New Tires Needed Advice Appreciated

[Michael Montgomery]

Hi guys upon my tracking done recently for the vehicle noticed but knew already the Copper STT tyres need to change soon.

Although there's plenty of tread the cracking on the side walls are visible & only gonna get worse.

They have been on the vehicle for 5 1/2 years & are 2011 manufactured.

There not the best for my needs nor for getting the tracking on the car right but that's another story....lol

I've interested in BF Goodrich KO2's that a great tyre from what ive read from you guys. Only thing I'm looking at is do I go for the same size being 285-75-15 or is there another better alternative.

I have a 2 inch lift OME with standard 16 inch Toyota wheels.

I don't go off road much but looking for a strong tyre as the roads here are not great.

Thanks in advance

 

[t1pper]

I am running the standard BFG ATs and I have been really pleased with them, no punchers and really good even wear over 35,000 miles.

 

[garygiles1963]

I wrote the below a few weeks back. I choose these because of budget, saved myself £200.00 against BFG ATs.

Hi

As a follow up to my purchase.

I had a set of Cooper Discoverer A/T 3 265/65R17 120 R fitted a couple of months back. Just come back from a 6500 mile trip round Norway and Sweden. Did 80% road, 20% dirt track, lots a of wet roads.

I bloomin love them. At no time did they fail me. Quiet on tarmac. Never felt unsure, always felt I had total control. I'm really glad I brought these.

G.

 

[goodoldboy]

Hi guys upon my tracking done recently for the vehicle noticed but knew already the Copper STT tyres need to change soon.

Although there's plenty of tread the cracking on the side walls are visible & only gonna get worse.

They have been on the vehicle for 5 1/2 years & are 2011 manufactured.

There not the best for my needs nor for getting the tracking on the car right but that's another story....lol

I've interested in BF Goodrich KO2's that a great tyre from what ive read from you guys. Only thing I'm looking at is do I go for the same size being 285-75-15 or is there another better alternative.

I have a 2 inch lift OME with standard 16 inch Toyota wheels.

I don't go off road much but looking for a strong tyre as the roads here are not great.
Thanks in advance

is the cracking around the sidewall tread blocks? I had an issue with this & it turned out to be a quality control problem & Cooper replaced the tyres free of charge.I posted a thread : result from Cooper tyres. iirc.

 

[Dave2000]

I guess you know I will not be recommending Yokohama right?

https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/threads/yokohama-geolander-review.146705/#post-1427153

After making enquiries on forums other than this one, it seems the Yokohama do indeed have softer sidewalls. Purely speculation but, with 'real' 4x4's now very rare and with most 4x4 vehicle brands aiming at the 'soft roader' market, (witness LR's electric handbrake needs stripping and cleaning every FIFTY off road miles), it does seem Yokohama feel the need for a more comfort bias tyre.

FWIW customer support never did get back to me.

regards

Dave

 

[Michael Montgomery]

is the cracking around the sidewall tread blocks? I had an issue with this & it turned out to be a quality control problem & Cooper replaced the tyres free of charge.I posted a thread : result from Cooper tyres. iirc.

Wish I could get them to take responsibility but in Cyprus customer service is no where near the levels in the U.K unfortunately.

The tyre store this is normal for this length of time for tyres here.

Besides I'm not looking to get the same tyres again this time around mate.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Michael Montgomery]

I wrote the below a few weeks back. I choose these because of budget, saved myself £200.00 against BFG ATs.

Hi

As a follow up to my purchase.

I had a set of Cooper Discoverer A/T 3 265/65R17 120 R fitted a couple of months back. Just come back from a 6500 mile trip round Norway and Sweden. Did 80% road, 20% dirt track, lots a of wet roads.

I bloomin love them. At no time did they fail me. Quiet on tarmac. Never felt unsure, always felt I had total control. I'm really glad I brought these.

G.

Interested in alternative choices too Gary as I'm gonna be looking around for quotes soon here. Thank you for your opinion & experience.

 

[Michael Montgomery]

I guess you know I will not be recommending Yokohama right?

https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/threads/yokohama-geolander-review.146705/#post-1427153

After making enquiries on forums other than this one, it seems the Yokohama do indeed have softer sidewalls. Purely speculation but, with 'real' 4x4's now very rare and with most 4x4 vehicle brands aiming at the 'soft roader' market, (witness LR's electric handbrake needs stripping and cleaning every FIFTY off road miles), it does seem Yokohama feel the need for a more comfort bias tyre.

