Looking at 315/75R16's, BFG vs NITTO

[DAVe3283]

So, I am probably crazy, but I am looking at getting some big tires, on a non-lifted truck.

How I drive:

• 70% pavement, and I like lots of wet & dry traction. I want to have to TRY to spin my tires. I also do some heavy towing.
• 10% hard pack dirt & gravel roads in sun & rain
• 8% sand and loose dirt
• 8% true offroading, including big rocks, snow, puddles, slush, and grades of varying insanity. Spotters have been involved.
• 2% mud, usually 1-4" deep, and only when I can't go around.
• 2% going WAY, WAY too fast. Let's just say, the faster the tires are rated for, the better.

Sizes:
I am torn between 305/70R16 (33", same height as I have now, but wider) and 315/75R16 (35" and much wider). I am positive the 305's would be fine with some minimal trimming.
Is there any way I can fit 315/75R16 tires on here? I don't mind doing some trimming (or a lot of trimming, if I need); but I would prefer not to crank the bars all the way. Has anyone fit this size without a lift? If I can squeeze them in, that is my preferred choice.

BFG vs NITTO:
Finally, I am torn between 2 tires: the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO and the NITTO Dune Grappler. They cost virtually the same, so that is not a deciding factor.

If I can fit the 315's, the NITTOs hold a lot more weight, and have a better speed rating, both of which are important to me, but I have heard mixed reviews of the NITTOs real-world performance. My concerns are: traction on pavement, traction on hard-packed dirt hills, and slightly muddy roads. As long as the NITTOs are as good as my current 285/75 BFGs, I would be happy.
If I can't fit the 315's, I would probably go with the 305 BFGs, because I know how they will preform.

So which tire should I get, and what size? Any insight/experience/comments are welcomed. And feel free to suggest other tires, I haven't bought anything yet!

 

[blk smoke lb7]

I run the hunmers on my truck.I have 2 sets 1 for winter 315/70/17 bf goodrich all terrains love them in the snow and bad weather,not a big bf goodrich fan but you cant deny they are great tires,and i run goodyear extreems on chrome hummers for the summer.Both sets where new take offs shipped to my door for $1050.00 . I refuse to crank my bars up all the way i leveled the truck and thats good for me.Even tho they are the same size by # the goodyears are bigger but are more rounded on the corner so its about the same.The goodyears will bump once in a while when hitting a driveway if i dont slow down and the valence is trimed hard.
I know a guy that ran 315/75/16s and he had to trim the bummper with a plasma cutter,not my choice of trim tools but i guess,if you have to cut the bumper they are to big!!! :rofl:

 

[duramaximizer]

I have 315's BFG's on 17's and would only trade them for 325 55 20's. Non lifted LMM.

 

[dag4566]

285 75 16 BFG AT has been the perfect in between size for me. Much taller than a 285 75 and did not require tons of trimming. My driving is pretty much the same as yours and I tow a bit as well. MY only issues are that the mud traction sucks, they throw tons of rocks after you pull of a gravel road, and they only last 20-25k.

If anyone had them in stock I would be running a 295 75 16 Toyo open country AT. They are load range E and the BFGs are D.

A 315 75 16 is to tall to fit without major trimming IMO.

 

[Chevy1925]

a 305/70R16 is virtually the same as a 33x12.50R16. a 315/75R16 is virtually the same as a 35x12.50R16. With that said, id go with the 305 to keep rubbing to a min when you are off roading or using the truck hard. I also like the BFG for all around. loved them in the snow, my old 2wd 1500 would go anywhere with them.

 

[Dozerboy]

I think ATs ain't good for much other then sand off road. I loved the old BFG MTs I got 55K out of them and they have seen my speedO buried for extended periods of time. They had good dry traction with extra sipping. Where only ok in the wet, but I never hydroplaned with them even hauling ass in flooded roads.

 

[DAVe3283]

Thanks for the input guys, keep it coming! I'll look into the BFG MTs.
Dozerboy: were the MTs obnoxiously loud? If they are much louder than my engine, it might be too loud. I can't even hear my BFG ATs, for comparison purposes.

 

[Dozerboy]

No there not loud they just hum a little more. Didn't bother my wife even after 17hrs. of straight driving. You can hear them cruising down the Hwy, but I wouldn't say they are louder then a straight piped truck cruising down the hwy. And my LBZ is probably a little quieter then your LB7. I though my MTs where quieter then the worn out stockers.

