Don't mean to beat a dead horse...

[Charlie H]

I know that this topic has been discussed at length but I need to feel reassured. I am thinking of replacing my Wilderness AT's (not on recall) with the BFG AT KO that everyone here seems to love.

My concern is this: 99% of my driving is on asphalt. I rarely go off-road and when I do it is very tame trails. I have looked at the BFG's and they have a very aggressive looking tread. I think they look great, but MY QUESTION IS, are these tires good for daily street drving or are they for off-road only? Also, someone recently told me that these tires wear out rather fast (approx 30k miles). If anyone can give me some advice on these tires, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Charlie

 

[Trckmagik]

I have them on two of my trucks and love them. I rarely go off road so they are always on the Dallas streets. I have the same tires on my Ranger that I put on it when I lifted it back in 94 so They have lasted rather well. Go for it and buy them. you will love the new look.

 

[EB Bauer]

These tires are great tires. Mainly for all terrain. I am more of a freeway driver and hit the trails every week end. They are great for mud and snow aswell as rain. The only downfall that I have seen is that they are made of a softer rubber. Which is good for the offroad type truck. They will be great for street and off road. If you are going just for a street tire I would suggest the BFG first but if you don't want that then you might wanna go with a goodyear all terrain tread. That is just my opion but the BFG's Rock! Hope that helps.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Hi Charlie,
I don't know who told you that the BFG's would wear out fast, but They don't know what they are talking about. I commute 160 miles a day and got over 70K on my BFG's. They are fairly quiet and super in the rain, and snow. The only thing wrong with them is they don't work well in thick mud, but everything else, they are GREAT

 

[riffman]

the ko's are still made of a harder rubber than the MT's and the AT Moab Edition, though. I have the Moab Edition on my truck, and from the looks of the wear already, they will be about a 30,x.. mile tire. from what i've heard...the ko's are supposed to last 40 or 50. i have a friend that drives his j**p on those everyday, and there is very little wear after 8xxx miles.

i hope this will help a little.

 

[donkey boy]

Charlie H.

After about 40'000 miles on my old BFG AT, I noticed that 8000 miles "cost" me about 1 mm thread. New, they had 14 mm thread (dimension 235/85-16 though), At 80'000 miles, they still would have 4 mm left. Looking at some maniacs on the road, I'm sure it is possible to kill a set of BF Goodrichs within 30'000 miles, but it is also possible to flip your Explorer on its roof, if you try hard enough.

I think this should answer your question regarding tires "wearing out fast"

 

[RandyM]

Charlie,

The BFG TA KO tires have 1/2 inch of tread and are great tires on and off road. I just put them on my '99 XLT and had some of the same questions you have, but now love the tires. Get them on your Explorer and you will be glad you did. I have taken them on forest service roads in Western Washington and on mud, wet pavement, dirt, gravel, etc they have proven to be 100 percent effective in traction and control. I have the LT235/75/15 size. What a VAST improvement over the Firestones!

 

[Charlie H]

Thanks Everyone!!

Thanks for all of your input. I am now convinced that these are the tires that I am going to buy. The guy at the tire shop that I went to told me that BFG is owned by Michelin. Did anyone know that? Also, he didn't seem too fond of the BFG AT KO tires and tried to push the Dunlop or the Yokohama tires. He told me that both were better than the BFG. I don't know what his motivation was, but he seemed pretty sincere about it. Who knows, his manager may have told him to start clearing out the inventory of other light truck tires. I trust the opinions of this board more than some dude at the tire store.

After reading the overwhelmingly good response from this board about the BFG's, I am definitely going to try those tires.

Thanks again for all of your responses.

 

[RandyM]

I had 2 Yokohama tires on our Honda Civic separate on me 2 years ago...left front and right rear tires...I will never buy Yokohamas again. Fortunately, they appeared as bumps under the tread and gave all kinds of wobble to warn me before becoming a deadly matter. This dealer who tried to steer you into "his" preferred tire has his bottom line in mind, not what is best for you!

 

[Charlie H]

Well, I finally got my BFG T/A ko's put on 2 days ago, and you all are right... I really like them. So far, the truck drives better than it did on the Firestones. It used to really pull to the right (even after several alignments) and now it isn't nearly as bad. I noticed the ride is a little rougher but that is probably because they are "LT" tires with a 3-ply sidewall and not a "P" tire like the Firestones. So far I think they are great tires. I love the way they look. Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[Goober]

Charlie, check the air pressure in the tires when they are cold. When I had mine put on the tech had them on 45psi and they were very rough. I eventually got them to 32psi and they drive/ride great. But, you are right, the triple sidewall doesn't flex like the stone and gives a siffer ride regardless.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Charlie,
Goobers absolutely correct. Most tire places like to pump them up to the high side. Let us know what they pumped your up to.

 

[Ray Bates]

More than one

Now for a possibly stupid question. Is there more than one "flavor" of BFG All-Terrain T/A, as in with and without the KO designation? Or any other different types? I'm getting a pro-rated replacement of my P255/70R16 Wilderness ATs by Firestone with the BFG T/A's. I wouldn't want them to pull a fast one and give me anything but the latest and greatest BFGoodrich All-Terain T/A KO's. I was wondering because in a BJ's Wholesale Club tire brochure, and if I understand it correctly, there is a reference to the wet handling and treadwear of the All-Terain T/A KO being better than the Radial All-Terain T/A (without the KO). Are they one in the same?

 

[donkey boy]

Ray, they are NOT the same. Radial All Terrain is much more of a road tire, looks a kind of similar to the Long Trail, if I remeber correctly.

 

[Ray Bates]

I am a paronoid one. If asking for BFGoodrich All-Terrains now, I should be getting BFGoodrich All-Terain T/A KO's, right? BFGoodrich does list the All-Terain T/A KO as "The latest generation of America’s most popular all-terrain tire" on their web site. I couldn't find a listing for the Radial All-Terain T/A. I really don't want a surprise. Thanks.

 

[Charlie H]

Ray L. & Goober,

Well, on your advice, I checked the pressure in the tires (cold) and guess what? All but one of the tires was at 52.5 psi. One tire was at 27. What the hell were they thinking? The Max Load is 50 for christ sake!!

What should I lower the pressure to? Goober, you say that 32 is good?

Thanks for the help.

 

[bluescat]

BFG Long Trails

If most of your driving is on road you might want to check BFG's SUV general purpose tire. If you go to the following thread, you'll see Consumer reports ratings of SUV tires:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=19495

Everyone knows there's a trade off between on and off road tires, no matter which way you're going. Lift the vehicle and put on bigger tires means going slow around paved corners. Lower the ride and put on lower aspect ratio and stickier rubber and the tires just might cut into a corner too quickly with really bad results. If I spent more time off-road, which is impossible with the patronizing Maryland government eco-nuts that have turned corrupt machine politics into a fine art, the BFG KO's would be a great tire. But if your going 70-80 on the interstate and someone cuts you off forcing you to change lanes? I don't know, maybe some of the KO owners can chime in here with their observations.