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BFG Comm T/A Tires for truck?

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3rd gen...reese hitch...universal brackets...shock removal

I bought my first set of BFGs last year. I chose the All-Terrain T/A KOs in 285/75R16 as my winter tires and have been very happy with them. I have an extra set of rims and am trying to decide what to run in the summer. I like having a taller tire than the stock 245/265 75R16. I pull a 29 ft Hitchhiker II 5th wheel so I need an E rated tire.



I'm thinking of going with the BFG Commercial T/As or T/As Traction in a 235/85R16 size. Sam's Club has them for $120-125 each. These seem to be a lot cheaper than the other tires I've seen. Anybody have experience running these?
 
I have these tires on my 5th wheel and really like them. I recently had to get some new tires for my truck and I looked at these, but decided to go back with the Michelin's.
 
great tires

had a set of BFG Comm. T/A's on my 91 W250 4x4 got 60,000 miles off tires pulled a 32' toy box trailer for 20,000 of them miles. loved them tires. tryed to get a set for my 05 but did not make them in 17" size for truck.
 
I hope there are more options when I need tires. I am at 31K on the Generals now, no problems other than a couple of flats while hauling hauling hay in Oklahoma. I saw a couple of Firestone Transforce in my size yesterday that I liked the looks of. Don't know how they would do a truck. I just hate the idea of buying six tires. Saw that they were 208 a piece in the papr the other day. this is for the Michelin
 
HI,

All of our work trucks run the Commercial TA tires from Sams... . Good wear at a reasonable cost. Stable pulling our landscape trailers also. I have hauled our debris trailer (bumper pull) with 6000 lbs debris (trailer empty weighs about 3000 per landfill scales) and had no stability issues..... would definitely give them a thumbs up.

Hope this helps.

Andrew
 
BFG Commercial T/A is the next best thing to a Michelin. Michelin is the parent company and, in my opinion, the BFG is the right choice for someone who doesn't want to pay the premium price for Michelin tires.
 
RNelson, you might want to make for sure you're getting the load range E tires.



I was looking for tires for our truck and they had a great deal on LT 265/75R17's that were only $125. 00 each. Big problem is the tires were load range "C". went to tires plus and got 4 new firestone transforce. I never imagined I would be spending $225. 00 per tire installed.
 
Here's what BF Goodrich Commercial TA size LT235/85R16 load range E did for me running empty down the highway. Only time this tire had been off 80psi cold was when the tire was flying apart as it drug us down through the I-10 median. Long story behind this about the good Lord keeping us upright, and longer still about why I'll never buy a Mitchelin (BF Goodrich's parent company) again due to way they treat the customer. Anyway, I guess that's why one carries insurance and while the truck was in the body shop, I got the steel and welded up the bumper I had been planning a while anyway. A couple deer have tested it -- and lost.
 
Here's what BF Goodrich Commercial TA size LT235/85R16 load range E did for me running empty down the highway. Only time this tire had been off 80psi cold was when the tire was flying apart as it drug us down through the I-10 median. Long story behind this about the good Lord keeping us upright, and longer still about why I'll never buy a Mitchelin (BF Goodrich's parent company) again due to way they treat the customer. Anyway, I guess that's why one carries insurance and while the truck was in the body shop, I got the steel and welded up the bumper I had been planning a while anyway. A couple deer have tested it -- and lost.

Interesting. You didn't explain why that was Michelin's fault. If Michelin determined that you struck a road hazard in the highway they wouldn't accept responsibility. Can't really blame them. Sure looks like a new set of Michelins on the truck in the "after" photo.

I had a tread separation on a Uniroyal LT235/85R16LRE tire on my one year old HitchHiker fiver last spring while towing at 65 mph on I-40 between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa. Tire carcass was completely destroyed by the time I got it limped to an exit and the side of the trailer was damaged.

