Nissan Armada & Infiniti QX56 Forums banner

Tires,Tires,Tires

94242 Views 155 Replies 68 Participants Last post by  allmotor
Finally did it! Bought new tires to replace the stock contis on the QX56. After agonizing over Mich vs BFG and trying to get as close to stock as I could. I ordered a set of Toyo Proxy ST 305-60/18. Wow! the tires are 12 inches wide, (stock is 10 inches) so they just fit, with no modifications. They look really aggressive and great! Believe it or not the mileage on a long-trip just this weekend went up from 15 mph to 16 mph!

I put these tires on the wife's Murano as was really impressed so needless to say when I check out www.powerdog.com and the the 305-60/18 was very close to stock I was excited. After being worried about the widith issue when we were done mounting them they are da bomb!
21 - 40 of 156 Posts
bosssho said:
Yeah, I know that site...it is very good as far as helpful info, but where I am at is one site from Falken will say you can run a 295/50-20 on an 8" wide rim, but Hankook's site recommends an 8.5" wide rim for that tire...so I can't go to 1010.com to get help on that so I really need to appeal to you guys/girls to find out if someone is running this size tire or an ever bigger 305 tire on an OEM Titan or Armada 8" wide rim. I hope that all makes sense.
It doesn't. The makers really specify what rims you should and shouldn't run. Each tire is constructed differently. Two tires of the same size may fit different rims due to their construction. There are guys running 295/70r17 on stock 17s. One of them was on a dirt road, pretty tame, and he blew the bead between the rim and tire. Next thing you know he's plowing into an embankment. Sure you can do it, but I wouldn't. And most places won't mount them due to the liability. Besides, that size is 1.25" shorter than stock. It's small. 305/50r20 is also small but at least in the ballpark. I have 305/55-R20 on 9" wide rims. They fit and work well. I only got these rims because it allowed me to go as wide as I wanted. I would have rather stuck with stock 18" or even 17" rims but I couldn't go wide with those. ;)
92TripleBlack said:
It doesn't. The makers really specify what rims you should and shouldn't run. Each tire is constructed differently. Two tires of the same size may fit different rims due to their construction. There are guys running 295/70r17 on stock 17s. One of them was on a dirt road, pretty tame, and he blew the bead between the rim and tire. Next thing you know he's plowing into an embankment. Sure you can do it, but I wouldn't. And most places won't mount them due to the liability. Besides, that size is 1.25" shorter than stock. It's small. 305/50r20 is also small but at least in the ballpark. I have 305/55-R20 on 9" wide rims. They fit and work well. I only got these rims because it allowed me to go as wide as I wanted. I would have rather stuck with stock 18" or even 17" rims but I couldn't go wide with those. ;)
No worries anyway b/c I ended up getting 275/55 20s b/c the 295s are on national back order...and yes, I realized that the Hankooks are constructed wider than most so the 275s are not only wider than the OEM 265s on the 18s, but they will ride like most manufacturer's 285s which is more than wide enough for me. So all is good and within specs and these tires are VERY close in diameter to stock. Thanks again for the follow up.:)
Good luck with that. Keep us posted after you mount and balance those boys.
I'd like to find out what All Terrain tire experiences people have had with their Armadas. There are great posts here on technical stuff I never understood before, so I was hoping to hear people's experiences and thoughts on A/T versus highway tires (which most seem to prefer). Given the heavy curb weight relative to most other vehicles, and the need to tow heavy loads on and off road, tire reviews from experiences on lighter vehicles aren't much help. It would be helpful to know if people are towing or carrying heavy loads, since many bought this behemoth for that purpose. Mine is a 2004 SE. I'm considering Yokohama Geolander A/ TS, which is very well reviewed on other sites by everyone but an Armada owner; Cooper discoverer ATR; Michelin Cross Terrain: Goodyear Wrangler; and BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Touring versus their All terrain. Any help would be appreciated!
You're looking at good tires there except for the Wranglers that aren't Silent Armor. I'd just add Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO (very highly recommended by members) and the Nitto TerraGrappler/Toyo Open Country A/T (which I can vouch for being one of my favorites).
I ditched the OEM Conti's and bought BFG Off Road AT ("Baja Champion") tires because I had a bad experience while traveling to ... well... Baja. I am very happy with those tires because they fulfill my foremost requirement: don't crap out on me when I'm off road. I don't have 4WD so I don't get too far off the road, but I've been on some of the crappiest roads you will find on this continent (and that you can get through without 4WD). The tires are barely worn. They are hard, and a little noisy on the highway, but more or less bulletproof. They probably would not air down very well for sand - if you need that, get something else IMHO. They do air up to 55 PSI and have a better load rating than the Armada. I have driven them at 40 or so and fully loaded with no problems. It's not too hard to pile people and stuff in and on the Armada to quickly reach max loading (even without tongue weight). Payload is about 900.
hi everyone; I've been reading threads here and trolling around various tire dealer websites tonight because I gotta buy tires tomorrow. So I'd like some advise

First I'll apologize for long post - but for those who indulge me I'll explain what happened, what drives my choices, and which tires made my short list that I'd like feedback for.

