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I recently bought a 2018 GX and absolutely love it. The tires that came on it however are pretty terrible off-brand (Ironman?) and I'd like to replace them with something better asap. I realize there are several threads on tires for the GX. And I'm absolutely comfortable doing a bunch of research. However, all the research in the world can't explain how the tires actually ride.
At the moment I'm looking at BFG KO2s, Michelin Defenders (I think but open to any Michelin), and Falken Wildpeak AT3. Also open to any suggestions otherwise. I'd like something reasonably useful off road but 90-95% of the time these are going to be on pavement. I'm going to stick to stock size as well, I think.
The question is how do those tires ride and how loud are they? Again, open to any suggestions or thoughts.
Thanks.
The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is a fantastic tire ... last forever (60,000++) ... very quiet ... and have excellent performance on dry, wet and are actually pretty impressive off road ... and almost as good as most dedicated snow tires in the frozen stuff ... BUT they look like "Soccer Mom" tires. These are what I have always put on my wife's SUV's.
I have Nitto Trail Grappler's on an FJ Cruiser ... with a hybrid tread design that is in-between an All-Terrain and Mud tire, leaning in the Mud direction ... BUT are amazingly quiet for such an aggressive tread ... way less noise than BFG All Terrain's which is unbelievable when looking at the tread. For the first 200-odd miles, they are somewhat "squirrelly" but then become very responsive and have excellent performance on dry, wet, mud, sand, rocks ... but are horrible in the frozen stuff. I have consumed two sets of the Trail Grappler's and can say they are excellent tires ... balance has been a non-issue and they have maintained being round for the life of the tire. From a looks standpoint, the Nitto's are hard to beat. Toyo / Nitto is under the same parent company and use most of the same carcasses for their tires.
I switched to Nitto after running BFG All Terrain's for well over 30 years on many vehicles ... loved those tires, but either the quality went down or my patience was tested ... probably both. Constant balancing issues (even with road-force) and out-of-round issues ... even with brand new tires (that were immediately replaced) and increasing out-of-round issues after 50% tread wear. I thought ... really hoped ... that when Michelin acquired BFG that the "Michelin-Magic" would renew my being dedicated to the All Terrain, but that was not the case.
Other's on this forum have installed Nitto Ridge Grappler's ... also a tread design that is an All-Terrain / Mud hybrid tire, but leans in the All-Terrain direction. Search this forum for owner reviews and pictures ... and go with 265/65-18 ... fills out the wheel well perfectly without any rubbing issues (running OEM rims without any suspension lift).
This is fantastic information! Thanks for just laying it out there. Everything I've read basically suggests the Defender is the best tire but I have to agree with you... not a great look. I'll give the Nittos a look now, thanks for the advice on the tire size.
Great questions and thanks for helping me clarify.
Definitely not 100% pavement. I'm in Houston so mostly sand and some mud. Maybe a rocky trail around Austin once/twice a year. Nothing like a duratrac is needed.
We do tow but only the occasional u-haul.
Not too worried about weight but obviously these are thirsty beasts already.
I'd probably go with the KO2s but I'm concerned about ruining the ride and the tires being really loud on road trips.
Thanks.
Have you had a Duratrac before? I am currently on my 4th set(2 on my previous Jeep, 2 on my F150) and they have been great tires. Not loud at all considering how aggressive they are. We use them for mostly daily driving but the snow traction is the main reason I bought them, which is not really an issue for you. The only big negative is that you really have to keep on top of rotating them. Since I kinda messed up my first set on my Jeep I started to do them at 4k miles and they have been totally fine.
I would say that 75% of people(those who have A/T tires) around here run Duratracs. 15% run KO2's. Then you see some Nittos or Wildpeaks thrown in.
One thing I have noticed with the Wildpeaks and Nittos I have been looking at, is that they are significantly heavier than the same size Duratrac or KO2. I can't figure out why but it seems like even a Load Range SL or LT-C Wildpeak is almost as heavy as a LT-E Duratrac in some cases. This was looking at tires in the 32" range for the GX though, not stock. That alone had somewhat steered me away from those tires. Not that I am a weight weenie or anything but a 55-60 lb tire seems unnecessary on a stockish GX. A stock size tire should be in the 45 lb range.
Also, another thing to note, is that the Duratracs in an SL load rating have a shallower tread depth than the LT rated ones. I originally had 265/70R16's on my Jeep. The next set I went to an LT265/75R16. The LT's were a lot more aggressive looking. The tread was certainly deeper and it seemed like the blocks were more open as well.
I have considered them but I'm concerned they're too aggressive for what I need. I'll be on pavement 90% or more of the time. Weird that they're so much lighter though.
I have considered them but I'm concerned they're too aggressive for what I need. I'll be on pavement 90% or more of the time. Weird that they're so much lighter though.
I don't know if the weight thing is always true, just something to watch out for when doing reseach. It was both the KO2 and Duratrac that seemed to be lighter.
This is fantastic information! Thanks for just laying it out there. Everything I've read basically suggests the Defender is the best tire but I have to agree with you... not a great look. I'll give the Nittos a look now, thanks for the advice on the tire size.
