Hi all,

Like most of you, I searched relentlessly here on Yotatech for info on new tires in the size of 31x10.50R15. Not sure about the rest of you, but for the most part, price is the big determinant for me. I don't do a whole ton of hardcore off-roading right now, mostly prepping for the fishing season this Spring. That being said, I was looking for a decent set of A/T tires to get me around town, handle well on the highway and provide decent off-road traction.

I shopped around for quite a while. The main tires I considered were the Toyo Open Country A/Ts, Firestone Destination A/Ts (which I had in 33x12.50 size on a Jeep TJ) and the Wal-Mart special: Wrangler Authority A/Ts.

The Firestones were the cheapest but had no siping on them. The Authorities were the most expensive (surprisingly) but didn't look like they would do well on the highway at 65-70mph. The Toyos were in the middle of the price range, had the old M+S rating (no Mountain Snowflake here) and have aggressive siping on the tread. I purchased them from Air Assault Auto on Fort Campbell, Kentucky for $553.00 out the door, so I do know that the price consideration may be different for those of you without access to a military post.

So, I'm sure you're wondering: how do they ride? Well, so far so good. Traction seems as good as anything with an A/T tread. They don't spin on dry pavement like the old Kelly Safaris they replaced (I have no idea when those were put on the truck but I'm guessing about a half-century ago judging by the lack of tread on them). I've only had them up to 65-70mph, which is about all I'm going to do in a 21 year old Toyota w/ a 22RE engine in it. They drive just fine. The tread does transmit a lot of road imperfections to the steering wheel. However, I'm going to give them a few weeks of "breaking in" and ensuring the tire pressure is stable before passing final judgement on this aspect.

The only thing that is bothersome to me is the fact that I have some really old American Racing wheels that I think are "out-of-round." Therefore, there is a bit of vibration that I get through the steering wheel at around 45mph. The Kelly tires did not do this, although this could have been due to them literally having no tread left. Perhaps the increased grip of the Toyos is letting me know that there are other things that need to be addressed on this 21 year old rig that was bought for $1500. I wouldn't be surprised.

Well, if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to reply or send me a message. I'll reply as best I can and will try to offer updates as time goes by.

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f177...-tires-183011/

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f177/best-tires-192748/

Found via Search

2nd thread has the most info

 

Well, there you go...

 

I would have highly recommended the Kumho Road Venture AT tires. They are really cheap, have a pretty aggressive tread pattern for an AT tire, ride really good, and last forever. You can pick up 31's for about $100 each. I had a set on my nissan and absolutely loved them. I wish they had never changed their MT tire or I'd be running those now... but unfortunately the redesigned them and the new MT's suck.

For your vibration, chances are whoever mounted them just didn't do the greatest job at balancing them. I'd take it back and tell them that ever since they put the new tires on, you've had a vibration that wasn't present before. They should take care of this for you for free.

 

Funny you mention to Kumho. The shop on post had those too and it was essentially a toss up at that point. Honestly, I was just tired of researching tires and just wanted to get some mounted so I could get out to a field problem.

I realize the vibration is probably a bad balancing job. It'll take some time to get back to them and get the situation fixed.