So many folks talking tires lately, myself included, so I thought we could run a poll and see what is the most desired A/T tire out there assuming price was not an issue.
I'll chime in on the Mickeys since my 03 Dakota wore 305/70/16's in first MTZ then ATZ's. The MTZ was unbelievable in the sloppy stuff and lasted over 55k miles (no joke). Noise and vibration wasn't bad considering it was a mud tire.
I then ran the ATZ for about 25k miles before I traded it in on the Ram. The ATZ fit my needs better and were very surprising in the mud when needed. As expected, they worked quite a bit better in snow and ice than the MTZ. Very low noise, no vibs. Only thing I didn't like about them is they held small stones like crazy. Driving through town, you could hear the stones clicking on the asphalt.
The Mickey's wear like iron when taken care of - I rotated every 5k and kept up on suspension components. Only had one puncture when I picked up a cut piece of angle iron with a wore out MTZ. When it comes time for new shoes on the Ram, I'll be hard pressed not to go with the ATZ again.
Oh, those other brands... Go back a few vehicles and I ran BFG AT's on an '01 Ranger in 285/75/16. I didn't get many miles on them before I rolled the truck within 8 months of buying them. I do remember they really kicked up the rocks on gravel roads. Quiet, smooth, and very predictable handling. They seemed very good in snow and mud - but of course they were like new the whole time I had them.
I really like the looks of the Hankook ATM's. I have tried the BFG's, Cooper LTZ's, Nitto Mud's(very noisy), and Michelin AT's. I would say, IMHO, the Coop's had the best all around traction in snow, mud, and rain.
I was a fan of the BFG AT's until I had them on my last truck and spun around in an intersection because of them. They are horrible in the rain and there is PLENTY of rain in Florida. I drove straight to Discount Tire and got some Nitto TG's. When these Wranglers are worn out, I'll be going back that direction.
I only got about 35k out of the Hankook Dynapro ATM's on my old truck. The Cooper Zeon LTZ's aren't a bad tire, but I'll be lucky to see 30k and they suck in the mud.
BFG A/T KO's are a great tire. My only complaint is that they hold and throw rocks.
I ran the wild peaks on my old truck before I sold it I loved those tires very smooth, wore well, and were excellent in just about all conditions(can't comment on mud or snow). Nitto got my vote, but my next tire will be the ATZ or the toyo open country at2 can't decide.
Trying to decide between Nitto Terra Grappler or the Toyo open country at they will be 305/55-20 going on fuel mavericks? Not too much off roading use, thanks greg
I'm looking into getting the Nokian Hakks but have yet to hear a personal review. Not convinced just because manufacturer says they out perform the others. Any personal experiences.
I haven't used the specific nokian tire you asked about but I used the Vatiiva MT on my Hummer H3 and had a set of Nokians on my car a long time ago. Both were great.
The MTs were almost as quiet as my Duratracs and they would go through anything. They looked awesome too. I probably would have bought a set for my Ram if they had the right size.
When I had my Jeep Cherokee I ran 31'' BFG ATs. Those tires handle anything and everything I threw at them. If I was running a stock truck, I would definitely buy them again.
I put Toyo AT 275/65R20 on my truck a year and a half ago and the road noise is minimal, any drives very smooth. I plan on staying with them when these wear out only I am going to step up to 35/12.5/20's.
My son had Nitto 295/60r20 and we were also very happy with them but i am a big fan of Les Schwab and their warranty and customer service so we replaced them with Toyo AT as well.
They redesigned their tread design this year and supposedly get 40% more life which isn't shabby as I have about 17,000 miles on these and they are still looking great. (& I am definitely not a passive driver.)