Best Tires for 2020 2500 4x4

Seacoaster

Active member
My van came with Agilis LTX's. I called a Michelin dealer and they told me they are the same as a Defender LTX and that soon all Defenders will be named Agilis. I'd consider Swapping them out for the cross climates in the 265 75 16 size for better winter traction. The cross climates have pretty good ratings. I think I want to stay with a closed shoulder tire on the sprinter.

I've got cooper AT3's on my Express AWD and chev 2500 pu and they have been good all around. Wasn't too impressed with them in the snow compared to KO2's. They did fine though.
Close shouldered? Does that mean a continues construction from tread to sidewalk?
 

ckid

Member
Close shouldered? Does that mean a continues construction from tread to sidewalk?
The shoulder of a tire is the outer corner. Closed means the tread on the shoulder is mostly continuous for the entire circumference versus individual lugs like you would see on an AT or mud tire. Closed shoulder tires get better mpg, run smoother / quieter, and last longer than open shoulder tires on the highway.

I'm only going to use the AWD for snow on the road and the occasional gravel road looking for dispersed camping. The majority of the time it will be on dry pavement.
 
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99sport

Well-known member
I'm having a set of factory alloys powder coated as I write this. Nothing exciting though - Silver to restore the wheels after the previous owner sprayed them rattlecan matte black. The Sprinter is black - the look was too sinister for my tastes.
Back when I used to autocross a friend had a set of wheels powdercoated. The rims cracked at the junction of the spokes to the hubs and the wheel completely came off the vehicle. Aluminum rims are heat treated for strength and the annealing temperature (temperature at which the heat treatment is lost and the strength drops by about 50%) is 350 F for 4 hours (this is from memory, I haven't looked at a heat treat spec in a while). Bottom line, if the powdercoater takes your rim anywhere near 350 deg F you are taking your life in your hands. Personally, I'd never get an aluminum wheel powdercoated (steel wheel, sure). A google search came up with lots of pictures - I didn't bother to read the threads, there are many, but this picture taken randomly from the internet is exactly what my friends rim looked like:
1601855297791.png
 

Mr. Bills

Raconteur Emeritus
Thank you for your concern, but I can assure you that my Mercedes Benz factory alloy wheels were not subjected to excess heat for an excess period by my powder coater when they were restored. This was not his first rodeo; nor mine.
 

Gnarthaller

Member
Just got our new van and already installed the Agile No-Rub Kit & Tire Basket Brackets so we could fit a set of 5 Method 701 Trail wheels with LT265/70R17E BFG KM3 tires.
I decided to try the KM3 over the KO2 because I will be running Blizzaks (LT265/75R16E) on the stock black steel wheels in winter. I've used the KO2s on all my previous 4x4 vehicles as 4 season tires and decided that if I'm now going to use a dedicated snow tire set in winter, why compromise off-road the other 3 seasons with a 3PMSF all-terrain tire.

Our Sprinter - Method 701 & KM3.jpg
 

Seacoaster

Active member
Slightly off topic, for those in snowy climates, how much of a performance difference between A/T vs dedicated snows in snow? I’ve never run A/T on any of my vehicles, so I have no reference.
 

Mr. Bills

Raconteur Emeritus
I live at the edge of snowy climate. Dedicated snow tires don't work for me because I spend as much time in winter below the snow line as above it and the ambient temperatures at my elevation are generally too high for the rubber compound in snow tires. They wouldn't last.

In my particular circumstance, my best option for a year round tire is a "3 Peak Mountain Snowflake" AT tire rather than an ordinary "M+S" tire or a more highway oriented tire. They get me past the tire chain checkpoints to the places I need to go, and when it isn't snowing the AT tread serves me well on unimproved roads and forest service routes. My tires won't last as long as a "street tire" with a harder compound, but when balancing my competing needs they were the best overall choice for me.

