BajaNomad - Three ply side wall tires

Three ply side wall tires

bonanza bucko - 3-22-2012 at 09:13 AM

I am a long time....20 years and about 7 sets....lover of BFG TAs on my truck. They have been the only tires I know of that could handle THAT ROAD south of Puertecitos without shredding. Well...now the road is gonzo...even the bad parts are now pretty much like Interstate 5 to us desert rats.

So I'd like to find another tire that doesn't have agresive tread but still has a three ply side wall....I guess that means a 10 ply truck tire. I'd like to find that tire beceause the mileage I get with my TAs is not even close to the mileage you're supposed to get with my truck...14/18 vs 12/13. Of of course, those sticker mileage "estimates" are damned lies but still 12/13 sucks.

You got any suggestions? I'm willng to pay a TA price for a good tire.

BB :-)

Barry A. - 3-22-2012 at 09:40 AM

BB--------sorta as an aside to your question-------my personal experience------when I switched my stock tires on my F-250 to 285 x 16 BFG All Terrain TA KO's the gas mileage remained exactly the same-----10 mpg. That experience convinced me to stay with the BFG's.

Also, I still get 10 mpg on my F-250 no matter whether pulling a utility trailer, or not-------nothing seems to affect the gas mileage on my huge 460 V8, and mine is a 5-speed stick shift.

Barry

desertcpl - 3-22-2012 at 11:06 AM

Well just an update on what I just did

after shopping all over Yuma, I ended up at Discount Tire

I bought the Falken , Rocky mountain tire

LT265/70R 16 D,, it also has 3 ply side walls

they gave me credit for my BFGs out the door with the warranty
$743.45

[Edited on 1-14-2012 by desertcpl]

desertcpl has attached this image:

Bwana_John - 3-22-2012 at 11:09 AM

Quote:

Also, I still get 10 mpg on my F-250 no matter whether pulling a utility trailer, or not-------nothing seems to affect the gas mileage on my huge 460 V8, and mine is a 5-speed stick shift.

I had the same thing with my old F250, 460 w 5 speed manual.
What gave me 11 mpg was going to all synthetic oil underneath (Trany, diffs, transfer case....)

The only thing I DONT like with BFG AT's is how much lead it takes to balance them.

Barry A. - 3-22-2012 at 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bwana_John

Quote:

Also, I still get 10 mpg on my F-250 no matter whether pulling a utility trailer, or not-------nothing seems to affect the gas mileage on my huge 460 V8, and mine is a 5-speed stick shift.

Wow, that's great info, BwanaJohn--------thank you. I am going to try that as it appears to be an "easy fix".

Barry

Frank - 3-22-2012 at 11:43 AM

Looks like we all drive fullsize trucks so Ill give my 2 cents..

Ive had Hankook Dynapro AT's on my F350 Diesel 4x4 CC for 33K miles and they may go another 10K+/-. My truck weighs 9K+ with tool boxes etc.

You use to run Toyo MT's that would only go 25K tops.

Mileage? I dont even look anymore :biggrin:

rts551 - 3-22-2012 at 11:53 AM

currently have 41K on my TOYO AT's (and time for new tires). F-250 superduty crew cab diesel 4x4. LT285 75R 16 D. Maybe the AT's get better mileage than the MT's. Think I will go with Toyo again or maybe General Grabbers.

MMc - 3-22-2012 at 11:56 AM

Never seen a high mileage tire with 3 ply sidewalls.
All the three ply sidewalls are off road and give great traction while giving up tread wear and mileage.
The 10 & 12 Ply tires have always dropped my mileage not increased it. A really good set of Michelin or Continentals might be what your looking for without the 3 ply. They will outlast the BFG on the highway.
I love these tire threads :lol:

As long as a tire gets me home they're fine by me. The biggest problem with tires is the driver not the tire. I have smoked all tires, including the spare on the same trip.
I blamed it on the Goodyears, but I was going to fast with to much of a load. :smug:

bonanza bucko - 3-22-2012 at 04:05 PM

Thanks guys...I kinda thought that was the case.

I have BFG TA 285X18 TAs on my 2010 F250 Crew Cab and I love them all except for the mileage. The Ford dealer told me that if I went down to the 265s...as per the owners' manual.... I "might" get better numbers. As above, I get lousy mileage compared to the window sticker that called for 18 highway and 14 city. But I'm used to Ford..and the gummint.... lying through their teeth about that. The onboard "computer" says I'm getting about 14 all the time but, since I'm a numbers guy, I calculate the mileage each tankfull and cumulatively...the number for 55K miles is 13.6. So much for window stickers.

