Unique Situation - Help me choose a tire

[eds72]

I've been reading everything I can about various tires, but my driving situation is somewhat unique. I'd like some opinions from others who may have some relevant experiences.

I have an '03 AC 4WD. In all honesty, I probably would have gone with a 2WD if not for one thing. My family has a home at the beach where vehicles are permitted on the sand. Getting on and off the beach requires climbing a decent grade in some very soft sand. Once on the beach, there is some soft sand but it's pretty easy going overall. It's a pretty flat beach with speed limits, etc - the only purpose for driving on it is to access portions of the beach that would require a loooong hike otherwise - not too practical with young children.

Currently, the truck has the factory Bridgestones that are on their absolute last legs. I was able to make it on and off the beach on the last trip, but I needed a pretty good run to do it. I also have made this trip in my F-250 which has some pretty aggressive Kelly tires (MSRs I believe). I think the tread on these was too aggressive as I had to drop them to about 15lbs to go anywhere.

So I guess my top priority is on-road handling. We get a lot of rain here in the winter, so wet performance is a must. We do have a few days of snow/ice per year, but not enough IMO to factor into my decision.

I also need something that is at least decent in soft sand. It doesn't need to be the best, but I'd prefer not to have to drop the pressure waaaay down just to get over one hill.

Now the kicker - this is a truck, and I want a tire that looks like it belongs on a truck. The factory Bridgestones just don't do it for me. I really like the appearance of the BFG All Terrain T/As, but it seems like maybe that's not the best choice for my situation. I'm willing to give up some on road comfort for a better look, but I don't want to feel like I'm driving down the road in a dump truck.

Does anyone have experience with some tires in these situations that they'd care to share? I'd really appreciate the info.

[rambrush]

I would suggest the Michelin's that DJ suggests. Open aggressive mud tires will dig you a hole to China in sand.

[DevinSixtySeven]

Any aggressive all-terrain tire will do the trick. BFG TA/KO is the measuring stick for good reason, but there are plenty of other good all-terrains, and I suspect that Michelin ATX would also work well for what you're doing.

I've never had a rough ride from my LT-D TA/KOs, but having driven on the Michelins and taken a close look at the tread pattern, I wish they came in a size useful to me. They're not what I'd call aggressive, but that's not really the point of buying a tire like the ATX. Since you're only offroad on sand, and obviously do know what you're about regarding tire pressure, the Michelins ought to do the trick and they're just beautiful on the road.

-Sean

[eds72]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I can get the 8 ply BFG 265/75/16 for $600 mounted, balanced, etc. which seems like one hell of a deal to me. The Michelins would be $832 - probably in part because they only come in a 10 ply (or a 4, but that would not be adequate).

Given the opinions here, it sounds like both are a good tire and that the Michelins might be a *little* better for my application, but probably not $232 better. I'll likely pull the trigger on the BFGs this weekend.

If anyone else is looking, this is via Costco and includes the $60 off BFG/Michelin coupon good thru Sunday (6/29). These prices are far better than any other local quotes I received for the same tires.