2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Tire Question

[FLynes]

That said, I will tell you that the worst experience I ever had was with the BF Goodrich Commerical T/A. I bought them at BJ's (a type of Costco) and they absolutely sucked... they were way too hard and I wore them out in 15,000 miles. Maybe it was the wrong application, I dunno. This was when I had my '97 4x4 gasser. I switched over to the Michelin LTX, and never had another problem. The original size on that truck was supposed to be 245/75 but that just seems way too small, so I went up to the optional 265/75. Like I said before, when I bought the truck it had Goodyear 305/70's on it and it was just way too big for what I wanted and the alignment was totally out.

 

[JDriscoll]

The tires I'm look at are the BFG All Terrain T/A LT245/75R16/E. They don't stock them at the local store. If you look on the wal mart website, you order the tires online and they ship them to your local store. The website says the shipping is free and takes about a week.

 

[dseabaugh]

bought a set of goodyears at sam's for my wifes car. needeD to make a warrantee claim on a tire with a big knot on the side and went to a goodyear store and they would not warrantee it. they said by the number on the tire serial was a different tire than they sell cheapened up for sams. had to take it BACK to sam's. HAD the same thing on a set of Firestone steeltex. both sets load range E but the one's off my neighbors new Ford I was going to buy and the ones at Sam's had less plies when you read the sidewall than the ones I bought From the firestone Dealer. didn't make any difference though. Tread wore like Iron on the one's I bought from the dealer but 7 tires blew out the sidewall. forget Nittos. 10,000 miles and they were BALD

 

[SRath]

This all really goes to show that there is no substitute for 1) learning how to read a tire's sidewall info; and 2) actually spending the time and effort to shop around, which should include any performance comparisons you can find online or in good magazines.



Recapping (no pun intended) some of the great info so far:



Generally, the higher the load rating, the stiffer the sidewall and the firmer the ride. But that works well on our heavy diesels. And load ratings vary even among identical tire models with even slightly different sizing.



Tires with lots of siping are great on wet or icy roads, but won't live long on rocks and gravel or perform as well in mud.



When shopping for mud-tread tires, I generally look for staggered or asymetrical tread blocks or lugs, as opposed to those with rows of one continuous pattern. They bite and self-clean better and, in the case of the BFG Mud Terrains at least, have also been designed to lower road noise by cancelling or interupting harmonics.



The one important thing I don't think can be found on any sidewall is rubber hardness or wear info. That's a darn shame, too. For that, I think you have to talk to people who have owned them or, like I have done too many times, buy them and learn the hard way. The best "budget tire" I ever had on a 4x4 were Wild Country radial mud tires. They look and perform very much like BFG's and wear great. But my tire guy tells me they changed the rubber compound some years back and that they don't wear quite as good now as they used to.



I think the construction of the carcass is the single most important factor affecting how a tire wears. Stronger and stiffer tends to wear better in my experience, with Michelins, which I personally find to feel almost mushy, being the one notable exception. They tend to wear a long time on pavement. On my semi, I like them as drive tires, but can't stand them on the steer axle due to how much more the truck leans in corners. I also run my tires at max-inflation levels for optimum wear, load capacity, and fuel mileage.



I've never owned any of the newer 17, 18, or 20 inch wheels and tires. It is interesting to hear that the decreased sidewall height can lessen the load capacity. I never considered that, but it makes sense. It's obvious that they sure can't provide the shock absorbtion that the taller sidewall of the same diameter tire on a smaller diameter wheel can.



It's one more thing to compare when shopping for tires, which is a very important and significant investment.



I've found this thread very useful. Lots of good info and opinions here. Like one old motocross racer once told my son at the track while giving his approval of my boy's super gnarly new knobby: "The next best thing to a brand-new bike is a brand-new back tire. " The same holds true for truck tires IMO. Tires can change your truck's entire attitude.

 

[cArNiVaLwOrKeR]

I just put some Michelin AT 2's waiting to see what they do, need to buy a Thread measuring tool.





JoeLee



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[cArNiVaLwOrKeR]

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[MAllen1]

Trying to convince you on specific tire is like trying to talk politics, they're are always differences of opinion. I do know that 285 and 295/75-16 will fit under stock lift trucks. I have a friend that runs 305/70's that he says only scrubs when going over a terrace while turning sharp, so I figure a set of 2" spacers up front would fix that.

 

[Mr. Ken]

I had BFG AT in an E rated tire, and was pleased with the tire. Now I use the Toyo M55 E rated and I am very pleased with the tire. I think the M55 is a better tire, but what do I know. . I would recomend an E rated tire for many reasons.