Buying tires in South America

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cruiser_guy said:
I'm not telling what my tires cost! I'll just say that even John paid significantly more than me though mine were purchased though 'mud in the states. Last year a set of 4 mounted and balanced BFG 32x11.5x15 AT's on OEM '60 rims barely used (injection moulding knobbies still present), this year for the FJ45LV a set of 31x10.5x15 AT's Goodyear I think with about 5000 miles.
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Charles,
Trust me when I tell you that I was glad that it was raining that day and that I got soaked. At least that way the guys in the shop couldn't tell that I was crying as they rang up the bill. I didn't feel so bad as I had absilutely no choice, the tires were splitting apart in several places so that the steel belts were showing through the sipes.
John
 
Volcano cruiser said:
the tires were splitting apart in several places so that the steel belts were showing through the sipes.
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Those sound like nicely worn in Central American tires. :)

Last year I drove up on the worst set of tires I had (though not as bad as yours) and I'll do the same this year and then swap over to new or near new tires at home for the drive back.
 
cruiser_guy said:
Those sound like nicely worn in Central American tires. :)

Last year I drove up on the worst set of tires I had (though not as bad as yours) and I'll do the same this year and then swap over to new or near new tires at home for the drive back.
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You have this down to a science. Ride these rascals into the dirt just in time to swap them out at a time and place of your choosing. I'm still working on that. Hopefully by the time I have to blow this pop stand I'll have it down pat like you.:)
 
John, the drive also makes bringing in things like Rust Bullit a much less painful and expensive proposition!

On the tire end, I can be much more confident of getting what I think I'm getting when I buy stateside. I know I don't want a retread or worse yet, one of the tires pictured above!
 
cruiser_guy said:
John, the drive also makes bringing in things like Rust Bullit a much less painful and expensive proposition!

On the tire end, I can be much more confident of getting what I think I'm getting when I buy stateside. I know I don't want a retread or worse yet, one of the tires pictured above!
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Charles,
No doubt. BTW when is your next trip up and back scheduled for? Depending on the timing I might try and impose on you to leave some space for a set of Bilsteins?:grinpimp:
John
 
Volcano cruiser said:
Charles,
No doubt. BTW when is your next trip up and back scheduled for? Depending on the timing I might try and impose on you to leave some space for a set of Bilsteins?:grinpimp:
John
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Up in June, back in July or early August. We'll talk on e-mail about this.
 
Volcano cruiser said:
Josh,
X10 on Paraguayan corruption. Is that $370 USD/tire? If it is that sounds EXPENSIVE to me. In June of last year I paid $210.62 USD/tire for 33x12.50 R15 Toyo Open Country ATs here in El Salvador.
Good luck,
John
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Yeah things are looking up in Paraguay... apparently they just got a new President or something who started off by replacing everyone at the top. Sounds promising.

That price was for BUS tires, brand new. Like full-sized bus, not mini-bus. I don't know what prices are normally for those, but the guy thought it was a good deal and I got the impression he buys them from time to time.

Looking around here in Paraguay prices are looking like about $115/tire for a Firestone "Destination" AT with a 5 ply tread, 65psi max inflation, and a load rating of D (which I like, because my truck is always loaded heavy). BFG AT's are looking about $185 a tire ish. Reputation aside they seem like a tougher tire (6 ply tread, 3 ply sidewall), but they have a lower load rating and max inflation (C, 50psi), as well of course as being significantly more expensive. I looked at Pirellis but the "AT" the guy showed me would require me to lower my landcruiser and put little blue lights underneath :princess:.

I know the Bridestone/Firestones are made in Brazil, and both those and the BFG's were at official dealers (definitely the BFG's at least), so their authenticity seems pretty solid to me. Comparing those two what would you guys go with if it were you?

A second issue I'm contemplating here is whether to switch up to 16 inch rims or not. I can get some used ones at a reasonable price (I think) here, and hopefully trade in my old ones as well. I'm just not sure it's worth doing? I only thought to do so since many tires are not offered for a 15 inch rim.
 
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BTW Volcano the rig is not blue that's a blue water can you see in my avatar :)
 
joshoisasleep said:
Yeah things are looking up in Paraguay... apparently they just got a new President or something who started off by replacing everyone at the top. Sounds promising.

That price was for BUS tires, brand new. Like full-sized bus, not mini-bus. I don't know what prices are normally for those, but the guy thought it was a good deal and I got the impression he buys them from time to time.

Looking around here in Paraguay prices are looking like about $115/tire for a Firestone "Destination" AT with a 5 ply tread, 65psi max inflation, and a load rating of D (which I like, because my truck is always loaded heavy). BFG AT's are looking about $185 a tire ish. Reputation aside they seem like a tougher tire (6 ply tread, 3 ply sidewall), but they have a lower load rating and max inflation (C, 50psi), as well of course as being significantly more expensive. I looked at Pirellis but the "AT" the guy showed me would require me to lower my landcruiser and put little blue lights underneath :princess:.

I know the Bridestone/Firestones are made in Brazil, and both those and the BFG's were at official dealers (definitely the BFG's at least), so their authenticity seems pretty solid to me. Comparing those two what would you guys go with if it were you?

