I'm facing a crossroad: bail or buy

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Much to my dismay, my GC will need tires here before the snow flies if I have any hope of safely commuting back and forth from Minneapolis to rural Wisconsin bi-weekly. Heck, given MNDOT's ability to plow after a storm I'll need tires REGARDLESS.

The truck is currently wearing a set of aftermarket 17x8 XD wheels shod with a set of 245/65R17 Hankook Dynapro ATM's. The tires measured about 7/32nds at the time of purchase... 25k later and I'm looking at a sad set of 4.5/32nds all terrains that were never great in the snow to begin with.

This is where I need opinions. I've narrowed my candidates down to two at this point:

Ironman Radial A/P, size 245/65R17. $112.99/tire, after all discounts a set of 4 runs $421.33

Ironman All Country H/P, size 235/65R17. $109.99/tire, $406.13

Yes, I know. They're cheap rubber. Keep in mind, this is a truck I picked up for $250... and have less than $1k invested in after 25k hard miles. I'm leaning towards the Radial A/P, I like the tread pattern and abundance of siping. That being said, the All Country appears to have more of a wicking tread pattern, which prevents hydroplaning. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!
 
Find a used tire store that has something good for $150 a set.

I wish. There's absolutely NO way you're getting a set of remotely decent tires in my size for that price. I looked high and low. The cost difference between new and used is less than $100.

Also, I'll be mounting the tires myself so there's no cost there.
 
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Boy, it’s a dang shame you’re not around here! I could hook you up with the studless snows & rims from my (sold) ‘98 Cherokee, and they still have good tread (Continental WinterContacts).
 
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Wow! Thanks for all the replies so far! To address one at a time:
No thanks, I'd burn through those in a heartbeat and they have zero winter qualities.
Again, no. All terrain tread, but no siping. Fine for mud and sand, terrible for snow and ice.
how about some cooper discoverer AT from walmart they are an incredible value.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cooper-D...245-65R17-111T-Light-Truck-SUV-Tire/250553717
yes 140$ range.
Ah, a man after my own heart! Kidding, but I am a HUGE fan of the Cooper Discoverer line. However, the Ironman Radial A/P sports a similar tread design while seemingly incorporating more siping. That, combined with the significant price premium of the Cooper's make them a non-contender.
 
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Guys, GM's fall tire rebate is on. A set of Hankook snows at a local GM dealer will be price-matched to any shop w/in 50 miles, and then you get a $200 rebate on top of that. It's a smoking deal. Rebate is doubled if you use a GM credit card (just get one; it's instant) - so it's only $100 if you use a different payment method. Different brands have sliding scales of rebate, but hankook, conti, a few others are in the top rebate tier.

I got a set of Hankook Dynapros on my SUV two years ago with this deal for just UNDER $300 total. And the service from the Chevy dealer was excellent.

https://www.gmc.com/certified-service/offers-values-deals

I've lived in Vermont and other northern climes and cheap snow tires are just a bad idea. Use this deal to get something decent for the same $$. Deal is good to 11/30/2022. They do it every Oct/Nov.

Take in a quote for what you want from a local Walmart w/installation or another shop. They'll match it. You can submit the rebate online and last time I got the $200 in just a few days; it was one of the most painless rebate processes I've ever seen.

I think they do this spring AND fall, so if you get dedicated snows and then want summer tires, use the rebate spring season to get the summer tires.
 
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Ironman seems to be the favorite around here with folks who have lifted pickups and spent so much money on giant rims, they didn't have enough left over for decent tires.

I haven't seen any stranded on the side of the road with a blowout, so that has to say something.

East-Asian value-tier tire. Nothing bad about that if that's what you're after, but don't expect the level of quality, technology & performance you might find find in a mid to high tier tire. But tires are tires, at the the end of the day, all they really have to do is hold air and roll. Most any tire stamped with a DOT code imported into the US is going to have some basic level of quality and safety. The driver is the much larger part of the safety equation.
 
Can’t speak for the specific iron man tires you’re looking at, but Carmax put a set of iMpve Gen 2 AS tires on our 300 when we bought it. In dry weather they were fine, wet they weren’t optimal (never hydroplaned, easy to light up the rear wheels) but manageable… god help you if there was snow. They were also worn to 3/32 in 20k miles.

Discount Tire has some General Grabber HTS60’s which seem decent, though about $230 more than your most expensive example. If it were my car I’d throw some BFGoodrich Advantage TA Sport LT’s on it, I’m impressed by those.
 
I dunno, I get the idea of not spending more on tires than the vehicle is worth, nor more than you have in it. But tires? IMO buy a decent set of snows, and if they wear out, then you know you got your monies worth out of them.

Thought of differently: with all you saved on purchase of this vehicle, you should be able to easily afford decent rubber. Unlike so many of the owners of those shiny vehicles that you will be passing this winter, when they are in the ditch.
 
You've gotten $1,250 worth of vehicle to go 25K. You appear to know what you're doing.
It's not like you're one of those people who's chucking your vehicle in 3 months.
Reread supton's post above.
 
I dunno, I get the idea of not spending more on tires than the vehicle is worth, nor more than you have in it. But tires? IMO buy a decent set of snows, and if they wear out, then you know you got your monies worth out of them.

Thought of differently: with all you saved on purchase of this vehicle, you should be able to easily afford decent rubber. Unlike so many of the owners of those shiny vehicles that you will be passing this winter, when they are in the ditch.

It's not so much a matter of "affording" them. $400 isn't chump change, but it's not going to leave me without food to eat and clothes on my back. It's more just me being leery of throwing new tires on a truck that I know needs at LEAST the following:

Upper/Lower ball joints up front, which requires new hubs. Both front axle boots are torn, so those would get done at the same time. Probably a steering stabilizer as well.

The 4 wheel drive doesn't work in full time mode, the NV247 was never serviced and the internal clutches are burned up. I have no interest in putting a transfer case in it at any point.

So that's the conundrum. I'm leaning towards just biting the bullet and ordering tires, if I can get the truck through to next summer I'll then have my father's current 2018 Hyundai available for a song.

*EDIT* I decided to randomly search car-part.com for an NV242 out of a V8 equipped WJ and found one at a local yard for $160. This may change things. I'll need them to include the front and rear driveshafts to complete the swap, however I'd bet they won't charge much as they have to be pulled anyway. For those who are unfamiliar: the WJ used 3 different transfer cases depending on year, 4x4 type, and engine. The holy grail is the 242HD used behind the 4.7, as it was rarely optioned. Most customers ordered the V8 with the 247, and the V8 and I6 engines used different 242's, with the V8 using the HD version.

If I can talk them in to including both driveshafts with the t-case for $200, I'd seriously consider swapping.
 
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