Damm BFG A/T Tires

cary · 06-13-06, 11:05 AM

The stupid things last forever. When I bought my truck, I put on 265/75/16 A/Ts as I was unsure about going to the 285/75/16. That was 3 years and 40k miles ago. I really want to go 33" tires, but a quick check with the tire gauge reveals that they still have 11/32" of tread left. They started with 16/32". They are going to dry rot before they wear out.

stayalert · 06-13-06, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cary

The stupid things last forever. When I bought my truck, I put on 265/75/16 A/Ts as I was unsure about going to the 285/75/16. That was 3 years and 40k miles ago. I really want to go 33" tires, but a quick check with the tire gauge reveals that they still have 11/32" of tread left. They started with 16/32". They are going to dry rot before they wear out.

If you don't have lockers get some. drive around all the time with lockers locked. That should help wear the tires.

I have experienced tremendous tread life as well on my bfg AT's....

Texus · 06-13-06, 11:33 AM

sell'em & put that towards the bigger ones...

e9999 · 06-13-06, 11:38 AM

tire burnout?

landtank · 06-13-06, 11:41 AM

Hang around the high school and pay a kid $25.00 to vandalize your truck. Just make sure it's a sidewall intrusion.

firetruck41 · 06-13-06, 11:42 AM

I'm kinda with Eric, best thing to do would be to send it to Slee for a Turbo, ,then do 4 wheel drive tire roasts. Maybe get in with the cool kids by "drifting"!

cary · 06-13-06, 11:49 AM

It's going to take a lot more power than a slee turbo to light up those tires. I like the locker idea, but I need to get the CDL switch so I don't have to drive around town in 4 low all the time. :^)

Trunk Monkey · 06-13-06, 11:58 AM

Dude, I'll sell you my 285s, cause I'm in the exact same boat with 315s.

cary · 06-13-06, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FZJFillmore

Dude, I'll sell you my 285s, cause I'm in the exact same boat with 315s.

Ugh, oh, this is going to get expensive. Mileage, tread depth, brand, how much?

Thanks

Cary

e9999 · 06-13-06, 01:43 PM

ah, a new take on the "the -errr....- tires flow downhill..." saying?

Super Cruiser · 06-13-06, 09:01 PM

I bought my cruiser with 265/75/16 BFG A/T's and I sold them on Recycler in 4 hours. A guy with a '97 44Runner bought them. I then bought 285/75/16 BFG A/T's. I am now wishing that I bought 305/70/16's for the extra width and simmilat height. 315's would be nice, but I would need 488:1 gears to turn them proplerly.

Bottom line....sell the 265's on Recycler.com.

Super Cruiser · 06-13-06, 09:02 PM

Wow, looks like I need to use spell check next time.

firetruck41 · 06-13-06, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Cruiser

Wow, looks like I need to use spell check next time.

You can hit the "edit" button on your original post and correct yourself... I do that a lot.

semlin · 06-13-06, 10:59 PM

i made the same mistake when i got the truck. the ats are crazy. I solved it last year by buying virtually unused 285s for a really good price and then as a bonus somehow sold my 265s with slightly less tread on them for slightly more than i paid for the 285s. some guy with a Mazda Ranger pickup was totally psyched to get them. meanwhile, 35k after buying the first set I have virtually new tires.

now i am looking at 305s and 315s. it is a dangerous game.

alaskacruiser · 06-13-06, 11:36 PM

Just curious- with all the Wide vs. skinny tire talk- why are you guys wanting 305s vs. 285s? Is it the look, or are you big rock crawlers?

semlin · 06-13-06, 11:40 PM

whether you rock crawl or just occasionally go over obstacles, bigger/wider tires make a difference. my eyes were really opened at moab about the difference that 305 MTs could make over 285 ATs on an 80. that extra clearance and traction is tempting, although it would have to be a spare set.

firetruck41 · 06-14-06, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semlin

whether you rock crawl or just occasionally go over obstacles, bigger/wider tires make a difference. my eyes were really opened at moab about the difference that 305 MTs could make over 285 ATs on an 80. that extra clearance and traction is tempting, although it would have to be a spare set.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is virtually no difference in (vertical) clearance, as the 285 has a 75% profile and the 305 has a 70% profile, both tires have the same 213mm sidewall height, only difference is the width.

