Which Tires Would You Buy? On/Off Road mixed use.

Hello,

Going to pick up new tires this month. Dealer is quoting me these three options, all around the same price ($800 installed with alignment).

Yokohama geolander all terrain
Bridgestone Dueler HT
Goodyear Wrangler Kevlar (similar to stock tires)

I have a 2018 TRD OR, and 99% of my driving is on-road, but 1% of the time I do take it off-roading through some fire service roads. It is not intense off-roading, but recently I took it through a swamp, so the tires do need to do well off-road as well. The stock GoodYear Wrangler tires have been just fine for my needs.

Which option is best? Don't know anything about tires. Thank you.

 

Cooper Discoverer AT3 is a great tire.

 

Nitto terra grappler g2. $834.00 w/alignment at toyota deal.. 265/70/17

 

Compare the weights. Heavier tires hit mpg.

A few pounds won't make much of a difference but there's plenty of Tacoma owners that pile on 14 lbs a tire which turns the truck into a slug.

I've got a couple questions:

1. Why are you getting tires from the dealer?
2. Are you remaining with the stock size? Many take this opportunity for a slightly larger tire. 265/75

 

I've had the Geolanders and Duelers - neither made me complain. For what you describe, likely not a real difference. Chose the one that's cheaper between the two for me.

99% on road - no need for larger tires, no need for aggressive patterns etc.

 

Thank you,

1) I am buying from dealer because they have buy 3 get 1 free this month, and its just easier to go through dealer than buying third-party. I do not know how to install myself. $800 for 4 new tires installed with alignment doesn't sound bad. They may be able to get other tires in, but these are the three options they recommended.

2) Remaining with stock size? Haven't thought about that one, but I have never had problems with the stock tire size, so didn't see a need for a change.

 

Michelin LTX A/T2 lasted 90k on my first set at 5.5 years with 99% on road.

 

Based on the 3 options you provided, I would choose Yokohamas based on brand reliability/performance alone.

Diving deeper they all carry a 60k mile trearwear warranty.

The Bridgestone is a highway tire mostly and is not 3-peak rated so maybe not an issue if you live in warmer climates.
The Goodyear is also 3-peak rated but ONLY in LT tire sizes so that may limit your options. Most have experienced excessive wearing.
The Yokohama is 3-peak rated, same warranty as the others, better offroad performance/traditional AT.

I personally dont run these tires but thats what I would pick given the three options provided. I prefer other brands such as Michelin, Maxxis and General but plenty of opinions out there.

 

I have some Goodyear Kevlars and I've been really surprised with how well they do perform. I'm not sure how many miles I've put on them but it's been a lot. I have had them on rocks, mud, steep hill climbs, and snow. I'm actually happier with them than I was with my toyo at3w. Which they were OK off road but they didn't do well on wet roads. The toyo's also started wearing weird and got noisy quickly. I've also had Falken wildpeaks and I loved them. To add though lots of people love Yokohama in general. They make good quality tires. Anyone I've ever heard run Bridgestone have complained they don't last.

 

^^This. For 99% on pavement you can't go wrong with the Michelins. My second choice would be the Yokohama Geolandar AT G015. It would be very close to the on-road manners of the Michelins for less $$, and a bit more aggressive sidewall.

EDIT: Just FYI for the OP....not sure where you are located but if you are in the SE Toyota Distributors area they don't carry the Michelin LTX AT2. I looked at their sale also and the Yokos were the only reasonable option.

 

I'd get Falken Wildpeaks AT3W or Toyo Open Country AT3s... but that's just my opinion.

 

Just out of curiosity, why are you paying for an alignment? You shouldn't need an alignment from just getting new tires in the same size.

 

You have my vote for the Toyos. They've been absolutely great for me. Size 255/80/r17

 

After enough miles to wear out a set of tires, not unreasonable to check the alignment to avoid premature wear on the new tires - or maybe the old tires did show signs of uneven wear.

 

If he hasn't had the truck aligned since he bought it then yea I can see that. I just hesitate because dealers often recommend alignments when it's not really needed. Perfectly valid for any of the reasons you mentioned though.

 

I have these on my Tacoma and 4Runner. Awesome tire.

 

The definition of “forest road” might be different where you live, but where I live it is a road made of gravel or sand. You don’t need an off-road oriented tire for them.

What do you mean you drive through a swamp? Swamps will stop anything short of a Sherpa.

I would start with determining what type of tire you want before worrying about brands. There are 3 major types: all-season tire, all-terrain tire, and mud-terrain tire. All-season are the most typical for cars and trucks driven mostly on the road like yours. They offer a good mix of traction, tread life, and efficiency for on road use.

 

Of the three you listed, I'd go with the Yokohamas. Solid road focused all terrain that is 3PMS rated.

 

Going to agree with the Toyos. Same weight as stock A30s that came on my Sport, same size. Rather quiet for an AT if I'm honest. 10k miles in not one gripe from them.

 

This probably won't be a popular opinion, but I'd stick with the factory sized Goodyear's with Kevlar. It's probably what I'm going to do. I think they are a fine tire. I'm just waiting to see how many miles I get out of them. I'm only at 17k. If I can get 40-50k out of them, I'll go with them again. They are excellent on the road and have served me well the last 2 winters. They aren't the most aggressive looking tires, but they do look more aggressive than what Michelin offers. I think the worst thing you could do is choose a really aggressive AT when you are on pavement 99% of the time.