NC Use Tire Recommendation: AT vs. MT (1 Viewer)

[S4Cruiser]

Just ordered a lift for my 97 Cruiser and I'm about to pull the trigger on new tires. I'm torn between the BFG AT and the Toyo MT. Looking for some thoughts/advice from others on what would be the best tire; either a AT or MT for my particular situation. Here are some items to consider;

- The cruiser is not my daily driver (it just got retired and was replaced by my S4)
- Will be used for light to moderate wheeling primarily in the NC area; uwharrie, outerbanks, etc. Never been to uwharrie so I'm not sure what tire would work better there.
- The wife, chocolate lab and I make frequent trips to the Wilmington area to visit the parents and friends and usually take the cruiser so highway characteristics are part of my decision.
- Travel to Blowing Rock and Snowshoe to board a few times each year and take the cruiser so if there is winter weather, tire performance is also a consideration.

The price between the two (AT vs MT) isn't that big of a deal b/c I plan on keeping the cruiser for the long run so why not spend extra now (take refunds are sweet!). I've done a ton of searchnig and reading in the tech sections of MUD and I'm overwhelmed with information that might not be applicable to NC specific use.

Any recommendations or thoughts to help me choose would be great.


-Jon

 

[worldcruiser]

based on your use my best advice will be to get all terrains. MT's will not be ideal for highway use and will wear out quicker. ATs is my choice.

 

[jfz80]

true true, but as the devils advocate (and a fan of MT's) id get the toyos as it is not your dd and you can probably put up w/ the road noise ( and toyos are pretty good for that and wear) or use it as an excuse to upgrade the stereo plus that one time you go wheelin and its wet, youll want the mt's, especially over the bfg's. However we just got back from a wet weekend in the mtns and most AT guys did great on everything from fjc's to 100's. (thats why i hadnt gotten back to your pm on the lift)

 

[S4Cruiser]

Thanks for the thoughts so far!

I'm really torn between the two. One day I'm set on the Bfgs the next on the Toyos. I'm beginning to lean toward the Toyos mainly b/c I don't plan to buy tires again for a few years and rather do it once and forget it rather than want to switch in a year or two...but then again I don't think either would be a bad choice.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[shinton]

BFG M/Ts would be the way I personally would and will go on my 80 next. I have Goodyear MTRs on there now and pretty happy with them so far, got them because they were a good deal (used)

Properly maintained and rotated it is really not all that unexpected for BFG M/Ts to do 60-80k. (Tacoma application, wheeled hard but rotated, I know Bruce Hatton got 80k on his)

No idea of the Toyo treadwear rating but the only downside to MTs is noise, because I know you can get high mileage in MTs.

A/Ts WILL fill up quickly in Uwharrie Mud if it is at all rainy or has rained in last day or two. Once filled up, you might as well be on slicks, I ran BFG A/Ts at URE for several years and I SUCKED if wet, GREAT if dry.

Love the ATs for a tow truck though, I ran E rated BFG ATs on my Excursion, they were great and much better than the street treads but Excursion only saw very minor 'wheeling' around our hunting property in the field/road. (Street tires would send me off the road trying to turn, A/Ts allowed me to make exact same turn a year later, both times in rain)

So...what I am saying is...consider BFG M/T...and if you just like Toyo MT, verify that the treadwear rating is the same (or better) than A/T and you are in good shape.

(Compare BFG M/T and A/T treadwear ratings to compare against, both wear like they are made outta iron)

BFG MT KM2s are the HOTNESS too...they ARE my next tire on the 80.

Sam

 

[little_joe]

Given your situation I would tend toward the AT. An AT will obviously be much better onroad, considerably better in the snow, and obviously not as good in the mud.

However I would stay away from BFG AT or MT. You pay a premium for the name and get a mediocre tire.

And sorry, but 50% of the people I knew in Ohio ran BFG MT's offroad and they are as useless in mud as an AT. You really need to spin them to clean them at all. If mud were your primary concern, Swamper would be the way to go; but since it clearly is not your primary concern, IMHO an AT will serve you well. I'd suggest that if you have lockers this is a no-brainer: AT.

If you had said mud and rocks and constant offroading were your primary concerns, then yes - an MT would be a no-brainer.

I'd suggest looking at some other AT's: Bridgestone Dueler Revo, Nitto Terra Grappler, Toyo Open Country, and similar tires. You can get a better tire for less than the cost of a BFG.

 

[waldrtw]

I have run the BFG MT's and the AT's on my 80. I have 295 BFG AT's right now. I put the AT's on for the snow when I lived in Oregon. The AT's work great in everything but heavy mud. The AT's will do better in the snow, ice and even sand compared to the MT. The MT's do look much better!! The AT's shoot rocks like crazy!! My rocker panels are chipped to sh*t.

Well, the main reason I got the All terrians is that my wife let me pick the first set of tires (MT's) and she got to pick the 2nd set(AT's).

Tim

 

[mtweller]

The new BFG M/T KM2's are a lot better self cleaning tire due to some additional siping. Or so I've been told

R

 

[S4Cruiser]

Thanks a ton for the ideas and opinions!

I bit the bullet this afternoon and ordered a set of the Toyo MTs in 315/75/16. Ended up finding them here in Burlington for what I think is a pretty good price. Total for 4 was $1024 and some change - after tax mounted and balanced. I'm thinking about getting a cheaper skinner similar sized 315 tire for a spare. Worst case I'll just get another Toyo.

I'll post up some pics in the next week or so once I get the lift installed and tires mounted.


-Jon