crap *** HPs actually lasted 70,000, with tread left. a belt on one let go this morning, luckily it happened as i was rolling into work. Got a 1000 mile round trip into the UP in michigan next week, and i'm not going without a spare.

unfortunately, can't find a used 275/60-20 anywhere. So instead of drop $150-200 on a new crap Wrangler HP, I'm thinkin new 17" rims and tires. Probably come in around $1k right now with all the deals. i'm thinking this:

Discount tire MB Razor Black 17" machined wheels with BF goodrich Long Trail T/A Tour 265/70-17

What do you guys think? It's downsizing tire from my 33" on 20" to 31.5" on 17", but I wanted smaller black wheels. I can't afford that immediately, and I really don't like financing. But unless anyone has any better ideas...

 

the bfg longtrails are alright. they wear well but arent that great in rain/snow. had them on an a truck i used to own. to me they were a little bit better than the goodyear wrangler hp's. i personally wouldnt recoomend them. is this going to be a winter setup or an all around setup??? those rims i think would look soo much better with bigger tires not smaller...

 

i aswell was thinking about downsizing from a 20 to a 17 but it was much cheaper just to get 20 tires. if i had to do it all over again i would go with some ltz's instead of these nitto grapplers. but dont get me wrong i like the nitto but too loud

 

other tires in that price range that i would go with if i had to would probably be yokohama gelonager or even the bridgestone duelers. i dont like any of the goodyar tires. i like aggressive tread personally so its hard to look at these tires they are all pretty much similar...... ANYTHING is better than the goodyear wrangler hp's though. those are the worst tire i have ever had on any car i have ever owned. haha. i roasted them off at 40k just cuase i hated them that much. felt like driving on a drag slick in a light rain storm.

 

265/70 17 will look too small on your truck. 17's are a good idea but you will need a bigger tire than the one you listed. I saw a guy with 275 70 17 on his truck and they even looked too small. Step up to a bigger tire, you will be glad you did.

 

i think the best looking all terrain tire on the 20s are the baja atz's,nitto terra grapplers in 33x12.5 and also that size in toyo at's.... i got stock size an d wish i went wider. they are too skinny for my liking... if i could find some 17s on new 35s i would trade straight up my rims and tires ( as long as i liked the rim/tire combo haha)

 

Yeah, the 265/70/17 will look like little lifesavers under your truck. You need at least 285/70/17, and if I had a wider rim than stock, I would have gone to 305's.

 

Dude, I like the idea of the 17's on a 4x4, but don't go smaller than 33s.
I've got the Long Trails on my Grand Cherokee. They were new or very close to it when I got the thing at 61k miles (my guess is the owner put them on just to sell the vehicle).
Would not have been my choice because of the lame a$$ soccer mom tread, but I've got to admit, after 19k miles there is absolutely NO signs of wear. I've not taken them off-pavement very far, primarily just across the plowed fields or down a trail to go fishing up at/near the farm and some dirt roads in the north Georgia mountains during an early summer camping/fly fishing trip.
If the funds are there, you know I'm a big Mickey/Cepek fan, price the ATZ's. One of my friends has a set with 60k on them and they still have a lot left in 'em. Just remember when you shop for tires, $1000 in tires and rims where the tires will have to be replaced at 40k is still a lot more expensive than $1200 and tires that will last close to 80k miles. If you look at it that way, the cost of a higher end tire is a little easier to swallow...

 

31.5" is stock on these trucks. the 33" on 20's is optional (I happen to have it). would it really look that bad?

Hammer, that's about all my truck sees, huge amounts of snow for a few months of the year. The rest of the time i'm hauling, so off-road isn't too important.

and the long trails got great reviews at tirerack, that's why i was thinking those. any one got similar suggestions in a similar price range?

how about Bridgestone Dueler 694 Revo in 285/70-17 ends up being about the same size

 

33s come stock on all the 20s. 31.5s come with the 17s which does look way to small on a truck. thats why i opted for the 20s they fileld up the wheel well much better. 33s would be as small as i would go on the these even if the 17s come stock with 31.5s...
its up to you in the end. just think about it before you spend the $$$....