Thoughts on All Terrain Tires for the Ollie?

[Overland]

I'm about to buy an extra spare to take on an upcoming trip, and was giving some thought to going with an AT tire.  It would be different than the others for now, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to replace everything else next year.  We travel on gravel a lot, and the current tires are showing it, so I'm thinking about ATs more for their toughness than traction.  On the other hand, I'm not all that confident with their performance on the highway, especially in the wet.  

What do you guys think?  Will highway performance / safety suffer that much or am I overthinking it?  After all, the truck has ATs on it.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Overland

[John E Davies]

Just do it, you know they will look very cool. My next set of truck tires will be these, I would not mind adding them to the Ollie, but not for a few more years.

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/cooper-discoverer-at3-xlt

I doubt that you will be able to tell any towing difference on paved roads, or on gravel for that matter, but they will be more resistant to rock damage. And cool.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[NCeagle]

I'm not exactly sure why, but General Grabber AT's give a better ride than Michelin LT's all around (including highway speeds) on my truck.  I also don't notice any traction problems in the rain.  I think it's a great idea to put AT's on the Ollie.  👍  I'll do it once I wear out the LT's.

Edited October 20, 2020 by NCeagle

[Mike and Carol]

My plan is to replace my tires (BF Goodrich) next spring/summer when they go over 5 years.  I was also thinking AT’s.

[Overland]

Thanks for the replies. The Cooper Discoverer was actually what I was thinking. I put those on my old X5 and they were great.  Believe it or not, they actually made the X5 a decent off roader. We were at Overland Expo the year they were towing everyone out, but we plowed right through the mud to our campsite every day no problem. 

I’ve also heard good things about the Generals so I’ll take a look at those as well.  Thanks. 

[Ray and Susan Huff]

15 hours ago, Overland said:

Thanks for the replies. The Cooper Discoverer was actually what I was thinking. I put those on my old X5 and they were great.  Believe it or not, they actually made the X5 a decent off roader. We were at Overland Expo the year they were towing everyone out, but we plowed right through the mud to our campsite every day no problem. 

I’ve also heard good things about the Generals so I’ll take a look at those as well.  Thanks. 

Off topic, but . . . . .  did your X5 come equipped with run-flat tires?  We replaced our original run-flats with new, on the recommendation of BMW and because our X5 has the third row seat, so no place to carry a spare.  One thing the BMW tech mentioned is that the suspension is tuned for run-flat tires.

[Overland]

No, our X5 was the original E53 model and I don't think that run flats were even an option then.  I did up the tire size when I switched out to all terrains, and that made the spare a pretty tight fit in the compartment.

[BackofBeyond]

On 10/20/2020 at 8:51 PM, Overland said:

Thanks for the replies. The Cooper Discoverer was actually what I was thinking. I put those on my old X5 and they were great.  Believe it or not, they actually made the X5 a decent off roader. We were at Overland Expo the year they were towing everyone out, but we plowed right through the mud to our campsite every day no problem. 

I’ve also heard good things about the Generals so I’ll take a look at those as well.  Thanks. 

Seems well worth the change - I wonder if theses run any louder on the big roads.  I have seen good reviews on both tires. 

I purchased a second identical spare tire/wheel when I got the Ollie - I have been rotating it in - a 6 tire rotation. I am sure I'll hit the age limit before the wear limit. For what Oliver charged me for the wheel and tire it was a fair deal - and it all matches on rotations. 

[Overland]

My experience with AT tires is that they start to make noise if you rotate them.  I just put a new set on my truck and I think this time I'm going to not rotate them and see how they wear.  I'll probably do the same with the Ollie. Though the good thing about having two spares is that you can rotate them in at the same time and just switch tires front to back without reversing any of them, which is probably a big factor in the noise.  

Edited October 22, 2020 by Overland

[Overland]

Looks the part, I think...

 

Comparing the tread to the Michelin’s, I have to say that there’s not a huge difference in the size of the tread blocks or the siping, so I’m feeling pretty good about the highway potential.

I ended up getting a free tire for my Raptor as part of the deal. I had asked them when they put on the new tires to save me one for a 2nd spare and when I went back today to have it mounted on the rim I got, they told me I’d bought the wrong sized rim, which was odd, since the rim was a pretty much new Raptor takeoff I got on eBay. Turns out that they had actually given me back the wrong tire and since they couldn’t find the old ones they’re ordering a brand new one for free. 

Edited October 24, 2020 by Overland

[SeaDawg]

My cousin just put the same Coopers  on her Jeep a few months back, on the advice of her son, who's been running them on his Ram. They both really like them.

Look great!

[Dean]

AT tires on a TT seems really silly to me.  You will increase the tire friction, road noise, and gravel being thrown into the trailer.  You might increase braking on other than hard surfaces. 

[John E Davies]

13 minutes ago, Dean said:

AT tires on a TT seems really silly to me.  You will increase the tire friction, road noise, and gravel being thrown into the trailer.  You might increase braking on other than hard surfaces. 

Some of what you say is valid, but throwing gravel is not. The more open the tread pattern, the less gravel is kicked up. The worst tires for slinging stones are street or snow tires. And the AT tread pattern with wrap-around blocks offers MUCH more resistance  to sidewall cuts from sharp rocks, especially when aired down. Some forest roads are covered in large ballast, and that will trash regular tires in minutes. Nothing will ruin a vacation faster than getting a flat a hundred miles and hours away from the nearest tire store, on a weekend....

Increased rolling resistance is certainly bad. Increased road noise, who cares? You won’t hear it inside the TV.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited October 24, 2020 by John E Davies

[Mike and Carol]

1 hour ago, Dean said:

AT tires on a TT seems really silly to me.  You will increase the tire friction, road noise, and gravel being thrown into the trailer.  You might increase braking on other than hard surfaces. 

I agree with John on this.  I’m not too worried about noise, and rolling resistance isn’t going to make a significant difference in MPG.  Sometimes we do things because we like a certain look or a functionality that is contrary to practicality.  Mike

[Overland]

4 hours ago, Dean said:

AT tires on a TT seems really silly to me.  

Dean, I've actually felt the same, but the state of my tires after three years has convinced me otherwise.  They're not completely destroyed, but they're beaten up enough that I doubt their performance on the highway is any better now than ATs would be.  Probably worse. 

[SeaDawg]

I can see the at tires as a good compromise,  just as they're a compromise on trucks and suvs.

Stiffer sidewalls, probably.  Decent highway performance.  Better traction offroad (not necessarily in mud.) 

We'll all look forward to your review, as time goes on. 

Once again, a pjoneer.

[Overland]

The Cooper Discoverers do seem like a good compromise. The BFG KO2s that I have on my truck would be overkill on the trailer, I think. They’re much beefier, and in the same size would probably have a good bit less rubber contacting the road. But wow they’re tough. I have deep scratches on three of my rims which couldn’t have gotten there without some rock moving the tire out of the way first and yet the sidewalls of my old tires looked pristine. I only had to replace them because Ford specs a custom soft rubber for the Raptor and so the tread was about gone at just 40k miles. The replacements I got are BFGs standard, so I hope they last a lot longer. 

Since this is just on a 2nd spare for now, I won’t be able to give much of a review.  If I get to use it there’d better be a good story to tell. I’ll swap out the others in the spring and can say more then. 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Overland

[Neo17]

I have a Casita (looking for an Oliver). I have Toyo AT II tires on the trailer with around 6k-8k on them and they look brand new and have been bullet proof. I’ve been on some very rugged, rocky terrains, and knowing the heavier duty sidewall was there gave some added comfort.