced higher than some more well know tires

11) fierce attitude mt- sorry, I know nothing of these. Off brands always worry me.

 

I will throw one more industry secret at you. When a manufacturer makes a tire, the tires are tested individually and given a rating, A, B or C. A tires are usually purchased by car makers and installed as factory equipment, as they usually a have he fewest defects and give good ride quality. B tires are usually in your better well know tire stores, and rarely go on sale. Some B and C, which may have more defects, tires are sold to your cheap tire stores, who usually push their own in-house brands. So when you see a smokin deal on your favorite tire, and it just seems to good to be true, you are probably going to have issues with them at some point. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for!

[kidscollegefund]

I can vouch for the Dynapro MTs. 20k miles on them and they look new. Regular rotation. Tremendous traction wet or dry. A bit noisy but what MT is not.

[Mr_Reverse]

I am running 33x12.50 15 Firestone Destination MT's on my Pathy. I put them on 5 years ago and still have no complaints with them. Granted, I don't have a lot of miles on them, only about 18k, but they are still in good shape. I found them to be smooth and quiet on my Pathy. I run them at about 28-30 psi on the street and drop them to about 12 when on the rocks. They have given me surprisingly good grip in snow and wet pavement for a MT. No regrets here and I recommend them for trail running. If my Pathy was a DD, I would be running AT's, since they would be better on pavement. Not a problem for me, my 2013 Altima does the street duties much better.

 

My Jezzy at GONE Moab X on the Kane Creek trail

 

[nismothunder]

The goodyear authority is a walmart special. The thread lugs will literally fall off.

[Inyourface1650]

Theres always BFG AT. Love em

[nismotr]

The goodyear authority is a walmart special. The thread lugs will literally fall off.

 

You obviously have never owned them, they chunk a little worse than the duratracs, but they don't fall apart. It's just a mass produced duratrac for nearly half the price, don't expect the rubber to be the best and you won't be disappointed. I'm willing to bet they are actually a better offroad tire than the duratrac considering the more aggressive tread pattern.