looking for inputs on tires

[highsierra4x4]

i am in the process of ordering new wheels and tires. i have narrowed it down to the BFG KM3s or the Goodyear wrangler MTRs. the tire size will be 37s on 17inch rim. the cruiser is a family weekend off road toy. its manly going to be up in the sequoias so rocky dry trails and snow wheeling. any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Irish Reiver]

For what its worth, i had mud terrain tires on 315's for the past 4 years. The noise drove me mad. The grip in the mountains was good but on wet paved roads the tires were lethal. I swapped to the KO2 A/T's earlier this year and have a much more enjoyable experience. Off road experience is more or less the same as the M/T's. Far better handling on wet roads, quieter by a long way and i got almost 3mpg improvement.
I like to think i do a lot of off roading but i drive hundreds of paved miles to get to the few miles of off road. A/T's make much more sense.

 

[dsmud4u]

I’ve had KM3s now on my 80 for 12k miles or so and while they are a bit noisier then then the previous Toyos the truck came with, it’s not terrible. I also tend to drive a different car when I’m in the mood so I never get bored of one vehicle.

Considering it doesn’t rain much in Cali, I find them more then descent on the highway.

Wear seems good too as they look to easily easily go 40k-50k miles.

 

[ChaseTruck]

There is a boycott on Goodyear they support the terriest group blm.

Interesting take on the Bureau of Land Management .

May not be of concern, but for the size stated on the sidewall, BFG tires tend to come out quite a bit smaller than others.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

I do a lot of driving in the snow and my experience has been that mud tires suck in snow. Something like the bfg KO2 or the cooper A/TW tire is so much nicer for snow wheeling than a mud tire.

The difference I saw in snow driving when I went from a bfg MT to AT was drastic. Way better braking, steering, and traction. I figure I would rather get stuck in a mud hole instead of sliding off a road or getting stuck in the snow.

 

[Kevin LeClaire]

Those pesky Terrier groups...

View attachment 2441750

I got it spelled right now

 

[Kevin LeClaire]

I will be changing my tires out to blizack soon great for the snow and ice.

 

[greentruck]

For what its worth, i had mud terrain tires on 315's for the past 4 years. The noise drove me mad. SNIP

If those were BFGs, then they were KM2s you're discussing. The KM3 wasn't introduced until 2018.

The KM3 is significantly quieter than the KM2. I was kind of surprised by the difference. But I've been running the BFGs since the original BFG Radial MT. They were a lot less noisy than all the bias ply mud tires of the day. Each generation has managed to improve on the previous one. Good thing sensitive folks didn't have to slog through all that noise back in the day, uphill, both ways...

 

[junior80]

I have experience with the wrangler MT/Rs, they were 37's on a jeep, horrendous on road. we do a couple hours drive to the 4wd'ng spots here and it was too much. so they got the rocket and were replaced with a set of 37" nitto trail grapplers, way better. i have them in 35's on my 80 and love them. I know i'm introducing another tyre to the convo here but the MT/Rs were just so bad. (in my own experience)

 

[Grandlooser]

I got it spelled right now

No you dont. Which is why thinking folks wont be bothered by this sort of post. Try "terrorist group"...drop the plural.

 

[enox]

Anyone have experience with general grabber x3's?

The reviews and ratings all seem pretty good.

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Grabber+X3

 

[ajordan1975]

I'm a big fan of BFG's and currently run 37" KM3's on my 80.

 

[ChaseTruck]

So, just a few tire tidbits:

On my K5, I've run GY MTRs in 315 (both generations) for a long time. Reason I finally went away from them despite liking traction and trail performance was lack of availability in Phoenix. Typically at 3 years in, I'd get sidewall cuts, and it always was a hassle to get a replacement.

Currently, I have 37/12.5R17 ProComp XMT2, and was surprised how well they did in the rocks at Johnson Valley last fall, great grip. Significantly better than the Toyo R/T that were on that truck before. At 36.25" unloaded on a 17" rim, the XMT2 is a little bit taller than the Toyo; the 37/12.5R17 BFG ATs I had for a very short while were about 35" on the same rim.

I've now put a set of XMT2s in 315 on the '93 80. E-rated, but sidewall flex is good, and I like how they feel on the trails.

