Bad roads and tires, are AT tires more comfortable?

[Higgins909]

Looking into tires, would like a more comfortable tire but I do not know how you find one. Already got all seasons on it but they're the cheapest tires you can get at walmart... Been an idea to change them for a couple years now, just have not done it. I've heard to find a tire with a soft sidewall but I don't see any info about tires and their sidewalls. I'm wondering if some tires like BFGoodrich K02 or Toyo Open Country A/T would ride better compared to regular all-seasons. About half of the road on my round trip to and from work are in poor condition, potholes and cracking.

TL;DR
If you keep the same tire size and psi, will a tire that is more offroad be more comfortable than an all-season or how do you find a comfortable tire?

Thanks,
Higgins909

 

[Dougw1515]

Tires are only part of the equation. Springs/spring rate and shocks all have to work together. You don't mention what vehicle you have and that's going to impact what options you have available. Painting with a big broad brush... The psi requirements of a tire can help you figure out how it's going to ride. And, in part, that is based on the load range the tire is rated for. If you don't haul, load, trailer, over-load your vehicle look for a tire in the lowest load range you can find. Load range 'A' 'B'.... those will be you're softest riding tires. But... you want you cake and eat it to when you start chunking in poor roads w/potholes n' such. I'd recommend going to a tire store and seeing if you can find someone that's educated on shock/spring/tire performance that can maybe steer you in the direction you want to go.

 

[MacZC7]

Doug nailed it. I run 35” STT Pro mud tires on a 10,000 pound diesel and it handles and rides like a sports car because the shocks are tuned for my truck and I have many suspension upgrades. Going with less aggressive tread will just make them quieter.

 

[pronstar]

For ride quality:
All season > All terrain > Mud terrain

Springs and shocks make a massive difference but most people aren’t willing to go thru the expense of messing with the factory setup.


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[Dougw1515]

I just noticed this is posted under "Motorcycle Chat".... Mmmm.... got nothing for ya' in that regard.

 

[Higgins909]

For ride quality:
All season > All terrain > Mud terrain

Springs and shocks make a massive difference but most people aren’t willing to go thru the expense of messing with the factory setup.


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So I understand correctly, you're saying all seasons are best, then all terrain, then mud terrain? I'm only wanting to get new tires, not rims or suspension parts.

Don't laugh too hard but I'm trying to rock a Prius for 2 more years. 2010 with 181k~ on it. (Working on an oil cons. test) If all is good after my test I want to finally get tires and a alignment... I need to talk to my boss too, about the parking lot... (getting holes) I think the dampers are probably shot, so I don't feel bumps as much or they're bouncy from factory. I'm thinking about trying bigger tires on it. 195/65R15 is stock and may get something like 205/65R15. It's got a fair amount of wheel well gap, the main concern is turning and rubbing, but I think 205 will work fine.

A little lift wound be nice so I wouldn't have to fall/crawl into it as much. My next vehicle will be a SUV or Truck, with power leather seats.

I've been experimenting with 3 less psi in the tires than the door sticker, as I understand that's psi for fully loaded car and I'm the only person in it 99% of the time... Not really sure if I feel any difference.

 

[Higgins909]

I just noticed this is posted under "Motorcycle Chat".... Mmmm.... got nothing for ya' in that regard.

I looked at the "Automotive" part of the name and thought this was the spot to post this.

 

[Dougw1515]

Ok... If we're talking Prius. They changed the load ratings up a bit for metric tires. Now you have a load rating LL - SL - XL. Light Load - Standard Load - Extra Load. Also.... tire load index can help lower the number the better. You'll have to use a chart and know your vehicle weight but that could help.

I would think if you could find a tire with a load rating of LL the the Load index is gonna be similar as far as sidewall rating goes.

 

[toddnjoyce]

... Don't laugh too hard but I'm trying to rock a Prius for 2 more years...

NTTAWT, but all the tires and suspension in the world ain’t going to make much difference in your case.

 

[majormadmax]

If you are asking about ATs versus road tires for comfort and noise, the answer is no.

I did go from MTs to BFG KO2s on my Jeep and it's a much better ride, but it's nothing compared to pure road tires.

But if you do any halfway difficult offroading, you'll need at least ATs.

To wrap up, what pronstar said!

 

[MacZC7]

Mud terrains on a Prius

 

[Mills]

Rock that Yota !

