Best All Season Tires

[penguins1]

I need to buy some new tires for my 99 Silverado. Can I get some opinions on the experiences you have had with brand/models of tires you have used. I live in Upstate NY so I have to keep snow in mind, but I don't want to have to deal with multiple sets of tires. I am looking for the best all season solution.

Thanks for you help.

[texasblueline]

I've got the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/As (kept the stock size of 265/75/R16) on my Z71 and I like them a lot. I've got a couple friends in the auto and tire business and they recommended these without hesitation when I told them what I was looking for (quiet ride, good wet and dry on-road traction, adequate off-road traction). I did some more research online and found that they were also highly praised by those who'd bought them, so I went ahead and got a set.

They look a little more "off-road-ish" (I know, it's not a word) than most of the other all-terrain offerings, which I like, and perform decently off-road while still remaining perfectly civil on-road. We don't get much in the way of snow around here but in terms of run-of-the-mill mud they do pretty good. Not as good as true mudder tires but better than other all-terrain tires, especially the Firestone Wilderness ATs that I had before. I'd assume they'd handle snow about as well. Their on-road traction is great, especially when it's wet. With those Firestones I came to accept fishtailing around corners and spinning the tires when accelerating from a stop when it was wet, but these BFGoodrichs just about eliminated all that and also did away with a lot of the hydroplaning I experienced. Needless to say I'm very pleased with these tires.

Here's a few pics of them, the first two are mine and the last is one I borrowed of the internet to show the tread in detail:

[Jon-o]

I've had GT Wranglers on my old chevy truck. They were ok. However, the Yukon that we had as a police patrol vehicle had Goodyear ATS tires on it. They were awesome in snow and on the highway. We'd actually be pushing snow w/the front bumper and not slip with the tires. I was about to put them on my old truck but ended up buying a new truck instead. (I know, there are less expensive ways to replace tires.) I'd highly recommend the Goodyear ATS.

[TXAGG05]

I had BFG All-terrains on my two previous trucks and loved them. They are very aggressive for an all terrain tire, but they still have great on road manners. On my current truck I went with Goodyear Wrangler AT/S in the 265.75R16 flavor. Although not as aggressive as the BFGs I've been happy with their off-road performance. In town they have a little less noise than the BFGs and great wet pavement performance that Goodyear is known for. 31k miles and they still look like new. I'm taking them up to Taos in December, so I'll let you know how they do in snow.(Still hasn't even frozen here!)
Jeb

[texasblueline]

You may also check out www.tirerack.com, they've got ratings and reviews that've been really helpful when I've shopped for tires in the past. Just start out by putting in your vehicle type or preferred tire size. The ratings are given by customers and are broken down into smaller categories such as dry traction, wet traction, snow traction, noise, etc. For example, here's their list of Off-Road All-Terrain tires in the 265/75/R16 size, which includes the BFGoodrich and Goodyear offerings that've been suggested here. You'll see the ratings they've received from customers so you get a feel for what others have liked and disliked, and they have such lists for each type of tire (Highway All-Season, Winter, etc). If you click on one of the individual tires on the list it'll take you to a brief description of it as well a bunch of reviews written by customers. This was one of the most useful resources I found when I was shopping for the tires for my Z71.

[cptaylor_01]

I currently have 285/75 Cooper Discoverer A/T's. A friend of mine had them and swore by them. He had them rotated and balanced every 10,000 miles and they lasted hime well over 60,000 miles. I used to have the BF Goodrich AT's and the Coopers are a lot more quiet and smoother imo. I'v had the Cooper's for 10,000 miles now and am very happy.

[Bowtie Bandit]

I have 285/75/16 BFG all terrain's and they are definetly the best all around tires for our trucks. They grab the road like cat claws on a sofa. : )

[jumpingjack66]

BFG's will save your life imo. On wet greasy roads they never break free. They are also not just tires but tire systems. I'll explain, When you are out playing or driving on glaze ice or worse you just pull 20- to 30 lbs out of them and they will either get you out of trouble or get you home safe. The tires are designed to be deflated to rediculously low prerssures to increase traction while staying on the rim. As bowtie said above they are the best and going to a size bigger than recommended like my 285/75/16's just increased overall traction and drivability of the vehicle. I've sworn by BFG's for all applications including my hot rods. They just seem to grip better in all situations, somthing to do with the tire compouns. I expect to get 40,000 out of this set, and i spoke to a man who had used 3 sets of this tire on a big dodge power wagon with the same milage results. p.s. in snow at all depthes and wetness's they preformed excelently. jack

