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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thanks Ken!
If nothing else, they sure look good!
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Thanks Ken!
If nothing else, they sure look good! |
David they surely do look good and I don't think you will need to air down at all. I didn't air down at all on our Matomi run a couple of years ago
and did fine. Your new tires are much meatier than mine are now. You will have a blast with those new tires.
Bob H
[Edited on 4-21-2006 by Bob H]
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bajataco
Nomad
Posts: 117
Registered: 11-26-2003
Location: Arizona
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Great choice David! I am very happy with my STT's so far. I have been able to test them in Baja, and also some snow driving, rain driving, and rock
crawling. I am happy.
Nice looking tires...
They stick well on the rocks...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Oh great... I am happy to hear that!
BajaTaco.com and VivaBaja.com both using Cooper STTs...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Chris, what are the tire pressures you have discovered work best for: Highway, Deep Sand, Wash board... ???
I first tried the recommended 29/32 (front/ rear psi) that worked on the BFGs fine. That was too low for the Cooper STTs as it gave a sloppy feel.
I now have them at 40 psi and the feel great driving.
Have you driven in deep sand with them, yet?
Thanks amigo!
PS If your winshield sign guy has measured the new Tacomas, have him contact me... He didn't have the measurements for the newer ones when we
emailed...
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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David
First note that I have BFG's and am very happy with them. Now you are saying that the pressure you used on the BFG's is not enough for the Coopers
that would lead me to beleive that the Cooper Sidewalls are not as stiff (strong) and by the way my BFG's call for a tire pressure of 50lbs but have
sttled on 45 for Hwy.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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David-----
----On my Isuzu Trooper with BFG-AT's (load range C) (235 x 15) I run them at 30 on the road, 40 if heavily loaded, and 25 in the dirt, and down to 12
in the sand. Never had any problem with them.
On my F-250 long bed with heavy Callen Camper (1000 lbs.), I run the BFG-AT's (load range C)(285 x 16) at 50 on the road, and about 35 in the dirt,
and down to about 15 in the sand-----again, never had any problems with them at all.
All in all I love the BFG's.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8946
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by comitan
David
First note that I have BFG's and am very happy with them. |
I ran both the ATs and the MTs from November '05 through February '06, and they were nothing but trouble - with a capital 'T'.
The ATs spun in the swamp leading to Mision Sta. Maria making me wonder if I'd have to winch myself through. The ATs and MTs squirmed at moderate
speed (35-45 m.p.h.) on washboard and dirt roads, and to make things worse, I blew a brand new MT sidewall out while flexing on some rocks. 
Not impressed, I sold the BFGs and run my 'Made in Mexico' Interco TrXus MTs...
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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And the love affair with a plethora of tires continues------
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8946
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
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Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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p.s. - When I ran the BFG ATs, they ran like I had 4 pillows under my Jeep. Quiet and soft as a feather.
But, when I switched to the BFG MTs, it felt like the tires were stuffed with rocks. They were just as noisy as my old bias Super Swamper SXs I used
to run, but with less traction. I guess its a loyalty thing. Those Coopers sound like a great deal and I'm watching to see what David says about
them...
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8946
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
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Shhh! Don't tell the wife!!! 
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by comitan
David
First note that I have BFG's and am very happy with them. Now you are saying that the pressure you used on the BFG's is not enough for the Coopers
that would lead me to beleive that the Cooper Sidewalls are not as stiff (strong) and by the way my BFG's call for a tire pressure of 50lbs but have
sttled on 45 for Hwy. |
Gracias ...
Keep in mind that when I say BFGs, I am talking about the Rugged Trail T/As that Toyota puts on the TRD trucks I got.
They were rated for a max. of 35 psi on the tire.
The Cooper STTs are load range C with a max. pressure on the tire of 50 psi.
As I said earlier, they are now at 40 psi and seem to be doing fine on the highway... feels good, anyway.
I would like to hear back from bajataco as to what he has experienced with pressure on his Tacoma using the STTs.
[Edited on 4-25-2006 by David K]
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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David
I bought the BFG's here in La Paz $106 ea incl mtg. balance,tax, no other charges they are load range C, they are all terrain T/A KO they also say
3ply sidewall medium letters on sidewall, I'm wonering if they might be selling a different tire down here. Also if you look at all the vehicles down
here that have A/T tires my guess 85% are useing BFG.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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OFFCOURSE2
Newbie
Posts: 13
Registered: 6-7-2005
Member Is Offline
Mood: LOVIN LIFE
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I am a Cooper dealer here in Florida the Cooper sst is a good tire but by far the most popular offroad tire here is a ProComp they make four
different offroad tires in the U.S. everyone tells me they make a lot less noise than any other tire ,last longer & ride better. sizing might be
a problem (they tend towards bigger tires) check their website they have a conversoin calculator
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Geronimo
Junior Nomad
Posts: 91
Registered: 6-12-2005
Location: Salome Arizona/San Felipe BC Mex
Member Is Offline
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The ultimate tire for BAJA, the BFG Baja TA. They are rough riding; don?t last long, extremely heavy, loud, and very expensive. They flat spot when
left parked for a couple of days, and the best tires I have ever run. I was killing BFG muds, went through about six after the suspension was redone.
I air these down to 5 psi on the 3700lbs XJ and they act like paddles in the sand, carves like rails at 75mph on fire roads with about 15 psi. The
side walls make tire guys cry they are so thick. I run ATs on my Ranger, drive a lot slower and they are holding up very well!
