2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Mt/r, Bfg M/t, Bfg A/t ??

[Ralph Heron]

Bulking up the tires on the rig. Running the stock rims (6. 5" steel on my 1998. 5 ISB), stock ride height with 245/75/16s (Michelin A/T). Going to 285's and just wanted to get feedback on these three tires listed.



Looking for something that has okay wear, good mud/snow performance and a tough appearance. All three dont have an E rated tire in this size but their max loads on their D's are in range. Truck will be driven on dry pavement primarily , winters will see travel into the snow. I'd be happy to get 50k out of the chosen tire. Price is not a really big issue (within reason of course)



Currently leaning towards the MT/R (tough appearance) but dont know how well it will handle the CTD weight.



Thx in advance,

Ralph-

 

[RabidRam]

Absolutely love my BFG A/T's. I've put about 30K miles on them without a problem and they still have about 1/2 tread. They handled the snow much better then I thought they would. I highly recommend them.



I have no experience with the other tires (yet), so I am admitedly bias (pardon the pun).



Dave

 

[gonehuntingagain]

I put the BFG mud tire on my 94 that had the 6. 5" rim - the tires wore severely down the middle even with varying the air pressure. The rims were so narrow that they literally pulled the outer tread in and up off of the road. Just my personal experience, maybe I was doing something wrong but I only got < 20,000 miles out of the tires. They did kick butt in the snow and muck, and I may get them again for my 2000 since it has wider rims and it looks like I can get them in a 265 size as well.

 

[ARedetzke]

I've got the MTRs (285s) on my 1st gen. Have probably 30k on them (speedo doesn't work all the time, so that's a conservative estimate). They might make 35k, I plan on replacing them next year. I rotate them religiously, which has helped a lot. Also probably 10-12k of that mileage is with a loaded 24 ft GN behind it. Overall, I'm very pleased with the performance and life I have gotten out them. They're a good tire, although I have seen a buddy burn up 2 of them in about 10k, but his frontend needed rebuilt and he never rotated, the rears looked brand new.

AJ

 

[Ralph Heron]

EA 589 wheel size??

RabidRAM,



What size 589's are you running on your 33's (16. 5 x9. 75, i'm guessing)?? Any input on running 16 x 10 ?



Rgds,

Ralph

 

[ces944]

I Just went from 245 to 285's last week. And it was a mess the stock rims are only 6. 5" width and if you go with the 285 the min. rim you can have is 7". So I ended up getting a nice set of American Racing BAJA rims with BFG AT on them. I absolutly love these tires. Their great on pavement, dirt and the rain, havent tried out the snow yet.

 

[Clinton]

I thought the BFG A/Ts had a really poor service life on my rig. I've had friends with CTD equipped Rams that told me the two mud treads you're looking at were even worse. Look at the Toyo M-55s. They provide an incredible service life and are great in the mud and snow. They also fit the bill for tough appearance.

 

[BKenny]

Im running 285/75/16 BFG/ ATs on my rig and i have the factory polished aluminum wheels . Im not sure how wide they are but they fit and look good when i bought mine it had Michlen 265s on it . I have only had them on this truck for alittle over a mounth but i have had them on my bronco for 5 years . I love them but i don,t play in the mud unless i have to it depends on your driveing prefrents.

 

[Duane George]

i went from to 245's to 285's on stock rims. i have had no problems. only thing is you have to run lower psi to get good rubber to road contact. it will lower your rpm's and you will read about 7. 75% less on the speed and milage.

good luck!



Duane

 

[kentdiesel]

I've run BFG 285 A/T's for 30,000 miles and I believe they will go aleast 10,000 more. They are on stock 6. 5" wide chrome rims. I have run 55psi in front and 45 psi in the rear.

They are quiet, drive and ride fine and I'm pleased with how even they have worn on the narrow stock rims.

They worn down to 12/32's quick but after that they have wore very slow.

One suggestion, Don't forget to change the spare to a 285 also.



Kent

 

[JGK]

In my quest for tires over the 4 years I've owned my truck, I've learned that users and suppliers both agree to avoid putting 285s on the 6. 5 inch rims. As gonehuntingagain said, you'll wear out the middles. One BFG retailer refused to mount them on my stock 6. 5 inch rims. I've never actually owwned/run and BFG tires, by the way.



I'm now trying my third set of tires on this truck. On my last set I got 8 inch rims and moved to the 285s. They were gone in 25k miles (Toyo Open Country).



This Labor Day weekend I went with siped Toyo M55s. I think these will be good. Commercial grade E rated mud + snow. Every one said they're tough as nails. So far, on dry and wet pavement they've been great.



-Jay

 

[ChillyDog]

I have close to 80,000 miles on my 285/75/16 BFG AT's and I will buy nothing else. They will need to be replaced before winter but they have plenty of summer tread left. I am extremly pleased with the durability and traction of these tires. I run 55 psi front and 50 psi rear.

 

[MBean]

BFG A/Ts!!!

Since new purchase (11/00), I have run the stock Michelin 265s, Big O A/T 285s, and my current BFG A/Ts. The Michelins were gone in 30k, the Big Os in another 32k. I just recently (read less than a month) went to the BFG A/Ts in 285. I considered numerous points when making my decision...

- What do most others here in TDRLand run on a rig similar to mine?