Note that the 265/65-18 is 1-inch larger diameter than the stock 265/60-18 size ... perfect to fill in the wheel wells, but is an issue in the spare location, specifically when running a full-on hitch (the kind that attaches to the frame rails). Many 265/65-18's will fit in the spare location, but will just rub on the KDSS bar. I simply did not change the spare tire from the stock size. Many will argue that the difference in diameter will cause differential damage, or trigger the ABS or trigger error codes. Do your research if you have the same concerns. My take ... I have never needed to use a spare ... and if I ever did on this vehicle, it would be for a very short distance at limited speed ... and if I was really worried, I would simply air-up on one side, and air-down on the other to get the rotating diameters close enough to get me to the nearest tire shop ... or just use tire-goo if sealing a typical nail sized puncture.
Bumping to 65 from the 60 aspect ratio really transforms the GX from looking like an SUV styled Mini-Van to a true truck based SUV ... a 1-inch increase in diameter really makes a visual difference ... should have been the Lexus as-delivered size.
Back in March, I ordered a set of OEM 18" wheels with bright chrome PVD from Detroit Wheel. This was a swap deal where I pay a $800 core charge that gets refunded when I send back my matching OEM painted wheels. At first they were going to ship in a few weeks after they coated a set, but then COVID happened... The big brown truck finally showed up today with four big boxes! Very happy with the PVD finish! My wife's LS460 has actual "chrome" OEM wheels, and the PVD is much smoother. I've got an appointment Wednesday to get them swapped out. Soon, the garage will have two silver Lexi, with chrome wheels!
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I run E rated wildpeaks. They are very quiet, comparable to a street tire in my opinion. If you run C rated I would imagine that you won't be able to tell the difference to a street tire. I suggest getting 265/65/18. That has more sidewall than stock size and that equals more comfort. Do your research first for your specific brand you like, but I believe it should also fit in the spare tire location which is probably the biggest factor here.
Not to add more to your decision, but I've been very happy with my Continental Terrain Contact A/T.
They are a tad louder than the Defender LTX I replaced, but I prefer the slightly more aggressive look and they were great in what snow we got and also in the mud and gravel where my camping/hunting/fishing takes me.
Well my swap of the painted OEM wheels to the PVD Chrome coated wheels from Detroit Wheel didn't go so well. The tire shop tried to fit two of the wheels and both won't seat on the hub! It's a matter of a few MM's keeping the wheel from going onto the hub. It appears the coating build up on the inner hub bevel area is too thick. I'm going to have to call Detroit tomorrow and see if they approve of using a die grinder to open that area up, while still maintaining the finish warranty. Ugh!
Well my swap of the painted OEM wheels to the PVD Chrome coated wheels from Detroit Wheel didn't go so well. The tire shop tried to fit two of the wheels and both won't seat on the hub! It's a matter of a few MM's keeping the wheel from going onto the hub. It appears the coating build up on the inner hub bevel area is too thick. I'm going to have to call Detroit tomorrow and see if they approve of using a die grinder to open that area up, while still maintaining the finish warranty. Ugh!
I was curious if this was going to work... welcome to the world of hub Toyota centric wheels... I've seen this exact issue happen when both 4Runner and tacoma owners tried to PC or paint a set of steelies to get a LC70 look... wouldn't fit over the hub due to the thickness of the coating...
I've always loved Conti's as a driving tire. I've had them on several cars and they've always been a better ride over Michelins, Goodyear, etc. We put Nokian's Rotiiva on our GX because we need a 3 peak tire for where we live. In the mountains by Vail. The Michelin's on there sucked for winter time. Very happy with the Nokians and have almost 10k on them. On my Jeep I run the Falken at3w and love those. Do great all around, only regret was going with a E rated. Thicker sidewall and such but Jeep isn't heavy enough to need a e rated.
I run the Falken At3w on my jeep and they are a great tire all around. Great on the road and off. Not loud, my ride is little harsh because of a e rated tire on a Jeep that isn't heavy enough for a e rated tire along with a lift and other junk. On our GX we have the Nokian rotiiva and have been really pleased with them. We needed to have 3 peak tires because of where we live, 9k in mountains by Vail, but they have been fine for all around driving. Price was right when I got them about $130/tire. Since you're probably not seeing snow a lot no need for a 3 peak. I was not a fan of the LTX we had on there. Ride wasn't great and they did awful in the snow. Might have been better if we lived somewhere that didn't have snow.
I'd take a peek at these https://www.continentaltire.com/prod...t-22560r17-99h Conti's have always been my go to for a driving tire. These have enough of an aggressive tread that it going to do better offroad road.
I run the Falken At3w on my jeep and they are a great tire all around. Great on the road and off. Not loud, my ride is little harsh because of a e rated tire on a Jeep that isn't heavy enough for a e rated tire along with a lift and other junk. On our GX we have the Nokian rotiiva and have been really pleased with them. We needed to have 3 peak tires because of where we live, 9k in mountains by Vail, but they have been fine for all around driving. Price was right when I got them about $130/tire. Since you're probably not seeing snow a lot no need for a 3 peak. I was not a fan of the LTX we had on there. Ride wasn't great and they did awful in the snow. Might have been better if we lived somewhere that didn't have snow.
I'd take a peek at these https://www.continentaltire.com/prod...t-22560r17-99h Conti's have always been my go to for a driving tire. These have enough of an aggressive tread that it going to do better offroad road.
In my experience, Conti's are fantastic to 50% tread ... then uneven wear progressively causes directional issues where holding a line requires constant steering correction. Nokian tires are fantastic ... Michelin for me in the summer and Nokian for severe winter conditions ... with Nitto being the aggressive choice when wanting some attitude and off-road performance without on-road compromise and tread noise.
05-17-20, 10:14 PM
