New BFG AT KO. LC handles horribly now.

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dougparis

10 Year
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Threads
10
Messages
51
Location
West Hartford, CT
Hi, I'm new to the site and wonder if I could get some help on the BFG AT KO I just had installed on my Land Cruiser. I have a 2002 and for the last 253,000 miles I've run Michelin LTX M/S. These tires have always handled great on the highway, but not so good off-roading. After getting 96K miles on my last set I decided to go with something more aggressive. After reading the tire survey https://forum.ih8mud.com/tire-wheel-tech/556631-tire-survey-100-series.html I decided to go with a set of BFG AT KO 285/75/16. The tires look great!! unfortunately the LC handles horribly now. The LC sways heavily when making left or right turns. And when going on the on-ramp of the highway the skid warning detection came. I can't image if would be such a big difference going from the Michelins to the BFG, but the LC really handles like crap now. Is this the standard characteristic of the BFG ATs? Could I have a broken sway bar? Do I now need stiffer springs? Your guys help would be most appreciated.
Thanks Doug
 
Sverige said:
What tire pressure are you running?
Click to expand...

1st thought as well.
When i got a set installed on my FJC it handled horribly, drifting all over the lanes.

I got home and checked the pressure once they had cooled and the moron at the tire shop filled every tire to the MAX psi reading on the side of the tire. Each tire was at 60psi! (on a 4300 lbs SUV)
 
Mine work nicely with 38/40psi front/rear...more if she's loaded to the max. I'd expect a slightly stiffer ride due to the tire's load rating.

Double check your speedo reading via gps...don't want to be surprised by the policia.

hth

Steve
 
I've owned and driven vehicles with both Michelin LTX M/S and BFG AT's. You are really comparing apples to oranges, they are not in the same league. Definitely check your tire pressure as Sverige suggested. Sometimes tire shops will inflate the AT's with 44-46 psi which will give you good gas mileage but will be rock hard. Try lowering them to 34-36 psi. Warning this could give you more body lean in the corners as the tire sidewalls are less stiff with less air pressure.

Aside from that, they are AT's and will ride/handle accordingly.
 
Definitely check tire pressure. Running the same tires on my 2000 and I've noticed that small variations in pressure from tire to tire greatly affect ride and handling. I personally go with 42 psi in back and 40 in front. No bumpers or drawers .
 
Strange. I ditched the stock Michelins for a set of 275/70/18 BFG AT KOs and it was a HUGE improvement. But if you got 96,000 miles out of those Michelins, it's possible they were magical tires. Seriously though... how'd you get 96,000 miles out of a set of tires?

And, like the other suggestions, I'd start with the PSI.
 
man, that's a ton of PSI. are the side walls that week? I am running 35psi on my destination, and it works great. However, these barley bulge when aired down to 18 off road.
 
D load rated tires require a lot of PSI. a lot of tire stores use the spec on the doors but there is a big difference in teh stock michelans and the BFG AT.
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire-selector/name/all-terrain-t-a-ko-tires#techspec_table


I tow a lot and the pressures work well for me and the have good tire wear.
IMG_20120826_192244.jpg
 
Maybe you're driving too fast?
 
Manhattan said:
The BFG AT KOs are E-rated. I run mine at 35 psi and they are wearing amazingly well, handle great, ride great.
Click to expand...

THE 285/75/16 has both D and E ratings. Mine are D with the snow flake on the side. The E in this size does not have the server weather rating.

And changing the PSI in these tires makes a huge difference in feel. When I had mine installed it felt funny until I aired up more.
 
no-pistons said:
Maybe you're driving too fast?
Click to expand...

My BFG's handle 90mph without issue. No vibration, moaning, or anything. Tracks straighter than a bullet. Sure there's some flex in the corners but with nearly 70k, and ~8mm of tread left on each one - who can complain? They've taken me around the country and back. Never missed a beat or even required any significant amount of air.

Best tires I've ever used. You get what you pay for in EVERYTHING.
 
Jeez guys, thanks for all the input!! I got the tires at Costco, the tech was a little concerned that it wasn't the right size tire, but I convinced him they would fit fine. He then mentioned a couple of red flags. 1. The new size is 6% bigger and my speedometer would be off, so 75 mph on he speedo = 80 mph actual. Big deal I can handle that. 2. He said these were D rated tires for a truck and would fill the tires to the recommend pressure of 65 PSI, which he did. So it sounds like I need to bring the tires down to at least 40 PSI for a starter. I'll give it a try now!!!
Also 96K on the Michelins is a crazy amount of miles. I wouldn't have believed it but I check the odometer every time I do a repair. Though I was seeing steel belts popping though on the outer tread. Yikes!
Thanks again! Doug
Now where the hell is my tire gage.
 
He is just covering his ass - fill the tires up to max psi so it doesn't go all ford exploder on you


Our Costco won't even put anything except stock size on.
 
Ahhhh!! the Land Cruiser is back!! I went from 68 PSI to 40 PSI. Of course it makes sense now. The tires were rock hard and didn't flex, so when the LC rolled left or right it was transferred to the suspension. It was getting scary going on and off highway circular ramps..
Thanks for all your help!
Doug

My commuter days are over with the Land Cruiser, now it's time to do some 4-Wheeling. Should I remove the running boards or keep them on.
 
Boards...

Replace the running boards with Slee sliders and you'll be good to go. :bounce: If you can't afford the sliders now, pull the running boards before you rip them off wheeling and cause more $$$ damage than the cost of the sliders.
 
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