Things to consider:
I don't care about gas mileage, or treadwear, but mostly about traction - both vehicles are essentially toys. Tire noise doesn't bother me much. So far, I've sliced the sidewall on 2 XMT2s on the K5 - 4WP warrantied both. No idea how the tires would do on snow, or even in the rain - we don't have that in Phoenix.

 

[enox]

I'm a big fan of BFG's and currently run 37" KM3's on my 80. View attachment 2443794

i like those too but they dont have the 3 peak winter rating correct..? and are they loud on the freeway? sweeet rig!

 

[ajordan1975]

i like those too but they dont have the 3 peak winter rating correct..? and are they loud on the freeway? sweeet rig!

Not sure on the 3 peak, the website says they are "all season" I'll have to look when I get home, but i want to say they have the mountain snowflake .
There's some road noise, but that's expected from an off road tire. Turn the tunes up a little and you wont know the difference.
Thanks! Just got it up and going again after a year of being down.

 

[greentruck]

i like those too but they dont have the 3 peak winter rating correct..? and are they loud on the freeway? sweeet rig!

No, the KM3 carries only the M+S rating. You'll find that you probably want a dedicated snowflake rated tire if you need them. However, the two types of winter ratings tend to exclude the other. Snowflake rated tires must have a tread compound that remains flexible below 40 F. Now imagine how that tire would perform in the rocks in Arizona in July at 110 F.

M+S rated tires are generally accepted where there is a winter tire rating required, except for Quebec, which require the Snowflake rating.

A good explanation of this is at: Mountain/Snowflake Symbol Tires & M+S Tires Explained - The Tires-Easy Blog

Or at: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=125

As for noise, for a M+S tire, they're pretty subdued. Keep in mind that very worn tires typically are louder than new ones, regardless of brand.

 

[enox]

Not sure on the 3 peak, the website says they are "all season" I'll have to look when I get home, but i want to say they have the mountain snowflake .
There's some road noise, but that's expected from an off road tire. Turn the tunes up a little and you wont know the difference.
Thanks! Just got it up and going again after a year of being down.

Congrats on the maiden voyage! Lmk about the rating that's printed (out here CHP checks for that sometimes and without it will make people put chains on before passage) ....which is smart considering most people don't drive in those conditions often.

 

[enox]

No, the KM3 carries only the M+S rating. You'll find that you probably want a dedicated snowflake rated tire if you need them. However, the two types of winter ratings tend to exclude the other. Snowflake rated tires must have a tread compound that remains flexible below 40 F. Now imagine how that tire would perform in the rocks in Arizona in July at 110 F.

M+S rated tires are generally accepted where there is a winter tire rating required, except for Quebec, which require the Snowflake rating.

A good explanation of this is at: Mountain/Snowflake Symbol Tires & M+S Tires Explained - The Tires-Easy Blog

Or at: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=125

As for noise, for a M+S tire, they're pretty subdued. Keep in mind that very worn tires typically are louder than new ones, regardless of brand.

Thanks for that clarification, much appreciated.

 

[Box Rocket]

I've had a couple sets of both. The MTR is a better offroad tire IMO. Much better resistance to punctures and traction is excellent. If you like driving fast in the dirt, they don't understeer as much as the BFGs either. The top two tires I've ever run are the Goodyear MTR and the Toyo Open Country MT. Nothing else I've had has performed as well as either of those.

If you plan to run them much on hardpack snow and ice, you might also consider have the tire shop add some siping. Makes a nice difference with any MT style tire for hard snow and ice.

MTR is an excellent tire choice. Only complaint I ever had about them was that as they get older the rubber gets hard and traction decreases but they are one of the best out there in my opinion.
IMG_0935 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

I'd highly recommend taking a look at the Toyo MT as well. These have performed just as well as the MTR (possibly better) and have lasted longer without the rubber getting hard. Only downside to these is the weight.
Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

 

[FJBen]

Yokohama 37x12.50x17.

I run 33" yokohama's on my BJ74 and have really liked that tire. Fairly quiet, very similar to a Toyo, truer to size and except for straight ice they've been great in mud, snow, sand, highway, rocks. Really like this tire and it's been getting great reviews.