Quest for BFG At KO replacement tires

So I decided to go down to a local tire place to have my Firestones replaced. So I go in say I want new tires, the guy replies we have some BFG Long Trails, I say I want Some BFG AT's, 31x10.5s, so we go look at my explorer, and he insists that only size 265-75-R16 will fit my car, and not 31X10.5, so I respond by asking him what does that mean in English, and he simply responds 265-75-R16, so ok I go in to sort out the matter of the price, he insists that the price is $173 per tire with mounting, balancing, new stems. I thought when I had called 2 weeks before for a quote someone else at the same store told me that it was going to be significantly less. So the salesperson insists that it is impossible for him to charge anything less due to fixed pricing with BFG. So I told him I was going to go look around at some other retailers. He told me good luck in a rather rude tone, and that was that.

Then I go down to Sears where the salesperson insisted I could only fit 225-something or other on my car, which I clearly new to be wrong, since my current tires read 255-70-R16. So I said ok, not wanting to argue and left.

When I got home, I found some tire size calculator on the internet, which said that 265-75-R16 was equal to 31x10.5, within a few decimal places, I dunno, maybe I used the thing wrong, but I think the guy at the first tire place wasn't sure of what he was talking about.

So I start calling around getting quotes at different retailers, within the first phone call I found BFG AT's for $155 mounted, balanced, with new valve stems. So I continue calling around to see if I can get a better price. The next place I called started out with a friendly conversation, the salesperson jokes that I was "Justifying his existence" by calling. Then he asks what type of vehicle they were for, it was all down hill from there.” This is an 8 ply tire, much too stiff for an explorer, it's a light truck tire, you have to keep a high air pressure in them just to keep them on the wheel, it's to aggressive, it'll wear fast, it'll make lots of noise, and your car will flip over." I respond by asking him so you won't sell them to me? Or you can't sell them to me? he responded by saying lots of people are now getting the michelin something or other tire, you can come down and look at it, I tell him sure, and that was the end of that conversation.

The next place I called the person who answered the phone wasn't sure if they even carried the tire, never heard of it, so I said ok.
Then I call NTB, which seemed to be the most reasonable, I told them what the other store had said about my explorer, he thought perhaps the concern was more with me going up about an inch in tire size, he said it possibly could affect the ABS, the spedometor( which I already realized), and possibly the computers in the explorer. I then asked him what it would cost to buy they 255-70-R16, he said $175vs the $155 of the 265-75-R16(makes no sense to me, more money for the smaller tire), which brings me to the point of this post, I have a couple of questions for people.

1. Is the BFG All Terrain K/O 265-75-R16 equal to 31x10.5 in size?

2. Is the BFG All Terrain K/O 265-75-R16 too stiff or rough for an explorer?

3. Will the BFG All Terrain K/O 265-75-R16 cause an explorer to tip?

4. Has anyone had the BFG All Terrain K/O 265-75-R16 cause any problems with the ABS, or computers of any kind in their explorer?

5. Assuming no one in the state of Massachusetts wants to exchange money(I was ready to pay cash right there) for the tires I want, any recommendations on other tires?

6. Is it true that everyone whom is involved in any facet of the automobile industry has to be such a wretched lot?(I'm not trying to insult anyone, but between my experiences with the dealer, and now tire stores it seems it is a requirement to make things as difficult as possible for the customer.)

Thanks alot, sorry about the length

 

[felsmann]

The first guy you talked to was the closest to honest and right you found. the sizes are practically the same. Because your rim size is 16 you will find your sizes in metric. And yes, BFG prices are fixed. If a dealer is found to sell them for more or less, their priviledge of selling them may be revoked. Where they have room to play with is the setup and protection plans.

Go with the 265's, that's 31"

As far as the rest, don't listen to them. AT KOs's are 4 ply not 8, that guy is full of it!

