Posted by Mike on June 03, 1998 at 13:59:40:
In Reply to: Tires for GMC Z-71 posted by Wundy on May 06, 1998 at 20:50:55:
Belonging to an off-road club gives you a lot of opportunity to learn about tires and the part they play in effective forages into the unknown. Actually, buying tires is often time more unknown than the terrain you'll be using them on. I don't think you could go wrong with any of your choices, all first rate for "general" use. The opposite of "general" of course is "serious". That means you use "dedicated" off-road tires such as "Hawgs" or "Super Swamper" kinds of seriousness. But unless your vehicle is equipped with all the other "accessories" for serious fun, the tires you've chosen is a better selection. A few of us have purchased the Pirelli Scorpions A/T recently and have been very pleased with both the off-road and on-road handling characteristics. Since Pirelli has only furnished tires to this segment of the market for a very short time, their reputation has not yet been built. But by real-world experience I believe they are the tire to beat now, a position the venerable BFG All-terrain tires have enjoyed for awhile. But I believe that the BFG's were bought for their looks as much as their performance off-road. But they are not a comfortable tire to drive on the road. The Goodyears are very good, but the AT/S is mostly a street tire with secondary aspirations for going off-road. The Michelin LTX AT is the best tire on the street for a quiet smooth ride but again, like the GoodYear, is not a digger like the Pirelli, the BFG or the Bridgestone Dueler A/T.I used a set of Dueler's before I bought the Pirelli's. They are a great off-road tire and has good handling on the street. The Dueler and the Scorpion would be the best two choices for equal status on both on the highway performance and in off-roading, with the first place going to the Scopion. Why? It digs as well as any of these tires if not better than most in anything wet, handles turns on pavement like a good performance tires and is the quietest of all these tires except for the Michelin. I bought mine at Sears where they give a 60,000 mile warranty and you can test drive the tires for 30 days, a policy Sears has on all of it's tires. You can get all the tires on your list at Sears. No, I don't work for Sears, but I buy most of my tires there. If you don't like the tires, just return them and try a different brand. The Scopions I have on my SUV are really great. I think it's the best all-around all-terrain tire on the market for someone not quite gone off the deep end yet!Write me back and let me know what tire you chose and why. I'd be really interested. Good luck, Mike.