Desert Dawg
Well-Known Member
Tire Selection Shortlist
So as you know, I have been looking at various tire options that I feel would really compliment my truck build both in terms of form and function. I really prefer a more purposeful and slightly more aggressive looking theme of the truck especially since this a Rebel that I will use off-road, but doing so is always at the expense of your wallet, mileage performance (for longer road trips), handling dynamics, safety (especially in terms of control and braking), tire life, and road comfort/noise. Tires, besides any suspension changes, are one of the more costly mods you can make on a truck especially when getting into the 34-35+ inch diameter range; I have made mistakes before when I rushed my decision based on some pricing deal that seemed to be too good to pass up or because I ran with someone else's recommendation without thinking it through only to be unhappy with the results.
So my focus has been on more aggressive looking ATs, Hybrids, and MTs that might meet most of my criteria for performing well day to day, provide decent highway comfort, and ensuring decent performance while off-roading so that I can have fun on rocky mountain trails or deep sand dunes. Keep in mind that I am not building a mall crawler or extreme off-roading machine so the tires need to reflect that as well (not all good looks but not purely functional either). Also, my mantra for this build is "try something new" so my shortlist attempts to include tire makes that I have not used or considered previously. But as mentioned before, I have used a large number of tire manufacturers and tire types in the past that worked really well so my initial considerations and resulting shortlist may still include those and/or I may have revisited some of the same tires again if the tire technology/designs had been updated for that specific tire.
So here is my shortlist of tires; please keep in mind that is "my" initial shortlist and definitely may not be yours as some of the decision making process is very subjective. For instance, some very good/excellent tires didn't make it because maybe I just didn't think they would look as good as the others; what may not appeal to me aesthetically may be "da bomb" for someone else! Also, comfort and noise can be very subjective too as what might be too loud or rough riding for me might be very tolerable or even preferred by someone else. And finally, I fall into that minority category of folks that actually beat their trucks up some for fun but maybe not as much as the hardcore rock or expedition wheelers.
I tried to include some of my thoughts on each as well as some basic stats; you may agree or disagree which is great because not every size, truck, or personal use is the same. This is only my shortlist and I haven't pulled the trigger on any tire yet (although in my mind I might be getting down to a top 3). I also included a brief listing of other tires that almost made the shortlist but fell short for some odd reason. Not all tires I reviewed or considered are listed either as there are just too many and/or some where were very similar to another. But if someone has something I missed or maybe has a different experience or perspective, please share!
So as you know, I have been looking at various tire options that I feel would really compliment my truck build both in terms of form and function. I really prefer a more purposeful and slightly more aggressive looking theme of the truck especially since this a Rebel that I will use off-road, but doing so is always at the expense of your wallet, mileage performance (for longer road trips), handling dynamics, safety (especially in terms of control and braking), tire life, and road comfort/noise. Tires, besides any suspension changes, are one of the more costly mods you can make on a truck especially when getting into the 34-35+ inch diameter range; I have made mistakes before when I rushed my decision based on some pricing deal that seemed to be too good to pass up or because I ran with someone else's recommendation without thinking it through only to be unhappy with the results.
So my focus has been on more aggressive looking ATs, Hybrids, and MTs that might meet most of my criteria for performing well day to day, provide decent highway comfort, and ensuring decent performance while off-roading so that I can have fun on rocky mountain trails or deep sand dunes. Keep in mind that I am not building a mall crawler or extreme off-roading machine so the tires need to reflect that as well (not all good looks but not purely functional either). Also, my mantra for this build is "try something new" so my shortlist attempts to include tire makes that I have not used or considered previously. But as mentioned before, I have used a large number of tire manufacturers and tire types in the past that worked really well so my initial considerations and resulting shortlist may still include those and/or I may have revisited some of the same tires again if the tire technology/designs had been updated for that specific tire.
So here is my shortlist of tires; please keep in mind that is "my" initial shortlist and definitely may not be yours as some of the decision making process is very subjective. For instance, some very good/excellent tires didn't make it because maybe I just didn't think they would look as good as the others; what may not appeal to me aesthetically may be "da bomb" for someone else! Also, comfort and noise can be very subjective too as what might be too loud or rough riding for me might be very tolerable or even preferred by someone else. And finally, I fall into that minority category of folks that actually beat their trucks up some for fun but maybe not as much as the hardcore rock or expedition wheelers.
I tried to include some of my thoughts on each as well as some basic stats; you may agree or disagree which is great because not every size, truck, or personal use is the same. This is only my shortlist and I haven't pulled the trigger on any tire yet (although in my mind I might be getting down to a top 3). I also included a brief listing of other tires that almost made the shortlist but fell short for some odd reason. Not all tires I reviewed or considered are listed either as there are just too many and/or some where were very similar to another. But if someone has something I missed or maybe has a different experience or perspective, please share!
Edits: Spelling and grammar corrections.
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