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Author: Subject: A Recommended Tire for My Use... See what I decided on... (11-08 update)
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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 12:38 AM


French troops have been in Afghanistan, fighting along side American troops since before the Iraq occupation.

France was smart enough to see our Iraq folly... and opt out.

David K orders Freedom Fries and loud tires.

Me -

Michelin MTX - Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 - many, many hard miles, never a problem.
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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 01:09 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Cooke
Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
This is my tire thread, and I answered Ken why I didn't buy BFG as it is the most popular Baja tire...
you really should have bought the tire made from mexican or californian oil!!!
and the steel belt, was it USA steel or south korean?


My TrXus MT was made originally in Mexico. But due to quality control issues, is now made in the USA.

DAVID -- I can't believe you only got 25,000 miles out of your Toyo tires. THAT IS UNBELIEVEABLE! With a harder tread compound, you might encounter chunking from your driving on rough surfaces. Do keep that in mind if your tires start to spit out chunks of rubber. As for politics, I try to stay apolitical because it drives a wedge between people. Its like religion.


The Toyos (and all my tires) are driven 95+% on pavement, as most I think here on Nomad... I wish I was on dirt and sand more!

I have never had 'chunking' or tread seperation... just never had great mileage... The big tread Cooper STT gave the most, as it had more rubber, I suspect. Also, I don't like to wear tires down to the bone to get the most miles... so all three previous sets were replaced when the tread was mostly gone, but not bald.

When I had tires (BFGs) on, when the tread was close to minimal, I would get flats... I had 3 flats on one 15 day trip (Dec. 2001)!

Anyway, I just tried to answer honestly your question as to why I try to find a non-BFG tire... and like I said, the French part is not really an issue anymore with me. It is honesty that should be heard, and not pounced on by these political Nomad piranah... Gee wiz!:lol: Viva La France!:light:;)




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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 09:25 AM


Forgot to mention the Cooper. I have not owned a set of these, but several friends have them and they all rave about them, for what that's worth.

Viva La Revolución and 10-ply tires!!




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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 05:58 PM


David -- I still think you would be happier with the BFG MT/KM2 tire. It rides like an All-Terrain, sticks to rocks and works well in Baja, and isn't too terribly expensive.

BTW -- Which "Cooper" tire are you talking about? :?:




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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 06:01 PM


Ken... just scroll up in this thread...

Here it is again:

So, here is a quick history of tires on my '05 Tacoma:

BFG Rugged Trails 0-25,000 miles (ie. 25,000 miles)

Cooper Discoverer STTs 25,000-60,000 (57K & 63K) miles (ie. ~35,000 miles)

Toyo Open Country A/Ts 60,000 (57K & 63K)-85,000 miles (ie. ~25,000 miles)

Cooper Discoverer ATRs: 85,000 - ?




[Edited on 12-18-2008 by David K]




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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 06:13 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Cooper Discoverer ATRs: 85,000 - ?



You're looking at running the ATR again...:barf:

I guess if you need value with a street-biased tire, this looks to be a good bet. Value is smart in these times, but the tire doesn't look very 'exciting'. What about Mickey Thompson's 'Baja MTX' tire? Or, what about the Mickey Thompson ATZ tire? I'd try those WAY before the Cooper ATR (yawn). Plus, Mickey Thompson and Toyo hire sexier model's than does Cooper. Heck, even PITBULL TIRES has sexy models!! :bounce::lol:


No sexy models -- no grippy tread.. WORTHLESS!


TOYO !!


MICKEY THOMPSON !!




COOPER...NADA!


"...uh, the blowout happened right here, sir!":lol::lol::lol:




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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 06:46 PM


No, not again... for the first time Ken... read my milage / tire summary!



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[*] posted on 12-17-2008 at 08:57 PM


David-----------I seem to remember that you used Coopers on one of your previous trucks-------es verdad??

BArry
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[*] posted on 12-18-2008 at 11:35 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by Barry A.
David-----------I seem to remember that you used Coopers on one of your previous trucks-------es verdad??

BArry


On this truck, I had the Cooper agressive mud tires Discoverer STT, they looked great (like what Ken likes) but were bad in sand (where I do most my four wheeling) and very noisey on the highway (where I do most my driving). They gave me the most mileage of any tire, 38,000. So, I look forward to seeing what kind of milage these new Cooper truck tires give me... they are quiet.

So, here is a quick history of tires on my '05 Tacoma:

BFG Rugged Trails 0-25,000 miles (ie. 25,000 miles)

Cooper Discoverer STTs 25,000-60,000 (57K & 63K) miles (ie. ~35,000 miles)

Toyo Open Country A/Ts 60,000 (57K & 63K)-85,000 miles (ie. ~25,000 miles)

Cooper Discoverer ATRs: 85,000 - ?

