Good road tire without an aggressive tread pattern - recommendations?

[justzukies]

I have a 23 Bronco Bigbend 4cyl 2dr w/sasquatch package. I recently got it knowing, sadly, it would spend most of it's time on the pavement. I'm old, have owned various 4wds since my teens. Loved them all, my favorite was a 67 Scout 800 V8 first year with the bigger axles etc. Posi. I did some great trails here in Colorado the 20 years I owned that vehicle. Just sold my Suzuki Sidekick I can't say enough good things about. Drive 70 miles an hour on the interstate to your 4wd trail destination. My long winded point is my back country expeditions are very limited now, and knew this when I bought the Bronco which I totally love. I NEED TO FIND A GOOD ROAD TIRE without an aggressive tread pattern. I have a gravel driveway. The Goodyears are good tires but are ruining my paint job. I am having trouble finding a meek and mild tire. An all season tire would suit me, but everything I am looking at is heavy and has an aggressive tread. Any suggestions out there?

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[timhood]

I was in a similar position. I didn’t want to wear out $350+ tires driving on-road (plus I wanted to get white wheels for a retro look). I got a set of Goodyear Workhorse AT tires for street duty. They don’t throw rocks, are street-biased with a 60k warranty, are suitable for general off-road use, and were not expensive. I use these on-road and switch to the KO2s for off-road, but I have taken these on fire roads and forest trails—rough, unpaved roads with some rocks, but nothing serious.

 

[CalvinT]

I was in a similar position. I didn’t want to wear out $350+ tires driving on-road (plus I wanted to get white wheels for a retro look). I got a set of Goodyear Workhorse AT tires for street duty. They don’t throw rocks, are street-biased with a 60k warranty, are suitable for general off-road use, and were not expensive. I use these on-road and switch to the KO2s for off-road, but I have taken these on fire roads and forest trails—rough, unpaved roads with some rocks, but nothing serious.

Those would be fine on Forest Service trails or unpaved or dirt roads. The key term is "road." Stay away from places with rocks. I've had bad luck with rocks going through Wranger side walls.

 

[Blue Hen]

Firestone Destination XT's. Great all around tire. Light but pricey.

 

[Bobk]

Here is the next tire I am considering buying. Bridgestone Dueler AT Ascent. I think it fits the need perfectly.

 

[Beach_Bum]

I have a 23 Bronco Bigbend 4cyl 2dr w/sasquatch package. I recently got it knowing, sadly, it would spend most of it's time on the pavement. I'm old, have owned various 4wds since my teens. Loved them all, my favorite was a 67 Scout 800 V8 first year with the bigger axles etc. Posi. I did some great trails here in Colorado the 20 years I owned that vehicle. Just sold my Suzuki Sidekick I can't say enough good things about. Drive 70 miles an hour on the interstate to your 4wd trail destination. My long winded point is my back country expeditions are very limited now, and knew this when I bought the Bronco which I totally love. I NEED TO FIND A GOOD ROAD TIRE without an aggressive tread pattern. I have a gravel driveway. The Goodyears are good tires but are ruining my paint job. I am having trouble finding a meek and mild tire. An all season tire would suit me, but everything I am looking at is heavy and has an aggressive tread. Any suggestions out there?

If you want a 17" wheel/tire package, look for Big Bend takeoffs. If you want a 18" wheel/tire package, look for OBX takeoffs. Both non-Sasquatch wheel/tire sets come with the Bridgestone Dueler AT. You can probably find a complete set for around $500.

I'd also recommend buying a set of OEM steps. They serve as fine gravel catchers for the gravel that does get slung.

 

[Mr Nick]

Continental TerrainContact A/T

Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. They are E range, so a bit heavy. Currently a $200 rebate at Tire Rack.

 

[bodizafa]

I run these on my RAM 1500 and absolutely love them. Super quiet on the highway, great all weather traction, and good traction on fire roads. I get them at Costco. A bit expensive, but worth every penny IMO.

 

[not on the rug]

Slow down maybe? A lifted Bronco on road tires is going to look silly.

I've had my Wildtrak for 2 years (OEM Goodyears) and drive gravel roads 2-3 times per week and don't have a scratch on it from rocks kicking up. I even dumped the stock flares for some narrower ones to get some tire poke and I'm still not launching rocks everywhere. I must be doing something wrong...

 

[userdude]

Well, Superswampers won't throw gravel. I would recommend some steps or solid rock rails that can block the rocks from landing. All tires can throw rocks here or there, but yeah, the GY's are like a machine gun of rock chipping fury. SFR's rock rails work for that pretty good and are a step, if a tad high. Of course there are lots of options aftermarket. You can probably find the OEM steps used for a song.

If you're looking for a tire that's decent looking on a 4x4 but won't throw a lot of rocks, I'd look at Toyo or Nitto. Toyo's Open Country line has everything from road warrior to off road knobs, and I hear they're great tires. Nitto's Recon Grappler and Ridge Grappler are very popular and people I've known with them say they don't throw rocks. The Grappler series also has a road tire (the Dura Grappler).

 

[DALOLA]

Wait.... OP, you want to change tires just because of your gravel driveway? Gotta agree with The Rug.... just slow down!

 

[Motovita]

Many of the tires that are being suggested here are 10 ply truck tires. Some Bronco owners like the heavy tires to minimize sidewall damage off road. For a highway tire it makes no sense to use a truck tire and the ride quality of your Bronco will suffer.

 

[Nc211]

If you want the white letter look, I've had decent experience with the BFG "Trail Terrain" tire on my OBX at 275/65/18. They're basically a couple of steps down in ruggedness of the K03, come in SL rated for some sidewall forgiveness with outline white lettering. When balanced correctly, they ride quite well, not a lot of road noise either. They sound much quieter than their tread pattern look would suggest, that's for sure. Seem to be wearing quite well too as I have approximately 24k miles on them now and they still look pretty close to new when compared to the spare on the back that never gets rotated in. They're not as quiet as say the Michelin LT tire which is more road friendly, but not loud enough to scare me off or pay the Michelin premium for.

I had the K03 for the first 900 miles of my Bronco's life. Didn't like them for my needs, overkill on stiffness and ride noise for me. The T/Terrains have been a very nice compromise. Still have a good BFG look, but a lot easier to live with in daily normal driving life.

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

Mudflaps are cheaper than new tires. But, for a little more money, the latest version of the OEM side step (MY ‘25+) is about the best rock protection from tires you can get. You can keep your OEM SAS tires and not worry about it any more.

I’m also on a gravel driveway and gravel road and have zero side chips on the sides after 28k miles, even though my tires get loaded with gravel. I can HEAR the stones coming off the tires and pinging the underside of the steps and undercarriage every time I leave home. But zero chips. The steps block it all.

Plus they make getting in and out much easier for some folks, like ladies in heels, AND (this is a big one) they protect the sides of your Bronco from 95% of potential door dings in parking lots, because they block most car doors from impacting the paint.

 

[mjp2]

Continental TerrainContact A/T

Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. They are E range, so a bit heavy. Currently a $200 rebate at Tire Rack.

X2 on these. I run them on my Expedition and they're very nice. Excellent in the wet and quiet on the road, which was important since it's our road trip camper tow vehicle and the family wouldn't tolerate thousands of noisy miles over the course of a few days.

I ran Bridgestone Dueler Revo 2s until they stopped making them. Those were outstanding tires, and these Continentals are very nearly as good.

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