I towed straight to my local SAM's Club the following morning after I got home and had a set of Michelin XPS Ribs installed and discovered a second Uniroyal had already begun a tread separation. I called Michelin, also parent company of Uniroyal, and they requested that I have a local Uniroyal retailer examine and ship the Uniroyals back to them. Michelin promptly refunded the prorated refund on the unused portion of two of the Uniroyals and reimbursed me for repairs to the trailer at the NuWa (HitchHiker) factory. I remain a loyal Michelin buyer. I wouldn't buy anything else but, possibly, a BF Goodrich if I wanted to save a few bucks off the price of a Michelin.
 
Interesting. You didn't explain why that was Michelin's fault. If Michelin determined that you struck a road hazard in the highway they wouldn't accept responsibility. Can't really blame them. Sure looks like a new set of Michelins on the truck in the "after" photo.



My intention was to offer feedback to a direct request for folk’s experience with BFG Commercial TA's. I'm glad to hear that Michelin stood behind their product where you are concerned, but that was certainly not my experience. I've stayed quiet on all the Michelin endorsements appearing all across this forum, and only respond here to a direct inquiry.



As mentioned, it is a LONG story. I did not say it was Michelin's fault. As I told the Michelin rep who was handling my case, "I know you guys make a decent tire, but what I'm fixin' to find out is whether you're a decent company!" I have pictures demonstrating that there were no road hazards. The truck has never been off-road and that set of tires had never seen gravel. This tire did not experience a tread separation. It had a cord structure failure and separated completely from both sidewalls for most of the circumference of the tire while heading west down I-10 about 4-6 miles west of Deming, NM with the cruise control set on 75 mph. Leaving details of the incident to another post if anyone indicates interest; suffice to say that we narrowly avoided several serious obstructions in the median as well as two 18-wheelers with whom we had been on a brief collision course on the eastbound side of I-10 and came to a stop back in the median in a monstrous cloud of dust with not a scrap of rubber left on the rim - not even the valve stem.



Got the spare tire on and circled back collecting all the parts and pieces that the tire had torn off and continued on our way. We were going to Sierra Vista, AZ, and they don't have a Sam's there (where I had bought the tires), so I pulled into a Discount Tire and replaced both front tires with the Michelin LTX's you see in the 2nd picture. The folks there provided me claim forms and the address to contact at Michelin to file a claim for the tire and damage to the vehicle. We then left our son with his grandparents and continued on to Laughlin, NV for a couple days. After we got back to AZ, I was walking toward the side of my truck and, from about 15 yds away, I saw something strange on one of the back tires. Upon closer inspection it was clear that the cords were broke in one of the back tires (still the BFG Com TA's) and a knot like a softball cut in half was protruding under the tread starting from one shoulder and extending about 2/3 across the face of the tire. Back to Discount Tire for the other pair of LTX's.



Get home and send in the forms. I get back a pre-paid shipping label and box to send them the tire back. I take lots of pictures and then send it in. I get back a bunch of BS about running the tire underinflated along with 2 or 3 pamphlets about under-inflation damage on tires. I call Michelin back and let them know that I completely agree with their pamphlets on the point that their pictures are exactly what an under-inflated tire failure looks like. HOWEVER, that is not what my tire looks like. There is none of the tell-tail bruising and cuts circling around the inside sidewall liner that we've all seen on a tire that's been run very low or flat for any distance. No sidewall damage at all other than the radial splits that resulted from the blow-out. Furthermore, I did not suffer a tread separation. The tread was still firmly attached to the cord structure and everything from the tread through to the liner had ripped free of both sidewalls for nearly the circumference of the tire. Additionally, I had yet another tire with cord failure from the same set of Sam's BFG Com TA's. I have records to prove maintenance including inflation and rotation as well as the fact that this set of tires had always operated well within their load rating - no more than what would fit under the toneau cover whenever I was carrying anything at all, didn't even own a trailer at that time.