[Sonny01]

The question that needs to be asked is what are you going to use the truck for? The factory P rated tires have a load rating that will handle the truck weight and not much more. The problem is in the sidewall. P rated tires are only four ply. With a lot of weight in the truck or pulling a heavy trailer the sidewalls flex and heat up. This is what will cause them to fail. LT truck tires come in 6, 8 and 10 plys. If you like the car-like ride of the factory tires then you would probably hate the ride of 10 ply LT tires. The sides don't flex much and and your truck would ride like...well a truck. Another thing to consider is the sound. Aggressive tread designs just about always mean lots of noise. Also, factory tires take 35PSI of air. LT tires take up to 50PSI. Now the ride is going to be bouncy. I use my 2000 Silverado K1500 to haul a horse trailer around so I bought a set of Michelin XCXAPT 6 ply tires. Because they are meant for a heavier truck I run 45PSI in them as to not bald out the centers. They make a lot of noise and really changed the ride but I wouldn't trade them for anything else. I have never been stuck and here in Ohio there has been lots of mud and snow this year that I have had to park in. I chose 6 ply because I only haul a time or two a month, I have an aluminum gooseneck trailer which is better for the truck then a bumper pull, and I don't haul long distances.

[jumpingjack66]

It should be noted that Michelin now owns BF goodrich, for maybe a decade now,and I would recommend either brand, for cars,pickup trucks, and OTR tractor trailers. I have personally used these brands and have had zero failures in 3 million miles. Goodyear on the other hand, I have had little luck with and they will absolutly not give any credit for obiously manufacturer defective tires. jack

[LT-Z71drvr]

I would recommend the Toyo Open Country A/T. I had a set on my previous truck, and they were AWESOME!! Excellent traction in the snow, rain, whatever I threw at them. I rotated them once, and then I traded that truck off for my current truck. If they would have been the right size, I would have swapped them.
My 2 cents...

[TahoeJoe]

I'm running Michelin LTX M+S 265-16LT Tires on my K2500 Silverado.
They are wearing very well, and seem to be a good all around tire.

[okie-chevy-man]

i have had both BFG all terrains and Cooper Discoverers on my 2000 silverado 2500. It seems to me in melting snow and in sleet the BFG's pack the freezing water and spin really easy. Personally i dont think i will ever put anything other then Coopers on my silverado again. My dad has a 98 Dodge dakota 4X4 and has BFG;s on that too and i drove it in mud and it is like driving on snot. i have always drove in mud and fair share of snow and absolutely love the Coopers.

[TopDogg]

THe poster asked for best "all-season" tires. Most of the opinions are about "all-terrain" tires.I find a difference in the two. I havent had much experience with all season but I have had with A/Ts.
An A/T tire is going to be more aggressive than an all season tire. But if you drive in snow a lot an A/T is probably for you.
Since you didnt ask for tire load rating I will just comment on tires in road conditions.


I had some goodyear tires on my 94 K1500 Blazer. They came on truck new. Not sure of tire type. Good tires until they wore about 50% and then they really were junk.
I replaced with BFG A/T KO tires. I liked the on road ride. When it rained I did not like them. My Blazer might have transfered weight a little differently than a truck but I got a lot of traction loss at rear wheels when cornering when wet. More so than the worn good years. I kept the BFGs for about 5k miles so I cant comment on how they wore.I know people praise the hell out of those BFGs but on the Blazer I had they didnt impress.
After that I went to Mickey Thompson Baja MTX radials. I was very pleased but they are probably to aggressive for most people so I wont recommend for a daily driver.
BUT MY best experience with an all around, every day use, ALL TERRAIN tire that is street friendly would be the YOKOHAMA GEOLANDER A/T +II. They throw water like aqua treads, slipped less than my BFGs ever did, did great in snow, and are cheaper in price.

[ucsbgolf]

Will 285/75/r16 fit on my 2000 chevy silverado 2x4 stock? Thankyou