Stock tire replacement

[RotorHead695]

Duratracs are one of the quietest more aggressive tires out there. Are they louder than KO2's? Absolutely, but compare them to MT's and you'll find they are a good middle ground on noise and performance offroad. I would say they are even better than most MT's in the snow due to their siping. KO2s pretty much suck unless you live in the desert or it never leaves pavement. I've had KO2s and Duratracs on 2 different Tacoma's. I've had KO2s, Duratracs and Nitto Ridge Grapplers on the Raptor. Duratracs have been the best fit for my terrain and environmental factors in the PNW. You really need to choose what works best for you and where you operate it.

An added plus towards the Duratracs is to join USAA bank and take advantage of the 25% discount on Goodyear products. Discount Tire has always matched it for me.

 

[RotorHead695]

On my 2018 I absolutely love Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Previous stock KO2s had 38k miles and we’re screaming loud. I didn’t have them new, so hard to compare but the Ridge Grapplers look aggressive and I think are very quiet highway. I also love how they handle on and off road.

I did dB readings on the “old” KO2s on the highway at 65mph and got about 75dB.
A standard 2020 F150 with basic Goodyear Wranglers 22k miles at 65mph same Highway got 64dB.
The Nitto Ridge Grapplers new on my 2018 Raptor ran about 70dB.
For reference a new Explorer got 62dB same conditions.

I've also had the Nitto Ridge Grapplers and took them off at roughly 50% tread remaining. I didn't like their performance in heavy rain, they just didn't channel water well enough. I'm from the PNW, so suffering them until the end just wasn't an option.

 

[stricksteve]

I haven't used these yet but I just bought a set of Nokian LT3's and they are basically a studded or unstudded snow tire. This was the only full snow rated tire that I could find that is available in 315/70/17. I will mount them on my brand new 2020 Raptor in November. I also live in the Colorado mountains at 8000 ft and switch my winter and summer tires twice a year. I have never found an AT tire that can match a real snow rated tire where I live!! I don't know what the noise level of these tires are but they have a fantastic reputation as a snow tire. And the Finns know what is needed in deep snow!! And I have no connection whatsoever with Nokian, but they make very good snow tires!!

 

[RotorHead695]

I haven't used these yet but I just bought a set of Nokian LT3's and they are basically a studded or unstudded snow tire. This was the only full snow rated tire that I could find that is available in 315/70/17. I will mount them on my brand new 2020 Raptor in November. I also live in the Colorado mountains at 8000 ft and switch my winter and summer tires twice a year. I have never found an AT tire that can match a real snow rated tire where I live!! I don't know what the noise level of these tires are but they have a fantastic reputation as a snow tire. And the Finns know what is needed in deep snow!! And I have no connection whatsoever with Nokian, but they make very good snow tires!!

I've heard great things about that snow tire. I don't get into the snow enough to justify actually running two sets of tires. I just have to be a little more careful in the ice. You're correct that no AT will ever match the performance of a true snow tire in the ice and snow. It all comes down to how hard or soft the compound is when the temps are down. Most ATs are harder because they are expected to last in warmer temperatures, but still get the snow rating emblem because of aggressive traction design. Not all ATs are equal either, the more siping the better to help counter the rubber stiffness in the cold temp.

 

[RaptorRnr]

I did limited research a couple years ago when trying to find the quietest tires I could (805x55x20s at the time). It kept driving me back to K02s. I did find that they were really quiet until I had an alignment issue and they began to get louder. They were still acceptable. I also appreciate the R&D Ford did with BFGoodrich, which is often going to be better than a manufacturer who doesn't collaborate with a manufacturer.

 

[ChicagoRaptor17]

Hey I know this is an older post but I wanted to check in on how the Ridge Grapplers are riding after some months since this post. I have an ‘18 with only 30k miles but am looking now anyway. Also is your profile picture with the old KO2’s or the Grapplers? Looks sharp regardless

 

[smurfslayer]

You think KO2's are noisy?
Try Duratracs, they're loud as hell.

KO2’s wear and if you don’t rotate them diligently, the fronts get feathered inside. if you drive too long like this it makes them louder when you rotate and it takes longer to even out. They are a quiet tire on pavement but not immune to road noise as they wear. it’s just easy to get used to it over time, then, you swap to any brand new tire and instantly have better traction, ride quality and less NVH than the previously mounted, and righteously shagged tires. Not a fair comparison, but that’s what people do.

 

[zombiekiller]

i've never met a nitto tire that I liked. Buyer beware, the belts in nittos like to break if you run your truck hard in the desert.

 

[RaptorVA]

I am curious why I dont hear anyone running Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 3. They have really good siping on them although they look pretty bland compared to the Ridge Grapplers or KO2's. I have had them on my Jeep in the past and liked them in snow but like aggressive looking tires more I guess. I ran some Pro Comp MT's years ago and Les Shwab would add siping to them if you asked. Those worked surprisingly well in the snow!