Bought 07 LE 4x4 on 13August, about two weeks after that one stock conti went flat with a puncture which had plugged. Today I got a call from my wife that she had a flat. Got home to find her all dirty and the spare on - yes she knows how :). Tread slashed about 3/4 inch, local tire shop confirmed my conclusion that non repairable. Funny thing is I've been reading on here how much stock contis suck, and I've been agreeing as mine are worn poorly at only 20K. Was hoping to get more life, but now I'm thinking better to take plunge for 4 new rather than replace one with same crap. I've never had such a bad luck streak for tires.

Reason I need to decide and get them on tomorrow - cub scout camping trip this weekend. Great advise here that has helped me to a short list of 4, hoping I can get some recent feedback, good and bad for each of 4.

First my requirements/wish list:
- multi conditions - we live north of Phoenix, but one reason for 4x4 is ski trips north to Utah and Colorado. So want something reasonable on highways in high Arizona temps, but also decent in snow
- robust - I don't intend a lot of offroad, but second reason for buying 4x4 is exploring. For those that are not aware, Az is full of awesome Forest Service roads - most are decent gravel, but many have rough rocks. So I want a tire that will not throw off chips easily
- also, the puncture happened in Monsoon time, and today's tear just at the tail end of Monsoon time. During that we get a lot of debris on the roads - I bet that was reason for both. So again I want robust.
- highway - further down list, but want to keep some civility in the ride
- life - when fork over $1K, I'd like to see at least double what the crappy contis gave
- looks - I'd like to give the Mada a bit more teeth to her look - not go way over board

So now my short list - anxious to hear any pros and cons from anyone who has any of these in use:
1. Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armour - first on my list only because I had these on 2000 Tundra and they were awesome. I crawled over and around sharp rocks that I was sure would leave marks, particularly on sidewalls, and never did. However, I sold the Tundra before seeing how these lasted, so I have no experience with life of these. Also Tundra was secondary local driver so never went on longer highway trips, and never north to snow
2. Michelin Cross Terrain - some have mentioned these here, and I saw them tonight at Costco - less aggressive then others here but still look capable for snow and rocks. 60K warranty sounds awesome
3. Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo - going by many great comments on CA. These look like they meet my wish for snow and rocks, and many have said great life at 40K + One problem: Discount Tires only show up to 17". Where did any of you buyers get them for our stock rims (265/70R18)?
4. BFG Off Road AT - several recommends on here

thanks to all those who have read all of this. I'll appreciate any feedback very much.
See less See more
I have Nitto Terra Grappler 285/60 R18 and bought it at Discount Tires. I love it, compare to stock Conti tires this one is heavier but road noise is same as the stock. I have 30K+ miles on these and still has a lot of thread, maybe another 50K miles possible. Good traction also on snow considering I dont have a 4X4. Good Luck.
Hazen, I've been offroad in your area a few times and I really, really think that you'll like the Nitto Terra Grappler (or Toyo Open Country A/T) best. I cannot brag enough about how well these tires have done for me onroad and offroad. I could've used a better Mud tire a couple times but these do awesome for being an A/T. The Falken tires that I put on wifey's Murano are way louder than these big Terra Grapplers are.

The 285/65-18 is 57-lbs and tucks under the wheel well. The 325/60-18 is 60-lbs, is beefy, and sticks out just a little. Either size should fit just fine. The only downside is that the weight will drop your MPG's closer to 12-mpg (275-300 miles per full fuel tank) but you'll have confidence being able to drive anywhere that you have enough ground clearance for. TD4L.com sells them for $184.49/ea, the link is in my Sig.

http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10796
thanks Adobo and Bob for your advice. Thought I'd let you know I put on the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor, at the spec size. I want you to know that I did take a good look at the Toyo Open Country AT you suggested that I add to my short list (could not find the Nitto's locally but they are same). In fact I had them ahead of my other choices listed at my last post. I just did not want to go quite that aggressive, well actually I did "want to" but "needed" to strike a balance to mileage and snow performance up in Utah and Colorado. For mileage, up sizing hurts and as Bob noted the Nitto's are heavvvvy which hurts more. For snow the wranglers were the only ones on my short list with the mountain peak which symbolizes snow rating. Honestly in the end I went with what I knew, which as I wrote at last post had served me really well on Tundra.

