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I just bought a 2007 Ford F150 and love it except it has mud tires on it. It has not been lifted. My question is to those who have had both, is it worth the change back to all season tires to get a quite ride and is there much difference in milage. Both tires are 17".
Yes, ride quality will be significantly better and quieter
Yes, mileage will improve between 1-2 mpg in most cases maybe more depending upon engine, rear end ratio, whether or not the tires are oversized, etc.
I'm assuming it is a 4X4 truck. Unless you NEED true mud tires an All Terrain (AT) tire will be a better option even off road. Most tires labeled as All Season are really a street tire designed to work well in snow. On a 4X4 I'd go with an AT. It is a good compromise.
The MT or mud tires have more rolling resistance and tend to be much heavier. It is the weight as much as the tread that kills fuel mileage. Even some LT rated AT tires can be pretty heavy. Unless you are into serious off roading, haul or tow heavy loads a P rated AT tire will give the best ride and fuel mileage on a 4X4. If your truck is 4X2, then you'll do even better with an all season tire.
Instead of swapping muds for all-seasons, try going with "all-terrain"s. I like the Firestone Destination AT for a dual-purpose pavement/dirt road tire.
I put these on mine reasonably priced from the vendor I used so far about 12 k on them have rotated them 3 times they are wearing decent have been thru two late season snowstorms and I had no issues with them even though I use Nokian Hakkapelittas LT's for winter tires. But the sound from them is very reasonable and they have "handled" well in rain and on dry pavement.
If you rarely go offroad and don’t care if your tires look “cool”, I’d go with an all season. While all-terrains are a good compromise, now days I find I’m only off-road about 5-6 times a year while putting 18k miles a year on my truck on the road. All season will probably get better fuel mileage than an all-terrain (and definitely a mud tire) and will certainly have a longer life and typically better road handling.
My Pirelli Scorpions are at 42k miles now, and while there’s plenty of tread life the grip in the rain is downright scary. I’ve had a lot of all terrain brands over the years, and 40k seems about the max life for everyone except Michelin’s which can make it to 50k. I’m seriously considering all-seasons next. I’ve had my wife’s CRV off-road in the woods in some very hilly and mucky conditions, and it went everywhere I needed it to as long as I kept momentum and she of course only has all season tires on.
I went from BFG Trail Terrains to All Terrains and am very pleased with them. Slightly more road noise, but much better handling in rain so far. I also do a decent bit of driving on the unpaved trails at our local national park and these perform circles around the trail terrains.
06-22-2017, 05:57 PM
Mud tires vs all season tires
