Smooth + Big - Bouncy = Happy
One of the things I've been pursuing for quite some time is the smoothest ride I can possibly achieve. Around the time I switched to 40" Patagonias, the ride became noticeably rougher. If you've seen other posts, you know those tires have been extremely bouncy on the highway (as in so bouncy other motorists have to be looking on and wondering what's wrong). Increasingly, those tires communicate every single bump and variation in the road.
Something I also have to balance is that we typically have a lot of wind in Colorado, and the JT isn't exactly aerodynamic. So, I've got to have lateral stability, but I want a smooth ride. With the shocks set to Firm, I'm way more stable, but the ride is rough. In Soft or Medium, the ride is much better in-town, but gusty days necessitates a death grip on the steering wheel. I should also note that soft shock setting make for extremely bouncy highway drives with the Patagonias).
Front Antirock
After all the annoyances that came with the stock electronic sway bar disconnect, I swapped that for an Antirock in the front and have been loving the change. The jolts from some terrain just disappeared. I found the body roll to be more significant than I had anticipated, but it was a worthwhile trade-off for me.
Rear Antirock
Still, the ride was rough and I wanted to overcome that to the fullest extent that I could. Step 2: install a rear Antirock. I can say with confidence that it has smoothed out the ride even more, but the body roll was not impacted nearly as much as the swap on the front (and I have a bed rack with a heavy tire on top of it right now). Put differently, I got a smoother ride with no compromises. TBD on how the truck will handle off-road, or in high wind situations.
The Real Problem: Milestar Patagonia MTs
The last big step to smooth out the ride is to get rid of the Patagonias, as they are noticeably cupped, even with proper rotation care and alignment. Take a look at the above images. In the top picture, you'll see that the tread blocks are different heights on the body side of the tire. In the bottom picture, some sipes (but again, only some) are disappearing and others are angled from uneven wear.
Alternative Tires and Criteria
I intend to swap to a reputable brand next time. The trick is finding an MT that 1) isn't painfully loud, and 2) can tackle on-road snow conditions. On snow, I just don't want to feel like I'm about to break loose at any given moment, or fear that the tires won't track in a turn. As far as noise goes, big tires make noise; I get it. I just don't want to yell over "wom wom wom" down the highway. I consistent pitch that is noticeable but isn't maddening will suffice.
Yokohama Geolandar G003 vs. Mickey Thoompson Baja Boss M/T
I was feeling really good about the Yokohama Geolandar G003s. Apparently, they're quiet for an MT and handle great in snow. However, my attention was recently brought to the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T. Initially I crossed those off the list, because their tread pattern was so similar to the Wrangler MTRs, which it's well-established are crap tires. However, what I'm hearing is that the Baja Boss MTs actually provide even better snow traction than the Patagonias (which, again, I've been really pleased with that aspect of the Pattys).
The difference between "the word on the street" for the Geolandar and the Baja Boss MTs are two-fold:
The Geolandar is "quiet for a mud terrain" and the Baja Boss is "not all that loud," which actually translates to "it's loud, but it could be worse." (note: a number of people switched to them from KO2s and said it was barely louder, but I found the KO2 to be extremely quiet, so that's promising)
The Geolandar has a handful of really consistent reviews, but the Baja Boss MTs are tough to come by.
The asymmetrical tread pattern is interesting. With pretty close spacing along the center, and that makes it look like I'll get what I want out of them. The tread blocks on the outside, which don't appear to have much of a roll-on, probably mean those things could get really loud someday. In any case, I would welcome a tire without a Patagonia-like "crown" design. I feel strongly that's the cause of their terrible wear patterns.
Sooooo, what am I gonna do?
If I feel relatively comfortable with the expected noise level and I can be reasonably confident about the snow performance, I could see myself going for the Baja Bosses. Worst case, I'm totally open to adding some light siping to the center blocks, and I (unfortunately) should have a handful of Patagonias on which I can test my siping skills.
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