Thinking about new Shoes - Wrangler AT w/Kevlar

[Panik]

As the title implies I'm looking to get out of the Wrangler SR-A´s that my truck came with. The truck is a bone stock 2wd, Z71 crew cab short bed, with the 5.3L and 3.42 rear. Given that I can't get the Silent Armors I was going to try out the All-Terrain Adventures w/Kevlar.

The Wrangler SR-A's on the truck are 265/65R18. My driving is somewhere in the range of 80/20 paved vs. gravel/forest/dirt road with no adventure type off roading or mudding. I tow 5-6k every couple of months hauling a tractor around the county to maintain a couple of pieces of property. The truck is also the family's primary vehicle when NW Ga gets the occasional ice and snow. Anyways, my questions are:

For what I am doing is there any advantage in going with what Goodyear is referring to as their pro-grade or LT E range version of the Silent Armor over their lighter consumer version? I do realize if I were to go with the LT version I would be adding about 78lbs of unsprung weight.

If I do go with the LT E range, I cannot get it in a 265/65R18. Do you guys think there will be any significant issues with fitting a 275/6518 LT E size on my truck (e.g. rubbing)?

3) Why is the consumer grade not rated for severe snow whereas the LT version is? Not that its an issue in Ga, I was just curious if this is a function of the deeper tread in the LT tires.

Anyways if y'all have any input it'd be appreciated. Thanks!

*FYI - The chart was pulled from tirerack.com, I have yet to find anyone selling these tires in LT C - range.

 

[s219]

I know nothing about truck tires, but a lot about sports car tires. Sometimes the winter rating is related to the rubber compound. Very hard tires (usually the ones that have high tread wear ratings) are not as good for winter driving as tires with a softer rubber. Most dedicated winter tires are extremely soft, and may not even have a tread wear rating, or it's super low. Just one guess.

I don't even know what tires came on my '14 Sierra without going to look, but I have been real happy with them. Very quiet on the highway, good MPG, and they give a very good crisp turn-in feel. I got the 20" rims, which may contribute to the handling benefits.

I have bought some new cars and learned within a couple weeks that the tires sucked. Most I wait out until they wear out, but some have been so bad I got new tires ASAP as long as it wasn't a bank-breaking price. For a while, any sports car that came with Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires was an automatic fail....

Better get some ballast for the rear if that's your go-to winter vehicle! I think unloaded pickups are pretty hopeless in the snow. Having 4WD makes them only slightly less hopeless.

 

[roadhunter]

Interesting how much more those tires weigh.

 

[Panik]

Well, this maybe somewhat of want vs need issue, but I haven't explored that part too much as of yet. in al honesty the tire are "okay"... I've have had them break loose on me a couple of times already in wet weather, and I am by no means an aggressive driver or unfamiliar with the issue of having a vehicle that's light in the rear. I've actually got a couple of old machinery weights that I thinking I'm going to repurpose as light ballast here soon.

I think when it comes down to it I'm just looking for a little more confidence in my tires after last year. I have a feeling this winter might be interesting...... Could be completely wrong about the thought. However, given that we literally live on top of a hill at the top of a rise and most vehicles had problems making it past our turnoff last year I'll call the desire for better tires a reasonable indulgence.

 

[dodge man]

I'm not 100% sure but I had a 2007 Dodge that I think came SRA's. They were crap in the snow. I've had a couple set of the tires you are looking at. They were much better in the snow and mud. I don't think the increase in size will hurt anything.

 

[Wolfy]

I got 4 BF Goodrich ATs for my truck, last year. They are great in the snow, and quiet. The truck had the same kind of tires when I bought it, and they wore even and slow.

 

[sld]

My experience with the kevlar Goodyears was terrible. They were so out of round they would never balance properly.

Sold the set with less than 10k miles for 200 bucks and bought Michelins. Couldn't be happier.

Maybe an isolated case but I will never buy Goodyears for my trucks again.

FWIW, I highly recommend watching the tires get balanced. Don't ever drive away with excessive weight on a wheel or settle for a marginal balance job. You will deal with that for a long time.

 

[sld]

My experience with the kevlar Goodyears was terrible. They were so out of round they would never balance properly.

Sold the set with less than 10k miles for 200 bucks and bought Michelins. Couldn't be happier.

Maybe an isolated case but I will never buy Goodyears for my trucks again.

FWIW, I highly recommend watching the tires get balanced. Don't ever drive away with excessive weight on a wheel or settle for a marginal balance job. You will deal with that for a long time.

 

[Panik]

I've had a couple set of the tires you are looking at. They were much better in the snow and mud. I don't think the increase in size will hurt anything.

If I understand things correctly these are the replacement for the Silent Armor's which I think are being phased out. As for the size, I can get them in 265/65R18 as a passenger tire, however they don't offer that size in the LT version. I was liking the idea of the LT version due to the increased tread depth and all around greater durability.... but that's definitely not worth if I get rubbing. Like you I don't think it will be a problem given that we are talking about:

~.51" increase in diameter
~.40" increase in width

Interesting how much more those tires weigh.

If I am understanding things correctly the weight comes from thicker tread, sidewalls and heavy construction as opposed to a passenger tire. I'd be interested in seeing how much of a difference the additional 78lbs in weight will make in the mpg. I would imagine it'll drop by about 1-1.5mpg

I got 4 BF Goodrich ATs for my truck, last year.

Wolfy, I had looked at those originally and had dismissed them as possibly being a bit too aggressive. I have no idea why I did that. Doing a side by side of photos they look very similar, and they do offer 265/65R18 LT.

My experience with the kevlar Goodyears was terrible. They were so out of round they would never balance properly.

Did you get the Silent Armors or AT Adventures? Or is there another Goodyears kevlar out there? I've been fortunate in that we have had good experiences thus far with Goodyear tires. We had forterra's on the Heep Commander that performed very well, but there again every company has bum tire lines and production runs .

 

[motownbrowne]

I got 4 BF Goodrich ATs for my truck, last year. They are great in the snow, and quiet. The truck had the same kind of tires when I bought it, and they wore even and slow.

I'm riding on BFGoodrich ATs also. I like them a lot so far. I've had them two years now. My truck doesn't get driven every day, but I've put lots of highway miles on during several road trips. The tires are wearing really evenly, and at a slow rate. Might be a different story with less highway driving, I don't know. They have great snow traction too. They are also made in America, and were among the cheaper tires I could find in my size, 235/85/16.

In answer to your other question, you should be fine going up 10mm in tread width without rubbing.

P.S. for a good time look up how that tire sizing system (i.e 235/85) works. It's pretty funny.