Best On-Road Tire

[HK92]

I need new [35 x 12.5 R17] tires for my 2011 Gen 1 Raptor w/ 125k miles.

My Raptor never goes off-road - purely a daily driver / pavement princess. I never use it for work/hauling/towing. I also live in Georgia, so I don't need something snow rated.

The options out there are honestly overwhelming. Which tire do you guys recommend?

 

[TiFJ]

I'm planning on trying Continental TerrainContact AT or Nokian Outpost AT next time. The Nokians are fairly light at 57lbs. I've had great luck with both brands.

 

[thatJeepguy]

I'm planning on trying Continental TerrainContact AT or Nokian Outpost AT next time. The Nokians are fairly light at 57lbs. I've had great luck with both brands.

I would recommend the same . Conti. You can also do yokohama geolander at. Or even the cooper at3 xlt.

Keep in mind, none of these will be load C. But the yoko is a squishy compound.

 

[HK92]

I would recommend the same . Conti. You can also do yokohama geolander at. Or even the cooper at3 xlt.

Keep in mind, none of these will be load C. But the yoko is a squishy compound.

I don't use my Raptor for work/hauling/towing, so the load rating doesn't matter to me.

 

[shigman]

I think he means anything beyond load C (D,E) will ride worse and be a heavier tire on the road. You want a load C for 100% road …unladen use.

 

[thatJeepguy]

I don't use my Raptor for work/hauling/towing, so the load rating doesn't matter to me.

I think he means anything beyond load C (D,E) will ride worse and be a heavier tire on the road. You want a load C for 100% road …unladen use.

Correct, tires are part of suspension so D,E rated offer more deflection and or harshness over sharp bumps. You can combat this by airing down but in my experience thats at a psi that could be worse for tread wear. Everything is a balance tho and nothing is free… ive had KO2’s since 1997. On the smaller sizes they are fine. But once you get into 33 and up if you dont rotate every 5k they get loud after about 30k miles. Hell they get loud even with the rotation, you just avoid them getting choppy. I have had 2 sets get choppy (My current set and 37’s on my last JL build) . Road noise is very important to me. However, when theres a big snowstorm or when I pull into a trail theres nothing worse then not having enough tire. The Raptor cab is among the quietest cabs I've owned. The only intrusion i sense is the tire noise and perhaps some wind. I too am toying with moving away from BfG’s and into something like what i am suggesting to you. But for how good it is in the dirt vs how quiet / compliant they are on the road , the ko2 is just so hard to beat. Yea it kinda sucks in certain scenarios but in my opinion there just isn't another tire that is as good in 1foot+ of snow , great in dirt, can at least get you through mud and clear tread, and ride for 50k on highway and be reasonably compliant and squishy. Now as far as rocks go and rock crawling? Absolutely not. Bad choice. Ive seen big time sidewall damage on ko2s. For hardcore rocks id go with Cooper STT pros or a nitto variant.

 

[Bozz]

I don't use my Raptor for work/hauling/towing, so the load rating doesn't matter to me.

Then it sounds like the only variable that matters is $. Just saying.

 

[HK92]

Then it sounds like the only variable that matters is $. Just saying.

$, ride quality, road noise, looks, durability, etc...

 

[Cody Templeton]

Depends if you want something that looks aggressive or like a highway tire.

 

[HK92]

Depends if you want something that looks aggressive or like a highway tire.

What would a "highway" tire look like?