Thanks again..I'll stick with the TAs and the oversized ones. I like the comment my MMc above about "as long the tire gets me home...."
BB :-)

Santiago - 3-22-2012 at 05:01 PM

I just got 66K out of my last set of BFG T/A 265X18 on a Silverado 1500 4X4. Much lighter truck and load, of course. I've averaged 14.7mpg over the life of the vehicle (144K).

Ateo - 3-22-2012 at 05:08 PM

The ad banner on the top of my page is for car tires! Guess google knows what were discussing.

805gregg - 3-22-2012 at 05:23 PM

I'm running BFG AT's 315/70/17 on my Dodge 3500 FWD, I get about 45-50K out of a set, they work everywhere. I may go down a size or 2 next time to see if I can up my mileage, they look good at that size though.

David K - 3-22-2012 at 05:58 PM

Not 3 ply, but surprisingly good and inexpensive: HANKOOK DYNAPRO ATm

In fact I have never had a sidewall failure with 2 ply sidewall tires... BUT, brand new BFG All Terrain TA's on their first trip got a sidewall failure... and we were on a sandy road!

Other good tires I have used, and would buy again if Hankooks were not available or turned out bad (16,000 miles on them so far):
TOYO Open Country AT
COOPER DISCOVERER ATR

I also had COOPER DISCOVERER SST Mud Terrain Tires, they looked great, had 3 ply sidewalls, and lasted the longest of any tire (45,000 miles), but were noisy as hell on the highway and were grave diggers in sand.

Hankook Dynapros 32" (265/75-16)

[Edited on 3-23-2012 by David K]

rts551 - 3-22-2012 at 06:01 PM

Kinda hard to compare tires on a Toy Tacoma and on a F-250 crew cab. But I guess tires are tires.

MMc - 3-22-2012 at 07:13 PM

DK has a tundra that's, almost full sized.
He has never had a U S full sized truck, he does love Toyota's.
The biggest issue I have with gas mileage is the right foot. If I really wanted better mileage I change to a higher dif, (350s?) or buy a lighter truck.
I run BFGs and replace about every 45 to 55 miles. Yes,I have had them fail but it's usually driver related. :lol:

David K - 3-22-2012 at 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MMc
DK has a tundra that's, almost full sized.
He has never had a U S full sized truck, he does love Toyota's.
The biggest issue I have with gas mileage is the right foot. If I really wanted better mileage I change to a higher dif, (350s?) or buy a lighter truck.
I run BFGs and replace about every 45 to 55 miles. Yes,I have had them fail but it's usually driver related. :lol:

Never driven a Tundra... I have a 2010 (second generation) Tacoma, which is about the same size as the first generation Tundra. I love my Toyota because it is built with quality and I can drive it off road anywhere and not expect a breakdown. When American brands can do that (again), I will look them over. As it is, this may be my final new vehicle... and I appreciate Neal Johns and multitudes of other Baja amigos who have advised me to go Toyota, back in 2000 (when my American made van just finished its third tranmsmission failure in 3 years).

Frank - 3-22-2012 at 10:29 PM

Different trucks for different jobs David.

If all I needed my truck to do was haul camping gear and go offroad, I would buy a Toyota. Hell, I use to own 1.

But how long would your truck last if its curb weight went from 4000# to 8500-9000# on a daily basis? Then toss in another 1/2 - 3/4 ton load in the bed and go to the dump, every week or so. Do you think it would be still be so reliable? would it still get that great gas mileage? NO.

Work truck vs Camping truck.

We were talking about tires on work trucks, not how much better a Toyota truck is then an American made truck. Any chance you get to wave the Toyota flag your out there waving it.....even if it doesnt apply.

Do you ever wonder why people get tired of you sometimes? Youve got great information on Baja, great maps, great website etc, but sometimes, wow.

gnukid - 3-22-2012 at 10:31 PM

BFG Commercial AT

David K - 3-22-2012 at 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frank
Different trucks for different jobs David.

If all I needed my truck to do was haul camping gear and go offroad, I would buy a Toyota. Hell, I use to own 1.

But how long would your truck last if its curb weight went from 4000# to 8500-9000# on a daily basis? Then toss in another 1/2 - 3/4 ton load in the bed and go to the dump, every week or so. Do you think it would be still be so reliable? would it still get that great gas mileage? NO.

