Tires for an '02 Ranger

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My nephew has an '02 Ford Ranger with a 3.0 V6 and 2WD.
He is currently running Cooper Cobra GT radials in size
225-70-15. Winter is here and he is ready for a new set.
I asked him if he liked the Cobras and if so, to use the
same when he replaces tires. He does like the Cobras but
still wants better tires for the money and doesn't want
to be white knuckeled while driving in the snow. Price is
a concern as are the look of the tires on the truck. We
went on several tire web sites and viewed several tires
that stuck out as having the criteria that fits his needs.
We have also read some reviews to try and narrow down his
choices. What we've come up with is again the Cooper Cobra,
BF Goodrich Radial TA's and Kumho Solus KR-21. I just don't
know what tire to recomend to someone that drives a 2WD only truck that suck at best in the snow. I just don't know how people do it. I just can't do that white knuckle $#!+ anymore!
Can anyone comment on tires for this application. Summer and
wet roads are not a concern but, the snow is the biggest factor
and snow tires are not on the list. Some sand bags over the rear axel and helper springs in the rear will contribute to some stability for this suck(I mean truck!). Thanks for any help.

CB
 
Try the General AT that look like Goodrich AT KOs. They get great reviews on Tire Rack and have excellent traction.
 
My son is driving my 99 2wd ranger and we went with 215/75/15
Narrow tire a lot better in the snow. We are running winterforce snow tires now. I know you don't want a snowtire.
Before we went to dedicated snows, we used and I would recommend
KUMHO's Road Venture AT KL78 they are very good year round tire and very good in the snow.
 
I like the look of the tread design on that Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S. It is actually a few bucks a tire cheaper than the Generals, and is ranked marginally higher.

Those General Grabber AT's are probably a good "bang for the buck" choice. I've just never been a fan of that type of tread design.

Either tire would likely be an improvement over the Cobra car tires.

I'd personally stay away from car tires. Car tires are for cars.
 
can you get BFG all terrain radials in that size? I have them in 31" size on my S10 ZR2. I can get 75-100k on a set, they have a snow tire certification, and they look pretty good.

Down here in the islands, BFG all terrains are very widely used on 2wd vehicles to help out in traction-limited situations.
 
I like the idea of the 215/75/R15 that's what I planned to run on mine. You can get BFG all-terrains in that size. The conti's I have on there now should last for another couple years so never know what they'll have out there then. I'll probably get BFG LongTrail Radials if I can. I'd put all-terrains on the back and longtrails on the front if it wouldn't mess up the ABS.
 
I've had 235/75/15 Bridgestone HT Alenza's on my 99 2wd Ranger for the last year or so and have been very happy with them. Quiet, smooth, and with good traction.

Don't see a lot of snow here but we did get 8" a couple of weeks ago (HIGHLY unusual here) and the tires did pretty well but still had to drive carefully as the rears would slip (no weight in the back). Fronts did great.

I had them put the white lettering on the inside and I think they look good.
 
Thanks Guys,
We'll keep looking. I was going to recomend 235-70-15 to him and see if he'll go for this along with a bettet tire as well. Since he doesn't haul anything with the Ranger and only uses it as a transportation device he does not want a truck tire either.

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Does it have to be a raised white letter tire? Or are we buying blackwalls?


No, not really! But he thinks white letters are a nice touch on his Ranger.

Originally Posted By: LC

Before we went to dedicated snows, we used and I would recommend
KUMHO's Road Venture AT KL78 they are very good year round tire and very good in the snow.


We'll look into the Road Venture's...Thanks!
 
I have a 4x2 living in the high country of Colorado, my choice's would ONLY be Bridgestone Revo's or Firestone Destination A/T's, both of these tires are fantastic in the snow and ice, as well as year round use with excellent road manners.

BFG Long-trails are what came stock on this same 4x2, they are great for desert living, horrible in the winters with any type of slickness.

BFG KO's forget it, I will never buy another set...way overpriced for such lack of capability in snowy terrain.
 
Your experiences are far different than mine. In my S10, I had far fewer instances where need was felt for using 4wd, and far fewer instances of ABS operation. This was the same whether induced on purpose under controlled conditions as a test, or under real life use.

KOs are all Ill use - granted the mountains I drive in in NJ and PA are far different from yours.

Do the two tires you mention hold a "snow tire certification" the way the KOs do? How do you find wear on the firtestone and bridgestone tires? It is negligible and my KOs rot out before they wear out - I throw away tires with 50k of use and over half the tread on them...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Since he doesn't haul anything with the Ranger and only uses it as a transportation device he does not want a truck tire either.


Well, you're doing nothing but limiting your options for tires with good traction, by tossing out truck tires as an option.

Good luck.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Since he doesn't haul anything with the Ranger and only uses it as a transportation device he does not want a truck tire either.


Well, you're doing nothing but limiting your options for tires with good traction, by tossing out truck tires as an option.

Good luck.


LOL...Yes, I realize this mrsilv04. But it isn't my vehicle nor is it my money. Im just trying to help a nephew in need of tire knowlage but who is not broke. He just doesn't want to spend big bucks. Were it my truck it would be a 4X4 with tires that were fitting for the vehicle. This will be the trucks third set of tires(original plus two others) and probably the last.