=======================================

On my '01 Tacoma I used BFG Rugged Trails (stock, then replaced with same for the second set, and then switched to Futura Dakotas (made by Cooper and sold at Pep Boys). I got no more than 30,000 miles on any of them.




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[*] posted on 12-18-2008 at 06:23 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by David KOn this truck, I had the Cooper agressive mud tires Discoverer STT, they looked great (like what Ken likes) but were bad in sand (where I do most my four wheeling) and very noisey on the highway (where I do most my driving).


David -- Most tires need to be aired down between 8 and 12 p.s.i. to perform in the sand. How low did you air your tires down? How much of a load was in your truck bed? These are variables to take into consideration when running on the sand.




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[*] posted on 12-18-2008 at 07:02 PM


The more one needs to air down to 'float', the less of a sand tire it is.

Most tires I have used work at 15 psi... The STTs needed to be at 10 psi for the same performance.




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[*] posted on 12-18-2008 at 07:45 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by David K
The more one needs to air down to 'float', the less of a sand tire it is.

Most tires I have used work at 15 psi... The STTs needed to be at 10 psi for the same performance.


I agree on this 100%. Sometimes, a Mud Tire is needed. For example, I'm headed to Lytle Creek on Sunday. There, a street-biased All-Terrain just wouldn't cut it. During my foray into "The Swamp" out of Mission Santa Maria, an All-Terrain also wouldn't cut it. But, on my way to work and back each day, an All-Terrain is sufficient. In May, there was a hail storm that necessitated my using 4HI to drive home on pavement! Not your typical day in May!! :!:

For my purposes, a mild Mud-Terrain tire is warranted. But, I'm sure for your purposes, David, the Cooper will be the best pick.




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[*] posted on 12-18-2008 at 11:13 PM


Yes, as much as I like the looks of the STT or any other aggressive off road tire, the cost and road noise is just not worth the glances and thumbs up... I have my HID lights and light bar for the off road look, now!



[Edited on 12-19-2008 by David K]




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[*] posted on 12-18-2008 at 11:39 PM


Yep, I used to be a bit more concerned with performance as I used to rock crawl in my 93 Toyota in the High Sierras. I ran BFG m/ts and loved them...no problems. But now I'm mainly driving washboard and occasionally on sand. I just put on some Firestone all terrains..not really concerned with how they look. Bottom line is more often than not it's the driver and not the tire that determine whether one gets stuck or not. DK, sounds like you're just tough on tires regardless of the brand...French, Russian, Iraqi, or whatever. Suppose I'm getting older but I'd rather save a few dollars on tires, drive a bit slower on the dirt roads, and enjoy the beach I'm parked on....just my thoughts...

Zac




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[*] posted on 12-19-2008 at 12:04 AM


You're right, Ken,

The Toyo's definitely look fuller and firmer than the Thompsons. I'm sure they ride better and maybe even longer as well.
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[*] posted on 12-19-2008 at 03:45 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by Bajaboy
Yep, I used to be a bit more concerned with performance as I used to rock crawl in my 93 Toyota in the High Sierras. I ran BFG m/ts and loved them...no problems. But now I'm mainly driving washboard and occasionally on sand. I just put on some Firestone all terrains..not really concerned with how they look. Bottom line is more often than not it's the driver and not the tire that determine whether one gets stuck or not. DK, sounds like you're just tough on tires regardless of the brand...French, Russian, Iraqi, or whatever. Suppose I'm getting older but I'd rather save a few dollars on tires, drive a bit slower on the dirt roads, and enjoy the beach I'm parked on....just my thoughts...

Zac


Well, this thread was all about tires for my needs... and it has been running through 3 sets of tires since I started it.

Price was one of the concerns... I like low prices as much as I like good performance. This discussion was to explore possibilities and share results.

BFG Rugged Trails (the stock tire on both my Tacomas) was okay other than they didn't last long... and when the replacement price went over $130 (from $85), I tried the Dakotas promoted to me by Bedman... They were pretty good and pretty cheap, just not high mileage.

Enter the '05 Tacoma... as soon as the BFGs were worn, I got the MACHO looking mud crawler Cooper Discoverer STT... Made Ken Cooke happy! They were great on everything except the two main uses I have for tires: highway and sand. They did have the best mileage (up to 38,000 miles) too... Just way too noisey!

The next thing I tried was the TOYO Open Country A/T... inexpensive, quiet, good in the sand... seemed perfect until near 25,000 miles when too much tread had worn away for my comfort... perhaps good for 5,000 more miles?

