Best tire choice??

[travelguy2500]

Any feedback/experience with the Friestone Destination AT - almost every review is positive and supposed to be good on road and off.

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by IheartDieselVans

What tires did you have before?? Seems like SMB puts a pretty aggressive tire on at the factory, like a BFG KO. Like you, I don't anticipate a whole lot of technical off roading, and will drive mostly on the hwy. My van is my only vehicle so handling and MPG are important!

I don't remember, I bought takeoff F350 wheels/tires off an 05 f350 when I did the 4wd conversion. Whatever Ford was using on the F-Series.

Mike

[jage]

Nitto ATs, have them on both the F250 and SMB, they're made by Toyo (which I had on the van and have on the Jeep). Jeep will probably get Nitto MTs next to try them out.

I've had problems with about five sets of BFGs in a row before I swore off them- I know other people love BFGs, but I've just personally had too many problems.

[travelguy2500]

what do you think of this tire/wheel combo:

Wheel: ATX Teflon 17 inch Mojave Wheels:

[url]http://www.ebay.com/itm/17x8-Teflon-Wheels-Rims-mojave-8x170-/140676825231?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DS I%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%252BUA%252BFICS%26ot n%3D15%26pmod%3D150554263717%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5 633073146368989025

Tire Choices:

1. LT265/70R17 Nitto Trail Grappler Tire

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LT265-70R17-Nit ... 256b4332cf

2. LT265/70R17E OWL Firestone Destination MT Tire

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-New-LT265-70R ... 256b60fba1

3. Michelin LTX A/T2 Tires 265/70R17

Interested in opinions on the best combo of above. Thanks for all the feedback - I'm getting a quick lesson in tires!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Michelin-LTX- ... 2318453d03

[j.whitbread]

I never have liked the tread pattern on the Michelin A/T2. The always look poorly worn. The A/T's are good but not the A/T2.

You are going more aggressive than I thought. I'd go with the Firestone over the others.

The ebay prices don't look all that good. Check Tirerack and 4wheelparts.com for starters.

[bratworst]

[twogone]

yup

[Gnarvan]

The American Racing Mojave Teflon wheels aren't really black. They are more of a dark grey. Compare the color of the hub which is a gloss black to the wheels. I think they would look great on your black van but be advised they aren't really black.

[travelguy2500]

Thanks for the photo! Incredibly helpful

[Gnarvan]

Another factor to consider in your tire choice is road noise. Typically the more open the tread the more road howl you will hear. If you plan to spend most of your time on pavement I'd stay away from an aggressive open lug mud tire. The howl coming from the tire can be very annoying on a long drive. Spend some time talking to a reputable tire shop and they can probably point you to what you need. They will probably steer you in the direction of an all terrian type of tread instead of a mud tread.

Another down side to an aggressive mud tread is they typically have a reduced tread life. When they wear they also tend to cup more which will lead to vibration and balancing issues.

Which ever tire you get I would reccommend having them siped. Siping a tire puts razor blade thickness cuts in the tread perpendicular to the tire rotation. Siping a tire increases traction and adds to the tire life. Tires have to be siped when they are new. If you ask a tire shop about siping and they don't know anything about it or don't have a siping machine I would turn around and walk out. Find a shop that does.

One last thing, make sure your tires are rated for the weight you plan on loading them up with. E rated tires are pretty common on heavier vans.