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Old 10-06-2015, 09:00 AM   #1
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Best A/T or M/T for fifth wheel towing

I just picked up a 2015 Chevrolet 2500HD 4x4 CC LTZ Z71 Duramax and ordered a 2015 (not 2016, due to the huge discount on the '15) Crossroads Hill Country 33RL that's fully loaded (local version of the Sunset Trail 33RL). Loving the truck and really excited for the trailer. It's in make-ready today.

My truck came with Goodyear Wrangler SR/A 265/60r20 tires and I'm looking for a potentially more aggressive tire, that still works well for towing. I had General Grabber AT2 tires on my old 2014 F150 for a short while and ended up replacing them with Firestone Destination A/Ts to get rid of trailer sway with the 30ft Keystone TT I was pulling. That could have been as much to do with the move from P to LT as any, but I'm sure the deeper/ softer tread didn't help.

I'm looking at the 275/65r20 size. No lift or level required, but rated for several hundred more pounds. Currently eyeing the Firestone Destination M/T tires.

We usually set up the camper as a base camp and then wander off in the truck, often on old oil or logging roads, which have varying levels of maintenance. And to be honest, I also prefer the look of a more aggressive tire.
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Old 10-06-2015, 10:19 AM   #2
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MT you will get poorer gas mileage and rougher ride than AT. If the roads are not mud bogs, I would go with the AT's
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Old 10-06-2015, 10:46 AM   #3
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I have used both the A/T's and the M/T's while towing. The biggest difference I have noticed is the noise more then the ride. With the more aggressive M/T tires and the added weight the noise was a lot louder in the cab. Like Mark said if you are not really getting into a lot of mud or area's where you really need the more aggressive tread I would stick with the A/T's. There are several A/T brand tires out there that are very good for off road. To help with the off road traction just lower the air pressure. I used to 4 wheel a lot before we went to the bigger truck and the 5'ver. This truck has the turning radius of a semi and with a long wheel base makes it easy to high center on the frame.
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Old 10-06-2015, 10:39 PM   #4
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Thanks for the advice. I'm looking around at A/Ts now, because most of these are going to be oil or logging roads, so at least something will have been established.

Any suggestions for which ones to look at?

Did our pre-delivery inspection and signed the papers on our 33RL today, looking forward to picking it up in a few days!
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Old 10-07-2015, 08:37 AM   #5
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I have used a couple of different brands but am a big fan of the Cooper tires. I'm currently using the Mastercraft Courser A/T2 tire (they don't make these in the light truck tire anymore just in an SUV tire now) and like it for it's ride and it's fairly quiet on the road. The only thing I wish is that it would have a little better wet traction. The traction while towing is pretty good (have pulled in the winter with these tires) but they seem to be lacking a little when not weighted down. The other good thing is these tires wear really good. I've had these tires for almost 4 years now and still have more then 1/2 the tread left and have close to the 50,000 mile rating on them. My next purchase would probably be either the Mastercraft Courser AXT (the replacement to the A/T2 for light truck) or the Cooper Discoverer A/T3 or A/TW. These tires have a similar tread pattern but maybe just a little more blocking. If your looking for something that is a little more aggressive I would even consider the Cooper Discoverer S/T MAXX. This is more of a cross over between the A/T and M/T tire. I have used the Cooper Discoverer S/T and love this tire for its traction and I was able to get almost 60,000 miles on these before I had to replace them. The only bad thing is these were pretty noisy because of the more aggressive tread pattern. I had these on a 2002 Chevy 1500 Blazer and pulled our travel trailer with them. I've even done some 4 wheeling with these tires in Colorado on some pretty challenging passes without any problems. I have also used Bridgestone and Goodyear and hated the Goodyear's. I liked the Bridgestone's for the ride and noise but they didn't seem to last as long and traction really fell off as the tread started to wear. As for gas mileage I really haven't seen any big difference between brands or type of tread. Everyone will have their own opinion on what is the best tire out there and a lot will come down to personal preference. This is what has worked for me so I stick with what has worked.
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Old 10-07-2015, 10:21 AM   #6
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I have had good luck with Toyo tires, both for highway towing longevity/stability and all terrain(all season) traction. The size you are looking for is available in the Open Country A/T II, rated at 3750 pounds.

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Old 10-07-2015, 08:51 PM   #7
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I ended up getting the Toyo Open Country AT II tires after several more hours of research. I bought them online because none of the local dealers can get them any quicker than I can order them, and I can order them for a bit cheaper. Paid around $1100 for all four, and expecting to pay under $100 to have them installed.
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Old 10-13-2015, 09:06 AM   #8
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I put on a set of Coopers, Discoverer A/T3, on our truck last fall - big improvement for winter driving and have been riding and wearing good during the summer.


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Old 10-13-2015, 01:01 PM   #9
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I'm also a big fan of Cooper tires. I used to run DiscovererA/T3 tires and went with the Discoverer S/T Maxx this last time. On and off road use and towing with my truck. I just rolled over 50,000 miles with them and I'm going to replace them now with the same tire again. Great tread life and a quiet tire with an aggressive look and good traction in all conditions.
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