 

[rockymntnhi]

I feel 4 ya . The first guy you talked to is a total idiot .....Well all 3 are idiots ... What I found when buying my BFG's was that 265-75-16 = 32-11.50-15 , not Xactly but closer to 32's than 31's ..... I see no reason why you should'nt or couldn't use the KO's . Discount tire and 4x4 Parts are sellin em' for $155 so don't pay more than that ..... I'll suggest you look at the TSL TruXXus before you buy ... 265-75 = $114 each and they look sshhhhhhhwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeet . goodluck .

 

[section525]

I got my BFG AT KOs last summer for about $110 each (just for the tires). That was from Americas Tire. I've been running them for about a year now with absolutly no problems (with tipping, computers, or anything else). I highly recommend these tires too. They are sweeeet.

 

[yob_yeknom]

I've had the 31x10.50's for 5 months. No problems. Don't let all that BS discourage you. You put the words tires and Explorer in the same sentence and people get scared.

As for the tire size, you cannot get the 31x10.50 because it is for a 15" rim. You have a 16" rim so you have to get the metric equivalent. Get the 265-75-R16's.

The prices are set by BFG. Check around and you should find that the price for the tires are the same. If not, go with the cheapest price, maybe their prices just aren't up to date yet. Check a few places and find out which will do the mounting and balancing for the cheapest. The price from that first shop seems a little outrageous.

Remember to tell the shop that does the mounting that you need to keep the tires. That way you can turn them in to Ford. Also don't forget that you will need a new spare of the correct size also. Hopefully it'll also be a Firestone. Don't let anyone give you any BS about not being reimbursed because you got the larger tires. I just reminded my dealer that it is MY truck and I can put whatever I want on it. I got the check from Ford 2 days ago.

Also, I suggest a small shop owned by a local. They tend to provide much better customer service and don't give you the run around.

 

[Robert]

Check out the thread http://208.38.138.31/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16938&highlight=largest+tires+that+will+fit. Unfortunately since Zing closed shop, my pictures don't work. Your '98 will have the same fit problem that my '97 had which is very easily fixed. There is a piece of plastic on your front fender moldings. It is at the back of the tire and points towards the inside. It is about 1" tall and about 2" long. Cut that piece off even with the inner line of the molding. Your tires will also rub at the top of the plastic fender molding under full compression. But, hey so did my 255s. It is not bad and even after a year before I put my body lift on, there was only very slight wear evident at the top of one of my fender liners. My body lift eliminated that but wasn't necessary.

As other's have said, the 31x10.5 is for a 15" rim, your rims are 16" therefore a 15" tire will not mount to it. The 265 75R16 tires are actually 31.7" whereas your 255 70R16 tires are 30.1". That 1.6" difference means the difference between rubbing and not rubbing. All of the dealers were correct that BFG sets the price on the tires. The only differences in price that you will find will be for mounting, balancing, & tire maintenance plans. The reason the 255 tires are more expensive than the 265 tires is because it is a much less common tire. Besides the '95 and up Explorer (and only about 15% of them) I can't think of another vehicle that uses them. The 265 tires are used on many more vehicles (Toyota 4-runner, full sized trucks, etc.) so it is cheaper to make. Actual material costs are practically identical, however when you make 500,000 of one size and 3,000,000 of another size, it's cheaper to make the larger volume tire. When I was looking at the BFG TA KOs last summer to replace my Wilderness ATs, the price for the 255s were $157. I ended up getting the Michelin LT265 75R16 LTX ATs for about $120. I liked the $150 savings and wanted a slightly taller tire anyway. I do know that BFG had a price increase right after I bought my tires so $20 more per tire doesn't sound out of line. The fact that it is an LT tire will make it a bit stiffer, however I keep my LT tires at 35 PSI and the ride is better than it was with the Firestones at 30 PSI. I have never gotten the feeling that the handling on my Explorer was compromised by going with the larger tires and it is every bit as comfortable, if not more comfortable than it was on the Firestones.