Originally Posted By: Ramblin Fever
I have a 4x2 living in the high country of Colorado, my choice's would ONLY be Bridgestone Revo's or Firestone Destination A/T's, both of these tires are fantastic in the snow and ice, as well as year round use with excellent road manners.


When we were looking online, these(Destination AT) were out of the price line of my nephew. I also mentioned the Destination LE and he still said no so, we're narrowing down our choices to a more carlike tire such as BFGoodrich Radial TA in an oversize of 235-70-15 for $69.00 at the TR. These are actually $10.00 cheaper per/tire than his original size of 225-70-15. These tires plus some weight in the back and it's now out of my hands.
 
Quote:
Since he doesn't haul anything with the Ranger and only uses it as a transportation device he does not want a truck tire either.


What he doesn't want to come right out and say is he wants hot rod tires for image. =-) Nothing wrong with that, but he should come to the realization that even a pair of snow tires is going to help him get moving a lot better than trying to be cheap and running the Coopers, Firestones, whatever year round.

Cooper Cobra G/T. Don't like 'em. I used to like them-before they changed thread design and also went to a harder compound thereby destroying what was an inexpensive grippy tire. (to appease all those whiners who complain about short tire life: HELLO! DON'T BUY GRIPPY TIRES IF TIRE LIFE IS A CONCERN!)

BFG Radial T/A. Indifferent. They are narrower than the same sized Cooper or Indy 500. Brand new, they'll be fine in the snow, but thats true for most tires.

Firestone Indy 500's. Like those. Seem to do fine in the snow for the first year or two (Ran only on the steer axle, proper traction tires on the rear. Noticed worse snow characteristics during the 2nd year).

Michelin Hydro Edge.
21.gif
Its an option in a P225 70r15. Blackwall only.
Dunlop GT Qualifier: another
21.gif
Some people like'em. Never ran them myself.

I'd go with Indy 500's first. BFGs if price is a concern.

Whats the original size? Better drive behind him if he goes for P235 75 15's as his speed will be reading slower than actual speed, which might get him a few extra tickets depending on how he drives.

Alex.
 
Obviously this guy isn't too concerned with getting from point a to point b without major headache. I would never chose to go cheap on a 4x2 truck living in snow country....but that's me.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Do the two tires you mention hold a "snow tire certification" the way the KOs do? How do you find wear on the firtestone and bridgestone tires? It is negligible and my KOs rot out before they wear out - I throw away tires with 50k of use and over half the tread on them...


Have no idea if the Destination A/T's have a snow cert or not, I haven't used them, was just giving the OP advise on what tirerack's highly recommended tires are for trucks.

Which of, BTW, KO's are down fairly low at this point on their site.

Revo's I'm not sure if they have the symbol or not...but I don't care, their reactions in the snow tells me more then any symbol ever could. If I can run my 4x2 down the same unplowed road that a 4x4 is trying to accomplish, then I'm happy. We're not talking paved road, we're talking a muddy, rutted out, snowy road we live down.

My Bridgestone/firestone's have always lasted at least 60-70k or so, but we generally pull them off at the 5-6yr mark irregardless.

My experiences with the KO's on a 4x4 Dodge diesel were so horrible, I will never buy another set. I joined in on all the hoopla of everyone else running the KO's, and I HATED them so badly that the truck actually found itself parked quite often. It became worthless in the snow, had to be towed out twice, and the tires were bald within 30k miles, rotations were every 3k, and psi was set at 65 front/75-80 rear.

I won't ever recommend them either. They are a nice looking tire, but that's about it.
 
The REVO's do not carry the snow tire certification / symbol, but as Ramblin Fever pointed out, I am going based on performance. I had a friend with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the KO's. He swore by them until he saw what I could do in 2WD that he had to do 4wd. No he's swtiched to the REVO's too. I don't think the REVO's deliver the mileage that the KO's did (though they do carry a 50k treadlife warranty), but I'll take the sacrifce for the traction. Just my experience!

(For the sake of disclosure, I have the REVO's on my F150 currently. My Jeep Cherokee got the Dueler D695's, which are the replacement for the old D693 tire, for those that remember them. I had to replace the rims, so cost was a bit of an issue on the tires. We'll see how they do. So far, I am pleased).
 
Well, here's the funny thing. After having another conversation with my nephew, he really liked the Cooper Cobra GT's. But they're now in need of replacement. The Cobra's do run wide for their size and the snow traction when new didn't seem to be a concern. The snow removal in our area is wonderful. The city/towns are always on top of the situation. So most of the time we only drive on wet/slushy roads at worst unless there is an all out blizzard. Driving like a human being, this truck gets him where he needs to go. Newly married, he is cutting corners here and there. I'll try to help where I can with out actually handing them any money. That's what parents and in-laws are for. Her parents just bought them a new home computer for Christmas. I would have bought them tires for both their vehicles. It looks like he is going for the BFGoodrich Radial TA's in the 235-70-15 for $370.22 installed. TireRack price/shipping and Wal*Mart installation. He paid over $600.00 installed for the Cobras at Sears. OOOOOOPPPPPSSSSS!!!!! Ya See! This is what uncles are for.
 
There's an old saying around here....

Give a man $230 for tires and he'll spend $600 on new ones today.

Show a man how to save $230 on tires and he'll have money in his pocket forever.
 
Thanks to all for your suggestions, comments and quotes. I think we'll be just fine with the BFG TA's at least for a while.

Happy New Year

CB
 
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