 

[pronstar]

So I understand correctly, you're saying all seasons are best, then all terrain, then mud terrain? I'm only wanting to get new tires, not rims or suspension parts.

Don't laugh too hard but I'm trying to rock a Prius for 2 more years. 2010 with 181k~ on it. (Working on an oil cons. test) If all is good after my test I want to finally get tires and a alignment... I need to talk to my boss too, about the parking lot... (getting holes) I think the dampers are probably shot, so I don't feel bumps as much or they're bouncy from factory. I'm thinking about trying bigger tires on it. 195/65R15 is stock and may get something like 205/65R15. It's got a fair amount of wheel well gap, the main concern is turning and rubbing, but I think 205 will work fine.

A little lift wound be nice so I wouldn't have to fall/crawl into it as much. My next vehicle will be a SUV or Truck, with power leather seats.

I've been experimenting with 3 less psi in the tires than the door sticker, as I understand that's psi for fully loaded car and I'm the only person in it 99% of the time... Not really sure if I feel any difference.

My wife had a 2010 Prius. Great little car...she’d still be driving it if a freak hailstorm didn’t total it out.

Honestly I think you’ll run out of ground clearance before you run out of tire.

If you stick with a recommended size, your choices are limited. No one really makes an AT tire in those sizes, so the best you can do it look for an M+S rating...and open tread blocks. The more space between the tread blocks, the better.

I know quite a bit about suspensions and raising vehicles...just not as it would apply to a Prius LOL

Your thought of airing-down is solid, it’ll give a bigger footprint and allow the tire to conform to the surface better, increasing grip. But it’ll also reduce your ground clearance.

You can look to a load inflation table for carry capacity at a given psi.

https://www.toyotires.com/media/3729/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20200723.pdf

This one is by Toyo, but they’re all the same, as they’re industry standards and not MFR-specific. You’d be surprised how much you can air-down a tire while maintaining load capacity.


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[texasnurse]

Michelin Ltx M+S (2) for most applications
I’m currently running Michelin A/T 2 on my Tundra and I love them; an upgrade from the BFG KO 2 that came OE


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[Sam7sf]

My two cents as the road to my property gets jacked up from rain and the mentally handicapped neighbor who tries to fix it by just adding more dirt. No lime even. Then doesn’t understand why it gets bad.

my Colorado diesel is a 2wd with a locker. When the tires can grab that locking diff does very well.

at discount tire and decided on the Goodyear duratrac. Looks like a good compromise of street and off road.

 

[Axxe55]

Tires on any vehicle are going to be a compromise as to their purpose and use on the vehicle.

Tires that are great doing one thing, are usually poor at other things. Picking a tire that is optimum at the primary intended purposes the vehicle will be used for is always the best choice to make. So they might not be the best choice for other uses of the vehicle. All terrain tires are a decent compromise for street and off road usage on a vehicle. Some are even better than others.

 

[pronstar]

My two cents as the road to my property gets jacked up from rain and the mentally handicapped neighbor who tries to fix it by just adding more dirt. No lime even. Then doesn’t understand why it gets bad.

my Colorado diesel is a 2wd with a locker. When the tires can grab that locking diff does very well.

at discount tire and decided on the Goodyear duratrac. Looks like a good compromise of street and off road.

They offer a locker on 2wd models?
That’s pretty unusual in the industry...


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[dsgrey]

My two cents as the road to my property gets jacked up from rain and the mentally handicapped neighbor who tries to fix it by just adding more dirt. No lime even. Then doesn’t understand why it gets bad.

my Colorado diesel is a 2wd with a locker. When the tires can grab that locking diff does very well.

at discount tire and decided on the Goodyear duratrac. Looks like a good compromise of street and off road.

Duratracs came as OEM on my Jeep Wrangler. I've only got 11k miles but they've done well. No overwhelming road noise and mine is a soft top.

 

[Sam7sf]

They offer a locker on 2wd models?
That’s pretty unusual in the industry...


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only on the 2wd diesel. It’s an Eaton I believe the same one in the halfton.

 

[Sam7sf]

Duratracs came as OEM on my Jeep Wrangler. I've only got 11k miles but they've done well. No overwhelming road noise and mine is a soft top.

So far I like em. Bit on the big side for this little truck. Took my mpg down from 30 on adv to 26-27. But I took it to the mud and right when I started to slide the rear diff kicked in and those tires grabbed well.