If you never venture off pavement or well improved gravel roads you probably don't need an AT tire. I've been a jeeper for more than 50 years, so I tend to seek out the more remote destinations. As for snow, my experience has been that the sipes in the tread do more for traction on snow and ice than the larger voids in an AT tread so I would think a milder AT tire with many sipes like the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT would do better in snow than a tire with more aggressive tread but fewer sipes such as a Toyo Rough Country or similar.
 

Seacoaster

Active member
I live at the edge of snowy climate. Dedicated snow tires don't work for me because I spend as much time in winter below the snow line as above it and the ambient temperatures at my elevation are generally too high for the rubber compound in snow tires. They wouldn't last.

In my particular circumstance, my best option for a year round tire is a "3 Peak Mountain Snowflake" AT tire rather than an ordinary "M+S" tire or a more highway oriented tire. They get me past the tire chain checkpoints to the places I need to go, and when it isn't snowing the AT tread serves me well on unimproved roads and forest service routes. My tires won't last as long as a "street tire" with a harder compound, but when balancing my competing needs they were the best overall choice for me.

If you never venture off pavement or well improved gravel roads you probably don't need an AT tire. I've been a jeeper for more than 50 years, so I tend to seek out the more remote destinations. As for snow, my experience has been that the sipes in the tread do more for traction on snow and ice than the larger voids in an AT tread so I would think a milder AT tire with many sipes like the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT would do better in snow than a tire with more aggressive tread but fewer sipes such as a Toyo Rough Country or similar.
Excellent view on the issue and response, thank you. I definitely have competing interests. On my R class I have started to run the Toyo Celsius, a combo all season/snow tire for these very reasons. On the Sprinter, I have the OE Michelin’s for that will be good for longer trips 6 months/year, but am on the edge between snows and AT for the other 6 months.
 

H.Mont

Member
I live at the edge of snowy climate. Dedicated snow tires don't work for me because I spend as much time in winter below the snow line as above it and the ambient temperatures at my elevation are generally too high for the rubber compound in snow tires. They wouldn't last.

In my particular circumstance, my best option for a year round tire is a "3 Peak Mountain Snowflake" AT tire rather than an ordinary "M+S" tire or a more highway oriented tire. They get me past the tire chain checkpoints to the places I need to go, and when it isn't snowing the AT tread serves me well on unimproved roads and forest service routes. My tires won't last as long as a "street tire" with a harder compound, but when balancing my competing needs they were the best overall choice for me.

If you never venture off pavement or well improved gravel roads you probably don't need an AT tire. I've been a jeeper for more than 50 years, so I tend to seek out the more remote destinations. As for snow, my experience has been that the sipes in the tread do more for traction on snow and ice than the larger voids in an AT tread so I would think a milder AT tire with many sipes like the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT would do better in snow than a tire with more aggressive tread but fewer sipes such as a Toyo Rough Country or similar.
I am in the same situation as you and have been trying to figure out the best tire for a year round tire to get me up into the PNW mountains during winter, but also last in warmer weather. What tires do you have on? Are they this Cooper tire you quote? I have been considering the Falken Wildpeake A/T3W which has the 3MPSF rating for winter. Any thoughts from your experience?
 

Mr. Bills

Raconteur Emeritus
I decided on BFG All Terrain T/A KO2 LT265/75R16-E. The Three Mountain Peak Snow Flake version, not the "DT" version with harder compound and longer mileage warranty.

The deciding factor for me was availability of a matching replacement tire in remote locales, e.g., Baja. I think my odds will be better with BFG than some of the other brands.
 

Rocksnsalt

There Can Be Only ONE
Anyone have any experience and feedback with Toyo Open Country AT3 tires?
Comparing to KO2’s which seem to be the go to tire for most.
 

Mr. Bills

Raconteur Emeritus
I looked at Toyo Open Country AT3's when I replaced the worn out Toyo Rough Country AT's installed by my Sprinter's previous owner.

