Hi all - spent some time searching in the forum but not finding the info I am looking for. We purchased a 03 470, stock rims and road Michelins. Primary purpose for the vehicle is to tow an RPod trailer, and occasional winter condition driving (we live in western Colorado). No plans for serious off-road so AT tires seem to be overkill, but we go lots of places camping with somewhat rough unsurfaced roads. So I am looking for something in-between street (all-weather) and AT. Planning on keeping the stock rims. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

 

Thx, will check them out - to clarify, not finding it on this forum. Tons of threads about aftermarket rims and AT tires, but nothing on stock-size tire replacements.

 

I must agree 100%

 

After running through 2 sets of Michelin LTX ms/2s i found interestingly great feed back about these as Micheline replacement (probably by ALAN553 NOT SURE)

http://www.kumhotireusa.com/tire-cat.../crugen%20ht51

They have same tread pattern and a big plus is Mountain Snowflake symbol which means its good for winter. I got them installed last week and can't tell difference between Micheline and Kumhos and both are good for 70K miles but i found Kumhos at half the price of Micheline ($573 installed).

 

Thx - I will check them out! I always buy my tires from Discount Tires and noticed that they handle them.

 

Duratracs or KO2's are the go-to for severe winter rated AT's, I'd go with C-load rating on a truck like a GX470 and your intended use, but they are also available in SL (standard load = Passenger tire) load rating in some sizes if you feel C is overkill for you.

I've ran 5 sets of Duratracs over the years, and about to put another set on our new 5th gen 4Runner which won't ever see offroading use, so I'm rolling the dice and trying the SL load rating in 255/75/17 size (true 32" tire) in hopes it will be a bit lighter, and get a bit better fuel economy than a heavier construction sidewall tire. Living where I do and dealing with winter conditions for 5 months of the year, they have been great for us! I've never had a flat, and I have wheeled my Land Cruiser with Duratracs (E-load) in the rocks and stumps of the Canadian Shield aired down, but all the same they do have a reputation for weak sidewalls compared to other AT tires.

I have no personal experience with the KO2's, but I hear they are comparable in the winter.

 

seems like a pretty similar tire..but as soon as you trade for that snow flake symbol, ie winter tire...you loose on the dry handling side...its a balance...if price is the issue, seems like a no brainer....they seem round to me...