Tire Brands

[03HD#78]

Okay, I did a quick search and didn't find a thread about just tire makes and models. I want to stick with the stock tire size but what's everyone's opinion on the different brands? Also, I'm not lowered so I wouldn't be opposed to going to a 295/45/20. I checked on 295/40/20 and the price goes through the roof. I have had the following tires all stock size;

Goodyear Eagle GT II (came with the truck) - absolutely no traction, way too hard but lasted a while.

Hankook Ventus ST RH06 - I liked these, for a daily street tire they seemed to have decent traction. Obviously they didn't last has long as the Goodyear's but I did get a few good miles out of them.

I currently have the Kumho ECSTA stx - By far the worst tire I've had on any vehicle. No traction especially on wet roads and they are wearing out FAST.

I was thinking about trying the General Grabber or going back to the Hankooks unless, someone here has had luck with another brand. I want decent traction without sacrificing longevity too much. I understand the basics and know you cant' have it both ways. I'm just looking for opinions here.

On a side note the last time the truck was on the dyno it made 502/589 although, about 2/3 of the way into the run the truck was leaning out so we didn't get a full pull. I need to get 60# injectors so we can do a full pull and get it tuned right.

Sorry for such a lengthy post. I just wanted to be clear on what I was looking for. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Jekell101]

The Hankooks worked the best for me on my Harley. Sorry I couldn't help beyond that but I know I didn't like the General Grabber on other vehicles. I will say no tires stand up against the damn ford camber issue though...lol

[SLOWBRA]

I hated the Hankooks on my Cadillac - went through the 2 sets before I replaced them with something else. The issue was they would have a flat spot on all tires anytime the car sat for more than a few hours. This causes a vibration for 5min or so while driving. They also wouldn't road force well. Discount tire gladly resolved the issue for me.

My wife just got a new explorer sport that came with Hankooks. Same flat spot issue as I had with a completely different tire on the Cadillac

I recently purchased 2 Yokahama Prada Spec-X tires for the front of my HD. Haven't put them on yet, but my guy at discount tire direct recommended them and they were priced right. I might be selling them (not installed) since I plan on selling my wheels too.

[03HD#78]

Has anyone tried the Toyo Proxes S/T? The tread pattern looks good.

[SonicHD]

I will say no tires stand up against the damn ford camber issue though...lol

Stiffler's adjustable upper control arms will fix this. But about $500+

Has anyone tried the Toyo Proxes S/T? The tread pattern looks good.

S/T, or S/T2? The S/T has been discontinued for at least 5-6 years now. So if you happen to find any, I would stay away due to the age. The S/T2 are a better overall performing tire than the first gen, and are not a bad choice by any means, but dont look as cool. But in my experience, there are better.

Over the years I've ran Toyo Proxes S/T, S/T2, Hankook Ventus, General Grabber, BFGoodrich KDW, Yokohama Parada Spec-X, stock Goodyears and currently Nitto 420s. (Yes, I go through a lot of rubber. No F's given!)

None of them hook worth sh*t on a truck with any power, except maybe the BFG's (discontinued) but they wear fast. Makes sense, soft rubber grips, but wears. My truck dyno's at 438/520. Not a built beast, but well modded. I can shred any of them with ease, so don't expect drag radial like traction. But it comes down to the climate where you drive. My picks would be:

Dry:
1. BFG KDW by far. Again, discontinued :-(
2. Nitto 420z, or Yokohama Parada Spec-X (tie)
3. General Grabber (they are a cheaper tire, and don't seem to stay too smooth for the life of them)
4. Toyo S/T2 or Hankook Ventus (tie)
5. Stock Goodyears

Wet:
1. Yokohama Parada Spec-X
2. Nitto 420s or Toyo S/T2 (tie)
3. Hankook Ventus
4. General Grabber
5. Stock Goodyears
6. BFGoodrich KDW

Overall "all season"

1. Yokohama Parada Spec-X I think this tire did very well in the rain all things considered, and had very decent dry grip.
1A. Nitto 420s - Would be my choice for my next set of tires, since they perform decent dry or wet, not quite as good as the Yokohamas, but the Yoko's lack in the looks department.
2. Toyo S/T2
3. Hankook Ventus
4. General Grabber
5. Stock Goodyears

Keep in mind, I'm in the Northwest where it rains a lot. Though my truck is now a fair weather garage queen, it still get's caught in the wet often enough. If the BFG's were still available, they would be my #1 pick hands down. They look great, hook better than the others by far, and are so-so in the rain, but will get you home. These are my pics based off my experience.