FWIW customer support never did get back to me.

regards

Dave

Did read you unfortunate experience a while back Dave. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Certainly wanna get the tyre choice & size right being a big expense on these vehicles.

Thanks

 

[Michael Montgomery]

I am running the standard BFG ATs and I have been really pleased with them, no punchers and really good even wear over 35,000 miles.

What size you running & how long you had them mate?

Thanks

 

[GeorgeG]

Interested in alternative choices too ..

After many years of experience I got to conclusion: There are no better tires for all terain usage than BFGoodrich AT. This is all experience, no theory! Sizes 285/75/16 and bigger. Small sizes are different story. I've tried KO2...too soft, just like BFG Mud (old ones). They'll be eaten by the asphalt in 10K km. Then tried Good Year Duratrack. Soft again but great in the snow when new. At one point had Toyo open country for awhile...I won't even bother talking about this shit. Kumho KL1 are not bad at all BUT on small vehicles like Suzuki Vitara or so. On the 80 were terrible over all on all kind of terrain exept dry dirt road. All tires are good on dry dirt road. Had Yokohamas on the truck for less than 24hours. They were the most expensive tires I've ever bought. Never again!...So, BFG AT...they're bad in the mud. If you keep that on mind you'll be fine! I have 295/75/16 on now. This set is two years old. They have aprox. 25000km on. I was in Morocco with those last year....still alive and I think to take them to Africa again in spring. Speaking of the trip to Morocco. We had a bunch of flat tires and....none ot them was on a BFG AT.

All that of course is my subjective opinion!

Cheers!

 

[Michael Montgomery]

After many years of experience I got to conclusion: There are no better tires for all terain usage than BFGoodrich AT. This is all experience, no theory! Sizes 285/75/16 and bigger. Small sizes are different story. I've tried KO2...too soft, just like BFG Mud (old ones). They'll be eaten by the asphalt in 10K km. Then tried Good Year Duratrack. Soft again but great in the snow when new. At one point had Toyo open country for awhile...I won't even bother talking about this shit. Kumho KL1 are not bad at all BUT on small vehicles like Suzuki Vitara or so. On the 80 were terrible over all on all kind of terrain exept dry dirt road. All tires are good on dry dirt road. Had Yokohamas on the truck for less than 24hours. They were the most expensive tires I've ever bought. Never again!...So, BFG AT...they're bad in the mud. If you keep that on mind you'll be fine! I have 295/75/16 on now. This set is two years old. They have aprox. 25000km on. I was in Morocco with those last year....still alive and I think to take them to Africa again in spring. Speaking of the trip to Morocco. We had a bunch of flat tires and....none ot them was on a BFG AT.

All that of course is my subjective opinion!

Cheers!

Hi George BF Goodrich looks the right choice for me too, they look solid & durable with a great reputation. Mud is not a issue as I don't off road.
Just was thinking if there is another cheaper tyre that meets my needs. I don't drive that much being that fuel prices are pricy here & like the coopers I won't get the most outta them over time.
You have a lot of experience thanks for sharing.

 

[MarkW]

I put some K02's on my 95 just before the Morocco trip and they've been fantastic so far compared to the old BFG AT's I had. Be interesting to see if they last as long as the old set (30k miles still a bit of life left). The K02s seemed to prefer a slightly higher pressure off road than the previous set.

Never had a puncture in a BFG this year I did get a big cut in the wall of one, frustrating on a new tyre but it was a tough day on rocks and any other tyre probably would have been shredded.

 

[clivehorridge]

I like BFG, muds on at the moment and I'm trying to source KO2s.

When I found them here, I didn't have the cash, now I have the cash... well, you know how it goes.

I want 305/70/16 (only 'cos they don't make a 305/75/16) even considered 315/75/16 which they do make, but still like hen's teeth...

 

[Michael Montgomery]

I like BFG, muds on at the moment and I'm trying to source KO2s.

When I found them here, I didn't have the cash, now I have the cash... well, you know how it goes.

