Better traction?

[fields_mj]

I'd like to get better traction out of my truck, and I'd like to hear what opinions you guys have to offer. I've had the truck since June, and I LOVE the truck, but I HATE the tires. It has 16.5 rims and 12x33 (or 12.5x33 or something like that) tires. One pair is an aggressive mud pattern similar to a BF Goodrich pattern. The other set is more of a road tire with a pretty wide solid center rib. Originally the road tires were on the rear. I lost my front axle (pinion bearing was toast) on Jan 2nd, and I've been stuck half a dozen times since then in conditions that my 4x2 F150 would have driven out of without a second thought. I'm talking about getting stuck in my drive way, or another parking lot because it's slick out and one or both of my front tires are sitting an a mud/pot hole that's only 1" deep. Adding weight to the rear just makes it worse. A few weeks ago I switched the tires around and put the road tires on the front, and the more aggressive tread on the rear. Things are a tad bit better, but not a lot. At least now adding weight helps instead of hurts, but at the same time, now I don't trust the truck to be able to turn or stop on snow covered roads. I just got the truck back out of the shop, so now I have 4wd again (and 3.55 gears, SWEET!), but I still plan on changing tires before next winter.

Most of my driving is too and from work, and is a 50/50 mix of 4 lane hi way, and good paved back roads. I also hunt, and cut fire wood, and I expect my truck to be able to get back to a dead deer, or haul a full load of hickory an oak out through the snow. With 4wd, I don't think that will be much of a problem. My goal is to be able to get in and out of the woods without tearing up the farmers lane.

My plan at this point is to go to a stock 16" rim, and some stock size tires. I've always liked the Michilan A/T tires for the front. They ride exceptionally well, last a long time, and the reviews indicate that they get really good traction on wet, icy, and snow covered roads. I have a set on the front of my F150, but I just put them on last spring and the trany is out so I didn't get to try them on snow and ice. For the rear, I'm looking at the General Grabber A/T-2. It has relatively aggressive pattern, but not like a serious mud tire. I'm looking for a tire that does well in the snow, and this tire does have the winter approval rating. The reviews for this tire over on tire rack are very impressive for the cost of the tire. I wish I had the $$ for an extra set of tires and rims for the fall/winter, but right now I'll be glad to afford one set.

What are your thoughts?

 

[crashnzuk]

I would say 235/85s in an a/s or a/t design. Pretty much what it sounds like you are leaning towards. I have always had narrow stock-ish tires on my trucks and have never regretted it.
Travis..

 

[funnyman06]

I have 235/85 R16 on my 2wd truck and it does really well for only being 2wd. I have only gotten stuck once and it was because i was parked on the wrong side of a icy sloped parking lot. A little sand and i was out of there. I have the BFG AT/ TA KOs and they have been good to me.

We have a jeep that we just put on the General Tire AT2 on it and they look to be like good tires thus far.

 

[Black dawg]

235/85 toyo m-55

 

[jwalterus]

^^^^ agreed, they are studdable for winter as well

since it's for snow and ice, you could always get a set of tire chains and just drive slooooow

 

[1994IDI]

I may have missed something, but why aren't you putting matching tires on front and rear?
I would definitely say that getting your 16" wheels, and a good set of tires is the best, and really the only place to start, then see where you are from there.

 

[TBigLug]

I may have missed something, but why aren't you putting matching tires on front and rear?

x2

I'd recommend all four General Grabber A/T 2's in a 235/85R16 or 265/75R16.

 

[SparkandFire]

When I worked on wind turbines, we used to go through off road tires alot, and it seemed like the BF Goodrich Mud Terrains wern't too bad...

We started buying Goodyear G971 commercial tires, they were like 10 plies with steel sidewall belts and a good agressive tread, and those were some serious tires! We drove over rocks, through mud and heavy snow on some pretty steep mountains. They were not too bad on the road, considering we had heavy service trucks, I want to get a set on my truck and see how they do for a standard F250.


http://www.goodyear.com/cfmx/web/truck/line.cfm?prodline=160110

 

[RedHotNRollin]

I would say 235/85s in an a/s or a/t design. Pretty much what it sounds like you are leaning towards. I have always had narrow stock-ish tires on my trucks and have never regretted it.
Travis..

i had some old millitary type tires on my truck for the longest time... they were good in mud and trails but thats about it. i just recently got a set of 235 85 r16 A/T tires for my truck and wow what a differenc. i dont get stuck in a 1/4 inch of snow no more... and the ride is so much nicer.

 

[65sixbanger]

If you want more traction, 285's are 50 milimeters wider on each tire and the same height. I have 285's and to be honest I have gotten stuck very few times, when I do Its bad. My truck is like the pull out truck at our school, never have any problems. Hell I even pulled an 18 wheeler out of the mud. For some reason all four tires always spin, in a pull off or in the mud.

 

[THECACKLER]

BFG AT's

 

[GOOSE]

305/70 r16's are a 33x12.00 tire. That would closely replace your current setup with a 16 inch rim. 285's are like a 33x10.00 tire. I would steer away from the narrow 235's or small 265's. I have Nitto terra grapplers (all terrain) and like them. They have a load renge E rating for heavy loads and towing, quiet on the street, and last for 50,000+ miles. I also need to cover highway travels and haul trailers and stuff off road. The Nittos seem to keep your forward momentum without digging ditches when you need to spin the tires to keep going. BFG mud ta's have been my long time favorite and i am wanting to try them again, maybe when these wear out. I would definitely go for the 305's, the extra flotation helps these heavy front ends off road and the fuel mileage compared to my previous 235/85r16's isn't noticably different.

 

[SparkandFire]

If you want more traction, 285's are 50 milimeters wider on each tire and the same height. I have 285's and to be honest I have gotten stuck very few times, when I do Its bad. My truck is like the pull out truck at our school, never have any problems. Hell I even pulled an 18 wheeler out of the mud. For some reason all four tires always spin, in a pull off or in the mud.

I knew a guy in high school that put a locker in the front and the rear of a 89 4x4 F350 IDI, he was like that too, could pull anyone out of anything. We always called him up when we got stuck, and he loved pulling us out (we were usually in one of my buddies chebbys, so he really loved pulling those out!)

 

[david_lee]

if you want a set of stock 16" steel wheels i have a spare set. i would just need your 16.5" in return.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Whatever tire you go with, the absolute best thing you can do is to remove those 16.5 wheels, then take a sledge-hammer and bust them into oblivion, so that nobody else can get sucked into the 16.5 trap.

I was born and raised in a big tire-shop; it would take probably twenty 53-foot trailers to empty out the new tires in our building.------; in at least the last twenty years, we have not stocked a single 16.5 tire, NOT ONE; they are that much of an oddity.

(well, I forgot about the two big stacks of 10- and 12-16.5 skid-steer tires, but that is an entirely different application)

We do occassionally order a set of four for some old diehard that thinks he can't afford to switch wheels, and we get the money up front before doing that, as we don't want them collecting dust and in the way for another ten years.

Way back in the mid-70s, when 16.5s first became available on the "camper special" Chevys, in 8.00-16.5, 8.75-16.5, and the really big boy 9.50-16.5, many is the truck that got switched over to good old 16-inchers when that first set wore out.

Also, people started getting killed and crippled, when ill-informed people tried to mount 16-inch tires on 16.5 rims and vice-versa.