BajaNomad

Best Baja Tire?

mgray - 12-13-2007 at 02:25 AM

Driving down my first time end of January for a 4 month surf trip. Also planning on going further south on mainland. Hopefully getting a beat up 4x4, but need to pick the right tires.

I've been thinking the BFGoodrich T/A's, and originaly thinking the All Terrain, but after reading some posts I'm now thinking the Mud Terrain.

Most of the driving will be Highway I think, but definately still want to be able to drive to, and on remote beaches.

How much mud can I expect to encounter? The All Terrain aren't the best in mud, but if I'm not going to encounter much mud then they are definately the better for the highway.

I just dont want to get down there and not be able to fullfill my adventure because of lack of equipment. At the same time I dont want to lose control on the highway.

All suggestions welcomed! Thanks

BFG

John M - 12-13-2007 at 06:38 AM

MGRAY - our experience is there is not enough mud to warrant a mud tire.

We've had both on our CJ-7 Jeep and the Mud Terrain's are louder and to me they feel a bit stiffer on the highway, not as graceful on curvy roads at highway air pressure - could it be the Jeep's shorter wheelbase and stiffer suspension? The Mud Terrains always worked well off highway as long as you are able to let air out to suit the conditions. Soft sand has been no problem with the tires at 12 - 14 psi. If we are running fairly long sections of dirt roads we'd drop to around 20 psi for comfort and better floatation.

Mostly, however, we've had BFG All Terrains, and I just put a set of All Terrain KOs on our 4x4 Toyota Tacoma. We like 'em.

I think for our uses, as most folks do, its mostly highway driving - and All Terrains do work better on wet or rainy conditions. We just had the All Terrains in some mud last week and they sure don't "clean" themselves very well but at the same time we let air out a bit (22 psi) and they were ok but it wasn't real serious mud either.

There have been numerous threads on this board over the years on tire preference. You can do a search. But, I believe the primary bad rap BFGs get is certainly not for their lack of toughness but that they are considerably more expensive than most other brands. It's always been said that the BFGs have a stronger sidewall also - while I don't know if that is based on fact or perception but I sure know the sidewalls ARE tough!

Rock crawlers and hard-core guys like Ken Cooke (on this board) could provide a different perspective on tires!

All that being said, one serious consideration is having a way to air up your tires after letting the air out. Again there have been lots of discussions here. I use a VIAIR 400p compressor - hooks directly to the battery - but there are lots of less expensive alternatives. But you sure wouldn't want to run 12 pounds of air on the highway for a very long distance, or very fast.

http://www.viaircorp.com/productmain.html

Hope this helps. John M

TMW - 12-13-2007 at 08:39 AM

John is right. The BFG All Terrain KO is all you need. You'll be in sand a lot more than mud off road and they will be a lot less noisy on the hwy.

David K - 12-13-2007 at 09:12 AM

Only can give my personal experiences, so take them for what they're worth:

1) BFG All Terrain T/A: The most popular Baja tire, it would seem... They failed the first time out with a sidewall puncture while Amo Pescar and I were driving towards Yubay (it was a sandy road). So, the 3 ply sidewall it is claimed to have didn't do any good that trip. Yes, they are pricey... popularity will do that. Note that BFG is big into off road racing... but the racers do not use the All Terrain T/A, but a special tire (Baja T/A) just for the racers.

2) BFG Rugged Trail T/A: The tires that come with some new vehicles, like the Toyota Tacoma TRD: Good for only 25-30K miles, when under 50% tread, many flats.

3) Cooper (or 'Futura' from Pep Boys) Dakota: Inexpensive alternative to the BFG, only 30K miles, but pro-rated for 50K, so the next set is almost 1/2 price.

4) Cooper Discoverer STT: Very aggressive looking mud terrain tire with 3 ply sidewall... I never got a flat, they were great on Laguna Salada mud and Mision Santa Maria rock climbs, but very noisey on the highway (as mud tread tires usually are). Very poor in sand, required lowering pressure to 10 psi in order to 'float'. Where other tires would do the same job at 15-20 psi. About 35K miles, and they were pricey.

5) Toyo Open Country A/T: What I have on my Tacoma now: Too new to give a lot of info on, but: Quiet, good in sand, inexpensive... I am very happy so far!

mtgoat666 - 12-13-2007 at 11:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mgray

Most of the driving will be Highway I think, but definately still want to be able to drive to, and on remote beaches.

How much mud can I expect to encounter? The All Terrain aren't the best in mud, but if I'm not going to encounter much mud then they are definately the better for the highway.

I just dont want to get down there and not be able to fullfill my adventure because of lack of equipment. At the same time I dont want to lose control on the highway.