Just last Sunday I had to make my first full-blown panic maneuver in the 4 years that I have owned my Explorer. Driving along at about 40 MPH when an oncoming car in the center lane was oblivious to the world around them. They decided to turn left in front of me without having adequate clearance to do it. It is the first time I ever had my ABS kick in on dry pavement without hitting a bump or something else to unload the suspension. Even that wasn't enough to stop me quick enough. I was still gaining on the car quicker than they were moving so I had no choice but to serve into the center lane and around the car all the while with my ABS pumping rapidly. I just put on some poly-urethane swaybar bushings two days earlier and even with my 3" body lift, 2" torsion lift, and 2" taller tires my Explorer remained under complete control the entire time. I have little doubt that had I not have had my new bushings, I would have stood a good chance at rolling it. Instead it remained completely flat with the tires howling something fierce and the brake pedal vibrating like mad. After I cleared the car, I looked in my mirror and there were cars scattered about the road from trying to miss the car that turned left.

Talk to CBoug76. He has had the 265 75R16 TA KOs for over a year now so he could probably offer some excellent testimonial on the tires. That will be the tire that I will choose when my Michelins wear out due to the added ply in the sidewall. The rocks out here in the AZ desert can play havoc on tires of a lesser quality. So far my Michelins haven't been a problem, I just want to lessen the chance. My recommendation is to get the TA KOs in the 265 size.

 

[William Schumacher]

this is a load range "D" tire 65 psi-max

it is also an 8 ply tire.
I've had them a little over a year now ,I'm running them at 32 psi,anything more than 36 and they feel like rocks on bad roads,great in snow and sand{have them on the beach all the time}these are the best tires I ever had !
it's a small 32" tire {31.8"} to be exact,taken off the
www.bfgoodrichtires.com site.

bfg have been owned and made by michelin since the mid '80's

 

[CBoug76]

Thanks Robert, I have e-mailed him with some info. if anyone has any questions, e-mail me.

 

[MHanrahan]

I hate to say it after all this fuss, but I ended up going with the Pirelli Scorpion AT's. According to this board everyone seems to love them. They were also about $18 less a tire, it has a 40,000 Mile warranty (The BFG's don't have a warranty do they?).

So here's what I got for $137 a tire

Pirelli Scorpion A/T 265/75/R16
Mounting, Balancing, New valve stems, an Alignment for no extra cost, some form of flat protection warranty where they said they would repair the tire if I got a flat, and they also agreed too not not charge me any tax, so that saved me about $40. So I put down a deposit and they should have the tires in by monday. The only thing is I prefer the look of the BFG A/T to the Scorpions
Oh yeah and right when I got to the garage, one of the employees pointed out that there was a small amount of cracking on one of my tires which I hadn't even noticed. So I think all and all I got a good deal, although I would've liked the BFG's, Im sure I'll enjoy the Scorpions much more then the Firestones.
Thanks for all the info everyone
Mark

 

[GJarrett]

Originally posted by MHanrahan
(The BFG's don't have a warranty do they?).
Mark

Actually BFG has an extremely good warranty on the AT ko's. In addition to the regular warranty stuff, if the tire fails or you get stuck anywhere, anytime, then BFG will pay the tow fee for you.

I went to 285/75r16's in mine and if I cannot fit 35"s next time in will still up it to 295/75r16s. They are the best tire I have ever owned. I have learned that most all "tire guys" know little to nothing about what they are talking about; they only know what they have learned looking up stock specs and applications in their manuals and have no clue what to do outside of those parameters. Yet they still spout their "expert" opinion that it cannot be done.

You still made a very good choice. By all accounts you will be very satisfied with the Pirelli Scorpions. They have received excellent ratings in tests and their offroad performance is also impressive; moreso than the tread design would lead you to believe. My brother has them on his Explorer and they are a great tire.

 

[MHanrahan]

Ok I have a new question, will my 265/75/r16 fit in my spare tire location? and does anyone have pictures of where I will need to trim?

 

[felsmann]

...you maynot need to trim, don't worry baout that yet. There are more that don't need to trim that those that do...