[stan the man]

I've been negotiating with all the tire shops around town- America's tire, 4WP, and even the local shop- I've got them beating eachother's prices and some of my own

My plan was to get 5 BFG All terrains since my truck sees about 11k on road miles a year. I was planning on getting Cragar Soft 8 wheels because they are cheap!

The best deal has been at America's tires:
5x BFG At (35"x12.5"R15) = $160 x 5 (- $60 just because) = $740
5 Cragar Soft 8's (15"x 8") = $40 x 5 = $200
Plus mounting/balancing, free replacement warranty and other BS brings the total cost to just above

$1150



I was browsing craigslist for one last attempt to find a good set of used tires before I made my America's tire purchase (I have had no luck with the people on craigslist- always been scammed, "These tires are new...oh theres a missing lug?)

Here is the ad:

I have a set of 5 35" tires and wheels. they are new, one tire is brand new and the other 4 have 95% tred. they are bfg mud terrian size 35x 12.50 r 15.
This is really cheap for 5 brand new tires with rims considering some of the ads on craigslist and the tires are 200 a piece new
i am asking 850 O.B.O

My thinking was to go and check the tires out just because. I got the guy down to $800 for it all. He claims the tires have less than 1000 miles on them. The wheels are "Wagon" wheels as most can see and since they were on a CJ they have the 5x5.5 spacing. If I really dont like the wheels, I can buy my own set and swap them out. I can sell those wagon wheels and my stock rims/tires to cover the cost of the new wheels.



Somebody help me out. I cant decide which is a better Idea. Spending more money and getting a good warranty (especially for offroad) and go with the ATs or getting these MTs and saving a few dollars, but they will probably only last 30k max.

 

[95thebroncoman351]

get the A/Ts they last a helluva lot longer
and then you do get that warranty, and the rims you like mounted all in one go.
two pennies

 

[stan the man]

get the A/Ts they last a helluva lot longer
and then you do get that warranty, and the rims you like mounted all in one go.
two pennies

Thanks, thats what my girlfriend just told me. She said the warranty would be a good thing, especially offroad because sideways are prone to punctures. It's not that much more expensive to get the new stuff, and it could pay off in the long run.

 

[nc mack man]

Bfg\ ATs :thumbup

 

[95thebroncoman351]

Thanks, thats what my girlfriend just told me. She said the warranty would be a good thing, especially offroad because sideways are prone to punctures. It's not that much more expensive to get the new stuff, and it could pay off in the long run.

that and youll be spending a bit of coin for dismount of the new tire/wagon wheels then more coin to mount and balance on the new rims

 

[stan the man]

that and youll be spending a bit of coin for dismount of the new tire/wagon wheels then more coin to mount and balance on the new rims

good point.




I figure the AT's arent going to be much worse offroad than the MTs, especially since I hate cleaning mud and rarely go through it. I just cant find it pleasant offroading in the rain (when there is the most amount of mud). Also the ATs kick royal ass on the highway, which my truck see a lot of- Daily driver/weekend warrior.

 

[william_ace]

ehhh i didnt like my AT's. i mean they rode good but they always got boogerd up off road. i always wish i had gone with MT's. and so will you

 

[Hopper]

I didn't like the ATs on my Bronco, and I HATED the ATs on my SuperDuty.

The SuperDuty must have had 40+ flats over the life of the tires. In the last 4k miles, I got a flat nearly every other time I drove it. They still had about 1/4" of tread. I finally gave up on them when I ruined one by driving a 1x.5" pebble through the fuking tread. The pebble was loose and went in endways. This was at 19k miles.

They also got ridiculously chewed up by everything. Overall they are a road tire; IMO, if your rig sees dirt, you don't want ATs.

The next set of tires I ran were MT/Rs. They outlasted the BFGs and only gave me about eight flats over the life of the tires. They were phenomenally better offroad as well. They ran about 24k miles. They also drove just as good if not better on the street. They were no more noisy.

The truck currently has Interco Trxus MTs. I've only had them on there for a short while, but they can pretty much be summed up as a little better than MT/Rs in mud (and a tiny bit better in other pavementless situations, from my limited experience) and shake a little more on the street.

I'll run ATs on a light vehicle like a Jeep, but never again on a fullsize...

I say pick up the MTs or go for a set of MT/Rs.

....and aluminum wheels would look much better than steelies :toothless

 

[BigBlue 94]

I didn't like the ATs on my Bronco, and I HATED the ATs on my SuperDuty.

The SuperDuty must have had 40+ flats over the life of the tires. In the last 4k miles, I got a flat nearly every other time I drove it. They still had about 1/4" of tread. I finally gave up on them when I ruined one by driving a 1x.5" pebble through the fuking tread. The pebble was loose and went in endways.

They also got rediclously chewed up by everything. Overall they are a road tire; IMO, if your rig sees dirt, you don't want ATs.

I'll run ATs on a light vehicle like a Jeep, but never again on a fullsize...

....and aluminum wheels would look much better than steelies :toothless

x2 i hated the AT's on my bronco. they never held air and they sucked ass anywhere but on road.

the MT's will last just as long and will look better.

i have never seen someone charge for dismount and then again for remount.

 

[stan the man]

I know that the AT's are going to be slightly worse offroad, but not by a significant amount from what I have seen. My choice is the BFG AT because I will be getting it for about the same price as any other AT. My main reasoning for not wanting MTs is that I cant afford to replace them every year and a half or two years. For a truck that only sees trails 9-12 times a year (with only one or two of those trips being in the mud), I think they better suit me.

 

[stan the man]

How many miles is everyone getting out of their Radial Mud terrains. I usually see/hear that the norm is 25-30k miles, and Im assuming the last couple thousand miles are with minimal tread.