 

[DAVe3283]

And the answer is "D) None of the above"

Well, you guys talked me into staying with BFGoodrich All Terrain's. Aside from a couple going BOOM, my family has had good luck. (All of the ones that went BOOM were overloaded and/or overpressured, so can't really blame the tires. But that is another story.) I was considering the Mud Terrains, but they are a bit pricier than I want.

But, instead of either of the sizes I was thinking of, I am getting 315/70R17's on Hummer H2 rims. I got a crazy deal on 5 rims, and they were throwing a sale on the tires for about the same price as my current size. Couldn't pass it up! Plus, the new ones are S-rated (112 MPH), which makes me feel better about the speeds I occasionally see.

The rims came with the spare tire still mounted: an old (2004) tire of the same size. I used that to test-fit, and with some creative trimming, I think they'll do OK. There is only one spot where they rub the front of the cab that I still need to fix. Sadly, it is metal, so I either have to sledgehammer it or plasma torch it. There is nothing behind it, and it doesn't appear structural in any way. So what do you guys think? Bend it back with a sledge, or cut it cleanly with a torch?

I'll put up photos of the new tires when they arrive. They should be in mid-next week. Since I'll have 5 brand-new tires, I am thinking about doing a 5-tire rotation. Any one done that and seen any downsides?

 

[Hammer 4]

Been using the AT's since 1991..never had a problem. Depending on how I drive, I got anywhere from 40k to 54k out of a set. In fact just replaced the AT's on the Dmax, granted I had cord showing, but they went almost 58k..

I do lie the MT's for off road though, they had better grip in the sloppy stuff :thumb:

 

[Rhall]

Ive never ran bfgs on the street, but they work great on the hooker. The only set of nittos i had were terra grapplers on a regular cab duramax, and they were junk. Wore quickly and unevenly.

 

[blk smoke lb7]

cant wait to see the pics,i do a 5 tire rotate on my witner hummers the chrome hummers i have i only have 4.I always put the spare on the right rear every year and the rest rotate clockwise and the right front goes in the back for the spare or next years right rear.got my 1st 5 with brand new rubber for 800 and my chromes with brand new goodyears for 1050 shipped to the door,cant beat that for big rubber and some nice looking wheels IMO

 

[DAVe3283]

Yeah, they tend to come pretty cheap. I saw several in that price range with "new" rubber, but in all cases, they were 6-7 years old, though they did have 95-100% tread. After 6-7 years sitting in the desert, I wouldn't drive on them, so I opted to just get the rims & buy new tires.

I am going to try and pick up some GMC hubcaps here soon, so the first pictures may have either hummer caps or no caps, depending. I am not really a fan of the hummer caps.

 

[KEVINL]

I'd give the Nittos a try. I have Bfg's on my truck and I hate them. No traction and they have 15k on them and I ll be lucky to get another 10k out of them

 

[DAVe3283]

Got the tires & wheels on, haven't got the hubcaps yet. I'll post pics when I have the hubcaps on too.

 

[blk smoke lb7]

Looks great Dave but i hope you saved your reg lug nuts,your going to need them to put the center caps on unless your not going to run any

 

[DAVe3283]

When I bought the truck it had aftermarket wheels, and those lug nuts. So no factory lug nuts

I had special ordered the S-rated tires (they are normally R-rated). Went down and the shop installed R-rated tires anyway. Fortunately, I looked it over before I left the parking lot, and called them on it. Turns out the techs forgot they had ordered the S-rated ones, and just grabbed the R-rated ones from inventory. Since they had the S-rated ones waiting, they put them on, and to make up for the inconvenience, they are ordering me a set of factory lug nuts for free. Hopefully I'll have them early next week.

Now all I need to do is buy a set of hub caps. Anyone have some GMC caps they don't want??

 

[Rebelchevy87]

Looks good!

I have the same setup on my truck, leveled front to rear w/ stock keys and some trimming on the front bumper and inner fender liner. I also tied back the parking brake cable with a zip tie. Only time they rub is when turning and hitting a large bump. I am sure I could massage things a little more to eliminate the rub, but its infrequent enough that it doesn't bother me.

 

[gkatmar]

Go BFG.

 

[DAVe3283]

I did end up going with the BFGs. There are some pictures on page 1 of this thread.

I finally got the factory lug nuts on, but I STILL don't have the factory GMC hubcaps. Just can't justify the price they are going for currently. I'll be keeping my eye out for a good set though.