Now, I would have gotten another set of them if I didn't hear of something similar with better mileage potential. The dealer (2 actually) claimed the Cooper ATR would give more... potentially 50,000 miles. Cooper had a buy 3 get one free deal, so the price was right for all four. The last Coopers I had gave the best mileage of all the tires I have used on the Tacomas... so why not?

Not sure if it is "I" who is hard on tire or it is Baja that is... but I don't mind sharing with all of you the results of my purchases. I do keep a regular check on air pressure... and never had pressure get low, except for sand driving... and that is brief when we go on to Shell Island.




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[*] posted on 12-19-2008 at 07:16 AM


DK-

Thanks for sharing by the way. This thread has been interesting.

Zac

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajaboy
Yep, I used to be a bit more concerned with performance as I used to rock crawl in my 93 Toyota in the High Sierras. I ran BFG m/ts and loved them...no problems. But now I'm mainly driving washboard and occasionally on sand. I just put on some Firestone all terrains..not really concerned with how they look. Bottom line is more often than not it's the driver and not the tire that determine whether one gets stuck or not. DK, sounds like you're just tough on tires regardless of the brand...French, Russian, Iraqi, or whatever. Suppose I'm getting older but I'd rather save a few dollars on tires, drive a bit slower on the dirt roads, and enjoy the beach I'm parked on....just my thoughts...

Zac


Well, this thread was all about tires for my needs... and it has been running through 3 sets of tires since I started it.

Price was one of the concerns... I like low prices as much as I like good performance. This discussion was to explore possibilities and share results.

BFG Rugged Trails (the stock tire on both my Tacomas) was okay other than they didn't last long... and when the replacement price went over $130 (from $85), I tried the Dakotas promoted to me by Bedman... They were pretty good and pretty cheap, just not high mileage.

Enter the '05 Tacoma... as soon as the BFGs were worn, I got the MACHO looking mud crawler Cooper Discoverer STT... Made Ken Cooke happy! They were great on everything except the two main uses I have for tires: highway and sand. They did have the best mileage (up to 38,000 miles) too... Just way too noisey!

The next thing I tried was the TOYO Open Country A/T... inexpensive, quiet, good in the sand... seemed perfect until near 25,000 miles when too much tread had worn away for my comfort... perhaps good for 5,000 more miles?

Now, I would have gotten another set of them if I didn't hear of something similar with better mileage potential. The dealer (2 actually) claimed the Cooper ATR would give more... potentially 50,000 miles. Cooper had a buy 3 get one free deal, so the price was right for all four. The last Coopers I had gave the best mileage of all the tires I have used on the Tacomas... so why not?

Not sure if it is "I" who is hard on tire or it is Baja that is... but I don't mind sharing with all of you the results of my purchases. I do keep a regular check on air pressure... and never had pressure get low, except for sand driving... and that is brief when we go on to Shell Island.




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[*] posted on 12-19-2008 at 04:54 PM


David -- you go through tires faster than anyone I know...

I had to air up one of my TrXus MT tires today. The culprit? BAJA GRANDE! :o :O

It appears that the tire must have taken a hit, and is now having trouble holding air.

I'll keep an eye on these tires. I can't believe Baja Grande caused so much damage to my Jeep this year.




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[*] posted on 12-19-2008 at 05:03 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Cooke
David -- you go through tires faster than anyone I know...

I had to air up one of my TrXus MT tires today. The culprit? BAJA GRANDE! :o :O

It appears that the tire must have taken a hit, and is now having trouble holding air.

I'll keep an eye on these tires. I can't believe Baja Grande caused so much damage to my Jeep this year.


Maybe I am just more truthful about how long they last... or maybe I replace them before they get so smooth that flats happen? I have never had a flat on this Tacoma.




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[*] posted on 12-19-2008 at 05:11 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Cooke
David -- you go through tires faster than anyone I know...

I had to air up one of my TrXus MT tires today. The culprit? BAJA GRANDE! :o :O

It appears that the tire must have taken a hit, and is now having trouble holding air.

I'll keep an eye on these tires. I can't believe Baja Grande caused so much damage to my Jeep this year.


Maybe I am just more truthful about how long they last... or maybe I replace them before they get so smooth that flats happen? I have never had a flat on this Tacoma.


More truthful than moi? :saint:

I reported when my other rear tire needed work due to a 2" stick it picked up on the beach in Gonzaga.
No fault of the manufacturer. This didn't appear to be a defect in any way. I replaced my 1st set of TrXus MT tires
at 35,000 mi. with plenty of tread left on the tires. I understand why you don't run your All-Terrain
tires down, because an All-Terrain doesn't have much tread depth to start with. Trying to strech your tire's life
is asking for trouble. Especially in Baja. Rock on!




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