BFG all terrain 275 70 17 psi?

[Metalhead77]

First off, hello everyone! This is my first post as I am a brand new member to this forum. I have been reading alot on here for the past week and what a great community of people.

So I got new tires and wheels on my 2011 4runner SR5 classic silver yesterday. They are BFG all terrain 275 17 70 load range "E" on ATX crawl
17x8 wheels.

I knew the ride would be harsh compared to the stock tires but they seem a bit excessive. I ordered them from tire rack and had the local tire shop put them on. Didn't even think to ask the psi they were set at.

My tire pressure guage only goes up to 55psi and they are higher than that. I am wondering who else has these tires and what psi I should be running at to get a bit better ride and not wear them out too fast. The max psi on the tire is 80psi.

I did try and search for the answer to my question but had no luck. Sorry in advance if this has already been answered , this post did however, give me an opportunity to say hello

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

For street use set them between 40-45 psi cold and you should be fine. Mine are a little larger and I keep them at 40 psi cold. Some guys on here run them a little higher depending on cargo weight and etc.

 

[Metalhead77]

Thanks for the quick reply Nathan. I just want to verify that your 285's are load range E?

 

[M320]

Metalhead77. Welcome. I am also looking it to the 275/70/17 bfg a/t. Do you have any pics yet you can post. How bad is the ride/loss of mpg.

MTM

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

Thanks for the quick reply Nathan. I just want to verify that your 285's are load range E?

Well, currently I'm running Firestone Destination M/T's 285/70R17 Load E. Anything higher than 40 psi cold in these, I can feel every small imperfection in the road. I did have All Terrains prior to these, those were Load D's, I ran those at 37 psi cold.

Like I said quite a few guys on here are running Load E tires in many sizes and they all are between 40-50 psi depending on Cargo Load. I would start at 40 psi cold and see how they wear.

 

[Metalhead77]

M320

Thanks! The ride is harsh but I think I have too much pressure in the tires, once I confirm that 40-45 psi is right I will let you know. (waiting for confirmation from Nathan that his are load range E)

As for mpg I don't know yet. The tires were just put on yesterday and I only have 25 miles on them.

I will post some pics after lunch, I am happy with my choice in tires and wheels. The guys at Sullivan tire here in Monterey CA thought they looked good too.

 

[Metalhead77]

"Like I said quite a few guys on here are running Load E tires in many sizes and they all are between 40-50 psi depending on Cargo Load. I would start at 40 psi cold and see how they wear. "

Thank you sir

 

[proquip]

First off, hello everyone! This is my first post as I am a brand new member to this forum. I have been reading alot on here for the past week and what a great community of people.

So I got new tires and wheels on my 2011 4runner SR5 classic silver yesterday. They are BFG all terrain 275 17 70 load range "E" on ATX crawl
17x8 wheels.

I knew the ride would be harsh compared to the stock tires but they seem a bit excessive. I ordered them from tire rack and had the local tire shop put them on. Didn't even think to ask the psi they were set at.

My tire pressure guage only goes up to 55psi and they are higher than that. I am wondering who else has these tires and what psi I should be running at to get a bit better ride and not wear them out too fast. The max psi on the tire is 80psi.

I did try and search for the answer to my question but had no luck. Sorry in advance if this has already been answered , this post did however, give me an opportunity to say hello

The following thread might help.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/82606-question-p-metric-vs-lt-tires-285-70r17s.html


The 275/70 BFG's are rated for 3,195lbs at 80psi. You essentially need to achieve the same load capacity with them as the stock tires, which are rated for 2,535lbs at 35psi (Toyota recommends inflating the stock tires to 32psi). Technically the P-rated tires are de-rated to 90% since they're installed on a truck. That leaves you with the following:

.9 * (32/35) * (2535/3195) * 80psi = 52psi

Even that seems a little high, but I would start there and see if the ride improves. IF you typically run the 4Runner without additional load in the rear, you could probably run the rear tires a little lower, say 2-4 psi lower, which could help make the rear end feel less jittery.

Let us know how it works out.

 

[Falls]

The reason it"s harsh is because it's "E" rated . This truck is way to light for E rated period !!! plus BFG's don't ride exceptionally well to begin with because of the hard harder compound but will wear good and are a tough a$$ tire.

Any logical tire shop should have told you that. I worked in tires for a while and would never recommend an E rated on anything less than a 3/4 ton truck and thats only depending on what they are loading in.

On my 4R TE I will stick with a "P" or "C rated and I DO go off road and never had an issue...... knock wood....lol.

 

[SeattleMike]

The reason it"s harsh is because it's "E" rated . This truck is way to light for E rated period !!! plus BFG's don't ride exceptionally well to begin with because of the hard harder compound but will wear good and are a tough a$$ tire.

Any logical tire shop should have told you that. I worked in tires for a while and would never recommend an E rated on anything less than a 3/4 ton truck and thats only depending on what they are loading in.

On my 4R TE I will stick with a "P" or "C rated and I DO go off road and never had an issue...... knock wood....lol.

