…have to compromise slightly with on road performance (it's possibly the most boring on-road vehicle I've ever driven….) to get decent off-road performance when in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception, that might be wise. Is the consensus for driving around here to go with all-terrain tires…. or for the rocky terrain, and looser but generally dry stuff in the interior a decent set of road tires still OK?

My vote…Pretty hard to beat the Goodyear Duratrac. Tread wear is slightly on the quick side, but not objectionable at all on SUV's. The price is right…buy at C-Tire on sale, which seems to be about every 6-8wks. They ride and handle great onroad and are way quieter on pavement than the tread looks. The aggro tread probably affects fuel mileage a bit tho….I think that might be the only real compromise with that tire actually(comparing to other milder tread A/T's)
Offroad…good to go. And will do far better than almost any other A/T in mud. The GG AT2 in particular…you see mud while on those…just turn around. The BFG AT can do ok in mud if you spin it fast enough…but still gotta be careful.

Forget about the cheaper tires…not worth it.

2 flashlights(1 always breaks when you need it most)

A good knife

Paracord

Water/food bars/good blankie or two/paper towel/first aid kit/full change of clothes, especially socks/toque/2+ pairs of gloves

Short D-handle spade

A decent pruning saw (will post pic below)

Chainsaw is optional, but even if you have one, always have the hand saw. Same rule as the flashlight…the power saw will quit when it matters.

80-100ft of 1" nylon rope and a couple beefy hooks (I know, everyone will freak out and say "OMG you can't use that!"…pfffft. We had the same rope for yrs and used the shit outta that rope…yanking trucks outta mud pits and all else…no problem. But you never know…always be outta the way in case it snaps, with hook attached, and already be ducking under the dash as much as you can while pulling/being pulled…lol

Lose the running boards if you have them. Also, you will damage any kind of plastic under the front bumper. Trim it or remove.
The rear hitch receiver will hit regularly…just before it's going to touch, a little extra momentum so it doesn't hang up your rear end…it'll drag free. You can't back into it if it's going to hit…it won't slide, it'll dig in.

One tire at a time when crossing ruts/ditches

Even the tiniest bit of momentum is your friend. Too fast is your enemy(breaking shit)

1 Stuck situation is high centered between two ruts. Especially when muddy and/or water filled. If the ruts have been chewed down by 33's/35/36/37/38/39/40 inch tires…you coming along on your 31's ain't gonna work. When straddling said ruts…be aware of the traction you have and the camber involved…what are the chances you'll slide down into the ruts? Gotta know that.

A few pointers:)

This is a great buy…Corona RS 7395. Hardshell case sold separately
14" of actual blade…cuts quick and easy

oh…a small wedge. $5 at C-Tire

Also check out Cooper Discoverer AT3, Expedition Portal had a great tire shoot out that the Coopers won.

http://expeditionportal.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/

http://expeditionportal.com/cooper-discoverer-a-t3/

Thanks all! loads of useful advice. That place in Mission sounds good, we went to a similar place in Surrey for more normal tires for an old Subaru Legacy a while back.

Another noob question - the vehicle is rolling in the hood on 265/70/15 rubber. To me they reasonably large, probably because the rims are small and the aspect ratio is big. Is this a good size to stick with? I can nerd out on MTB tires for days but know feck all about this :D

Whereas I would say the General Grabber AT2 is one of the worst tires I've ever used offroad. I very honestly do not understand the tolerance people have for that tire. It's fine onroad…but that's about it.

probably depends what kind of offroading you're doing, if in mud the grabber AT2 isn't great, on ice it's reasonable, interior drier snow or even slush is great IMO. Logging roads and some washouts, not rock crawling etc it's a perfectly adequate tire, gets better if you air down 5-10psi as well.

but then and again I've driven every sort of shitty, bald tire out there on beat up crew cabs for forestry work for the past 12 years so my standards aren't terribly high.

Oh and I believe the listed tire size that comes stock is roughly a 30.5x10.5 or something, but thinner sidewalls. Upgrade to a 31x10.50 IMO

I run 31x10.5 T\A's on my pathy and I don't believe you could go any bigger without any mods. The front tires will rub a bit when fully turned.

My GG AT2's are horrible on icy roads, but awesome in powder. They're the one size that isn't snow rated for some weird reason. Great improvement over the three gravel road flats I got on the stock tires though!

Isn't that pretty much every AT tire?
big block and not enough siping like proper winter tire

C. Lee…The biggest problem with the GG AT2, besides the hard rubber, is it doesn't have any driving/braking edges.
Evey other tire has at least some….and a useable rubber compound.
I found the BFG and Goodyear A/T's to be quite decent enough in the slippery.

walleater…pickup some 31x10.50's and enjoy the offroad. Trimming, a little wack with a hammer…if necessary, is harmless and very easy to do…especially on an older vehicle that isn't worth much anyways
The reason you want the tallest tire you can fit is for ground clearance. That is what causes stucks more than anything else…more so than the tire tread itself even…ground clearance is the name of the game out there.
An open diff really holds back progress too…but that's getting more involved.

OT for the OP, but a question about BFG AT KO's (original version):

I have found mine to be a little lacking on ice and frost, as one would predict. Has anyone ever had their's siped? I've read a bit online that folks have had their MT's done, but haven't seen much about the AT's.

Also, do the tread on the sidewalls of the KO2's do anything but look badass/dumbass? Traction when bogged down in a rut and sidewall protection?

Mine are on my Element, primarily for looks, secondarily for durability on dirt roads. They've been excellent in slush and in heavy rain, which is nice because I see a lot of that. I need 2 new ones, if anyone has hot leads on some in 225/70/16 I'd live to hear about 'em.

Any sidewall lugging is going to do much more than none.

I just bought P265/75R16 Hankook dynapro atm tires, seem really decent. Really quiet and smooth on pavement, feel confident in corners, lots of siping. Paid $9.99ea for a replacement plan but I'm hoping they hold up to some off road abuse.

Ya Man…the Hankook is a decent A/T as well for sure. I have heard reports of hit[HTML_REMOVED]miss with the quality on Hankooks…so a warranty is a good idea. Most common issue is they'll cup easily…at least the older tread designs anyways