Something I should mention for anyone who reads this and is considering the Wranglers - Goodyear promotion now for 30 day satisfaction guarantee - they'll take em back for a full refund. So when the service advisor at Discount (where I got my Wranglers for Tundra) told me that, it finished the decision for me.

Just got back from the weekend trip I noted at my last post. 325 miles round trip to north towing our popup trailer, about 8 miles shortcut on a "primitive" road where got to test through some rough spots and even a little mud - all went well. No more noise than stock contis on pavement, at least not noticeable for me. A bit stiffer ride on road, but nothing bad, in fact is my preference. And great off road as I expected - not a mark after crawling over some rough spots. Now I am looking forward to test them in snow on first ski trip up north once the season starts.

thanks again for advice.
See less See more
Pops said:
Hazen, I've been offroad in your area a few times and I really, really think that you'll like the Nitto Terra Grappler (or Toyo Open Country A/T) best. ...

The 285/65-18 is 57-lbs and tucks under the wheel well. The 325/60-18 is 60-lbs, is beefy, and sticks out just a little. Either size should fit just fine. The only downside is that the weight will drop your MPG's closer to 12-mpg ...

http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10796
Any middle ground here? Have an '08 18" (should note that the 2" PRG kit is in the mail)

I want to go a little bigger than stock, definitely an O/R capable tire, but 12mpg on 325's scares me a little.

During the week, they commute 90 miles/day (3 days/week). On weekends, theyre in the mountains (though usually nothing really extreme...lots of rocks) and tooling around the "roads" on and near the in-laws ranch (think sagebrush and rocks, and if it rains/snows, snotty mud). I'm willing to sacrifice some on-road tread life and some mileage, but to go to 12mpg would be killer. Love the look (and endorsements) of the Grapplers and Toyos.
Lots of the guys love the Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO. I'll have to look up the avail sizes on Bridgestone's website but anything from stock size up to the 325/60 will fit. You might want to put that Mini-Lift on and take a look at the new empty space in the fender wells before making a final decision.
Thanks for the info all...

Down to Cooper Discoverer STT (in 305/60 or 325/60) or the BFG AT's.

Leaning towards the Coopers, as they look to be better in Mud and snow, which is mostly what I'll encounter off-road. Both seem to be "decent" on-road.

Question is...(and I read a lot of old posts but didn't see a definitive answer).

Cooper lists 8.5-11 as approved rim width for the 305/60 and 9-12 for the 325. Will the extra 0.5"-1" be a safety issue with the stock 18s? You guys running 325/60/18 grapplers, etc, are you on stock rims?

Both of these are pretty pricey (particularly compared to the Grapplers, which get great press and endorsement, and were def. on the list, but I'm just looking for something a little more aggressive), so I'd prefer not to add new rims to the bill, too.
I'm on stock rims against the Mfg recommendations. I just had to sign a waiver at the tire shop, no big deal. I hated the BFG A/T for snow and mud. They did well for dirt and sand but the treads filled fast with no siping so they were pretty much worthless in any amount of goop.
Cooper Discoverer STTs all the way. I am on my third set. Had em on my old Sierra Denalil. Have em on my 2008 Titan Pro4x and just got another set for my 1998 Z71 that I keep at my house up north.
bosssho said:
Cooper Discoverer STTs all the way. I am on my third set. Had em on my old Sierra Denalil. Have em on my 2008 Titan Pro4x and just got another set for my 1998 Z71 that I keep at my house up north.
This is what I went with...in 305/60/18. The only less-than-good review point was ice performance, but what non-studded tires perform very well on ice, after all?? Snow and Mud were main concerns, and looks like these will be good on former, great on latter.

Just need to get someone to throw the mini-lift on, and then the tires should be in by mid-week next week. Just in time to work them out on a Thanksgiving weekend pheasant hunt.

Will post before/after pics when it's done. Thanks for all the great advice, all.
Out of curiosity, why 305 instead of 325?? Looking forward to the pics :D, awesome choice!!!!
Pops said:
Out of curiosity, why 305 instead of 325?? Looking forward to the pics :D, awesome choice!!!!
Mainly, just chickened out :)

Yours, and other, success stories notwithstanding with the stocker rims, when it came down to it, just decided to stay as close to 8" rim width as possible. The Cooper specs list 8.5-11 for the 305 and 9-12 for the big guy, so...there you go.

FWIW, mgr at Discount tire said 0.5" won't bother him at all and 1" wouldnt be a big deal, either.

Just wimped out, really...having a 1-week old around just made me err on the side of safety, however slim the margin.

These things aren't cheap (~300/apiece), but I really like the look/specs. Can't wait to get them on.
Nothing wrong with that. You'll love them!!!
21 - 40 of 156 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top