Michelin LTX A/T2 or BFG KO's? for Montana :)

D

don_davi

New member
I'm in Billings, MT and the Costco here has the Michelin LTX A/T 2 on sale till Sunday for $159 for 265/70/16 and $174 for 265/75/16 and the BFG KO's will go on sale in October for $168 for 265/70/16

Another shop (Tire Rama) has the Revo's for $165 but they only have shops in MT where as I might be traveling to other states soon so Costco would be nice to deal with as they are everywhere.

I think I'll stick with 70's instead of 75's.

Should I go for the new Michelin's or the KO's?

While I'm here, what do you guys think about American Prospector AT for $110? They're owned by Cooper and it's supposed to be a similar thread design as the Revo's.

I'd like to check out the Michelin's but no Snow Flake symbol!!!! Will it really make that big a difference in the winter here in Montana? My main concern is the ICEY conditions here and also driving in snow at high speeds....I won't be seeing much mud or rain....

Cheers to any advice/suggestions.
Davi

1998 4Runner Ltd 4x4
 
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Too new to pass judgment.

The snowflake/mountain is a certain level of assurance that the tire was tested under RMA standards and found to be satisfactory in cold weather/snow conditions. That does not mean it is the end all in consideration. Some states recognize the symbol and allow 4x4 vehicles shod with such tires to pass chain control without chains. Other states don't care and only look to see that you have 4x4 with M+S tires and carry chains in the vehicle. Many other tires do wel lwithout the snowflake. But the snowflake is evidence that the tire maker is serious about making a tire, and submitting it to RMA testing to ensure that they have the bragging rights to be a Severe Winter Tire.

Revo has a good rep for rain and snow. BFG does well in snow. I am sure the new Michelin AT-2 will do well in snow and rain. However, being so new no one has any real life data besides Michelin's own advertising PR--and we have to remember that it's advertising driven and not really an objective test.

The real difference is whether you want P load 4 ply or a true 6 ply LT C load. The BFG is the few that has a 6 ply LT C load. The rest are P loads. The Goodyear SA can be had in LT C load and snow flake rated and has garnered excellent reviews from many, many owners. Perhaps you should keep that as an option.

Now, 265/75/16 will get you a lot of sselections while 265/70/16 is much narrower range of selection.

You can't go wrong with any of the top tires.
 
My dad ran the Michelin LTX ATs on his 94 4Runner and they had a nice on road ride and decent snow traction....plus he would usually get 45K to 50K out of a set.

Now I've run nothing but BFG AT's on my Silverado.....and would use nothing else. They have excellent off-road/snow traction and have a nice on road ride. I've been averaging 25K out of the few sets I've had on the truck.

No comparing the outcomes in the 2 situations is not fair considering my truck weight probably twice what a 94 4Runner weighs. That could also account for the superior snow traction in my truck compared to his 4Runner.
 
So turns out that Tire Rama (they are in Montana and Wyoming) has the Hunter GSP9700 and also the Haweka Flange Plate adapter. I just spoke with a friend with knows someone there that can get me some sort of a discount. They mainly endorse Cooper tires but also carry BFG's, and Yokohama's....not sure if they have Goodyear SA's.

Anyhow, in the lower price range ($130-145) are the Cooper Discoverer ATR and the Yokohama Geolander A/T S none with the Snowflake markings. If there's a big difference between these and the upper end tires like the BFG's and the GY SA's and all that then I don't mind shelling out the additional costs (safety first right?)

The Bridgestone Revo's are actually gonna have a $75 rebate off a set soon so that would be like $165 a tire.

If I can I might try to get them to order the General Grabber AT 2's as they seem to be a good value tire.

The problem I have with the Coopers is that there is really only one person on this board that praises them.

Well I'm gonna wait on the hook up to call me back and see what entails....
 
I personally would spend a little extra for the better name tires. I'm happy running the BFG as a snow tire with the only issue being noise (no biggie for a season.) I'm a Mich fan so try the A/T^2 for us. I had great success with the original A/T (on a previous ride) so I can't see the new version being a backward step.
 
I agree with above...have always been a big fan of BFG AT KO. However, I just checked out the Michelin AT2 tire today at Discount Tire Co. It is actually more aggressive than the pics suggest. The lug space is bigger than highway tires...it is not that different from Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor. The sidewall is a bit plain looking, but i can see where this AT tire can be good for many people. BTW, it has a lot of gripping surfaces.

If you off-road often or more than a few times a year, then i would get:
1. BFG AT Ko
2. Goodyear Wrangler SA
3. Nitto TerraGrappler
4. Michelin AT2
5. Bridgestone Dueler REVO

If you don't off-road much and care more about on-road performance/ride, then i would get:
1. Michelin AT2
2. Goodyear Wrangler SA
3. Bridgestone Dueler REVO
4. Nitto TG
5. BFG AT KO
 
brad6841 said:
My dad ran the Michelin LTX ATs on his 94 4Runner and they had a nice on road ride and decent snow traction....plus he would usually get 45K to 50K out of a set.

Now I've run nothing but BFG AT's on my Silverado.....and would use nothing else. They have excellent off-road/snow traction and have a nice on road ride. I've been averaging 25K out of the few sets I've had on the truck.

No comparing the outcomes in the 2 situations is not fair considering my truck weight probably twice what a 94 4Runner weighs. That could also account for the superior snow traction in my truck compared to his 4Runner.
Click to expand...

25k on a set of BFG's ????
 
Yep.....not sure why.....:confused:

Don't know if it's the weight of the truck, or my driving style. I'm a pretty conservative driver so I doubt that's it.

My dad had these on his Sequoia and got about 40K out of them so I must be doing something wrong.....:confused:
 
BFG worn at 25K?

One has to be driving like mad to wear those down. I just turned 53k on my set and it still has 9/32" on them! I expect to get over 75K on them if I wanted to. I figure that I can go through fall and winter and be around 70K by next summer. I'll get new shoes by fall before the rains and snow season starts. But 25k....even 40k is not even 1/2 for BFGs.

Now with reports of Goodyear SAs backsliding to their bad old practice of low quality rubber and dry rotting, the selection of LT "C" 265/70/17 will be even smaller. Les Schwab Wildcountry XTX Sport or Cooper Discovers or BFG's again.
 
Yeah but you've got to remember your comparing the wear of a 4000 lb 4Runner to the weight of a 6000 lb Silverado. That difference in weight could be the difference I see in wear. :confused:
 
I've got 50k no problem out of my BFG's and only changes them because I dont like riding them down real far , I like meat look on them ....lol

I rotate every 5k religiously on all my tires , I hope to be a new set in winter.
 
bfg at ko 265/75/r16

I have bridgestone 265/70/r16s on my 4runner, they are almost legally bald and they still rub a little if i had 265/75/r16s bfg all terrains would they fit?
 
BFG Fitting....

265/70/17 BFGs will rub a bit at full lock. Just back off a bit. You won't be turing at full lock unless you're parking and doing those 5 point turns.

Once the tread wears down a bit, they will go full lock without any rubbing at all.
 
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