Hey all,
So after four years I finally saved enough money to get some new tires/wheels/lift. Since I live in NJ and have to drive my jeep to florida for school, i figured I would go with some 285/70/17 all terrain tires or some less aggressive MTs that are quiet on highway. I've read countless reviews and threads on different websites and most seem to contradict eachother. Some say Duratracs, others say they have crappy walls.

The tires I'm looking at are:

Wrangler Duratracs
General Grabber AT2s
Mastercraft Courser MXTs (heard theyre loud though)
Cooper Discoverer STT (or any other ST)

Does anyone have any personal experience with any of these tires or could recommend better ones? I need a tire that does well in mud and sand but can also handle driving around town. Thanks!

 

I had the generals, but it has been awhile so I don't remember the size but close to stock I believe. I thought they performed very well for ATs. They were silent on the road, great in snow and did great off road. Sand dunes especially, where an AT does better than an MT, these did great. I did air these down too far ~5lbs and popped the valve stems on each one lol. They would leak when you filled em, but held air just fine for a couple months until I go my MTs. They even ran fine after I lifted 3.5 inches.

I've heard great things about the duratracs as well, but no personal experience.

Edit: After rereading your post, you wanted some info about mud and sand so I thought I'd expand. I took my bone stock 3.8 jku 6speed to Silver Lake sand dunes and really beat on it. I wanted to test it out while it was stock to see where I needed to make changes. In sand, all you need to do is air down to about 10lbs, stick it in 4 wheel and you're good to go anywhere. These tires were great for long hill climbs, absorbing whoops, and still held up on tighter turns. I even drove through town aired down and they were fine. Just go slow and you're good.

With all this said, I LOVE my KM2s. For MTs, these are top notch, have good on-road manners, good road wear, and a fair price from Discount Tire. I was like you when I was searching for tires. I didn't want too loud of a tire and I am on the highway a lot. These tires fit the bill perfectly for me. They have a nice hum, but its nothing noticeable, in fact I kind of want louder tires now haha. Plus the off road performance is unbeatable compared to an AT. They did fine in Great Lakes winter roads too! Food for thought.

 

You should add the Nitto Trails Grapplers to the list.

I thought the Duratracs were great. Sure, if you wheel in the sharp rocks of the east, then maybe not the right tire. On road, hard to beat. Plus, there is a large market for Duratracs. If you get them and decide they are not for you, you won't have any trouble selling them.

Only place the Duratracs suck is in mud.

 

I've had my Cooper STT's on for about 10k and they are noisy though on the road if that is one of your main concerns. i don't mind the hum, other than that i like them a lot, just can't comment on tread life as its too early to tell but they are wearing even.

 

Duratracs are a fantastic aggressive A/T tire. I agree they don't do well in mud as the tread pattern doesn't clean out well. Other than that zero complaints. They are smooth and quiet on the highway. I got a long tread life out of mine.

 

I'm going to throw the new BFG KO2's into the mix. My buddy threw a set of 35's on his 2 door and they've performed very well so far. He is too stubborn to air down, but even at 30 psi they hook up in the rocks, wet and dry, and do well in the sandy gravel we have around here. They're also damn close to a true 35's unlike all other BFG's in the past.

 

I have Cooper Max ST's on my other vehicle (F150) and they are a great compromise in AT/MT. They look like MT's from the side, have very strong sidewalls (with tread), but the middle(main width) is All terrain. Combined with a great tread warranty....you should definently add them to your list if you are having the AT vs MT debate. Basically, I would call them an all terrain at full pressure, mild Mud terrain when aired down. So far I have had mine for around 35k and still have alot of tread in middle...(and all the mud lugs on the outside.)

 

Just put the KO2s on mine, 35"s. Quite on the street , handles really well cornering.
Did some light wheeling a week ago and liked how they hooked up in sand. Ready to take them out and really use them and see how that works.

 

Love the ko2 very quiet and great in the rain. Good off road in the sand. Just air down.

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I'd take a look at the Falken Wildpeak tires. I've run them now for about 25K and they are at 1/2 wear. Very quiet tire on the road and they have performed really good on the rocks in the Sierra mountains, as well as the hills at Moab. I wouldn't use them in mud though.