- What do other CTD owners not in TDRLand run on similar rigs?

- Price (Are they like having gold on my rims?. ?. ?)

- Experience w/ other brands :-{}



I chose BFGs for the first three points. First, people like Steve St. Laurent run BFG A/T 285s on their rigs. Second, I know two other CTD owners in town (that don't want to join TDR for some reason) that both run BFG A/T 285s on their rigs. They love 'em, too! Lastly, the price was VERY nice. I got them mounted & balanced for free and only paid $160 per tire from Big O Tires. Another place in town that is known for good deals was able to match the price, but wanted $12. 50 each (X5) to mount and balance them, and rotations were $20. 00. At Big O, they rotate for free! Oo.



These knowledgeable/experienced people knew what they were talking about. As soon as I put the truck in gear @ the tire shop, I IMMEDIATELY noticed a HUGE difference in the handling/steering of the truck. I have had cause to try them in the mud (GREAT PERFORMANCE!), and even on drenched (read gully washer downpour) pavement (GREAT PERFORMANCE, too!)



Bottom line... for my $$$, I'm going w/ BFG A/Ts for sure!

 

[mmclaughlin]

Bridgestone M/T's here

I put on a set of Bridgestone 285's on my truck last year (about 25k miles ago) and I absolutely love these tires! I have an 01, so I don't know if there is any diffence in wheel size, but these tires seem to be wearing very evenly and they have a ton of tread left - I would guess I will probably get between 50-65k on these tires (when I bought them, I figured 40k at the most). The reason why I went with the M/T tire was that my truck really stunk in any kind of dirt/mud/grass/snow - really just about anything other then dry pavement. I don't have a limited slip in my truck, so I was always having to go into 4wd just to move through anything. Once I put the M/T's on, I have had no problems at all - and now I can actually go through some of the deep stuff, something I would never even have tried before. They are a bit more noisey on the road, but it's really not that noticable. They are surprisingly good on the pavement, and I have been very impressed with the wet traction on the pavement - an added bonus! The look is great, too! They have a real mean look and an aggressive stance that really make the truck look great.

 

[RabidRam]

RabidRAM,



What size 589's are you running on your 33's (16. 5 x9. 75, i'm guessing)?? Any input on running 16 x 10 ?



Rgds,

Ralph

Good guess. You nailed it. Although, as I'm typing this, my truck is in the shop getting a set of 35x12. 5x16. 5 BFG M/T's put on. I have absolutely no complaints with my A/T's... it's just that these came along for an absolute steal and I couldn't pass them up. Oh yeah... and they're bigger :-laf



Sorry, but I have no input on running a 16x10.



Dave

 

[Ralph Heron]

spare tire ??

RabidRam,



Did you get a spare in this same size (AE 16. 5 x 9. 75 + 33 x 12. 5 x 16. 6 BGF AT) and did it fit under the truck ?? I've got a quadcab with the shortbox...



Thx,

Ralph-

 

[RabidRam]

RabidRam,



Did you get a spare in this same size (AE 16. 5 x 9. 75 + 33 x 12. 5 x 16. 6 BGF AT) and did it fit under the truck ?? I've got a quadcab with the shortbox...



Thx,

Ralph-

I didn't have a spare for the 33 A/T's. I AM getting a spare for the 35 M/T's (just mounted on a p. o. s. steel wheel), but I'm pretty dang sure that a 35 won't fit under the truck. I've got a friend that is going to fab up one of those baja racer lookin' bed mount deals. I never tried fittin' a 33 underneath. If it does fit, then it's gotta be mighty tight. I'm pretty sure the limiting factor is the distance between the inside of the receiver hitch. I'm guessin' you could measure that before you find out that you've got no place to put your spare.



Sorry, Ralph. I'm just not much help, am I?



Dave

 

[y-knot]

I have never owned a pair of AT's, but I have bought several sets of the BFG MT's. They are a very good wearing and low noise tire. The side walls are very stiff, and the ride suffers some because of it, but they seem to out last every other mud tire out there. I run the 255-85-16 BGF MT on my truck in the winter and 255-85-16 Trxus MT in the summer months. The Trxus tires are a bit softer, and ride a little better. They both are low noise tires, for a mud tread. The Goodyear MTR's are very loud and wear faster, for comparison. I would buy either one over again, I also have a Ford with a set of BFG MT's as well. Both give long service and both cost about the same, the Trxus is 15020 bucks cheaper most places. I bought all my sets from 4Wheel parts, they are great to deal with and offer fantastic prices. I bought during a sale and when shipping was free. Between the money you save per tire and the state sales tax which I was exempt from paying, it's very easy to save 200 or more over what they sell locally for. Kind of a no brainier.

 

[BBarry]

I had 285 bfg mt's on my 98 V10 mounted on the stock rims. I rotated about every 5k miles and the tires still had 25% the tread left after 50,000 miles. The 02 has 285 Goodyear MTR's on it. The MTR's have around 30,000 miles on them and probably a third of tread left. I didn't rotate them until they had 25,000 miles on them. The BFG's are better mud tires but the MTR's will take alot more punishment. I have not been able to cut the MTR sidewalls no matter what I've dragged them over. The MTR's make more noise and they get louder the shallower the tread gets.

 

[Chipstien]

Got 60000 out of my BFG AT's. Other then sandblasting the rockers, they were great.