They still maintained it had been run flat. I told them that, "Your dang right! That thing was completely flat for 200 yds while we were shutting it down following the failure!!" And that this was the only time that tire had less than the sidewall recommended 80 psi cold pressure in it. That guy referred me to someone else there to supposedly take another look at my case, but who also refused to allow that they had produced at least two faulty tires. I guess they were gambling that I wouldn't hire a lawyer, and I guess they were right in that I decided it was simpler to file a claim against my comprehensive insurance coverage than fight them any longer. Lucky that no one got hurt or I would have. Silly me for expecting a company to do the right thing, but that's the last set of Michelin products that have ever been on any of our vehicles. I even ask the dealer to remove Michelins from new rigs I’m dealing on and figure replacing them myself into my offer if they refuse.



By the way, that pretty set of Michelin LTX's you see in the "after" picture? They had a cord failure under the tread at about 38,000 highway miles, too. And that happened running 60 mph down I-45 north of Houston. We got pulled over to the side and completely stopped before that one blew out through the sidewall as I was getting out of the cab to take a look at it. Now I’m on Goodyear rubber. Might even give Firestone a try.



I'm glad that Michelin stood behind their product where you were concerned, but they most certainly did not for me. And as a result, I'll not be giving them the opportunity to burn me again.
 
I regret that your experience was not as positive with Michelin as mine. Were you able to determine why they blamed underinflation for the failure?

In my tread-separation-at-speed experience the complete tread of the Uniroyal tire separated from the tire carcass and was jammed between the rear brake backing plate and the spring perch on my HH 5th wheel. The tire carcass blew out immediately when the tread separated and the carcass was totally destroyed by the time I limped it a mile or so to an exit to get safely away from the interstate highway to change the tire. Although inspection of the carcass couldn't have produced much information the tire retailer could see that the tread was intact and wasn't penetrated which, I guess, eliminated the possibility of road hazard damage.

The second Uniroyal was still mounted on the wheel, completely intact, and fully inflated but a sharp-eyed tire technician at my local SAM'S Club pointed out to me when it was removed from the trailer that a section of tread was standing away from the carcass indicating tread separation was beginning. It could be felt as I rubbed my hand over the tread surface.

Both tires (or remains of a tire) were returned to Michelin at Michelin's expense along with my brief signed statement describing what happened.

Michelin promptly agreed to compensate me for the remaining unused tire tread and mailed a check and a couple weeks later I had the trailer repaired I mailed a copy of the repair receipt. Michelin reimbursed me the full amount of the trailer repair, about $800 IIRC. I think the total compensation I received was $1000 - $1100.

My first Dodge Ram, a 2001, came with OEM Goodyear Wranglers. By 60,000 miles which was only about two years the GYs were showing cracking all around the circumference of the tires no the sidewalls. I also had more flats with those tires than any other tires before or afterwards. I've also read and heard of many tire failures by RVers using GY tires. I don't want any GYs.

I haven't had any experience with Firestones but I believe Firestone is owned by or affiliated with Bridgestone so they may be okay.

When I was transporting RVs and rolling up 135,000 miles per year I used nothing but Michelin light truck tires. I averaged about 110,000 miles per set and never had a tire problem of any type, never even a flat tire on several sets of Michelins and 400,000 miles of driving.
 
about 16 months ago i put a set of bf commericals on my f350, i put 2 on the front first, then about 3 months latter put a set of 4 on the rear. about the same time i put the rears on, i noticed a cracking pattern all the way around the side wall of the tire[ about 2. 5 inches] below the tread[drivers front]. due to the frequent heavy towing i do, i chk my pressures weekly. so the tire pressure wasnt an issue. the tire dealer claimed the craks were due to ageing/sun exposure. i claimed they were less then 3 months old, he then replaced the tire for free. low and behold 2 more months passed, and the passenger front has done the same thing. i'am still running that tire , but will replace both front's very soon. all the rear tires are performing flawlessly, and i know of a few others running this exact tire with no issues. after seeing this thread [mr McCauley]and my experiences, i'am wondering if there maybe wasnt a bad lot of tires produced. .
 
about 16 months ago i put a set of bf commericals on my f350, i put 2 on the front first, then about 3 months latter put a set of 4 on the rear. about the same time i put the rears on, i noticed a cracking pattern all the way around the side wall of the tire[ about 2. 5 inches] below the tread[drivers front]. due to the frequent heavy towing i do, i chk my pressures weekly. so the tire pressure wasnt an issue. the tire dealer claimed the craks were due to ageing/sun exposure. i claimed they were less then 3 months old, he then replaced the tire for free. low and behold 2 more months passed, and the passenger front has done the same thing. i'am still running that tire , but will replace both front's very soon. all the rear tires are performing flawlessly, and i know of a few others running this exact tire with no issues. after seeing this thread [mr McCauley]and my experiences, i'am wondering if there maybe wasnt a bad lot of tires produced. .

