Truck tire recommendation

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Magilla3

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I tow a 28’ travel trailer and will be replacing the tires on my 2020 Tundra. Wanting to go with a 33x12.5x18 or equivalent. Want to get the best overall tire for towing. Mostly highway driving but occasional mud and/or light snow. Road noise is a concern for my wife.
Traction, durability and longevity are my concerns. Any suggestions ?
 
What was the OEM tire size chosen by Toyota engineers? Most Tundras have a P275/65R18 but some are 275/55R20 or other close variations. The 33 x 12.5 x 18 size is typically offered in an offroad tread pattern rather than a highway tire. It's also taller and wider than the OEM R18 size, which will impact the odometer reading and mpg.

Your goals are conflicting. For best highway handling and least noise, you want a non-aggressive tread pattern, the opposite of a mud & snow tire. And for trailer towing, an LT (Light Truck) tire rather than a P (Passenger) tire, to benefit from the stiffer sidewalls. However, that too has a road noise cost.
 
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I have my own landscaping business and I own two F350s. The trucks tow probably 98% of the time they're on the road. I've tried many brands and my favorite by far are the Coopers.

The Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT from Discount Tire is my absolute favorite. They don't have your exact size you mentioned. But I run the 285-65-18 E rated and it looks great and is one of the few sizes I can still get in raised white lettered. 60,000 mile warranty.
 
Be sure to only buy LT tires, these are for Light Trucks. The P-rated tires are designed for Passenger cars, and have much weaker/more flexible sidewalls to improve ride comfort. These weaker sidewalls are the main reason drivers complain about sway when towing.
I would not recommend buying rough tread tires, they are noisy, have less grip on dry pavement, and approx. ½ the life expectancy of traditional all-season tires. Also, you will not be towing in deep mud or snow if you are prudent.
 
I’m a fan of BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO2’s for all-around versatility and durability. Had them on a Jeep and they were fantastic. 60k+ miles no problem.

I’d also recommend the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac, although, the tread is pretty aggressive for an all-terrain, which the tire is. Goodyear is making a tamer version called the Workhorse? I think it is. No experience with the Workhorse but had half a mind to put a set on my truck.

Plug in your information over at Tire Rack (dot com) and check out different brands and models they offer.
 
X2 on the BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO2. Ran them on all my Wranglers for years. Long lasting, quiet on the road and excellent traction in all conditions, including very serious off-roading and snow.
 
I put GY Wrangler UltraTerrain on my Ram and like the traction, wear and not too noisy. They are the America's Tire version of the DuraTrack.

I did loose 2 MPG on the hwy, so that sucks. But off road and in the snow they work great.

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I have been in the tire business since 1978. With that experience, let me suggest that there is a reason Michelin, Goodyear and Bridgestone are the top sellers in the world. Under the Michelin umbrella you will also find BF Goodrich while under the Bridgestone umbrella is Firestone. I am going to suggest you buy something from one of those three companies. You are likely to be satisfied. That said, there is no way a tire is going to do everything you hope for unless you change tires seasonally.
 
I have been in the tire business since 1978. With that experience, let me suggest that there is a reason Michelin, Goodyear and Bridgestone are the top sellers in the world. Under the Michelin umbrella you will also find BF Goodrich while under the Bridgestone umbrella is Firestone. I am going to suggest you buy something from one of those three companies. You are likely to be satisfied. That said, there is no way a tire is going to do everything you hope for unless you change tires seasonally.

I understand where you're coming from but will respectfully disagree. In my past 23 years of landscaping and heavy towing with nine Super Duties, BFGs (including one set of KOs and two sets of KO2s) let me down too often with poor tread life and a few failures (such as broken belts) and Good Years were just too darned expensive.

Google best off-road tire brands and you might be surprised. Just as many Coopers, Toyos, Generals, etc. as the more advertised brands.

Magilla3. Look at your local tire dealership website, pick some you like in sizes similar to what you want, and then check into user reviews. Just a thought.
 
I've been running 35 inch tall by 12.50 wide Toyo C/T's on our 2016 Ram 2500 4x4 Power Wagon and tow 80% with it in desert heat, snow, mud, and gravel roads which are common out in the Colorado Plateau and the Rockies. Need 3PMSF rated tires in Oregon and in Colorado it's a 6/32" minimum legal tread depth during winter conditions for our towing.

36K on the C/T's. Longest wearing tire on my 3/4 ton. Both the Duratrac and the S/T Maxx tires were worn out by 35,000 miles. That's my trailer tongue lock key deep down in the groove. Just took this photo.
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Thank you to everyone for the info. It’s just crazy how much there is to think about. Have some decisions to make. I will update when I’ve made decision and have some feedback to give.
 