I want 305/70/16 (only 'cos they don't make a 305/75/16) even considered 315/75/16 which they do make, but still like hen's teeth...

Sorry to hear you missed out Clive unfortunately this always seems to be the case....lol

Don't think 315/75/16 would work for me on standard 16 in rims. They seem a far bit larger then 285's. Maybe perfect for your widen 10inch rims Clive.

As for size I'm looking for a compromise on size vs cost including extra fuel consumption figures. The charts shows a comparative in tyre size differences.

Do I go standard with 275 70 16's maybe better fuel but untimately looks small on a two inch lift?
Keep the 285 75 16 setup which look large enough on the standard stock wheel!!
Trying to get a good feel on what's best.

Thanks

 

[t1pper]

Just to add on the BFG AT, mine have done well in access of 30,000 miles and have not even worn the moulding dimples away yet!
I run them at around 41_42 psi and have worn fantastically evenly, they are not rotational so they are easy to move round the car to get the best out of them.
My driving is relaxed with mostly road work but a fair amount of towing, I do run on some unsurfaced tracks and of road but no deep mud.
I estimate to get in excess of 60K miles all being well, my mileage is 20k+ per year so I doubt they will have time to get old and perish.

 

[clivehorridge]

Sorry to hear you missed out Clive unfortunately this always seems to be the case....lol

Don't think 315/75/16 would work for me on standard 16 in rims. They seem a far bit larger then 285's. Maybe perfect for your widen 10inch rims Clive.

As for size I'm looking for a compromise on size vs cost including extra fuel consumption figures. The charts shows a comparative in tyre size differences.

Do I go standard with 275 70 16's maybe better fuel but untimately looks small on a two inch lift?
Keep the 285 75 16 setup which look large enough on the standard stock wheel!!
Trying to get a good feel on what's best.

Thanks

View attachment 110132 View attachment 110133

Given the above, I'd go with the 285/75/16s, you'd get a good compromise, IMO.

Wider than 285 does hit the fuel and speed, the increased rolling resistance is noticeable. I'm no speed merchant and I don't do high kms, so I don't really care.

285 will give a usable Offroad performance (I've had no problems with my 305s that I wouldn't have had with narrower IMO) and if you keep the psi high on asphalt, you should get a reasonable mpg out of them.

With the 75 ratio, you get close to a 33" dia, which is also good.

 

[GeorgeG]

Wider than 285 does hit the fuel and speed, the increased rolling resistance is noticeable.....

That's a fact! I had 285... and now I have 295... Fuel consuption increased by aprox. 0.3-0.4 ltr/100km. I did not notice any other difference between the two. Oh, yah, speedometer! With 285's shows 11% difference and with 295's shows 12%. Got the 295's just because I got a good deal on them.

 

[Dave2000]

I had BFG's on my Land Rover Discovery, used it as a daily driver and competitions as well. Brilliant tyre IMO, just could not get them with the rating my insurance company were going to be happy about.

I did have Toyo 'Open Country' and they seemed a good tyre until a few years later and still with plenty of tread they went soft and picked up anything they could on the road and they were prone to punctures. The first couple of years I was happy with them.

Changed to Yokohama looking for more longevity and they had plain black walls (which I prefer) and had the correct speed rating for the 80 seemed to tick all the boxes but alas...................

regards

Dave

 

[Michael Montgomery]

On the search for new tyres being quoted here €235 each for BF Goodrich KO2's from one company .....Ouch
Another company had BF Goodrich KO's at 2015 production date for 950TL being a little more but prices here on the north are gonna go up as the exchange rate has become poorer here recently.

My cousin who owns a garage recommend getting Chinese tyres.
I was alarmed at first but he assured me that their much cheaper & certain brands are very good.
I'm getting a price on the brand Jinyu and gonna look at them in the store soon. These are all terrain tyres size 285-75-16's.

P.s these kinda old tyres I was alarmed at to hear it costing $25 to produce yet costing 10 times or more to the consumer. Something doesn't sound right with these numbers!!

 

[clivehorridge]

On the search for new tyres being quoted here €235 each for BF Goodrich KO2's from one company .....Ouch!

I was offered a set of 5 for €1,000 (here) when I didn't have the money, which is somewhat less than that.