I was not impressed by the tire wear or the longevity (actually lack thereof) of the Toyo Rough Countrys, nor the ride, so I passed on the Toyo Open Country AT3 in favor of BFG KO2s.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the Toyo Open Country AT3; it just wasn't the tire for me.

My short list was the BFG KO2, Cooper Discoverer ST/Maxx, Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 (a Cooper tire), the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT, and the Toyo Open Country AT3. I have owned and have obtained good results on other vehicles from the BFG, ST/Maxx, MT Baja ATZ, and Cooper AT3.

In the end, the BFG KO2 fit my particular needs better than the others, and because Discount/America's Tire price matched a Costco price, the BFG's went from the second most expensive on the list at $195/tire to the least expensive at $167.50/tire for LT265/75R16-E KO2 with Three Peak Mountain Snowflake all weather rating. [Toyos were the most expensive.]



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Jupiter_Shrugged

Junebug vs. Hurricane
I bought five Goodyear 235r85-16 Duratracs for the Sprinter - There was a ~$100 rebate and a free Yeti mug. Goodyear came to the house Friday afternoon to install them with their mobile service truck!

So far, very pleased with the tire - Ride is a bit smoother, there is a bit more noise from the tread but not any louder than the 4x4 gear. I immediately noticed that the van tracks straighter.

In lieu of balance weights, I used balance beads - https://counteractbalancing.com/ - First time I've tried them... Hopefully better balance over the life of tires.
 

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hilld

Well-known member
Anyone have any experience and feedback with Toyo Open Country AT3 tires?
Comparing to KO2’s which seem to be the go to tire for most.
I just ordered a set for my dually. They should arrive this week from Tirerack. Being a dually, my tire choices were very limited, especially sizes.

I do have BFG KO2's on my pickup and they are pretty decent, but I really wanted to try the Toyo's as they had gotten fantastic reviews from others and I have seen them on a few other dually's as well.

I have had the Goodyear Duratracs on my pickup before the BFG's and they had the worst wet traction of any tire I have ever owned. After 6 months I had Discount Tire take them back and replace them with the BFG's.
 

Jupiter_Shrugged

Junebug vs. Hurricane
I have had the Goodyear Duratracs on my pickup before the BFG's and they had the worst wet traction of any tire I have ever owned. After 6 months I had Discount Tire take them back and replace them with the BFG's.
Hopefully, I won't have the same experience - Rain can get pretty gnarly in the Southeast. I based a good deal of my decision on the tirerack reviews where most said wet traction was "Excellent"... But now I go back and read more, there are a quite a few comments on poor wet traction. We'll see...
 

hilld

Well-known member
I have had others say the same thing, great wet traction, but that was not my case. If you look at reviews, most of them are positive, but there are a few that say terrible wet traction. Perhaps it was a bad batch of rubber compound and I happened to get those. Granted on a pickup, there isn't much weight over the back axle, so that could also have something to do with that, but the BFG's were much improved in my case. Other than that, I liked the dry and dirt traction of the DT's and of course the looks. So sexy.
 

Rocksnsalt

There Can Be Only ONE
Sooooo... I ended up ordering a set of 265/70/17 Toyo Rough Country AT3 tires and Black Rhino Warlord wheels through Agile Off Road. I opted for 265 vs 275 to leave room in the fenderwell when in mud and snow etc, and because I don’t really want the extra step in/out height the 275’s would create. Thinking there may be an Agile rip kit in my future ??? and that will likely raise the body a bit anyway.
Had the install today, only about 55 highway miles on them so far but I can say they seem to ride smoother and with less vibration than the original 245/75/16 Michelin Agilis LTX on factory alloys. Surprising to me. Very good feel and excellent tracking.
Winter’s coming and I will likely be driving in a fair amount of snow and rain etc in nocal nv and utah so will update with “mho”.

PS installed the basic Fox rear shocks a couple mos back - definitely worth doing, substantial improvement.
 

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