Top 6 Best Tires for Pickup Trucks in 2023 (All Categories)

Do you own a pickup truck and need new tires? If so, then we have the perfect article for you. We will discuss the five pickup truck tires that we think are the best on the market. They all offer different features, but they all manage to provide consumers with what they want: good bang for their buck!

We spent quite a bit of time taking our own experience with the tires, people we know, and of course doing further research to figure out what the best tires in each category. You will find mudding tires, winter tires, off-road tires and even the tires that no one really talks about for trucks – commuter tires.

Our Favorites	Product	Rating
Best Off-Road	BFGoodrich All Terrain KO2	4.5 / 5
Best Winter Tire	Toyo Observe GSi-5	4.5 / 5
Best Commuter Tire	Michelin LTX M/S	4 / 5
Coolest Style Tire	Nitto Ridge Grappler	3.5 / 5
Best Mudding Tire	BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM2	4.5 / 5

1. Toyo Observe GSi-5 – Best Winter Tire

Where we live, winter is a good portion of the year! Because of this, you need to have some great winter tires to get you through that time.

These GSi-5 tires by Toyo are some of our personal favorites, as they can be used all year round! While they may have softer tread, and wear a little faster than other tires that are not winter rated, you can get plenty of great life out of them.

My favorite qualities of these tires are their sleek design, quiet on-road performance, amazing snow driving qualities, and their great pricing. They just mix a lot of great things, that other tires just don’t have.

Their main downsides are definitely the fact that they are a softer tire (because they are winter tires), so they don’t last quite as long. They also don’t carry a warranty, which is a bummer, and they don’t have the off-road styling that (let’s be honest) most people want for their truck, regardless if it ever leaves the pavement.

After installing these tires on my truck (previously had KO2’s) I had considerably more confidence in my truck.

Specifications

2. BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 – Best Off-Road Tire & All-Terrain (AT) Tire

These KO2 tires are probably the most popular off-road tire out there! You will find them on trucks, SUVs, and crossovers alike.

They do awesome for those vehicles that plan on doing a good amount of off-roading, but still need to be able to be driven on the road.

That said, they are a loud tire. So while they do awesome on the road, you definitely will get some noise to go along with it. Also, make sure you get the correct ply tire for your truck, as getting to thick of a tire for a lighter truck will result in a rather harsh ride.

BFGoodrich did an awesome job with these tires, and their popularity on the road reflects that!

The quality of these tires is also reflected in the fact that they were utilized on a vehicle to win the Baja 1000, one of the most grueling off-road races in the world.

Specifications

3. Michelin LTX M/S – Best Commuter Tire

Do you like to travel long distances, or commute to your work in your pickup? These tires might be your best bet. These commuter style tires give you tread that may not be meant for going off road, but they make up for that with giving you a smooth ride, better gas mileage (we have an article here where you can learn to save even more), and an all-season design.

This means that if you live somewhere where you need tires for the highway, all year round, then you should definitely take a look at these.

Sure, they don’t look crazy cool, and you won’t be crawling over any rocks or sludging through mud with them, but you will know that you are saving quite a bit of money because you have the least amount of rolling resistance.

With a 70,000 mile warranty, it also has one of the best warranties on this list!

Specifications

4. Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S – Best All-Season Tire

A good all-season tire is the basis of an all around great tire, and the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S is a great example of that. This tire is a great in-between for those that may live off the beaten path, or have to deal with some snow during the year, but not enough where they need dedicated snow tires.

These tires are going to be a bit softer than a commuter tire, so that they can easily move around anything off-road, however they aren’t quite soft enough that they affect the gas mileage too much.

It also doesn’t hurt that these tires are somewhat reasonably priced, and carry a 6 year, 65,000 mile warranty on them. Making it one of the best warranties out there right now. I am a huge fan of warranties…

Sure, they don’t look as cool as chunky off-road tires, but they will get the job done all year, without being crazy loud.

