Looking for input on tires - 315's, Mud Terrain

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oilbrnr said:
I have 35" KM2's on my '77 K5 and hate them. Not only are they loud, but as they wear loose their balance rapidly (same with the AT's I had on the wife's Wrangler). Store guys have confirmed this to be a problem anymore with the BFGs.

In mud, the KM2's are great for the most part going forward, but lateral grip is terrible. If you look at the tread design, the goo easily channels across the surface. I got myself in a couple of scary situations with them. Oh and then you have to consider the premium price that BFG charges for them.

Not again until they do some redesign of their off road offerings.
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You are 100% on being loud and dont forget not very smooth. I have 20K of hard miles on mine and I run at freeway speed with zero balance issue. About 5K ago I had them rebalanced and rotated for the first time since new:oops: only because they were off doing other work not because I had issue. Im not going to say I have never had BFG balance issue but Im on my second set of the newer designKM2's on this 80 and they have been nothing but great.

Also zero failures on BFG's
 
All great input guys. If Discount can match the online price from TireCrawler.com I'll probably go that route. They said they can get them in a day. I need to research the road hazard warranty a bit more and see if the coverage is there for off-roading & determine if it's worth it. I end up paying $225 + tax for the 5 tires. Have you guys actually needed to cash in on this warranty in the past?
Thanks!
 
The one last thing I will suggest is just buy what makes you feel comfortable. Everyone has a favorite, be it an 80, 40 FJC etc. Tires are no different, they are just shoes, wear what is more comfortable to you and make a decision based upon what is important to you but don't by just to join the group. Most of the tires suggested here will work great, some will perform better than others at certain tasks but none of them will be the best at everything. A tire, just like a vehicle, is a compromise.

What I would focus on are, at least for this topic, are the ones where people indicate problems with their equipment. Why was it a problem is probably the first question to ask after a comment. Some people will hate a MT because it is noisy, doesn't last or doesn't do well in the rain or on the ice. Well, they are right, they wont do well. I recomended staying away from the Goodyears ATs, they do have very thin sidewalls. Great street tire, bad in the rocks. Know what you are buying and how it will be used, you wouldn't buy a screwdriver and use it for a chisel.... right???
 
Azca said:
The one last thing I will suggest is just buy what makes you feel comfortable. Everyone has a favorite, be it an 80, 40 FJC etc. Tires are no different, they are just shoes, wear what is more comfortable to you and make a decision based upon what is important to you but don't by just to join the group. Most of the tires suggested here will work great, some will perform better than others at certain tasks but none of them will be the best at everything. A tire, just like a vehicle, is a compromise.

What I would focus on are, at least for this topic, are the ones where people indicate problems with their equipment. Why was it a problem is probably the first question to ask after a comment. Some people will hate a MT because it is noisy, doesn't last or doesn't do well in the rain or on the ice. Well, they are right, they wont do well. I recomended staying away from the Goodyears ATs, they do have very thin sidewalls. Great street tire, bad in the rocks. Know what you are buying and how it will be used, you wouldn't buy a screwdriver and use it for a chisel.... right???
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Good points Azca. Thanks for the comments.
 
Arizona Jeff said:
All great input guys. If Discount can match the online price from TireCrawler.com I'll probably go that route. They said they can get them in a day. I need to research the road hazard warranty a bit more and see if the coverage is there for off-roading & determine if it's worth it. I end up paying $225 + tax for the 5 tires. Have you guys actually needed to cash in on this warranty in the past?
Thanks!
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yes, I have, twice (one was in the first month :mad:) - at the Fountain Hills store (which has since much reduced its inventory of off-road tires and hiked the prices up - hence I went to 4 Wheel Parts; their warranty is better)

I have sold the tires by now but know that the warranty has been honored since - if memory serves, the 5 tires I bought originally have all been warranteed by now
 
I too run the BFG KM2. They are wearing well and seen a good amount of abuse. 350 miles of abuse on dirt in Baja last month with no failures. So far they have balanced well too but are noisy but its a MT tire, to be expected. I've always had good performance and a little luck out of BFG tires.

I would reconsider adding spacers for the issues mentioned above plus the extra width will induce more mud/dirt/etc onto the windows/truck. I've had past vehicles with tires outside the fenders and now really appreciate the coverage the fenders provide especially in inclement weather in the backcountry.
 
Thanks for all the input - getting Toyos installed tomorrow. Went with Discount Tire. They beat Tire Crawler by $5/tire and split the difference with me on the sales tax. Close enough and I know if I have an issue I'll be taken care of. Pics to come soon (or it didn't happen...)

Also installed my lift this weekend. Shown on my build page.....so it did happen!
 
Cool beans Jeff! What did the guys at the store say about the Certs, and off road damage? I haven't had a chance to ask at Corporate what the official stance is on this.

Are you going to have the road forced, or computer matched balanced?
 
oilbrnr said:
Cool beans Jeff! What did the guys at the store say about the Certs, and off road damage? I haven't had a chance to ask at Corporate what the official stance is on this.

Are you going to have the road forced, or computer matched balanced?
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I found the official warranty language for them online. It clearly states that they do not cover off roading- but the manager at the store is an off roader and he said he warantees them all the time.

Sorry - What is road forced / computer matched balance?
 
Arizona Jeff said:
I found the official warranty language for them online. It clearly states that they do not cover off roading- but the manager at the store is an off roader and he said he warantees them all the time.

Sorry - What is road forced / computer matched balance?
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The manager seems to have complete discretion on the on/off road issue. I believe if you come in every other month with a torn sidewall your manager might throw a flag on the play. I have heard of some stores in the Phoenix area that won't honor an off-roaded tire but others seem to have no problem.

I cut a sidewall on a two week old KM2 on my Tacoma at the 2008 Chile Challenge and the manager in the Las Cruces store would have had no problem honoring the cert had he had the correct size tire, but he hooked me up with a store in El Paso that also didn't care I was off roading the tires.

I had KM2s on the Tacoma for about 50,000 miles. I had Discount Tire re-balance them every 10,000 miles, and I rotated them at the 5,000 mark in between. I abused them quite a bit and ran them until I had a tread separate on I-10 at 75 mph. Now I have BFG all-terrains on the Tacoma but I still have KM2s on the FJ40. I just had Discount Tire balance them at their 10,000 mile birthday.
 
Arizona Jeff said:
. . . he said he warantees them all the time.
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they sure did when I had their warranty, no questions asked - them's some good people in that there store in Fountain Hills
 
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Here they are. They look awesome! Thanks for all the input.
 
Truck is looking good with the new tires
 
Your truck looks good!

The nice thing is, every time discount would not warranty my tires (2 times) they refunded what I paid for all 4 certs, and gave me a discount on the replacement tire. That was a nice way of saying "here's your tire, you are on your own now.."
 
LandCruiserPhil said:
Looks nice!

Notice a power change with the new rubber?
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Thanks Phil. I notice a slight power change, I actually thought it would have been more than it is. Not too noisy either. I just turn the stereo up a bit!
 
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