IdahoDoug · 06-14-06, 12:06 AM

With tires, the manufacturer chooses a compound that will wear well, but must weigh this off with a less well wearing compound that is more flexible and will grip better. I have no idea where the BFGs are in that equation but I personally would rather have a tire that demonstrates more attention to traction for road emergencies and accident avoidance versus get 80,000 miles of wear. I had a set of Kelly DTRs that were like that - freaking wouldn't wear after 40,000 miles. They still had slightly more than half their tread depth. So I felt they were too hard to provide that grip and sold them.

It's easy to look at long wearing tires as a universal positive, but I guess I am alerting you that in the tire world you can generally have either good grip, or good wear. Choose wisely.

DougM

cary · 06-14-06, 01:00 AM

Doug, you are forgetting that through the miracle of modern science compounding has changed. Longer carbon chains allow for tires that can both grip better and last longer than the tires of old.

speyrod · 06-14-06, 08:51 AM

Same dealio here, I bought some 265 for a great deal, now I'm waiting, waiting, and waiting for them to wear out. I am seriosly thinking about selling them after 46K on them I still have people ask me it I bought new tires.

Doug, I think they have great lateral traction and with the 80 mighty stopping power I'm not thinking the tires are the issue. Long carbon chains and all

LandCrusher'70 · 06-14-06, 09:08 AM

BFG A/T's don't wear out. I had a set on a DD Heep Grand Cherokee that I sold with them on it. Still had plenty of tread. I had them on for at least 2.5 yrs. Never had problems with grip.

Trunk Monkey · 06-14-06, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cary

Ugh, oh, this is going to get expensive. Mileage, tread depth, brand, how much?

That comment was just tongue in cheek Cary, sorry. They're BFG ATko's also, that I'm trying to kill as well. It wouldn't be worth it to ship them anyway.

cary · 06-14-06, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FZJFillmore

That comment was just tongue in cheek Cary, sorry. They're BFG ATko's also, that I'm trying to kill as well. It wouldn't be worth it to ship them anyway.

Good, one less issue to worry about.

Bongani · 06-14-06, 01:22 PM

I just sold my 275x75R16 after using it for 20 000km. I measured the thread depth and only 2mm was used. These tyres surely last...

I am now sporting 285x75R16 and man, it looks sexy. BFG AT rules.

IdahoDoug · 06-14-06, 03:16 PM

Agree the formulations have and continue to improve. However, the new materials still force a choice of better traction or better wear within their new abilities. For instance, those of you with Consumer's Report access can look at their comprehensive test of several SUV tires and see that some took markedly longer to stop their test truck both in the wet and the dry. Tread pattern will make a difference here, but CU correctly grouped them as A/T, or highway tires and so the results likely speak to rubber formulation. We found the same thing in our instrumented testing over the years - better wearing tires tended to produce longer stopping distances, especially so with cold tires or if the outside air temps were cooler (not cold or winter temps).

Age is also a factor even with the new formulations - silica and others. So, a tire that has been on for 40,000 miles has been temp cycled, subject to heat, road chemicals, etc. All of these tend to harden rubber and rubber compounds to an easily measurable degree. You and I may not notice it, but that tire with 40,000 miles and ample tread may take another 30 feet to stop from 70 - easily the difference between a close call and a very severe hit.

So, yes everything's getting better and the rising tide of newer compounds lift all tires. But the same choices must be made today as yesterday. Interestingly, the Revo has a softer inner layer that's exposed when the tire's about half worn out to preserve its initial level of excellent traction. This is a terrific strategy and one of about 5 key reasons I'll be getting them next - breaking 19 straight years of Michelins for the family car.

