VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Hi,

My current tires have 100,000 km on them (2007 GMC pick-up).

Can anyone recommend some good tires for all around use and use on Nitinat logging roads....ie someone told me to get "10 ply"...which are thicker I assume.

Thanks,

KC

At work we've been using BF Goodrich All Terrain tires on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. If you don't have time to research other 10 ply options these are a classic, good all-round truck tire. They do tend to throw a bit of gravel, so your paint may get sand-blasted if you don't have good mud flaps.

I worked for a tire store for 7 yrs. I assume you are driving nitnat seasonally or ocassionally? If your pickup is 3/4 ton then you must get 10 ply(E rated). if your pickup is a 1/2 ton get 6 ply(C rated). You can put 10 ply on a 1/2 ton, however, your city and hwy driving comfort goes out the window.( unless you are driving daily on logging roads, then get 10 ply). regardless of what you decide, try to get a tire with xtra sidewall protection, like the Bridgestone dueller. Some manufacturers have a softer sidewall to try to give a better ride on stronger tire.

bf goodrich is another good off road tire

I drive a lot of logging roads as well as highway an im running the nokkian vativas, they are one of the cheaper options at Kal tire.. It is what a lot of WFP crew trucks are using. They are sweet, i pulled a civic out of a snowbank and right up the mt Cain road. A co-worker got the bfg A/T and says hey are really loud on the highway. previously i had bfg long trails which were ok but they wore out really fast and i did have one flat (though it was a big nail issue)! My last truck had Michelin ATX M/S which were really nice and lasted forever. they are a touch expensive though.

BF all terrains great handling tire, not so great on logging road I found and wear out fast on pavement but still bought them they transformed the truck but not immune to flats as some others I have used. My suburban 4x4 loved them but I don't recall them being E-rated which is what I would recommend on the logging road.

Never once a flat on the E, used several brands, no matter

Fam Biz is Tire + Transmission shops so I can speak to this after being around it since a 13" tire dwarfed me.

BFG A/T is a great choice, a bit soft and I think you might find they wear sooner than some others. But, highly reccomended. Not the cheapest option though. Option B (and actually probably a better option) is to just by a cheaper offshore brand and carry a full size spare, on a road like Nitinat you will actually probably find very little difference between the two and the cost differential (sometimes half or less) more than makes up for the odd time you might flat on the cheaper tire but wouldn't on the BFG. Keep in mind Tires, like most things these days, are made in by a small group of half a dozen or so factories regardless of brand, so often you are paying for a name brand that was made side by side and with very little difference to an offshore brand.

I'm on my second set of Hankooks for the Dodge p/u. First set did well over 100,000 km, LOTS of gravel (Nitinat + work going to logging cutblocks). Just 'C' rated (but I believe they have more sidewall layers than standard) and I had a grand total of 1 flat first set, 1 more so far on the second.

Toyo M55 10 ply I have used them for 10 years and had 2 slow leaks and 1 flat on the Nitinat road. They are also great in snow.

I finally did some research. The Consumer Reports top rated truck all season tire is the General Grabber HTS. I just ordered some - 10 ply! I personally favour an "all season" rather than an "all terrain" because I drive so much highway, and was looking for a quiet tire with low rolling resistance.

LT235/75 R16 E rated tires were $237 each.

Hankook tires , Check them out"
They make a great 10 ply that will last for years

While I definately don't have the experience as some on this forum, one thing that helps me decide what tire to get is the road hazard guarantee. I have run my subaru for over 100k on the nitinaht road with one flat, which was fully replaced for free (sidewall cut) because it had road hazard on it. So while deciding maybe ask if they have that guarantee...might be worth it.

I believe the BFG at is also snow rated which is nice. BFG only use 3 ply's in sidewalls, this should not be a problem unless you 4x4 a lot with dropped tire pressure. I have Nokian mud terrains, copys of the BFG muds, love them, noisy but confident when on fresh blasted sharp shail.