I am not sure about size availability, but I really like the Nitto Dura-Grapplers on my F250 (I am on my second set in the last 10 or so years at the moment). They call them a highway terrain tire, which means it is a road tire with fairly aggressive tread for a road tire and I find it generally good for any paved or maintained dirt road, and a lot less prone to getting stuck in the mud than the Firestones that were on my F250 when I bought it back in 2009.
 
Our truck had Michelin LTX mud and snow fitted as original. we replaced then with the same at 55000 miles. They still had around 2.5mm of tread left but coming into winter, we didn't want to chance it. Very pleased with them.
 
Thank you to everyone for the info. It’s just crazy how much there is to think about. Have some decisions to make. I will update when I’ve made decision and have some feedback to give.
Even as long as I have been in the tire business I still have to contemplate and contemplate when buying tires for my personal use, especially for a pickup.

We are a major wholesaler in the midwest and I either sell or have access to pretty much anything. It has been awhile since we carried Toyo but it is a good product. We are direct with Cooper and you couldn't run fast enough to give me their tires. There are much better products out there than Cooper. Given what you have posted here, if I were in your position, I would likely choose between the Michelin LTX AT2 or the BF Goodrich AT TA KO2.
 
Our truck had Michelin LTX mud and snow fitted as original. we replaced then with the same at 55000 miles. They still had around 2.5mm of tread left but coming into winter, we didn't want to chance it. Very pleased with them.

We have to replace our tires at 6/32" deep tread depth per the Colorado traction law. The 34" Cooper on the right was replaced with a set of five new 35" Toyo tires on the left due to the traction requirements in winter conditions which are in effect from September 1st to May 31st every year.
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Aggressive tread blocks like the above make more road noise than the Michelin LTX. Something to think about when purchasing.

If one drives in snow the BFG KO2, Goodyear Duratrac, Toyo A/T3 and the C/T meet winter traction law enforcement requirements of some states and Canada. I've run all of these. The Cooper ST Maxx and the Michelin LTX are mud and snow, but don't have a 3PMSF winter rating. The Cooper ST Maxx that I ran became hard as hockey pucks in our Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado driving in below zero Fahrenheit temperatures. While towing on packed snow they easily slid on what my tires with the 3PMSF rating gripped on during a blizzard on Hoosier and Vail Summit/Pass.
 
I tow a 28’ travel trailer and will be replacing the tires on my 2020 Tundra. Wanting to go with a 33x12.5x18 or equivalent. Want to get the best overall tire for towing. Mostly highway driving but occasional mud and/or light snow. Road noise is a concern for my wife.
Traction, durability and longevity are my concerns. Any suggestions ?
just came across this. look at the LT275/7018 10ply nitto dura grappler 33"tall 11"wide. quite, smooth, extremely long lasting. have them on my 2005 2500 4x4 6.6 diesel. i live where it snows and driven in the snow no problems, close to 45000 miles and 6/32 still remaining. as far as your trailer tire its probably a ST225/75r15 try and get an ST(specialty trailer)tire over LT(Light truck) They make it in a 10ply steel belt, nylon sidewall and 12ply all steel carcass extremely durable
 
I tow a 28’ travel trailer and will be replacing the tires on my 2020 Tundra. Wanting to go with a 33x12.5x18 or equivalent. Want to get the best overall tire for towing. Mostly highway driving but occasional mud and/or light snow. Road noise is a concern for my wife.
Traction, durability and longevity are my concerns. Any suggestions ?
Too ambiguous a question, hot weather?cold?snow?rain? Tow lots or little? Bfgs Ko2s are great unless you tow lots - then they suck i got 30,000 miles out of mine but i tow 19000 lbs, michelins are great in hot or wet conditions but are horrible in the snow - took mine off at 10,000 miles and put on Coopers loved them but then i couldnt find them when i needed them, Nitto terra grappler were the worst but they looked pretty . Need more info please
 
Too ambiguous a question, hot weather?cold?snow?rain? Tow lots or little? Bfgs Ko2s are great unless you tow lots - then they suck i got 30,000 miles out of mine but i tow 19000 lbs, michelins are great in hot or wet conditions but are horrible in the snow - took mine off at 10,000 miles and put on Coopers loved them but then i couldnt find them when i needed them, Nitto terra grappler were the worst but they looked pretty . Need more info please

I have run both the KO's and KO2's. Currently have KO2's on our Starcraft 15RB TT for their ruggedness and the 3PMSF rating. I like them for our Colorado Plateau high desert backcountry with our light TT. The KO2's start out with a 15/32" tread depth which is one of the least of the A/T's and they also run a bit smaller in overall size versus other brands. In the first couple of years they grip fine in subzero Fahrenheit temperatures, but with age they become harder in the cold and perform less than expected for a 3PMSF rating.

Towing home down our highway. The lack of snow due to being plowed, but with ice and no guardrails with 500 feet drop offs, it helps towing with a 3PMSF rated tires on the TV. Kind of wish that travel trailer ST tires were winter rated too, but they are meant for traction.

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