Work truck vs Camping truck.

We were talking about tires on work trucks, not how much better a Toyota truck is then an American made truck. Any chance you get to wave the Toyota flag your out there waving it.....even if it doesnt apply.

Do you ever wonder why people get tired of you sometimes? Youve got great information on Baja, great maps, great website etc, but sometimes, wow.

I was posting about tires... it wasn't me that said I had a 'Tundra' (wrong)...

Hankook makes heavier LT versions of the same tire. Maybe others even stronger... I thought we were discussing BFG All Terrain TAs? I didn't think that was a commercial truck tire. My wife had them on her CJ-5! :yes:

Hey, glad you like some of my posts (maps, etc.)... What is it that bearded Republican president said? Oh, yah... 'You can't please all of the people all the time'! SORRY

Islandbuilder - 3-22-2012 at 10:48 PM

I thought the thread was about side walls and durability on off-road tires, not the sizes of you compensators trucks. :tumble:

It's great that some of you can spend $40+ grand on something that needs an airport to turn around in, but not really sure how the GVW of your rig relates to the topic except to quantify why you run the tires you do.

DK Didn't bring up the Toyota thing, he was just clarifying someone elses information.

Sometimes you guys need to wipe the off-topic angst off your boots before posting where the (sorta) civil people hang out.

Thank you.

gnukid - 3-22-2012 at 10:54 PM

Among the best tires for a good ride in a big truck/van, hi mileage on hiway and capable of some offroad, with 3 ply sidewall is the BFG Commercial TA, another option is the Michellen XPS. Many models to choose, be careful to get the right tire.

Islandbuilder - 3-22-2012 at 11:06 PM

Thank you gnukid.

All trucks and all tires are compromises. Mine favor economy and mileage over scrambling grip. So little of my time is spent in challenging off road situations that I can't justify the cost to purchase, and run something with really aggressive tread. I use stock street tread, and let the air out when I need float or grip.

I understand that some of us need heavier rigs for work, and those will take a pretty beefy tire.

I looked at what percentage of my driving is spent on or off road, and will put my limited resources into something that works best where I drive 99.9% of the time, not where I wish I was driving, but where I do.

It's a 4000 mile round trip for me to get to and from the border. Some of you are within a few miles, or are already there, so we have far different tire needs.

Interesting to see what others are doing, and how it's working for you.

gnukid - 3-22-2012 at 11:18 PM

There is no compromise, the truck is either off road or hiway. But the BFG Commericial 3 ply will help mileage and can handle some rough roads, or you can use a more hard core tread for serious off road.

edm1 - 3-23-2012 at 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gnukid
Among the best tires for a good ride in a big truck/van, hi mileage on hiway and capable of some offroad, with 3 ply sidewall is the BFG Commercial TA, another option is the Michellen XPS. Many models to choose, be careful to get the right tire.

David K - 3-23-2012 at 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Islandbuilder
I thought the thread was about side walls and durability on off-road tires, not the sizes of you compensators trucks. :tumble:

rts551 started talking about truck brands first:
>>> rts551

posted on 3-22-2012 at 06:01 PM
Kinda hard to compare tires on a Toy Tacoma and on a F-250 crew cab. But I guess tires are tires.

Then MMc was second:

>>>MMc

posted on 3-22-2012 at 07:13 PM
DK has a tundra that's, almost full sized.
He has never had a U S full sized truck, he does love Toyota's.

I was third to correct a mis statement... sorry, but I do feel facts and truth are important here, even if a silly statement about my driving a Tundra was the reason! No worries, okay?

Barry A. - 3-23-2012 at 09:22 AM

Quote:

Be careful about changing "diffs" to gain better gas mileage-----my F-250 stick-shift 5-speed with the 460 engine has 3:55 diffs and it STILL gets 10 mpg, which is what the trucks with 3:73 or 4:10's are getting-----

My conclusion-----I wish I had the 4:10 diffs. in my vehicle for more low-end torque in the rocks, and for towing.

Barry

woody with a view - 3-23-2012 at 07:57 PM

i'm hearing great things about this tire. http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tires/michelin/size/viewPro... 60k warranty, and some guys i know say they are nearing 80k on them after 9 years.

my toyo open country at's have about 20-25k (3 years) on them and are just nearing the wear bar :mad: