Tire recommendations

[deserteagle56]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

I've run Toyo MT's for many many years, Have had others but these have been the best IMO. Never had an issue with them, they have a high load capacity, and the only terrain tire that I've ever purchased where each one required very little balancing (have probably gone through about 9 to 10 sets now). I can travel at 75 mph and they run straight with no adverse characteristics. Perform very well in all types of conditions (snow included). I do rotate periodically, and maintain the FE alignment.

^ This has been my experience also.

My van spends most of its time on dirt roads. The B F Goodrich All-Terrains it came with were being destroyed by rock breaks through the tread area. Never had a flat with the Toyo MTs.

One other reason I like the Toyos is the extremely stiff and stout sidewall. With the Goodrich tires the front end of my van (Quigley conversion) seemed like it was always on the verge of going into a wobble - just a vague quivering to the steering wheel. That went away completely with the Toyo tires. I also have a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that was having severe death wobble problems despite having all the components in the front end replaced. In desperation I put on a set of the Toyo MTs and voila! No more death wobble.

[vandiesel]

I switched from K02 to Goodyear versatracs. They have the snowflake and work great in the snow for me. I never had great luck with the BFG's and they performed badly in snow at about half tread. On my old van with an open diff the passenger side rear would be bald after 5k if I did not rotate it around. It looks like the versatracs may have been renamed but they are basically goodyears answer to K02.

[shenrie]

Originally Posted by WhitH

I’ve had just one set and I’m going on about 40k miles with them. I’ll likely get a fresh set before snow and rain season hits.

Thanks Whit. Know roughly what your van weighs?

[macsfamily]

Currently running Falken Wildpeaks. Love them! Only other tire I tried, was the KO2. The KO2's wore out too quickly. I should also add, the Falkens have been in use for 2 Salt Lake winters and 1 Denver foothill winter. They were amazing for the first two, but the third winter left a little to be desired. They had 35k on them at that time.

[Steve Hunt]

Running Hankook Dynapro AT2 275/70-18 @ 45PSI. First rotation at 10,000 and got about 15,000 on them now. They are the only tires i have had so far. Super quiet, no wobble or even hint of. Perfect wear so far, look brand new. No comment on serious offroad capability since I've only messed around on pretty "easy" double track 4x4 needed but no real challenge. I'm sure they would quickly pack up in real mud/clay.
I wanted quiet on the street and feel like I got that.

[vandiesel]

I stand corrected. Ultra terrain AT.

[WhitH]

Originally Posted by shenrie

Thanks Whit. Know roughly what your van weighs?

Yessir, about 8K with no people. I tow 8-10k with it from time to time and will load it up to around 10k as well every now and then but most of the miles have come at 8-9k pounds gross.

[Oogs]

I ran Goodyear Duratrac for the last 8 years in my van. Great snow and wet traction and wore well over 45K miles. Only complaint was the noise which got louder the more miles we put on. I just replaced them with Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT. They ride well and are much quieter than the GYs. We do mostly highway and beach driving and aired down do well in the sand even towing our SMB trailer. We get a tiny shimmy at 75 but don't spend much time driving that speed...60-65 all good.

Before a sketchy delam on the highway in my previous SMB I had run multiple sets of BFG AT on other trucks. The SMB came with D rated tires so after that incident I went up to Es and didn't have another delam issue. They balanced OK and weren't as loud as the Duratrac, but it didn't really matter with the 6.0 under the hood.

But there are several good tires out there to choose from depending on your use case. For us, now with a quiet V10 SMB and mostly highway with some sand, less road noise was high on the list.

[PNWschusser]

Thank you all for your helpful opnions. I've been researching all of the tires that you've recommended, and decided to rule out the ones that aren't the exact same size as my current ones. It'll make it easier to make a decision. Those are the Nitro Ridge (which are almost 70 lbs!), Cooper, and General Grabber. Will also rule out the KO2's.

I also do not want the Toyo M/T--they are too much tire for me, as mud crawling is what I do the least. They are apparently not as good on snow as the Toyo A/T, they wear out faster on the road, and aren't as quiet.

Although they come in the size I need, the Hankook Dynapro ATII is 3 peak MTN listed for snow traction, which is great, but it has been consistently reviewed by some as not being very good in the rain compared to similar brands. I live in the PNW, so I'll rule this one out too.

My use is broken down approximately 30% compact snow and ice (and at times super deep (2+ feet of loose snow), 30-40% street (solely to get to the trails), 30% forest service trails which include potholes, loose rocks, cobbles, and 10% mud (thus far!). Driving through deep mud is my least favorite thing to do.

I would love a quieter road ride as well.

So it's down to the Toyo's ($360/ea), the Kendals R/T Klever's ($450/ea), and the Falken Wildpeak A/TIIIW ($350/ea).

The local tire shops are having a tough time finding the Toyo A/T III's, but will keep looking.

Also, I just returned circumnavigating the Olympic National Forest, going in and out of the forest roads, and noticed that some of the channels in my tires are filled with little rocks that won't come out...annoying.

Thanks again, and if you have anything to add, please do so!

[Twoxentrix]

These vans vary greatly when comparing the vehicle weight...don't know how extensive a build you have, or if you have ever weighed your rig. If not, I suggest you do this to get an idea of what you're dealing with since it can impact your choices. Chances are you are fine, but...
I'm guessing most of the tires you've mentioned have a load rating in the neighborhood of 3,100lbs. This may work well for you, but I have a Van (as several others here do as well) which weighs in at a little over 11,500lbs so I have to be cautious with my selection (that 3,100lb load rating will not work for me since my rear end would tax the max load).
Just something to consider.

EDIT: Feel compelled to add the "snow characteristics" of tires do vary in comparisons, but keep in mind that rating is not your savior - driving on ice and snow is more about the person behind the wheel (safety impacted more by experience and common sense).