I suppose it is possible that BFG ran a bad batch of tires.

Did you check the DOT code on the inside sidewall of the tire? The DOT code will tell you when the tire was molded. Occasionally a tire retailer sells old stock that has been in a warehouse for a long time. Even though the tire is fresh to you it could be several years old already.
 
I hope there are more options when I need tires. I am at 31K on the Generals now, no problems other than a couple of flats while hauling hauling hay in Oklahoma. I saw a couple of Firestone Transforce in my size yesterday that I liked the looks of. Don't know how they would do a truck. I just hate the idea of buying six tires. Saw that they were 208 a piece in the papr the other day. this is for the Michelin



Okie-Go,



I am running Firestone Transforce AT's. Here's my original post:



What Tires to Buy Next



I have over 40k on these now and they still have plenty of tread left. They worked very well in the deep snow (even empty and in 2wd) when I lived up there and have held up well even with the high temps down here in the south. My trailer weighs in at close to 14k and I do load this truck up a lot.

PM me if you want more info on these.



Juan
 
I suppose it is possible that BFG ran a bad batch of tires.



Did you check the DOT code on the inside sidewall of the tire? The DOT code will tell you when the tire was molded. Occasionally a tire retailer sells old stock that has been in a warehouse for a long time. Even though the tire is fresh to you it could be several years old already.
yes sir. there was 8 months difference in the build date. the tire dealer is a high volume dealer. there has been times have had to wait for tires to come in, matter of fact i had to wait on the front two originally. with all the commercial buisness in my region, the dealer sales a lot of these tires. as you say, these could have sat in a warehouse else where though. could have been my luck to get a dud though, like i said, i know lot's of folks running them with zero issues.

i dont know if there's any truth to this statement, but i know of a couple folks who wont buy tires from sam's. they claim they have bought name brand tires such as bfg's,general's etc, and had issues with them. rumor that sam's sold second's or blemished tires has floated around a time or two. i find it hard to believe, but i guess it could be possible? mr mora. glad to see your sucess with the transforce tires. i bought a set for my dodge back in september, just before makeing a long haul trip. yours is the first comment i have heard on these tires, other then the dealers. so far my use of them has been positive. fair price for a 17" in tire also!
 
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .....

i dont know if there's any truth to this statement, but i know of a couple folks who wont buy tires from sam's. they claim they have bought name brand tires such as bfg's,general's etc, and had issues with them. rumor that sam's sold second's or blemished tires has floated around a time or two. i find it hard to believe, but i guess it could be possible?... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . quote]

No, not true. My guess is that story comes from some of the same folks who hate Wal-Mart for selling goods at discount prices. No, SAM's Club and COSTCO sell the identical Michelin, BF Goodrich, Goodyear, General, and other brands that the tire retailers do and are a couple of the largest volume tire retailers in the US.

Their tires turnover quickly and they never have old inventory in stock. I've bought so many tires from my local SAM's Club and know the tire techs so well they check and match DOT code mold dates for me when I buy a new set making sure that the mold dates are recent and within several weeks of each other.

It is true that Wal-Marts sell the lower end or cheaper lines of the brand names they sell. That is the nature of Wal-Mart. They sell a lot of less expensive clothing, furniture, and other products to hard-working lower income customers. They don't pretend to be a high end retailer for the rich.

SAM's Clubs and Wal-Mart Supercenters are my type of store . . . but I don't buy clothing or furniture from Wal-Mart.
 
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