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DIYSteve
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DIYSteve
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 6:38 pm 
Not all LT tires are E-rated aka 10-ply rated (archaic because these days they have only 2, 3 or 4 plies, not 10). We have LT tires that are D-rated (aka "8-ply" rating) and C-rated (aka "6-ply" rating) on our two vehicles. I like having the stiffer sidewall of an LT tire on dirt roads.

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MtnGoat
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 6:38 pm 
KillerCharlie wrote:
Finally got a second set of wheels with X-Ice tires for my Forester. Should've done that a long time ago. I can change the wheels in 20 minutes. Now I need new regular tires - 95% highways and 5% forestry roads. Any suggestions? Most of the tires talked about here discuss snow performance, which I'm not in need of. I want something relatively quiet and efficient on highways, good in rain, and good enough on gravel.
I've had really good luck with the Toyo Open Country ATs (now AT2) at good old Les Schwab. I've been running them since about 2004. I've never torn up a sidewall and they are good all around dirt tires IMO. They're pretty darned quiet for a relatively blocky tread, I hate loud tires. Reading up at offroad sites I find they rate pretty highly for a mixed use tire, jack of all trades master of none type reviews, and they even generally make it to bronze at least on some of the offroad type tests (rock traction, etc). Never had a rain issue and I drive Cascade Locks in downpours a lot, so if it can handle those creepy ass oceans next to the jersey barriers I rate that as good. And aired down I've run to the top of Pinegrass over by Rimrock lake (no slouch of a 'road'), Gallagher Head lake and beyond to the road end on the S slope of Hawkins Mtn, and the top of Van Epps Pass, so the full on crawling works well with them too. One I have been considering for something different just because is Cooper's Discoverer AT3. I used to run their earlier versions on my mountain wagon 510 because they were the only AT's i could find in 14" size. The tread is very similar to the Toyos and they get good reviews as well, particularly for low noise. I am so pleased with the performance of the Cooper snows I mentioned earlier in the thread I may pick up a set of the Discoverers when it's time to ditch the snows in a couple months, I was nursing my nearly gone Toyo's through the fall till snow tire season and I'll need an all up new set anyway.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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KillerCharlie
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 6:53 pm 
MtnGoat wrote:
I've had really good luck with the Toyo Open Country ATs (now AT2) at good old Les Schwab.
Looks like they don't have those in 2009 Forester size frown.gif

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MtnGoat
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 7:10 pm 
heck, I guess that means cooper may be your huckleberry!

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Schroder
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PostWed Jan 23, 2019 9:34 am 
Schroder wrote:
After visiting my nearest Discount Tire store (Mt Vernon) I've decided to head to Costco and get the Michelin Premier LTX, the original tires on the car.
So now after only 14,000 miles they're worn out frown.gif

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RichP
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PostWed Jan 23, 2019 11:39 am 
My Nokian wrg3's wore out at 45,000 miles and the tread began to separate. I replaced them recently with wrg4's which are supposed to be better. So far so good on icy Idaho roads where studded tires seem to be the norm. I was shocked how much cheaper they were than the set I bought in Seattle several years ago. https://www.nokiantires.com/all-weather-tires/nokian-wr-g4/

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MtnGoat
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PostWed Jan 23, 2019 4:35 pm 
The Cooper Discoverers I picked up last year are great snow tires, they were recommended to me by a plow driver and seem to live up to the recommendation.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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JimmyBob
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PostMon Feb 04, 2019 3:19 pm 
Maybe the studded tires will be on the way out. Never used any myself. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/washington-lawmaker-proposes-100-fee-on-new-studded-tires-a-ban-in-2025/281-78601a23-33de-4086-b02e-676e63fb7b78 I've bought all season tires from Les Schwabs, they're ok, a lot of their own brand models are made by Cooper. The cost of fixing/replacing the TPMS devices is one of the most annoying things about having a car these days. The batteries never lasts as long as they're supposed to.

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john512
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PostTue Feb 19, 2019 8:47 pm 
Anyone here who have tried the Toyo winter tires? I have only tried their Open Country AT tires and it lasted quite a while.

John
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Randito
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PostThu Feb 21, 2019 7:51 pm 
Winter tires with the "Mountain Snowflake" symbol on the sidewall are far superior for driving on snow and ice covered roads. On Hokkaido and on Alberta mountain roads they are required Nov-Apr. IME they are also superior to studded tires in that they provide great traction, without the noise of studs. However the soft rubber compound that grips well on ice also wears fast on bare pavement, especially when road temp is above 50F. So for Seattle usage they are problematic in that all your in city driving will wear the tires considerably , even if you have a second set of wheels with "summer tires" for April->Nov

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pcg
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PostFri Feb 22, 2019 5:36 pm 
RandyHiker wrote:
Winter tires with the "Mountain Snowflake" symbol on the sidewall are far superior for driving on snow and ice covered roads. On Hokkaido and on Alberta mountain roads they are required Nov-Apr.
In BC you have to have them on by October.
john512 wrote:
Anyone here who have tried the Toyo winter tires?
I'm on my third set of Toyo M-55s and couldn't be happier. They are spendy (over $1k for four tires) and not for everyone, but if you want the toughest tire for rocky terrain that also performs very well in snow, I think they are the best you can get. I do a lot of off-roading with an F250 and camper and after I ripped the sidewall out of a tire many years ago in the Ruby Mountains I basically told the folks at Les Schwab I wanted the toughest tire available. They told me the M-55 is what all the loggers use on their pickups for servicing logging equipment in the field and that sold me. I've put tens of thousands of off-road (big sharp rocks) miles on them and never had a problem. I've had one flat (nail) in over twenty tears of using them and fixed it successfully in the field with a plug kit and never looked back. And they eat snow.

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Randito
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PostFri Feb 22, 2019 7:30 pm 
The Toyo-M-55 is an M+S rated "All Season" tire. It doesn't have the "Mountain Snowflake" rating. It does meet BC's requirements for OCT-APR. The "Mountain Snowflake" tires have a softer rubber compound and many more thin grooves in the thread than an "All Season" tire like the M-55 For driving on snow and ice covered roads "Mountain Snowflake" tires do offer superior traction, particularly for nasty conditions like black ice, where "Blizzaks" work suprisingly well and where I've experienced less than satisfactory braking performance on a set of Les Schwab "All Season" "All Terrain" tires (Wildcats) The M-55 will work all year long and looks awesome for driving off pavement -- with a bit more noise while cruising on pavement.

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pcg
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PostFri Feb 22, 2019 9:42 pm 
Yes, you're correct. I inquired at Les Schwab about getting them siped and they advised against it once they heard where I took my truck. They said sand and small particles from gravel would fill in the tiny sipes and render them useless. The tires are awesome on snow (the narrow profile helps), but on black ice they're sketchy as almost any tire is that's not siped. They are somewhat noisy on the highway, but not too bad.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostTue Feb 26, 2019 11:40 am 
I have a pair of studded snow tires I put in at the first snow. Then I take them off in late March. They last quite a while in that scenario. If you run them on dry pavement they certainly will wear out fast.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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