Tire Review - BFG MT/KM2's 315's (1 Viewer)

[Pathfinder]

I just purchased a set (5) of 315/75/16's of my LX450. I went from a set of stock LTX M/S (31's)

Here are my pre and post measurements: (all measurements in inches unless otherwise indicated)

Ground to top of wheel wells: (only have post install measurements)

• 39.25 front
• 39.75 rear

Tire Diameter:

• 34.8

Front Wheel - ground to the center Hub:

• 14.5 - 16.5

Rear Wheel - ground to the center Hub:

• 14.5 - 16.5

Ground to bottom of running boards

• Front - 16 - 18
• Rear -16.5 - 18.5

Tire well clearance to top of tire

• Front 8.5 - 6.25
• Rear 8.5 - 6.75

Sound ratings (measured with iPhone sitting on PS seat using app called decible) Speed measured with GPS

• LTX M/S - Avg 84 dB (RPM: 2050)
• KM2's - Avg 87 dB (RPM: 1850)
• Engine Idling measured at 67 dB (engine at temp other conditions the same)

Traveling at 55mph, stereo off, AC/Fan off, same 1 mile stretch of road, car running at temp, stock gears, cruiser control on, road flat, and sun roof cover closed

• Just installed my Slee Spedo correction gear
• When traveling at 55 mph (GPS) spedo reads 52 MPH. (1850 RPM's) Before it was of by 6mph. Improved by 3mph.
• Took 10 minutes to install

Impressions (first 5 miles)
Acceleration: cannot tell much difference truck feels virtually the same.
Braking: Can tell a little difference here however my upgraded brake system has helped to compensate.
Handling: feels about the same around town. Steering feels the same. Not any heavier.
Ride: at very slow speeds (1-2 mph) I can feel the tires
audible noise: can tell they are there and the sound has picked up however not like your average redneck f250 with super swampers howling down the road.
Spare Tire: Does not fit in stock location b/c of panard bar. I may be able to remove the stock hitch and stuff it under there however I will most likely be ordering a stripper pole from Slee till I can afford an IPOR rear bumper and tire carrier. (This was not a surprise)
Spedo: I have a slee spedo gear that I will also be installing this weekend so I will post pre & post measurements of actual speed compared to GPS measurements.
Price: From Discount Tire (Alot) out the door. The was not very happy.....

Would I buy again??? HECK YES These bad boys look great and really take my cruiser from mild to full blown trail rig!!!

IMHO my rig now looks the part!!!



I will be going out this weekend to try out in the mud and off road. I will be posting a review later then.

Here are a couple of pictures.

 

[1r78]

Those look real nice. Ive seen them on a few rigs and they look pretty mean. Let us know how they handle on the trails.

 

[eurorom]

Looks very nice, now let's talk about your wheels, I really like the look!

 

[arndog123]

Nice. I prefer white lettering on the inside though.

 

[Pathfinder]

Here are some more photos of before. Much better with the new shoes.

First photo is a digital warpage and thought it just looks funny so I included it. The 2nd one is after my little brother and I spent an afternoon installing the lift on the cruiser. The last photo is from when I first got my cruiser. This is what it looked like at stock height. I had already painted the wheels at this point.

 

[Pathfinder]

Nice. I prefer white lettering on the inside though.

I went back and forth on which way. I opted for the white out b/c I think they look sharp when the cruiser is fully dressed and cleaned. However on the trail and how my cruiser typically looks I may regret it.

Looks very nice, now let's talk about your wheels, I really like the look!

Thanks. I refinished my wheels awhile ago and I'm very happy with the finish. Plus is they get nicked I can just sand and re-spray. Looking new again. The old clear coat was oxidized and they looked like a spider-web.

 

[jfz80]

yup, you got em on backwards

and not bein an arse.... what is a wheel to hub measurement? Edge of wheel to hub should be the same no matter what tire size you have.

The most common measurement (mud std measurement) is from the center of hub to the bottom of the fender flare for comparison's sake.


Truck looks great though..... those will be my next tire; albeit in a 37"

 

[Schnieb]

What size lift do you have?

 

[LittleRock80]

What do these 315 KM2's spec out at--height wise? 34.5? They look awesome on your rig! White letter out looks okay on your truck IMO.

I so wish these new KM2's came in a 37x12.50x16 to fit the OEM rim.

Jwp

 

[Pathfinder]

yup, you got em on backwards

and not bein an arse.... what is a wheel to hub measurement? Edge of wheel to hub should be the same no matter what tire size you have.

The most common measurement (mud std measurement) is from the center of hub to the bottom of the fender flare for comparison's sake.


