35" Tire Opinions Requested

[bills742]

Hi all,

I just purchased a '20 Rubicon Unlimited and am looking to upgrade to 35" tires which will be going on 18" Fuel Beasts (+01 offset). I know that most suggest sticking with 17" wheels due to a larger tire selection but the 18s look too good.

Considering I have a manual transmission, I've been focusing on keeping the weight of the tires as low as possible to decrease the sluggishness. That being said, some have told me the lightest tires are probably light for a reason (i.e. they're cheaply made). I don't want to compromise construction quality. Also, I know that Fuel Beasts are not the lightest wheels, but these look too good for me to pass up!

As far as what the Jeep will be used for, mostly on-road with very limited off-road. This is not a vehicle I use daily and therefore, looks>>>road noise which is why there are a bunch of mud tires on this list.

Another factor that people mention is load rating. Most say to stick with C but most 18s are E with a few being D. I'm not too worried about ride quality because again, it's not my DD and I'm used to stiff rides (that's what she said).

Here is my complete list and the poll has the same list:

Firestone Destination X/T 35X12.50R18LT 60 lb. (load E)
Dick Cepek Extreme Country 35X12.50R18LT 64 lb. (load D)
Dick Cepek Trail Country EXP 35X12.50R18LT 65 lb. (load D)
Mastercraft Courser CXT 305/70r18 65 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 LT305/70R18 65 lb. (load E)
Toyo Open Country A/T III 35X12.50R18 66 lb. (load D)
KO2 305/70r18 67 lb. (load E)
KO2 35x12.5r18 67.9 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson BAJA ATZ P3 35X12.50R18LT 68 lb. (load D)
Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 305/70r18 69.9 lb. (load E)
Yokohama Geolandar X-AT 305/70r18 69.9 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson BAJA MTZ P3 35X12.50R18LT 70 lb. (load D)
Cooper STT Pro LT305/70R18 71 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson BAJA ATZ P3 LT305/70R18 71 lb. (load E)
Pro Comp MT2 LT305/70R18 72 lb. (load E)
Nitto Ridge Grappler 35x12.50R18LT 72.31 lb. (load F)
Maxxis Razr MT 35x12.50R18LT 72.51 lb. (load E)
BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A® KM3 35x12.50R18 72.75 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss 35X12.50R18LT 73 lb. (load D)
Toyo Open Country R/T 35x12.5r18 77 lb. (load E)
Toyo Open Country M/T 35x12.50R18LT 81 lb. (load E)

Thanks in advance!

Edit 1: Added Toyo Open Country A/T III, Yokohama Geolandar M/T, Yokohama Geolandar X-AT. The Yokohama Geolandar M/T might have taken the lead for me based on some new research I did. People say they are quieter than the STT Pros and they weight slightly less. I'm not sure how I missed these initially!

Edit 2: KO2 35x12.5r18 added.

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[Pipes]

I have Fuel 18” as well. I had the 35” Nitto Ridge Grapplers F load initially and loved the look, but the ride wasn’t great and handling. Super stiff. Recently moved to the new Toyo Open Country AT3. load D. Absolutely amazing tires all around. Toyo designed this tire for the Wrangler In mind.

 

[blnewt]

I have Fuel 18” as well. I had the 35” Nitto Ridge Grapplers F load initially and loved the look, but the ride wasn’t great and handling. Super stiff. Recently moved to the new Toyo Open Country AT3. load D. Absolutely amazing tires all around. Toyo designed this tire for the Wrangler In mind.

Nice to hear about those new Toyos, they're on my short list when my Pats are done

 

[bills742]

I have Fuel 18” as well. I had the 35” Nitto Ridge Grapplers F load initially and loved the look, but the ride wasn’t great and handling. Super stiff. Recently moved to the new Toyo Open Country AT3. load D. Absolutely amazing tires all around. Toyo designed this tire for the Wrangler In mind.

Thanks! I updated my list to include the A/T III. That tire is weird because different places list different weights for it so I don't truly know what the right answer is. I wish Toyo would list weights on their site but they don't for any of their tires as far as I'm aware.

 

[DanW]

Why the 305 KO2 and not the 315 or 35x12.5? Just curious.

 

[JeffI]

Hi all,

I just purchased a '20 Rubicon Unlimited and am looking to upgrade to 35" tires which will be going on 18" Fuel Beasts (+01 offset). I know that most suggest sticking with 17" wheels due to a larger tire selection but the 18s look too good.

