Posted: May 08 2010 at 9:09am | IP Logged

My 2007 LE 4x4 was purchased new with P265/65R17 BF Goodrich Long Trail Radials.  "Trail" in the tire name is a bit of a misnomer because it is pretty much a pure street tire with only 11/32 tread depth when new.  I enjoy light to moderate off-roading (1-5 difficulty rating) and found the BFG LT was generally inadequate for anything but a dry dirt road once the tread started to wear.  Sharp rocks were a problem.  On the highway the truck seemed to castor on the road, floating offline whenever I took my eyes away from straight ahead.  Additionally, my GPS proved that the tire was undersized for the truck.  At 80 MPH on the speedometer the GPS read 76 MPH.  That meant I was putting more miles on the odometer than I was actually traveling, 49 more miles per thousand to be exact.  The one good thing I'll say about the tire is that it wears evenly and is a true 60k tire if you are just going to use pavement. 

At 54525 miles, with probably 15,000 miles left on the BFGs I changed to a Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor, 14/32 tread depth and a more aggressive off-road tread design with a much better sidewall.  It is a tire that gets great reviews.  The P265/65R17 (30.6" diameter) sized tire was $190 to $210/tire new.  Instead I moved up to a P255/75R17 (32.06" diameter), a tire made for the Jeep line.   I was gaining size and only losing four tenths on an inch width. 

Incredibly I found the tire for $109/tire!!!!  Sears carries them for that price and America's Tire will match it.  From online retailers I found them as low as $93/tire!  Near as I can tell the GWSA was made for Jeep then Jeep switched to a BFG tire so there is a lot of excess product on the market for the 17" wheel. 

With the larger diameter GWSA the speedometer matches the GPS perfectly.  Gas mileage dropped slightly due to the off-road tread design, but when compensating for the size that was the only drop.  The tire provides a smooth ride and is quiet.  Additionally the truck no longer castors on the road, tracking true. 

If you have 17" wheels on your Frontier, check out this tire while there is still the excess stock.