Another question about tires

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy

I run Toyo Open Country tires on both my trucks. Got them at Les Schwab in Carson City....Schwab has dealers/stores in the northwest.....great service

Michelins at Costco

Well, if we could, we would buy the LTX AT2 --- but in our size, they are back ordered at Michelin for 6 to 8 weeks and no one has any left in their warehouses --- Called a lot of places. And since we are hoping to head for Baja soon, we don't want to wait.

We ended up ordering one we didn't think we would --- the BFG - All Terrain KO2. Did a lot more research and it ended up coming in second and in the past, we had good luck with the old not as good BFG All Terrains.

Our local Toyota Dealer is ordering them for us. It will cost us $60.00 more out the door than Discount Tire quoted us. It would cost us more than that to go to Carson City and spend the night. We like Discount Tire and have had good luck with them in the past. We have also had good luck with Costco down south, but we are not crazy about the guys in the tire shop in Costco in Carson City.

But Discount Tire, Costco, Schwab, Big-O, etc. are all about 200 miles away, unless we believe the computer. It is a standard joke around these parts. Whenever we enter our zip code to find the closest store of any kind, it always comes up with places in Clovis and or Fresno which are only about 60+ miles away. But it is about those big mountains that separate us over which there is no highway in this area. So the drive to Fresno is over 300 miles.

Thanks for all the suggestions and information.

Quote: Originally posted by Hook

They make a load range E BFG TA KO2? I have the new KO2s on my Jeep. Load range C, I believe. They seem like good tires, but I dont test them much except sand on a beach and they are fine for that.

i once pulled an F350 out of the sand that was stuck to the frame with my little ol Tundra. so there's that!

Quote: Originally posted by Don Jorge

We have Michelin LTX AT2 load range E on our 2012 F350 which often has a full size Lance camper on it towing a 16ft tandem axle trailer. They are very good tires for what we do which is lots of highway, quite a bit of gravel and enough snow to chase us south. They are great highway tires. They are good gravel tires but tend, as many tires do, to hold gravel in the tread for later dispersal. Mud flaps for the protection of yours and others vehicles is a good idea. In the snow they work on highways and in towns but for winter driving in winter places they suck. They really load the treads up quickly with ice and snow making even 4 wheel drive, controlled traction driving a pain. In the sand they plain suck. Even dropping the air pressure is not much help. We run BFG TA tires on our desert and mountain trucks. They are much better for sand, snow and mud. Please let us know how the new TA KOs work for you. Safe travels.

Thanks for this report. One of the reasons the LTX was first on our list, besides the reports of the high mileage is that our Tundra came with LTX tires ---- not the the really good ones, but like all new vehicles, they are not as good as the others --- weaker sidewalls and a 30,000 mile warranty.

Our truck is only a year old, but we have over 29,000 miles on it and the tires have performed quite well for us on the local dirt roads, lots of gravel roads and did very well on the very slipperly wet gumbo mud on the Dempster Highway, even in some deep mud where there was construction and it was pouring rain. Fortunately, it was a short distance or we might have had a real problem. :-)

While we have been on some snowy and icy roads locally and on our trips, we have not been in that situation that much and performance under those conditions is VERY important to us. With our tiny snow storm the other day, John said he did notice that the tread seemed to fill with the ice.

But the tread is good in one way, for sure. The warranty is almost up and there is still a lot of tread. Our mechanic said she would not change them out, except for where we want to travel and we always change out tires before absolutely necessary.

So, while we don't expect the the BFGs to last as long as the LTX, we will let you know how we like the new ones after we have them. Considering how much we are traveling right now, it shouldn't take long to find out the life of the tires. They seem to be the best choice right now for us. Maybe karma made the LXTs backordered.

Just as a side note, I smiled when you mentioned mudflaps. Our exhaust kept burning a large hole in the one mudflap. The dealer kept replacing it. We finally had to have a slight dispute with Toyota. Somehow in shipping, the exhaust pipe had been bent so while driving the mudflap hit the exhaust pipe. Nothing like the smell of burning rubber while driving especially when one is in the boondocks. They fixed it, finally.

Again, thanks for that report.

Quote: Originally posted by Don Jorge

In the sand they plain suck. Even dropping the air pressure is not much help. We run BFG TA tires on our desert and mountain trucks. They are much better for sand, snow and mud.

Quote: Originally posted by Hook

I really cant go any wider on these stock rims. F350 4x4 SRW. No front or rear locking of any type.

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

Quote: Originally posted by Hook   I really cant go any wider on these stock rims. F350 4x4 SRW. No front or rear locking of any type. how wide are your stock rims?

Jorge, do you read my weather column?

Yeah, it looks like a fairly wet week for CA from the northern Pacific. The jet stream is predicted to come in across Central CA and storms will dip farther south. There has been some snow in Nogales and Cananea. This should bring more.

We continue to get warm rains from the SW that are drawn to us by the positioning of the lows passing by up north OR the high pressure building behind it up north or just a crazy U-turn in the jet stream that goes N-S-N about as far south as San Quintin or Kino. But most of it is from the southern jet stream.

Not that we have gotten that much this fall/winter. But none of it has been a cold front from the Pac NW. We usually get one or two of those each year but they are usually 1/4" or less. Still early, though.

All of ours has been stuff drifting ENE from the ITCZ. Still lots of warm water down there. Most of this stuff has been passing over us, hammering the Sierra Madres and REALLY hammering Texas and the Deep South. When a winter cold front from the north finally met some of this ITCZ stuff over Texas/Louisiana/Mississippi before Christmas, it spawned a lot of those tornadoes (rather unusual for December in those parts). It was NOT really Gulf of Mexico warm air, also rather unusual. It was warm air from south of the Mexican Riveria that traveled a long ways to get to Texas. Go figure. The northern third of Texas, I swear, has the most Gawd-awful weather of any state. Dudn't matter what season it is; it's always horrid, it seems.

Here is a jet stream map that shows the southern jet stream is still raging across us and the Deep South.




We are supposed to be threatened by rain over the first four days of the coming week. More of this same stuff. Rainy days with highs in the 70s.

Then Friday, one of the colder fronts from NOB might make it here.

[Edited on 1-3-2016 by Hook]

[Edited on 1-3-2016 by Hook]

Quote: Originally posted by Hook

They are only 16x7. I think I have read that I might be able to go with a 285 70R, but that's just from memory. I dont think I gained much in width, with that size.

Quote: Originally posted by DianaT

We have eliminated the BF Goodrich All Terrains --- they are off the list. Thanks and Happy New Year

Quote: Originally posted by Tomas Tierra

Quote: Originally posted by DianaT   We have eliminated the BF Goodrich All Terrains --- they are off the list. Thanks and Happy New Year DianaT, Happy New Year to you to!! Why were the BFG's eliminated in the beginning?? And what led you back to them in the end?? Just curious... This should add pages to this thread as well lol TT

Ah gees, these threads so often take on a life of their own.

Now, why we changed our minds, that is complicated. :-) I guess we read and investivated more as to what would be right for us.

I think we were looking for the perfect tire that does not exist.

Tires are installed tomorrow----

The only more complicated decision we have made this month is the decision as to which new mattress we want.. That is delivered on Monday, so we hope we have batted a double!. Living in the boondocks is great, but not without some downsides.





[Edited on 1-6-2016 by DianaT]

Quote: Originally posted by Hook

And you didn't ask us????

If it had been for the camper, I probably would have asked.