DougM

semlin · 06-14-06, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firetruck41

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is virtually no difference in (vertical) clearance, as the 285 has a 75% profile and the 305 has a 70% profile, both tires have the same 213mm sidewall height, only difference is the width.

yes, 305s are the same height but not the same width. but MT tires also have more side tread and visually seem to be bigger diamater than AT tires rated the same size. I doubt anyone visually comparing 305 MTRs side by side to my 285 BFG ATs would suggest they are the same diameter tire.

Brentbba · 06-14-06, 03:29 PM

I know a nice rock in Death Valley that would love to eat your sidewalls.

Nay · 06-14-06, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdahoDoug

Agree the formulations have and continue to improve. However, the new materials still force a choice of better traction or better wear within their new abilities. For instance, those of you with Consumer's Report access can look at their comprehensive test of several SUV tires and see that some took markedly longer to stop their test truck both in the wet and the dry. Tread pattern will make a difference here, but CU correctly grouped them as A/T, or highway tires and so the results likely speak to rubber formulation. We found the same thing in our instrumented testing over the years - better wearing tires tended to produce longer stopping distances, especially so with cold tires or if the outside air temps were cooler (not cold or winter temps).

Age is also a factor even with the new formulations - silica and others. So, a tire that has been on for 40,000 miles has been temp cycled, subject to heat, road chemicals, etc. All of these tend to harden rubber and rubber compounds to an easily measurable degree. You and I may not notice it, but that tire with 40,000 miles and ample tread may take another 30 feet to stop from 70 - easily the difference between a close call and a very severe hit.

So, yes everything's getting better and the rising tide of newer compounds lift all tires. But the same choices must be made today as yesterday. Interestingly, the Revo has a softer inner layer that's exposed when the tire's about half worn out to preserve its initial level of excellent traction. This is a terrific strategy and one of about 5 key reasons I'll be getting them next - breaking 19 straight years of Michelins for the family car.

DougM

None of this matters when you are sitting in your driveway trying to turn into your garage in 10 inches of snow/pack/ice in 25 degree temps with dual lockers spinning all four tires even though you have all the clearance in the world, and you have to shovel a small pack of snow from ahead of your badass never-wear-out 33" BFG AT ko's just so you can pull into your f'ing garage.

When you headed out for some fun and temps were 35 degrees your tires were fine, but the sun went down while you were helping the poor blonde whose car got stuck and now your tires don't work anymore because it got colder, quickly, and the compound has started to freeze like a cheap all season, and you are stuggling just to get home only to get stuck 4 feet from your garage. Nothing like a tire that won't wear out and can't move in inch. Might as well mount them on your wall.

BFG AT ko's freeze when it gets cold, and they lose their traction just about entirely. Just what I want - a tire that lasts a really long time so winter after winter it is likely to leave me stranded when conditions change for the worse, which supposedly was the point of needing an AT vs. an MT to start with. And on top of that, they cost as much as tires with real traction. Sign me up!!!

Sell them while people still believe that these are awesome tires and are willing to pay top dollar. Damm BFG AT's!!!

Nay

IdahoDoug · 06-15-06, 02:27 AM

Yeah, I've seen this cold weather effect as well. A lot of guys here in N. Idaho run the very heavy duty D and E rated tires for their contracting work and such. These tires focus on wearing like iron. But they indeed suck badly when it gets cool out and are worthless when it actually gets cold. Forget about ice. I could go into why this is so, but I think the point's been made.

Good wear is a good quality for a tire to have. It's just that incredibly good wearing tires should make you raise your eyebrows and wonder about emergency traction capability.

DougM

notyourmomslx450 · 06-15-06, 06:57 AM

There are worse problems to have than tires that last too long. I had some BFG Land Terrains on my old Tacoma, and they didn't last forever, but the belts kept slipping on them and BFG would replace them every time. It was cheaper than buying new ones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Cruiser

Wow, looks like I need to use spell check next time.

Nah. Looks fine, but what kind of lift do you need on a 44runner to proplerly fit those size tires or simmilat sized tires on a 44runner?