Considering I have a manual transmission, I've been focusing on keeping the weight of the tires as low as possible to decrease the sluggishness. That being said, some have told me the lightest tires are probably light for a reason (i.e. they're cheaply made). I don't want to compromise construction quality. Also, I know that Fuel Beasts are not the lightest wheels, but these look too good for me to pass up!

As far as what the Jeep will be used for, mostly on-road with very limited off-road. This is not a vehicle I use daily and therefore, looks>>>road noise which is why there are a bunch of mud tires on this list.

Another factor that people mention is load rating. Most say to stick with C but most 18s are E with a few being D. I'm not too worried about ride quality because again, it's not my DD and I'm used to stiff rides (that's what she said).

Here is my complete list and the poll has the same list:

Firestone Destination X/T 35X12.50R18LT 60 lb. (load E)
Dick Cepek Extreme Country 35X12.50R18LT 64 lb. (load D)
Dick Cepek Trail Country EXP 35X12.50R18LT 65 lb. (load D)
Mastercraft Courser CXT 305/70r18 65 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 LT305/70R18 65 lb. (load E)
KO2 305/70r18 67 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson BAJA ATZ P3 35X12.50R18LT 68 lb. (load D)
Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 305/70r18 69.9 lb. (load E)
Yokohama Geolandar X-AT 305/70r18 69.9 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson BAJA MTZ P3 35X12.50R18LT 70 lb. (load D)
Cooper STT Pro LT305/70R18 71 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson BAJA ATZ P3 LT305/70R18 71 lb. (load E)
Pro Comp MT2 LT305/70R18 72 lb. (load E)
Nitto Ridge Grappler 35x12.50R18LT 72.31 lb. (load F)
Maxxis Razr MT 35x12.50R18LT 72.51 lb. (load E)
BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A® KM3 35x12.50R18 72.75 lb. (load E)
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss 35X12.50R18LT 73 lb. (load D)
Toyo Open Country A/T III 35X12.50R18 66 or 72.64 or 75 lb.? (Can't find clear answer) (load D)
Toyo Open Country R/T 35x12.5r18 77 lb. (load E)
Toyo Open Country M/T 35x12.50R18LT 81 lb. (load E)

Thanks in advance!

Edit 1: Added Toyo Open Country A/T III, Yokohama Geolandar M/T, Yokohama Geolandar X-AT. The Yokohama Geolandar M/T might have taken the lead for me based on some new research I did. People say they are quieter than the STT Pros and they weight slightly less. I'm not sure how I missed these initially!

Just upgraded to 35x12.50 km3 myself. I’ve ran nitto trail grappler in the past and liked them but I won’t run another tire other than km3 from here on if going MT. They are the quietest MT I’ve ever heard personally on road and ride almost as good as my ko2 did.

 

[bills742]

Why the 305 KO2 and not the 315 or 35x12.5? Just curious.

Good catch, my mistake. I guess I was always a little biased against them because they didn't look aggressive enough for me. I've added them to the list.

 

[DanW]

Good catch, my mistake. I guess I was always a little biased against them because they didn't look aggressive enough for me. I've added them to the list.

I can´t say anything about the E range tires, but the C range is very soft riding.

 

[blnewt]

Thanks! I updated my list to include the A/T III. That tire is weird because different places list different weights for it so I don't truly know what the right answer is. I wish Toyo would list weights on their site but they don't for any of their tires as far as I'm aware.

Toyo list the tire weights, scroll down and click the "show full specifications" side bar and it lists them
their C rated 285/70/17 is 55lbs as an example.
https://www.toyotires.com/product/open-country-at3

 

[bills742]

Toyo list the tire weights, scroll down and click the "show full specifications" side bar and it lists them
their C rated 285/70/17 is 55lbs as an example.
https://www.toyotires.com/product/open-country-at3

Don't know how I missed that, thanks!

 

[Shots]

I love the KO2, but as you noted they're not the most aggressive looking on the list. I've got the KM2, and if the KM3 is similar they ride fine, they're just a bit loud. Hard to say though because the update may have changed that. One thing didn't change they still look amazing.

As for light tires being cheaply made. I haven't really noticed that. Typically they're just a lighter load rating, so the side wall tends to be a bit thinner. As a result they're not be as puncture resistant on the side walls, but the trade off is that they ride better. Tough side walls might be a big concern if you rock crawl, but for your use I doubt that would be an issue. I wouldn't steer away from the light tires for fear of quality.