[Edited on 4-27-2006 by Geronimo]
[Edited on 4-27-2006 by Geronimo]
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roverdude
Junior Nomad
Posts: 74
Registered: 10-1-2005
Location: Garden Grove
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Bad Days, Mornings Maybe...
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Sure these are the best. But what is the retail price?
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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Most people forget it's cost per mile not cost per tire. I use and like BFGs but the tires used on the winning race teams are not BFG TA KOs, they are
BFG project tires. Many race teams do use standard BFG tires, but the project tires are made for racing in the desert not for 50,000 mile highway
driving.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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"The ultimate tire for BAJA, the BFG Baja TA. They are rough riding; don?t last long, extremely heavy, loud, and very expensive. They flat spot when
left parked for a couple of days, and the best tires I have ever run."
I think you should try something else, unless you just like to punish yourself!!
On BFGs (All Terrain and Mud Terrain): Yes, they are the most popular Baja tire now-a-days... But being popular does not make them 'the best', just
the most common.
As I said at the start of this thread, I was seeking a Baja tire for my needs and was hoping that might be an American or at least non-French tire
(Michelin & BFG).
The Coopers may fit the bill, I will let you know how they do on various surfaces... On the highway (up to 80 mph) they are good.
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bajataco
Nomad
Posts: 117
Registered: 11-26-2003
Location: Arizona
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
I would like to hear back from bajataco as to what he has experienced with pressure on his Tacoma using the STTs.
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Hi David,
Keep in mind that the following pressures are for a 32"x11.5"x15" Cooper STT tire on a '98 Tacoma that weighs roughly 5,100-5,400 lbs. depending on
payload. I run 34-35 psi on the street. For trail use, I run anywhere from 20-24 psi for mild trails depending on the surface conditions. For very
technical trails on rocks and dirt, or the occassional severely corrugated (or "washboard") roads, I will go down to 17-18 psi. For sand or mud, if
17-18 psi is not performing well enough, I will go way down to 12-14 psi. You asked if I had been in deep sand with the Coopers yet. The answer is
that I have been in fairly deep sand, and the tires did great. However I wouldn't say that it was REALLY deep sand, because I was able to run
the coopers at about 16-17 psi and didn't get stuck.
A note regarding sand:
I just posted on another forum where a guy was asking about recommended pressure to use on his 80 series Landcruiser pulling a small-ish camp trailer
(1,000 lbs or so) on a beach/sand trip. Here is what I answered:
The size of tire, type of tire, and the weight of the vehicle are all factors. Larger tires can usually afford to run lower pressures than
smaller tires. For your 80 series, if you are using 32" or 33" tires, I would say that you could go down to 10-12 psi without an issue. BUT, what I
would do is try running a little higher psi first (say, 15-17 psi), and if you find yourself bogging too much, then let some more air out. If it is a
scenario where you can't even risk a bog and loss of momentum (i.e. crossing a flat at low tide) then I would go down to 12 psi, or even 10 psi if you
want to take a little more chance on the bead in trade for a little more traction insurance. The reason I say to try a little higher pressure first is
more for the sake of convenience. Typically if I am driving in the sand on a trip, it's only for a small segment or portion of my total trail time. I
don't want to run regular dirt tracks with super low sand pressures, so if I can get by with a compromise pressure then I don't have to mess with
airing up and down every time I enter and exit the sand. (Don't use this compromise pressure though if there is risk of getting stuck below the tide
line, or if your engine or trans. will overheat easily).
For the trailer, my guess is that since the trailer is very light and likely on the same size tires as your 80, that you can go to the very low end of
the pressure range - 10-12 psi or even lower (8 psi) with no issues. The trailer likely won't be heavy enough to damage the bead, and won't have power
to the axles that could "spin" the tires on the bead.
For anyone wanting some kind of idea what to use in the sand, I suggest a little test in your driveway right before you leave for a road trip, so the
vehicle has a typical "full" trip load on it. Measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of your wheel rim at full street pressure. Then let
air out until you have reduced this height measurement to 75% of what it is at street pressure. This will likely be the sand pressure you want to go
with.
Don't underestimate the "power" that small increments of air can make once you get down really low - around the upper 'teens (psi) and going down from
there. After getting down past 18 psi or so, the percentage of increase in tire footprint length really starts to jump - even with 1 psi difference.
So, while you are airing down for the test above, take the test one step further. After you have aired down the tire to about 20 psi or so, start
recording the length of the footprint of the tire by sliding a piece of paper in front of the tire and behind the tire until the paper stops against
the tread. Then measure the distance between the two pieces of paper. Continue to let air out of the tires, maybe a 2 pounds at a time, and re-measure
the footprint length. You may be surprised. For example, on my Tacoma - at 34 psi my footprint is about 6 1/2" long. At 18 psi, it increases to 7 7/8"
(21% increase). At 12 psi, it ends up at about 10 1/2" long (62% increase!) Percentage-wise, that's only about 1.3% per lb. for the pressures
between 34 and 18 psi. Then it jumps to an average of 5.5% per lb. for the pressures between 18 and 12 psi. Anyway, play with it on your own tires
and you will see what I am talking about.
If you have a light vehicle with really stout sidewalls, you may reach a point of diminishing return, where the footprint fails to increase in length,
and all you are doing by running pressure below that point is increasing your chance of breaking the bead (or seal) between your tire and the wheel.
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
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Great post and advise bajataco
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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