Tire & Tire Shop Recommendation? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Threads
26
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757
Location
Bozeman, MT
The ancient and mismatched tires that the PO had on my FJ40 finally gave up last night. The sidewall of the passenger front split and pretty rapidly deflated while I was on Jackrabbit between Four Corners and Belgrade. I'd known the tires were on borrowed time, and the event was far less dramatic than I'd expected it to be.

Anyway, it's been a few years since I've had to buy any tires and I was hoping for some recommendations for a good tire shop in, around, or somewhat near Bozeman. Additionally, I need some tire recommendations too.

The last set of truck tires I was actually happy with were a set of BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain T/A. Those tires held up well to a lot of highway miles, had excellent snow and ice traction, didn't produce a lot of road noise, tracked straight on pavement, and help up well in the limited and mild trail driving I put them through. All in all, great tires for my use case. I'd love to have them on both my truck and my 40 (which both use the same tire size). Unfortunately, BFGoodrich doesn't seem to make the Rugged Terrain T/A in 31x10.5R15 anymore.

So please suggest your favorite local or local-ish tire shop. What tires would you recommend for a year-round daily driver that needs to be able to get to and from any hiking trail head within 100 miles of Bozeman every weekend?
 
I have the BFG KO2s. Good offroad and great in the winter. They have about 15k miles on them. Lots of tread left. When I read reviews before buying, lots of folks complained about lousy tread life, but I have not experienced that.

Eagle Tire in Bozeman had the best price for me. Nice guys. I've been happy with them. I was surprised how much the prices of the same tire varied when I called multiple tire shops. So be sure to call around on prices.
 
I was surprised how much the prices of the same tire varied when I called multiple tire shops. So be sure to call around on prices.

I've noticed the same thing. I called 4 shops yesterday to get quotes. I had figured the KO2s might be the closest I'm going to get to the Rugged Terrains. Per-tire quotes (including mounting, balancing, and disposal) ranged by more than $60.

I'm a bit wary of the KO2s as I had a set of tires with a similar tread pattern many years ago that were totally helpless in any wet conditions. I once got stuck in a flat field while repairing fences after a quick summer rain shower because of those tires. I'm sure they've improved the compound over those years, but my previous experience still makes me wary.
 
I'm a bit wary of the KO2s as I had a set of tires with a similar tread pattern many years ago that were totally helpless in any wet conditions.


I have the KO2s on my Ram 3500 dually, it is a whole different truck with those tires on it. I used to be able to spin donuts with out trying when I ran Nitto Terra Grapplers, not with the KO2s, they are solid on wet or snow packed roads.

I've been going back and forth between them on my 40 or the Maxxis Razr MTs.


Keep in mind the BFG tires all run about one size smaller than they should.
 
I have the KO2s on my Ram 3500 dually, it is a whole different truck with those tires on it. I used to be able to spin donuts with out trying when I ran Nitto Terra Grapplers, not with the KO2s, they are solid on wet or snow packed roads.

It's good to hear good that the KO2s work. I'm not as concerned about looks as function, but the KO2s do have a pretty classic look that I think would look at home on my 40.

Keep in mind the BFG tires all run about one size smaller than they should.

I'm currently running 31x10.5r15's on my pickup and the speedo is pretty close when checked to GPS. I have two different sets of tires on the 40 right now, but both sets are marked 31x10.5r15, and the speedo reads ~7% low. I had figured on buying 10 of whatever I decide on because both vehicles need new rubber, the spares are old enough to drink, and I'm hoping I can get a better deal by buying more.
 
My go to tire places are..

Interwest tire (local in Belgrade with fantastic service)
Costco (they get weird about adding bigger tires over stock sizes but can sometime flex, best if you travel far with the truck as any Costco warranties the tires)
Big O (they've treated me good in the past).

For a 40 with 15" wheels you might consider something like a 4 wheel parts or Tirerack.com to ship them to your store and have them mounted up. 15" tires are becoming less and less stocked but they are out there.

As for what tire to run...
  • What kind of driving do you do?
  • Do you need off road performance?
  • Does road noise bother you?
  • How long do you expect them to last?
  • Do you drive the 40 in the snow?
All that said, I have had great luck with the BFG KO2's they are simply a GREAT tire. I have also enjoyed the Goodyear Duratrac (amazing in the snow) as they look a little better to me, however I didn't get the mileage out of them that I had hoped. Toyo's are good but too heavy for me. Coopers have been getting awesome reviews but I haven't personally run them.

I am 100% satisfied with my BFG KO2.

If you want me to spend your money I would buy the BFG KM3 or Goodyear MT/R... they are the most "at home" looking tire for a 40 IMHO. I think all 40's look right with a mud tire, more than an all terrain. They drive like poo already, a mud tire isn't going to hurt you on the road.

BFG KM3...
The-FJ-Company-Land-Cruiser-FJ43-The-Aspen-Project-front-three-quarter-01-1024x683.jpg
 
As for what tire to run...
  • What kind of driving do you do?
  • Do you need off road performance?
  • Does road noise bother you?
  • How long do you expect them to last?
  • Do you drive the 40 in the snow?
I put on about 14,000 road miles a year, split between the 40 and my Pickup. I'd guess the 40 gets 30-40% of those miles. On the weekends my wife and I like to take our dogs out to play in the mountains. Most trail heads are easily accessible. Some are less accessible. Snow definitely adds another degree of challenge. Since we're always a single vehicle, we're pretty careful about how far we go in when conditions are iffy. We've been stuck a few times, but always been able to self recover. So as far as off road performance, an all-season light truck tire probably isn't going to cut it, but road manners are still pretty important. I've had really aggressive mud tires on vehicles in the past and I found that they wandered all over and hummed terribly on the road. That said, between my hearing loss from the military and how loud my 40 is, road noise probably isn't that big of deal. I think 4-5 years of service would be a pretty reasonable expectation.

Like I said in another post, I've been really happy with my BFG Rugged Terrains. I think I've decided to stick with that brand. So it'll either be the KO2s or the KM3s. So I guess the question is whether or not the additional off road and snow performance of the KM3s is worth the reduced on road performance, noise, and (I assume) accelerated tire wear?
 
100 series here but have to throw in a vote for Interwest Tire Factory, been going there exclusively for 5-6 years now and always done right by me. Also had the best prices on Duratrac's when I bought the first set and I'm almost through the second set, so I guess that's a vote for them too ;)

Oh, and Interwest has pretty solid dealer network through the west and southwest if you're traveling much.
 

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