[03HD#78]

Thanks for the great info. I live in the Southwest, Alb., New Mexico. I would say it's dry 98% of the time. Although, this year due to "el niño" we've already had a couple of snow days but I have another car I can drive for those days.
Like said I did like the Hankooks but I like the looks of the General Grabber's too. If I can find them I may try the Nito 420s. I'm just afraid of trying something new because of my experience with these damn Kumhos. I'm trying to stay around $200 or less per tire and would traction is more important than tread life as long as I can get somewhere around 30k miles out of them. I drive about 10k miles a year.

[Braker85]

I wanna say I have hankooks on the HD. I hate them. They are loud and ride like crap! I have a set of Toyo ST2 ready to go that luckily didn't blow away last weekend in the tornado. Ran the ST and the ST2 on my lightning with no complaints.

[Braker85]

Plus the ST2 is a fairly inexpensive tire if you look. I buy mine from tirecrawler.com and have the local Goodyear mount them.

[cayman150]

Anybody running 22 reps, here is a great deal on a set of 4 BFG's KDW 2 tires for $700 and free shipping.

305/40R22 - These hook well and the tread look really killer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-305-40...-/401049323580

[Merlin]

I've put 25k on my Hankooks and they still look brand new. http://www.nhtoc.com/vbforum/showthr...hlight=hankook
I will say that one of the first things I did was Replace Upper Control arms, and add Cam bolts and washer for a better alignment.
On the downside the Kooks have a directional tread pattern. I purchased a "lifetime" alignment package from Firestone.
I also purchased a "lifetime" balance. I usually take it in every 3-4 months and get it realigned and check the balance for free.

They still look brand new!

Kook's are pretty quiet, look sporty and they have a 50K tread life warranty.
Almost all the different tires for our trucks offer NO manufacturer warranty.
At the price of tires I really want something that lasts and has a warranty.

Reviews:
Hankook Ventus ST RH06 295/45/20
Rating Scale: 5 Excellent - 1 Poor:
Dry: 4.7
Wet: 4.6
Snow: 3.3
Handling: 4.7
Comfort: 4.5
Noise: 4.5
Treadwear: 4.5

Overall User Rating 4.5



I'm not really concerned about Snow: (3.3 rating) in Sunny south Florida

[SonicHD]

Anybody running 22 reps, here is a great deal on a set of 4 BFG's KDW 2 tires for $700 and free shipping.

305/40R22 - These hook well and the tread look really killer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-305-40...-/401049323580

No way anyone is fitting a 305 on the front without massive rubbing issues. Plus, they are already almost 4 years old. I would leave them alone.

[Merlin]

If you want larger in rear go with 305...but not in front.
I did the Ventus ST RH06 295/45/20 all they way around.
Why?
The directional tread pattern allows front to rear rotation.

[03HD#78]

I was thinking about the 295/45/20. Are there any rubbing issues? Other than a 2" drop in the back I'm stock as far as suspension goes. How much did it cost to do the upper control arms, cam bolts and washers?

[Merlin]

I did the 295/45/20 with the 2" drop in the back and I don't seem to have any rubbing.

See Thread -> http://www.nhtoc.com/vbforum/showthr...ight=xfr+upper

[tpr103]

Toyos suck! Good traction but I've had 3 fail on me. On my stock 20s I've had the goodyears, hankooks, and now falken ziexs. The ziexs lasted the longest, traction sucks at 600+ hp. For my 22s I went with the nitto 420s haven't installed them yet, but look good.


20"
Goodyear 275/45/20 garbage even at a whopping 290 n/a hp
Hankooks 295/45/20 decent at 420hp
Falken 275/45/20 front 295/45/20 rear nice tire lasted a while, but at 600hp

22"
Toyo st front 285/35/22 garbage had a tire fail while driving.
Toyo stII rear 305/40/22 garbage got a bubble and popped in the driveway. Nice traction though. And before anyone suggests that the bubble was cause by hitting something. Let me reassure you with my true forged 22s I never hit anything! Plus they were only on the touch for 4 moths out if the year.
Nitto 420 nice looking tire not installed yet