which tires for my chevy 1500 HD (4x4) (vehicle, SUV, best)

[family first]

Hey folks just need some imput from all of you. Here is what I need for this truck: As mentioned it is 4x4. Used for higher elevations (Rain, snow, Ice). I use it for hunting and fishing (dirt roads and such). It is not a daily driver vehicle. It is used as an extra vehicle so I may only put a few thousand miles on it each year. The tires must be rated M/S. I sometimes pull a trailer with it as well. So....what tires have you had good luck with and which ones didn't perform to your expectations? I have had some Mastercrafts on it since I purchased it and it is ready for new shoes.

[Thegonagle]

DON'T buy the Dayton Timberline A/T if you value your safety, or that of others, in less than perfect weather, at elevations such as you describe.

It was once a (most erroneous) "best buy" in Consumer Reports, so they sold a lot more than they ever deserved to.

I drove a Jeep Cherokee on these suckers for several thousand miles. I was not pleased.

[vmaxnc]

Originally Posted by Thegonagle

DON'T buy the Dayton Timberline A/T if you value your safety, or that of others, in less than perfect weather, at elevations such as you describe.

It was once a (most erroneous) "best buy" in Consumer Reports, so they sold a lot more than they ever deserved to.

I drove a Jeep Cherokee on these suckers for several thousand miles. I was not pleased.

Yet another reason to take CR with a grain of salt.

[DELL37]

The absolute best AT tire I have ever driven on is the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo. I've had a couple of set of them and they give me confidence in any weather condition.

[TrapperL]

Research your buy a lot. Tires can come with hidden warranty exceptions like they may be a 50,000 mile tire but only have a 4 year hidden lifetime warranty. Learn to read the data that comes on every tire and make sure the tire is not already years old from sitting and has no warranty at all. Buy from a volume dealer so you get fresh stock, if possible. While I've had good luck with the Michelin LTX tires in rain and snow, they are not cheap and have some draw backs. They get harder as they age and weather checks in the sidewalls are common, none of which is covered by the warranty. I've also had the Yokohoma tires and they are not warranted for checks and splits which seem to happen between the treads. The tire that has lasted the longest with zero issues are a set of cheap Pep Boys Discovery tires I put on my Bronco 12 years ago. Like you, I just don't drive it often but the tires have held up far better than I expected considering all the truck had seen before that were Michelins. Look around at the different tire suppliers and read the reviews. Look for trucks of about the same size/weight as yours. The worst tire I ever bought was a set of Bridgestone Revos on a Ford Supercrew in the correct factory size. The heft of the truck just overwhelmed the tire and it was close to being dangerous to drive. But others have put them on different vehicles and loved them so check out vehicles like yours when reviewing.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by DELL37

The absolute best AT tire I have ever driven on is the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo. I've had a couple of set of them and they give me confidence in any weather condition.

This is a great suggestion as the only knock on these tires is their low tread life. However, in your situation and the limited driving you do, that won't really be an issue. These generally run around $150 a tire.

Another couple of suggestions would be:

General Grabber AT2 - $125 (I've personally become a fan of General truck/SUV tires over the past couple years.)
Kumho Road Venture SAT KL61 - $135

I've personally had great success in the past with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO's, but the above tires are all now equally capable while being cheaper, the BFG's claim to fame is good tread life combined with the performance you need, but that isn't worth the extra money for you in your situation.

[stilldriveem]

Try a specialty supplier like Dick Cepek.

[Bigg Mann]

Originally Posted by NJGOAT

This is a great suggestion as the only knock on these tires is their low tread life. However, in your situation and the limited driving you do, that won't really be an issue. These generally run around $150 a tire.

Another couple of suggestions would be:

General Grabber AT2 - $125 (I've personally become a fan of General truck/SUV tires over the past couple years.)
Kumho Road Venture SAT KL61 - $135

I've personally had great success in the past with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO's, but the above tires are all now equally capable while being cheaper, the BFG's claim to fame is good tread life combined with the performance you need, but that isn't worth the extra money for you in your situation.

I just bought the General Grabber AT2 for 170.00/each and love them. I have a 07 Ram 1500 4x4 quad cab. They have aggressive tread and are very quiet on pavement. They have a 60,000mile warrenty also.

[SJWVPhan]

I would highly recommend Michelin's current generation LTX MS/2's without hesitation. I've run the previous LTX MS version on a '95 Chevy Blazer LT 4x4 out to 70,000 miles and 7 years before I sold that SUV and they still had 5/32"'s left on the tread.

I currently have the 265/70/16 LTX MS/2's on a Toyota 4Runner with 15,000 miles on tires and they have only worn down 1/32"'s of tread to 11/32"'s (brand new tread depth was 12/32"'s). With a 70,000 mile treadlife warranty, I expect them to last that long or even longer.

They are phenomenal in the wet with all its sipes and voids and they handle off-road duty quite well. Winter performance is good but not excellent compared to the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1's I have. The ride is quiet, soft and cushy at 32 PSI compared to the tires they replaced, Goodyear Fortera Triple Treds.

If you want a dedicated, soft/quiet-riding all-terrain tire I would recommend either the BFGoodrich AT KO's which I currently have on a Toyota Sequoia or Michelin's LTX AT2's. I had the original LTX AT's on a diesel turbocharged Land Cruiser overseas and that setup was a beast for off-roading. The BFG AT KO's are still running strong after 6 years and nearly 70,000 miles they still have 4/32"'s of tread. Great wearing and performing tire for a 6,000lb SUV.

There are so many choices and preferences for tires that you really just need to do some research by reading hundreds of reviews and then choosing a tire that suits your needs, but even then you may have not found your ideal tire.

Good Luck

[PDD]

Originally Posted by DELL37

The absolute best AT tire I have ever driven on is the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo. I've had a couple of set of them and they give me confidence in any weather condition.

2nd that, I have them on my 95 F250 4x4 Powerstroke and they do well in the snow (when I used to live in the snow belt)