So I went out to drive the truck to work today and noticed a metal rod about 6" to 8" long sticking out of the center of the tread. About 2 inches where exposed, the rest is in the tire. Looks like a screw driver or something of that nature, but without the handle. It is in the tire at a really steep angle too, almost parallel with the surface, so I can't tell for sure yet if it is through the inner belts or not. The tire is still holding air, but looks maybe a little low, hard to tell for sure though. I didn't have time to mess with it since I was on my way to work. I'll pull it out tomorrow to see if it leaks and to try to tell how deep it really went.

I really don't like the look of it though. If it had gone straight in the damage would be confined to a single hole that I could plug or patch that and feel fine about. But because it went in at such an angle, the damage to the tire goes for probably 4-5 inches or so. Thats a lot more damage, and makes me uncomfortable. So I think it might just be time to get new tires. I can't really replace just the one because a) it is hard to find a single used Toyo MT, b) I don't want a single tire of some other brand, and c) these are fairly worn down at this point, so I can't really put a single new Toyo M/T on, it would have a different rolling circumference then the other worn tires.

I had been looking at the Goodyear Duratracs as my next tire. I like that they have decent siping, have the snowflake meaning severe winter capable, and accept studs. For how I use my truck (summer time = offroad hunting and fishing, wintertime=daily driver when it snows and ice) I think they would be a good match.

 

Well, just as long as you don't log a lot of miles on the truck during the winter, the goodyears would be ok. If you plan on having a lot of pavement time, then you might need to look at Mickey Thompson/Dick Cepek. Just put a set on a buddy's F250 and they look tough and seem to have a pretty decent tread pattern on them.

 

Ahh good old micky Next set will be mtz's or dick cepek mud country.

I think you are better off replacing since you said they are worn down. \ Every now and than plugs and patches do fail.

Hey laramie what tires where they?

 

Honestly, i'd rather just get another set of the Toyo's, but that's a little more then I want to spend right now. Plus, I want a tire that I can put studs in this time around as I spend a lot of time on ice in the winter. I only drive the truck in snow and ice in the winter, the rest of the days that aren't icy I drive my little gas sipper car. So the studs can stay in all winter Then in the summer, I drive the truck about 50% hwy, 50% dirt roads or offroad. I'll take the studs out for summer use.

 

if youre going to get M/T's, i suggest firestone destination M/T's, ive had mine on for about 2-2.5K and theyre great with traction, pulling power, and they are suprisingly quiet. they are also pinned for studs and reasonably priced, i got 4 305/70R16 installed for under $1000.

 

Ya, but there's no siping on those lugs. No thanks.

 

One thing I will add, is all the times I have bought a different tire from what I really wanted I ended up not being happy. You know you like the Toyo's and how well they perform/wear. Sure they are pricey, but they are not really THAT much more than other tires...

I agree, those newer Goodyear's look like they have a really nice tread pattern that would work well, but there is just something about them that I don't like... not sure exactly what it is. I would have to read about more "thumbs-up" reviews on them before I bought a set.

Good luck with your decision Silver. Buying tires is always FUN!

 

I know what you mean. For me, its the words Goodyear on the side that I don't like. Otherwise, I like everything about them. But the last time I was reluctant to buy a tire just because it was a Goodyear, it turned out to be an awesome tire. That was the Goodyear Fortera TripleTred's that I put on the wifes Jeep Liberty. Awesome ice/wet traction tire for a small SUV. So i'm willing to give these Duratracs a try. I have read tons of great reviews on them. The negative reviews i've read all seem to say the same thing - don't run them on heavy diesel trucks that tow heavy loads. Everybody else loves them.

I definetly like the Toyo's, but I also like trying new products. Never will find something that works better then what you have if you don't try something new. That's why I have a lot of the mods I have on my truck right now.

 

Big Mickey/Cepek fan here. Used NOTHING else on any of my trucks for 15+ years now.

My 2nd Gen had a set of Mickey MTX's (discontinued and replaced since with the MTZs) and at 68k miles on them when I traded the truck, they still had usable tread on 'em.

My current FCIIs have right at 30k on them and might be down 10% on tread AT THE MOST!

Might cost a little more up front, but in the long run they are cheaper. Also, I have had to plug five holes in the BFGs that were on my Grand Cherokee from picking up screws/nails around my farm property and on the road in the past three years. The truck has been workin' around the farm much more than the GC and I've NEVER had a screw or nail pierce all the way through the tire!!!

 

You wouldn't be able to run studdable tires for the summer and then stud them when winter comes... They need to be studded before they are installed and driven, as small rocks and dirt will get in the stud holes, then if you were to stud them, it would eventually wear into the tire and probably ruin it.

I used to work in tires, installed a million of them, and studded half a million . One time I installed a new set of studdable winter tires on a car, parked it back in the lot, then the customer told us he wanted em studded. Even just driving it out in the lot and bringing it right back in, I had to go grab another new set and stud them... Just a tip if you are in fact planning to drive now, stud later