I've been running my E-rated Duratracs for 30k+ miles at 44-50 psi and the ride is anything but harsh.

Maybe the BFG just aren't as good a tire :fishing:

 

[Metalhead77]

Ok guys I just got back from the tire shop. Had them retorque wheels and I asked them to check psi because , even tho I knew they were going to ride worse than my stock tires, they shouldn't have been this bad.

And they had the tires set to 80 psi ... max lol. Tire rack shipped them like this. The tire shop recomended I put them at 35 psi. I said you're the expert, go ahead. I was pretty sure I would stop at my local gas station on the drive home to inflate them a little more.

I was right, 35psi wasn't enough, I have them at 45psi right now, might go down to 40, not sure yet.

The ride quality is like so much better now, like night and day.

 

[Falls]

I've been running my E-rated Duratracs for 30k+ miles at 44-50 psi and the ride is anything but harsh.

Maybe the BFG just aren't as good a tire :fishing:

I think the GY Duratecs have a much more user friendly compound . GY has been making great strides in tire compound technology as has Firestone/Bridgestone and others . BFG is old technology in that department IMO.

Don't get me wrong BFG AT is a great tire !!! They just have been riding on old technology compared to other new AT's on the market .

Metalhead , nice looking truck !!

 

[JB.]

I have them at 45psi right now, might go down to 40, not sure yet.

The ride quality is like so much better now, like night and day.

That's a perfect range, glad you got it sorted out.

As you found out, the fact that they are Load E had little to do with why they were so harsh. Air pressure is the biggie.

 

[Big Duke 6]

Ok guys I just got back from the tire shop. Had them retorque wheels and I asked them to check psi because , even tho I knew they were going to ride worse than my stock tires, they shouldn't have been this bad.

And they had the tires set to 80 psi ... max lol. Tire rack shipped them like this. The tire shop recomended I put them at 35 psi. I said you're the expert, go ahead. I was pretty sure I would stop at my local gas station on the drive home to inflate them a little more.

I was right, 35psi wasn't enough, I have them at 45psi right now, might go down to 40, not sure yet.

The ride quality is like so much better now, like night and day.

Tires look damn good on those wheels with white letters out. glad your ride improved. Same thing happen to me on my AT's the shop left 100psi in them and I had loose teeth by the time i got home. rode like a lawnmower. I was like oh no what i have done.....

 

[harper7]

I think the GY Duratecs have a much more user friendly compound . GY has been making great strides in tire compound technology as has Firestone/Bridgestone and others . BFG is old technology in that department IMO.

Don't get me wrong BFG AT is a great tire !!! They just have been riding on old technology compared to other new AT's on the market .

I just had a set of E rated right before my KM2's and they rode great for an AT tire. Not harsh at all running them at 45psi.
Not sure when you last bought BFG AT's but they supposedly did update the rubber compounds 3-4 years ago. I think the rubber feels softer and grips better then the old ones...... http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/34174-new-bfg-ko-speed-rating-print.html

BFG(which is actually Michelin since 1988) makes great offroad tires and have more BAJA victories then any tire manufacturer by a landslide . Like 23 out of the last 24 years in a row of BAJA 1000 wins. BFG rules the offroad just like Goodyear rules the pavement. BFGoodrich® Tires Wins 43rd Annual SCORE Baja 1000

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q1-rdwCpOo4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Metalhead77]

Thank you for the compliments and for the help everyone. The wheel tire combo white letters out was a blind buy for me. I am really happy with the 4 runner overall. Now I can't wait to get it down to Pismo Beach for some beach/dunes off road and camping with the family! :driving:

 

[jameygraham]

I have a 2016 Trail with new (less than 2000k miles) BFG KO2 275/70R17's and when they are at 40psi they feel too tight and bumpy on the street/hard pavement. 34-38psi feels instantly better. Anyone else feel the same? Does anyone think running these tires at 34-38psi is bad for the tire especially on long highway roadtrips?

 

[Watchdogg]

I run mine at 35-37 psi and they're good. Ride is nice. They do get bouncy on the highway if you run higher pressure. You should be fine.

 

[Moto69Joe]

42 seems to be my sweet spot. Running an extra 700 lbs probably between bumpers, steps, and roof rack.

 

[Throwback]

Just be aware that running them that low means you are drastically reducing your load capacity. You're kind of screwed either way running LTs on a 4Runner that was designed for P-metric tires.

I understand that the minimum listed pressure for LT tires is 35psi, which would be right at 2000lbs load capacity on a 275. The stock P-metric tires at 32psi are 2200lbs. You'd need to have your LT 275s at 40lbs to match the factory spec load capacity.

All that aside, you kind of have to decide whether you want to match factory load spec and deal with a more harsh ride, less road traction (smaller contact patch), and out of spec spring rate for the factory suspension -OR- a smoother ride, larger contact patch, lower fuel efficiency, and risking overloaded/overheated tires due to underinflation.


I wish someone would make a P-metric tire with a stronger, more off-road oriented carcass.