Lifespan of the BFG AT? (1 Viewer)

[Gabby]

I run 33X 12.5X 16.5 BFG AT T/A HO's on a '91F250HD 4X4 that I bought new. When it was my daily driver, I'd get over 50K out of them, but I usually put new rubber on because they dry rotted before I could wear them out.

Not full time 4WD, but diesel, so the front end is heavy. Limited slip on the back. Rotated every 6-8K. Balanced out well.

Great tires in the snow and on icy slush on that truck. Went thru two really cold, snowy winters in eastern PA. Good road tires. Can't hear them for the engine noise.

Tough tires. Will last based upon usage and how you take care of them.

 

[SHERMAN FJ62]

SAMS and Walmart do the same thing as Costco they will only put the OE size tire back on car

 

[rusty_tlc]

I ran BFG AT's for many years on all my trucks.
I really couldn't tell you how many miles I was getting they. So many I couldn't or didn't bother keeping track. I still have a set of 33"X12.5" from my FJ40 that have over 50% tread, they are so old I wouldn't sell them to anybody.

Overall the BFG AT's are a quiet tire that gives good performance on dirt and gravel roads. The sidewalls are pretty flexy which is good and bad. Good because you only have to drop a few pounds of air to get a lot of flex (ie wider footprint), bad because the are susceptible to puncture. They handle ice, snow and rain well. In mud they get loaded up faster than a Hobo at an open bar, on rocks they chunk pretty bad.

I have a hard time believing the BFG's cost more than Michielens. Oh well


On the topic of tire shops. I've been using Les Schwab for the past few years. Get your best price and bring it to them, odds are they will match it. There are Three reasons I use them over places like Costco.

1 - There are a lot more LS shops than Costco's. If I need warranty work on a trip it's not hard to find a shop.

2 - Great customer service and honesty. I've had them talk me out of spending money and they will fix any flat I bring in. Regardless of where I bought the tire. That may be because they recognize me, with three vehicles and a trailer I seem to have some kind of tire issue or rotation every couple of weeks.

3 - They will put any size tire on any rig it will fit on. When they installed the Toyos on my rig there was some doubt on their part as to weather they would fit, rather than send me away they mounted one up and installed it to check clearance.

Edit: I trust them enough that I told my 80 YO Mom to go in and have whatever work they recommended done on her car. They did a great job and didn't overcharge her or get her to buy anything she didn't need.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Pro Comps have a horrible reputation, run fast and stay far away from them.

I had the ProComp AT's on my 4runner before. They never flatted or anything like that (had 3 ply sidewalls), but the rubber compound is harder than on the BFG's. I got 90K mi off a 5-tire rotation, so I can't complain about the mileage if it's dry. On dirt, they were fine. On wet roads, traction was poor, at least by the time I got to 50K mi (I could tell because if I braked reasonably hard in rain, the rear tires would skid a tad). On snow, the rears would also slide if you gave it too much throttle (this was at about 70K mi). Tread depth was still okay when i got new tires, but the guy at Discount Tire remarked that the rubber was dry-rotting. The rubber was rock hard, leading to a stiff ride. At 50K mi, there was still plenty of tread remaining, but the usefulness and safety of the tires (in rain/snow) were questionable. Now I have BFG AT's on them w/ 2K mi. Fuel economy is worse (same size, 31/10.5/15) than the Pro comp's, but traction is very good, and they have a softness that makes my reasonably stiff suspension feel like that of a friend's new Tacoma.

 

[SpokaneLX470]

1 - There are a lot more LS shops than Costco's. If I need warranty work on a trip it's not hard to find a shop.

I agree, but only if you are staying in Les Schwab territory. I moved from PHX a little while ago to Spokane and can still get free service on all my tires because they were purchased @ Costco as their is no Les Schwab in AZ. If I knew for certain that I was not leaving the Schwab territory then I would not have any qalms.

Do you think they could handle a OME or Billy conversion on an LX470?

Good to know about the price matching though!!