Truck looks great though..... those will be my next tire; albeit in a 37"

Backwards??? Thats how we roll in the 80's baby!! The white letters out on tires have always been a favorite of mine ever since I saw them as a kid in the 80's on toyotas, nissans, etc.. I guess its just a nostalgia thing.


The measurements are ground to the center of the hub for comparison. I will get some ground to bottom of the fenders later today.

What size lift do you have?

Its in my sig. however

Front: 851 with 1 inch spacer and OME L shocks

Rear 863 with OME standard shocks
Man-A-Fre control arm brackets for CC.

It ended up yielding 4" lift in the front & 3.5 in the rear over OEM

The ride is very nice with this combo. I will have to go to heavies in the front once i get a front bumper, winch, and dual batts. However that will all come in time.

 

[Pathfinder]

What do these 315 KM2's spec out at--height wise? 34.5? They look awesome on your rig! White letter out looks okay on your truck IMO.

I so wish these new KM2's came in a 37x12.50x16 to fit the OEM rim.

Jwp

Tire diameter ended up being 34.8 this could be off one way or the other as I am to lazy to get two squares and measure between the two.

 

[landcrusher80]

Nice. I prefer white lettering on the inside though.

Same here!

I will be ordering me the same tires here soon. Indeed; IMO they are bad ass.

One of my buddies got a set of 4 for his 60 series for right around $230/ tire delivered.

LandCrusher80

 

[landcrusher80]

I so wish these new KM2's came in a 37x12.50x16 to fit the OEM rim.

Jwp

That's what I want too!

 

[Farr off road]

Nice. I prefer white lettering on the inside though.

Give him a break...it's a south east thing!

Don't listen to them Paul... your 80 looks awesome!!!

 

[Farr off road]

As for the tire carrier you should check out this option...

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/257957-spare-tire-carrier-bolts-bumper.html

This is a friend of mine in Vegas. I have seen his work and it's very good and should be much cheaper!

 

[Cruzer_89]

Nice Rig man, hey i see you are in Ormond Beach, FL. You should come out and play with the FLCA this coming weekend, check out the link below.

Florida Land Cruiser Association • View topic - FLCA/Florida Land Rover Club

 

[cruiser37]

Your LX looks great! That's the exact same stance I'm after with 35" KM2s. How did you decide on the 851/863 setup? Isn't the 851 a medium load 2.5" spring and the 863 a heavy load 2.5" spring? Why did you mix medium/heavy springs? Adding a 1" front spacer would theoretically give you a 3.5"/2.5" lift. How did you end up with 4"/3.5" of lift? How do you like the ride?

 

[Tapage]

Who has been running those BFG for a while .. just to know how they wear and perform .. ?

 

[Pathfinder]

Your LX looks great! That's the exact same stance I'm after with 35" KM2s. How did you decide on the 851/863 setup? Isn't the 851 a medium load 2.5" spring and the 863 a heavy load 2.5" spring? Why did you mix medium/heavy springs? Adding a 1" front spacer would theoretically give you a 3.5"/2.5" lift. How did you end up with 4"/3.5" of lift? How do you like the ride?

• How did I decide?
  • Trial and error. Started out with a combo of FOR spings and some other shocks. For me the FOR springs were to soft and tippy. They would have been great for crawing however I do more expo stuff. I like having a positive riding truck. The OME helped alot however the big improvement came when I put on the OME shocks. Then everything came alive. I should have listened to other posts were everyone says how great they are and how their built just for cruisers.
  • Traded around and peiced it together. The front netted me 4" in the front from my old stock springs. Could have been that they were pretty sagged out.
  • I love the ride. IMO the shocks make the difference in how "stiff/Harsh" the ride it. I had some other generic shocks on with the same springs and going from them to OME shocks firmed up the ride however it still rides like a caddy. I will not change till I add more stuff. The combo is perfecto. Not a one change would I make.

 

[Pathfinder]

Here are some photos from wheeling this weekend. The tires were GREAT!! Its like having a locker up front. Sand that I would have to get a run at before now I can stop start without fear of tire spin. These tires are great! Tons of grip and side bite. This has sealed the deal for me. These were a great pick. I cannot wait to take them wheeling up in TN on some real trails.

Notice the flexing. There was some rubbing while fully flexed. I'm going to have to extend my bump stops before I do some serious wheeling. However still looks great!

On a un-related note. Ocala has a naval bombing range and while there there was a backhawk helicopter circling and alot of machine gun fire. Make for an interesting wheeling trip!

Here are some pics from today.