Also to add a tire that you didn't mention is the Goodyear Duratrac. So far it's the best tire I've ever run on a truck or jeep. Quiet, looks great, handles snow/ice extremely well, handles mild trails with ease (I don't do extreme off-roading), soft ride, and wears pretty well. It's available in the size you want (35x12.5 r18) and weights 62 lbs. If I'm buying tires and I'm not looking for the cheapest thing I can find this is probably the time I'm going with. I've had others that I like but I always end up comparing them to the Duratrac and thinking the others fall just a little short of them. Not to say that other options aren't good, just that the Duratrac is the gold standard (to me anyway).

 

[bills742]

I love the KO2, but as you noted they're not the most aggressive looking on the list. I've got the KM2, and if the KM3 is similar they ride fine, they're just a bit loud. Hard to say though because the update may have changed that. One thing didn't change they still look amazing.

As for light tires being cheaply made. I haven't really noticed that. Typically they're just a lighter load rating, so the side wall tends to be a bit thinner. As a result they're not be as puncture resistant on the side walls, but the trade off is that they ride better. Tough side walls might be a big concern if you rock crawl, but for your use I doubt that would be an issue. I wouldn't steer away from the light tires for fear of quality.

Also to add a tire that you didn't mention is the Goodyear Duratrac. So far it's the best tire I've ever run on a truck or jeep. Quiet, looks great, handles snow/ice extremely well, handles mild trails with ease (I don't do extreme off-roading), soft ride, and wears pretty well. It's available in the size you want (35x12.5 r18) and weights 62 lbs. If I'm buying tires and I'm not looking for the cheapest thing I can find this is probably the time I'm going with. I've had others that I like but I always end up comparing them to the Duratrac and thinking the others fall just a little short of them. Not to say that other options aren't good, just that the Duratrac is the gold standard (to me anyway).

Thanks for the detailed info. It's interesting that you mention the Goodyear Duratrac because that was my number one choice until they discontinued the load E version in 35x12.5r18 and now only offer load F for that size.

 

[DanW]

Thanks for the detailed info. It's interesting that you mention the Goodyear Duratrac because that was my number one choice until they discontinued the load E version in 35x12.5r18 and now only offer load F for that size.

Ouch! I wonder why they did that? A buddy of mine has 32" Duratracs on his JK. I'm assuming they are C or D rated. they have a very smooth ride.

Did you look for a Duratrac in 315? They are only millimeters different from the 35x12.5, and might come in a D or even a C. Worth looking into. I want to say I saw them before and they were D rated. Certainly a tire on my list for consideration when the KO2s wear out. Love the KO2, but I do like the aggressiveness of the Duratrac and my buddy says they absolutely kill it in the snow.

 

[bills742]

Ouch! I wonder why they did that? A buddy of mine has 32" Duratracs on his JK. I'm assuming they are C or D rated. they have a very smooth ride.

Did you look for a Duratrac in 315? They are only millimeters different from the 35x12.5, and might come in a D or even a C. Worth looking into. I want to say I saw them before and they were D rated. Certainly a tire on my list for consideration when the KO2s wear out. Love the KO2, but I do like the aggressiveness of the Duratrac and my buddy says they absolutely kill it in the snow.

I agree, I have no idea why they only make load F now. The load E was discontinued recently because Tire Rack had one left as of last week. Unfortunately, Duratracs are not available in 315 for 18" wheels.

I'm really leaning towards the Yoko Geolandar M/T G003s. It seems like they are not a very popular tire with Jeeps for some reason but they have mostly rave reviews from the Tacoma folks. As far as snow, we don't have a ton in Maryland and now with global warming, who knows if we'll ever see it again! There was one guy on that forum that had issues with his back end sliding out in the snow but it was a truck after all. Everyone else says they perform great in any situation.

 

[DanW]

I agree, I have no idea why they only make load F now. The load E was discontinued recently because Tire Rack had one left as of last week. Unfortunately, Duratracs are not available in 315 for 18" wheels.

I'm really leaning towards the Yoko Geolandar M/T G003s. It seems like they are not a very popular tire with Jeeps for some reason but they have mostly rave reviews from the Tacoma folks. As far as snow, we don't have a ton in Maryland and now with global warming, who knows if we'll ever see it again! There was one guy on that forum that had issues with his back end sliding out in the snow but it was a truck after all. Everyone else says they perform great in any situation.

Sorry, I missed that you were looking for 18 inch wheels. My Jeep side of the brain is locked in on 17" rims. Lol!

I've heard good things about the Yoko's, too.

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