So everything for the lift has been ordered, new 16" wheels are in the mail...now its time to overthink what tires to run.

I'm looking at 265/75r16's (32x10.5") for my DD and weekend warrior. I was originally looking pretty hard at the Dick Cepek FC-II and Mud Country, I like the style but having trouble finding them locally at a decent price (or online with decent shipping).

I was leaning towards the Duratracs but my local tire shop turned me onto the Cooper S/T Maxx. I tried searching and couldn't find any discussion on them here. They are listed as "commercial traction," same as the duratracs, are studable and mountain/snowflake rated. They are also about the same price as duratracs and have the same a/t-m/t hybrid appearance.

However, the Maxx's are built on cooper's m/t carcass, so they have 3-ply sidewalls. So with price being pretty much equal, should I go with the heavier 3-ply?

I suppose everyone else can chime in with whatever tires they recommend, but I'm trying to stay as far under $250/tire as possible. Both these tires are about $220 (with mount/balance) by my local tire guy.

Here's some reading material: http://www.4x4review.com/Reviews/Pro...5/Default.aspx
http://www.fourwheeler.com/techartic...w/viewall.html

 

Personally, I think Cooper makes some pretty good tires. They aren't well known in the offroad industry, but a lot of people I know run the STT, the original ST, and the AT3. I have had great experience with the AT3 on my '01 with mud and rocks. Generally, Cooper tires are cheaper than comparable AT and MT tires, which makes them even better. The ST Maxx is a pretty new tire, so the ratings may be lacking because of that. I would say, go with the Coopers!

 

Thanks for the feedback, but its a bit late...I finally decided to spend a bit extra for M/Ts and know I'd be happy with their performance rather than hope the more aggressive A/Ts would cut it.

Just got my Dick Cepek Mud Country tires yesterday...

 

I had S/T s on the truck in my sig. I really liked them . I was thinking about some for my xj .

 

I have a set on my XJ. Haven't really had a chance to do much with them. Had a pretty big snow storm a few days ago and they did really well in the loose stuff. On the hard pack and ice they weren't great. Not bad, just not great. In the dirt they are awesome. On the highway, they are pretty quiet. No chance to try in mud yet.