A second issue I'm contemplating here is whether to switch up to 16 inch rims or not. I can get some used ones at a reasonable price (I think) here, and hopefully trade in my old ones as well. I'm just not sure it's worth doing? I only thought to do so since many tires are not offered for a 15 inch rim.
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Josh,
I can't speak with personal experience regarding these tires but maybe it will help if I give you the information from a recent off road tire buyers guide done in the September 2008 edition of 4WD Toyota Owner magazine. The review covered 42 different off road tires, sadly the Firestone not among them. Regarding the BFG AT the magazine guide said the following:
"BFG All Terrain T/A KO tires feature a high strength single strand bead construction, two full width steel belts, and a three ply polyester carcass for strength and durability. The unique tread design with interlocking elements allows for precise steering and improved handling without sacrificing on road comfort or a quiet ride."
As such the BFGs with that 6 ply tread present a decent option. Others can speak regarding how they wear, road feel etc.

Good luck,
John
 
Volcano cruiser said:
As such the BFGs with that 6 ply tread present a decent option. Others can speak regarding how they wear, road feel etc.

Good luck,
John
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The BFG AT's I picked up last summer in the states, 32x11.5x15, are probably the smoothest running tire I've had on the 'Cruiser in all the 20 years of owning it (at least 5-6 sets of tires, most new when installed)! I can't say if it's because they are so well balanced or if it's the tires but I'm a happy camper. I'm not sure where these were made. They were nearly new when I got them (the moulding nibs were still there).
 
Someone recommended Hankook at some point. I just looked at some Hankook AT's and they were about half the price of the BFG's. What model was it you guys were using? There was an AT and an MT, I think they were called "Dyna" or something to that effect...
 
joshoisasleep said:
Someone recommended Hankook at some point. I just looked at some Hankook AT's and they were about half the price of the BFG's. What model was it you guys were using? There was an AT and an MT, I think they were called "Dyna" or something to that effect...
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Hey Josh,
The tire that you are talking about is called the Hankook Dynapro AT RF10. According to same tire review that I referred to above and a tire test done by Four Wheeler magazine, May 2008, this is "...a premium, aggressive all terrain tire" which is" true running and quiet on road" and ..."capable in all conditions ...except deep mud and sand off road". "The Dynapro performs very, very well."
I had a set of these on my rig when I bought it. I only ran them for a few months before they died but I have no idea how many miles they had on them before that, given the PO, probably way more than the designers contemplated. They are still my spares.
Both reviews really like both the Toyo's and the Hankooks, with the Hankooks having a more aggressive tread. Very similar tires, both rated great. I hope this helps.
 
OK it's done. After all the going back and forth and talking about trying to find something that's made down here for less money, I went with the BFG's. The Hankooks were a fair bit cheaper but also thinner, and looking at the tread depth I wasn't optimistic about how much would be left on arrival back in Canada. I hemmed and hawed about the Pirelli's as some people seem to like them and they are made in Brazil and thus a bit cheaper, but the price difference wasn't enough to make up for the odd person who has mentioned that they are apparently like paper on rocks. In the end I decided that I've got plenty of rough terrain and remote areas to go over yet, and being sick of hitch hiking to a tire shop from the middle of nowhere, I got what seemed to be just the hands down toughest tire.

I got a set of 31x10.5's. Everyone on here talks about metric sizes but they always confuse me... I basically just went with something a bit bigger than the 235/75's I had. I was tempted to go for 9.5 wide for fuel economy for all the highway miles, but decided that with a heavy truck and super intense rains, I'd be better to maximize my grip and braking ability.

I think it came to about $750 all in, mounted balanced, and with a wheel alignment too (actually it was perfectly aligned)
 
Josh,
Sounds like you made the right call. I assume that you plan on keeping the best two of your current tires as spares?
John
 
I only kept one. I traded the other one for a rim for the one I kept, since I stupidly left my last spare rim in Bolivia. The other two tires were literally garbage. Also I have been trying to track down the underneath spare tire carrier thingy, but for now only have space for the one on the roof.

I can now cruise comfortably at 2500rpm and 100kph like everyone else!
 
joshoisasleep said:
Also I have been trying to track down the underneath spare tire carrier thingy, but for now only have space for the one on the roof.
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You'll need to decide between a long range tank and a tire under there. I'll be going with a long range tank so I need to fab a rear bumper/tire carrier thingy.
 
Yeah I think for now it will be spare tire if I can find the little lifter thingy. The jerry cans on the back can hold 40L (+40L more when needed) and are more convenient and flexible for things like veggie stuff right now. In future I'd love to change everything around and get rid of my current bumper setup, replace it with something a LOT lighter. Maybe if I catch you in Guatemala I can give you a hand fabbing yours, get ideas at the same time.

For now it's wonderful though... I can take out cement walls if I'm in a bad mood with no damage :)
 
Closest I can say is we're looking at an arrival ETA in Panama of early April. So give or take a week or two, about a month after that maybe?
 
joshoisasleep said:
Closest I can say is we're looking at an arrival ETA in Panama of early April. So give or take a week or two, about a month after that maybe?
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It'll be close. We're heading up around the beginning to middle of June.

What are you doing for your insurance once you hit the US/Canada?
 
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