All suggestions welcomed! Thanks


Mud is rare, usually only after rains. Stay off saturated beach sand, as it ain't too safe for any tire (moist beach sand is OK and easier to drive on than dry sand, just stay out of the saturated stuff next to waters edge).
Most all terrain tires will suit your needs. You need something that does well on highways and isn't too noisy, and something that works adequately off road. Most any AT tire will do fine. Don't go getting specialised offroad tires for occasional offroad use, as they drive poorly (dangerous on highway, poor stopping power, and poor grip when cornering) and are NOISY on paved roads.
Sometimes a extra spare is nice. Easiest way to get an extra spare is to go to junk yard and get a wheel and used tire, and strap on roof (the 2nd spare doesn't need to be fancy, just makes do in a pinch).
Air down your tires when in soft ground and you'll do fine (bring an electric pump to re-air, and a mechanical stand-up bike pump in case e-pump fails - cheap e-pumps fail)

BajaWarrior - 12-13-2007 at 05:09 PM

I have had good luck with 315/16 K/O's on my 4x4 Super Duty crewcab. Out of three sets now I have only had one run flat which of course destroyed the tire, (ran it till it was flat unknowingly, cause was nail) They work very well in deep sand at 20#'s of air (for our weight truck).

I run the same tires on two full time trucks for Baja, never a sidewall puncture. My Toyota with 33"s run about 5 psi and my Bronco ll with 31" tires I run about 7psi, both of course are used only on the beach or in the desert.

That is just my good fortune though, you never know what you can hit on or off of the road.

BajaNomad - 12-13-2007 at 05:53 PM

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=9984

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=18885

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=23795

Ken Cooke - 12-13-2007 at 08:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666

Mud is rare, usually only after rains.

Most all terrain tires will suit your needs.

Don't go getting specialised offroad tires for occasional offroad use, as they drive poorly (dangerous on highway, poor stopping power, and poor grip when cornering) and are NOISY on paved roads.


Mud is indeed rare, but you will find it in certain areas with springs such as Green Valley leading towards Calamajue. Most All Terrain tires do great most places, except in mud and on rocks where traction is most needed.

Mud-Terrain tires are not at all dangerous on highway driving. They must be Department of Transportation (DOT) certified in order for you to legally drive them on the highway here in the United States - that goes for Bias-ply as well as Radial tires. I ran the bias-ply Super Swamper SX tire on the street and trail, and these too were DOT-certified tires.

On turns, these tires with their soft tread compound and grooves actually make them grip asphalt really well - to the point that they can become a handful to an inexperienced driver in a high-profile vehicle traveling above posted speed limits.

As for being noisy, yes, MT.Goat is correct - however, I run the Interco TrXus MT and it is an All-Terrain/Mud-Terrain hybrid tire with the guts of a Super Swamper tire. The sidewalls are 2 ply, but are rated as 6 ply. These cost me $154 per tire (33"x12.5r15) at America's Tire. They have more siping than any Mud-Terrain tire, and a closer tread/void pattern to give a smoother ride and more biting edges on rocks where these tires shine the brightest.

On the Baja Grande trip, a Toyota traveling among our Jeeps ran the Bridgestone REVO All-Terrain tires, and we were amazed at the traction this guy had, and absolutely no blowouts. As for blowouts, we had 2 BFG tires bite the dust and 2 had severe sidewall chunking, but the tires still hold air, so they won't be replaced...just yet.

Mud in Baja




Nick in his Revo-clad Toyota Tacoma




BFG tire failure



My Interco TrXus MTs are safe and have never let me down...not even in Baja

mgray - 12-13-2007 at 10:43 PM

Quote:


On the Baja Grande trip, a Toyota traveling among our Jeeps ran the Bridgestone REVO All-Terrain tires, and we were amazed at the traction this guy had, and absolutely no blowouts. As for blowouts, we had 2 BFG tires bite the dust and 2 had severe sidewall chunking, but the tires still hold air, so they won't be replaced...just yet.


Those are the other tires I was thinking about, I've seen them rated better than the BFG's.....but by looking at the tread they look more street orientated....but I'm new to 4x4 so what do I know

Ken Cooke - 12-13-2007 at 11:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mgray

Those are the other tires I was thinking about, I've seen them rated better than the BFG's.....but by looking at the tread they look more street orientated....but I'm new to 4x4 so what do I know


Do a search on Tirerack.com and read what everyone is saying about REVO's. This is a great place to learn about all of the tires sold by this company. Talk to your friends, the local 4WD shop, etc. Personally, if it were me, I'd be looking into that new tire by NITTO - their Desert Terrain tire looks real interesting.

The Dune Grappler satisfies the enthusiast who wants an aggressive tread for off road capabilities, while providing a more comfortable and quieter ride on the road. By utilizing advanced computer simulation technology, the Dune Grappler's tread block arrangement reduces high levels of noise commonly associated with aggressive tires, while still providing a traction-oriented tread for off road use.