hi all, took a look around the posts to see if anyone offered they're opinion on which tires they thought were the best for a some mud and snow, nothing to intensive and still be good for daily driving? I just bought an 2004 X and want to get rid of the Grabber's that it came with. I figured tires would be the best thing to upgrade first.

Thanks for any and all info.

-Jesse

Welcome to XOC!

The (Bridgestone Dueler)Revo is probably the best all-around tire for a daily driver that wants some offroad capability:



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The BF Goodrich AT is probably the most popular tire; a little more aggressive than the Revo:



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Be sure to upgrade your size to 265/75R16.

They will fit without rubbing.

Both of those tires are going to be pricey. Don't listen to what people say about what their 15's cost. Your 16's will cost more.

If you don't have $700 (including mounting, balancing, tax, blah blah blah.....) to spend on tires, consider Yokohama Geolander AT or Toyo Open Country AT. Both tires should run around $500 & change (out-the-door) for 4.

If that still sounds expensive, Pep Boys sells a tire called the Dakota that will outperform the "crappers" by a mile for ~$400 (out-the door).

Picture of Dakota tread: http://www.whitescarver.com/erinjeff/136_3694.JPG

Good luck!

Let us know what product you select.

BTW, I just gave you for asking a smart question, instead of coming into the forum mouthing off (like many others do).

Cool thanks for the info!!

What do you think of mud terrains as a daily drive tire? I was on the tirerack web and was doing some researching on there. Some of th mud tires descriptions said they were pretty decent for daily driving.

Plus they look cooler!
-Jesse

I haven't had MTs on my Xterra yet, but generally speaking they will wear faster, not provide as much traction (particularly on wet or snowy roads), and will be quite a bit louder. But they are a lot better offroad and, as you say, they look cooler.

I have KOs on my Xterra and no regrets - I'd recommend them to anybody. They were pricy but well worth it in my opinion.

One thing to keep in mind when looking at tire rack ratings is that they are applicable for equivalent tires only...

In other words, an MT tire rated as a 9 out of 10 for handling will not out handle a high performance summer tread tire rated 9 out of 10 for handling, etc.

So - an AT rated as a 9 for wet traction will typically be better at wet traction than an MT rated as a 9, etc.

Rule of Thumb - Nothing works as well as a mud tire in the mud, and nothing works as well as a highway tire on the highway...Every thing between those extremes is a compromise biased towards what is most important to you.

I went with the BFG AT ko because it is pretty good on road, and very good off road, and I try to avoid mud because I like rocks better...but I can do loose mud with it w/o trouble, and thicker mud if I alternate traction with wheel spin to clean the tread out, etc.

I went with the 33x12.5 to maximize clearance and traction/flotation(My bias/compromise).

I used to run the BFG A/Ts, and now run the M/T's, so I might be able to offer up a good opinion (hopefully). The A/T's were most definately better on the road, as they should be. Wet weather traction was never a concern with them, as it is with the M/T.

For offroad, both grip very well in the dry stuff, w/ the M/T being noticeably better, but the A/T is still very good, and may well be better than any other A/T on the market. I've watched a lot of my friends with generic A/T's (Dayton's, Cooper, Revo), and none of them grip anywhere near as well as the BFG A/T, in the same situations.

Once you get into the mud, however, it's a different story. The A/T's require a lot more wheelspin to clear them, if they'll clear at all, which they won't in thick stuff.

As for snow, I haven't had the M/T's in snow, yet. I'm still waiting for the white stuff to come down this winter!! The A/T's, however, handled very well in snow-covered roads. Granted, we don't get much snow in KY, but when it does, the roads are NEVER cleared. So if we get 4" of snow, then there's 4" on the road.

I don't know how either tire would handle snow in offroad conditions. I haven't done it, so I won't offer up an opinion.

I have the yoko geolanders - not a bad tire, got them all for just about $500 out the door. I recommend them, very little road noise - and I don't do that much offroading. I only got these because the stock ones wore out, and I wanted a more aggressive tire. If you're looking to go pretty all right, then I'd definitely go with the BFG all terrains - you can prolly find them for ~650.