Specifications

5. Nitto Ridge Grappler – Coolest Looking Pickup Tire

If you are looking for some tires that offer great off-road styling, but want some quieter tires that may not actually be quite as off-road oriented, then the Nitto Ridge Grapplers are a great option. While these may look crazy cool, they actually are more of a tire for those that plan on spending more time on the pavement than the other way around. Because of this, show trucks end up getting these!

The downside, is obviously capability. These tires tend to not do quite as well in the mud as a tire like the KO2 that we talked about earlier in this article, however they are going to do much better with the ride and sound.

To emphasize the styling side of these tires, you can actually choose between to different side wall designs!

Specifications

6. BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2 – Best Mudding (Mud) Tires

Mudding tires are a special type of tire that won’t work for everyone. However for those people that see mud with their truck, more than they see road, there isn’t anything much better than the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2.

Basically, you will be taking the KO2 tires we saw earlier, and make them considerably more aggressive and more capable when it comes to keeping mud from sticking inside of the tread.

You won’t want to be using these on highways much though, as they will be loud, will take up gas mileage, and wear quickly.

These would be great for off-roading hobbyists, or farm trucks!

Specifications

Which one did we choose?

While I like the rugged styling, and capability of the BFGoodrich A/T KO2, I ended up buying the Toyo Observe GSi-5 for my truck! You can’t beat the mixture of great snow driving in the winter, quiet driving qualities in the summer, and the ease of not having to replace them in between those seasons.

You also can’t beat the price for the quality, and what we just talked about.

Sure, you won’t look nearly as cool, but you will have to worry so much less than many of these other tires may need.

What to think about when shopping for a pickup truck tire

There are quite a few thing to think about when shopping for the right tires for you and your truck! We wanted to list out some of them here, and give you an idea of our thoughts on those things.

What are you going to be using the tires for?

This is by far the first thing you should be thinking about when buying your next set of pickup truck tires. Knowing what you intend on using the tires (and the truck) for will not only save you money, but could make you considerably safer in the long run.

Many people will gravitate towards the BFGoodrich A/T KO2 tires, because they are popular, and look cool. However they also are expensive, and they are going to cost you in both a quiet ride and expense on your gas mileage.

Make sure you are buying the right tire for the right situation, and don’t buy tires just because they are cool.

How long do you want the tires to last?

Tires can range heavily in how long they last, and some don’t even have official ratings for distance driven. Generally speaking, softer or cheaper tires tend to last less miles, where harder tires will generally last much longer.

Most tires outside of winter tires will give you a rating both for the warranty period, as well as for how many estimated miles you will be able to drive. Generally speaking this will range from 20,000 – 70,000 miles.

What kind of pickup do you have?

Before buying tires, you should be taking into account what kind of pickup you actually have. If you have a 2WD heavy duty pickup, you probably aren’t going to be doing any heavy off-roading, so you probably shouldn’t be spending a ton of money on off-road tires.

Do you have a 4WD Tacoma, and do a ton of off-roading, then an off-road tire will probably be for you!

You should not be spending money on features on the tires, that your truck can’t backup itself.

What is your budget?

This is also a huge differentiating factor when shopping for tires for your pickup. While small differences in price between two tires may not seem like much, you definitely need to remember that you will be multiplying that by 4 (or 5 if you have a full-size spare).

I did my best in the list of best tires above to give the best bang for the buck, so hopefully it has helped you save a few dollars while still getting something that works for you.

Sure there are always going to be a better tire than what you are getting, but you are going to pay for it!

Do you want to have a warranty?

It is common for winter tires to not have a warranty that comes with them! This is because they are softer, and also used in some of the worst conditions imaginable. So if you want a warranty, then those generally aren’t going to be for you.

That said, outside of that, make sure to shop around and decide how long you want to have your warranty for, and buy ones with that length of time.

Planning on selling the truck soon? It might not be worth investing in that longer warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

I hope that this article helped you figure out exactly what tire you need, but also want! Just remember, don’t pay for something that you don’t need (or want), and think through this purchase, as it by no means is a cheap one.

Buying the right tire can also mean your safety, as you don’t want to be sliding around in the snow, or stuck in the mud because you decided to buy something that just wasn’t quite right for your needs.