 

[Hopper]

I'd talk to Danny (Dewars or something like that). He was in the same position as you and was sticking to his guns on running the ATs. He was ruining one every single wheeling trip he took.

Finally, he caved to our advice and bought some radial Swampers. :toothless

EDIT:

On a 2003 TJ Sahara, I've seen a set of 33x10.50 BFG MTs go 35k miles with rare rotation.

 

[ScorpionBoy]

i never have probs with my ATs. even drive them on sharp rocks and everything.

 

[stan the man]

I'd talk to Danny (Dewars or something like that). He was in the same position as you and was sticking to his guns on running the ATs. He was ruining one every single wheeling trip he took.

Finally, he caved to our advice and bought some radial Swampers. :toothless

EDIT:

On a 2003 TJ Sahara, I've seen a set of 33x10.50 BFG MTs go 35k miles with rare rotation.

Flats are covered by the lifetime of the tire warranty. If I rip, puncture, or do anything else on or offroad and the shop cant repair it. I get a new tire free of charge. That would save me tons of money, plus dont the ATs and the MTs have the same 3-ply sidewall? (im not trying to be a pain, just understanding because its a lot of money to spend at one time for either route.)

 

[Hopper]

I doubt that they will warrenty a tire that's been abused off road. You might get one or two by, but after you start really costing them money, they will find a way to deny you (IME). Every tire warranty I've ever gotten has explicitly stated that if they were damaged off road, they are not covered. Since they knew that the SD was used in a farm setting, they denied my second request for a new tire since they knew that the tires were "being used beyond their intended purpose" or some such BS.

IIRC the ATs and the MTs do share the same sidewall. What I have found though is that the AT's are weaker in the tread area than in the MTs. I dunno if this is a fluke or not, but there have been at least four sets of BFG MTs on my Bronco over the years, and they never gave my much trouble with flats until they wore down.

The ATs on the SD were absolutely horrible in terms of puncture resistance in the tread (oddly enough, the majority of my flats were in the back...WTF, the rear isn't holding up a PSD...). I didn't have the ATs on the Bronco long enough to get a flat...

and I know you're not yanking anyone's chain. I'm more than happy to answer (or try to anyway) any and all questions you might have :thumbup

 

[stan the man]

I doubt that they will warrenty a tire that's been abused off road. You might get one or two by, but after you start really costing them money, they will find a way to deny you (IME). Every tire warranty I've ever gotten has explicitly stated that if they were damaged off road, they are not covered. Since they knew that the SD was used in a farm setting, they denied my second request for a new tire since they knew that the tires were "being used beyond their intended purpose" or some such BS.

IIRC the ATs and the MTs do share the same sidewall. What I have found though is that the AT's are weaker in the tread area than in the MTs. I dunno if this is a fluke or not, but there have been at least four sets of BFG MTs on my Bronco over the years, and they never gave my much trouble with flats until they wore down.

The ATs on the SD were absolutely horrible in terms of puncture resistance in the tread (oddly enough, the majority of my flats were in the back...WTF, the rear isn't holding up a PSD...). I didn't have the ATs on the Bronco long enough to get a flat...

and I know you're not yanking anyone's chain. I'm more than happy to answer (or try to anyway) any and all questions you might have :thumbup

Thank you for the input. I appreciate everybodys answers. And Im open to all other suggestions for tires that would fit my needs...

*DD at least 12k a year highway miles
*9-12 off road trips, mainly in the sierra's
*35x12.5R15

 

[Ranger429]

Myself, these right here. 201.00 each at National Tire and Wheel. A little more expensive than a BF but an all around great tire. I had them on the last Bronco and they rode and handled great.
http://www.ntwonline.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=48&Product_ID=1288&CATID=10

 

[stan the man]

Myself, these right here. 201.00 each at National Tire and Wheel. A little more expensive than a BF but an all around great tire. I had them on the last Bronco and they rode and handled great.
http://www.ntwonline.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=48&Product_ID=1288&CATID=10

Those were my number two choice. But for $50 more per tire I thought I would pass. Why did you like them so much, how did they do offroad?

 

[Ranger429]

They were one of the best riding tires I've had, I could run that Bronco down the interstate at 70 MPH and not hold the wheel and it went in a nice straight line. They worked great in the snow, even plowing snow. I never had them off road on the Bronco, there is just no place around here to wheel. When I sold that Bronco I put around 10,000 miles on those tires and they still looked new. My Ca Bronco will be getting a set of those as soon as it is done.

 

[Dewars85]

I'd talk to Danny (Dewars or something like that). He was in the same position as you and was sticking to his guns on running the ATs. He was ruining one every single wheeling trip he took.

Finally, he caved to our advice and bought some radial Swampers. :toothless

EDIT:

On a 2003 TJ Sahara, I've seen a set of 33x10.50 BFG MTs go 35k miles with rare rotation.

Like he said i ran Ats for about 3 years going out an average of 1 or 2 times a month. I popped about 6 tires in that span:whiteflag. The problem i had wasnt so much the tires fault but the terrain. Where i go alot of people think its there private garbage can. So i would run over those thing that were coverd in water and end up with a 2 inch gash in the sidewall.

Like you i drive about 12 to 13k miles a year. I switched to the TSL radial b/c its always been my favorite tire. I still have two ATs left and currently looking for two more to have 4 street tires and 4 offroad tires.

I dont know to much about the MTs but i have a friend who has been running them on his jeep for about 2 years (as a DD) and still have a good amount of tread left.

Have you checked tirepackage.com They mount and balance tires and rims if you buy them from there. They are normally the cheapest site iv seen. See if maybe you could get some new MTs or ATs from there.

Goodluck
Danny