Firestone Destination M/T (Pics & Review)

[neliconcept]

7000 mile report: Ok...this sounds strange, but my MT's seem to have gotten quieter since i first bought it. I could be more used to it now...so, that may be the reason. But i really believe that it is a bit quieter than when i first bought it.

As for noise on the highway, the noise is present if you pay attention to it. It is definitely louder than my BFG AT KO. But it is quieter than Goodyear MT/R's and BFG MTs. You will hear tire hum, esp. above 40-50 mph. Over coarse pavement, you will hear it louder, but you can easily drown it out with music or conversation. It is easily tolerable. My wife doesn't even notice that i changed tires (from BFG AT KO to Firestones)...so that should tell you that it is not a big difference (and, no, she is not deaf!).

Handling is OK (it's a MT afterall)...and rain traction is good.

Hopefully, i will have more off-roading experience on these tires soon (this weekend).

i just got these in a 285 and they are a hell of a lot quieter then my old 285 goodyears.

goodyears were b52 bomber planes.

these are more like a prop jet.

feel more comfortable too.

traction is about the same, goodyears were softer so... but thats it

treadware will be a lot better with these

 

[Thai]

Woohoo...another Firestone owner! Please keep up to date about the differences between your old MT/R's and the Firestones.

 

[Thai]

Over 10K miles report:

Firestone M/T is definitely noisier than my old BFG AT KO, no doubt about it. The noise is easily tolerable...my wife still makes no objection to it. Over coarse pavement, it can be slightly intrusive, but radio easily drowns it out.

We get plenty of rain here in TX...and these tires have performed very well. No flaws that i could see so far...they handle water holes/spots a bit better than my old BFG AT KO...less steering instability. Braking and traction in rain is OK, not like a highway tire, but never made me feel lack of control.

Off-road, it's amazing! There is no comparison between the Firestone M/Ts and my old BFG AT KO. And it is just not in mud where the they are better. They perform better on rocks where the huge lugs grab rocks easier. They clean very well, easily on par with my brother's BFG M/T and friend's Procomp M/T. IMHO, they clean better than Toyo Open Country M/T on my friend's Jeep. I have not tried sand yet. Oh yeah, they air down well and wrap themselves around rocks very well. The sidewall feels indestructible thru sharp rocks! So far, i am extremely impress with them, as are my friends and brother.

Overall, being an AT guy for most of my SUV ownership (4runner and now G500), i can tell you that i won't be switching back to A/T tire anytime soon.

 

[MAC4Runner]

How's the wear after 10K?

TIA

 

[Thai]

How's the wear after 10K?

TIA

I have not notice much wear...the tread depth is so deep that i have not notice much.

 

[Paul2660]

Thai,

On the Firestones, did you see any reduction in MPG? over the AT's?

Thanks
Paul C

 

[Thai]

Thai,

On the Firestones, did you see any reduction in MPG? over the AT's?

Thanks
Paul C

Strangely, not much...i think around 0.5-1 mpg less than before with the smaller BFG AT KO.

 

[boston_kevin]

So now that you have had these for a while, notice any issues with traction, vibration, road manners?

 

[Thai]

So now that you have had these for a while, notice any issues with traction, vibration, road manners?

Nothing to note yet....

The road manners are surprisingly decent for a M/T. No strange vibrations...it still balances well.

PSI is at 32, which is recommended for stock tires on my G. No ill effects from this psi.

 

[boston_kevin]

How many miles do you have on these tires Thai? I just noticed the other day that the Rubicons come with Goodyear MT standard on 17" rims. Look tuff and they drive pretty good on pavement too.

 

[ric]

I LOVE these tires, Im on my second set, I got right at 50K miles from the first set, and they still had life, left in them :bigok:

These are awesome on snow, on the rocks, they stick like glue, pretty quite for a MT tire, Ive had mine sipped, im sure that helps some, but yes, these are AWES0ME tires :bigok:

 

[Thai]

How many miles do you have on these tires Thai? I just noticed the other day that the Rubicons come with Goodyear MT standard on 17" rims. Look tuff and they drive pretty good on pavement too.

Sorry Kevin, i missed your post until now.

I have a little over 14k miles on them. The new 2007 Jeep Rubicons come with BFG M/T on 17" rims. (The previous gen Jeep Rubicons came with Goodyear MT/R on 16" rims.) These Jeep BFG M/Ts are similar to the BFG MT KM-1, but have slightly different design for better bad weather traction (snow, rain), required by Jeep manufacturer. These Jeep BFG M/T rides nice and are quiet for M/Ts. Unfortunately, you canNOT get this modified design in any other size. With the new BFG M/T KM2 (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30935) coming out, i would rather get the KM2 anyway.

After the Firestones wear out, i may get the BFG KM2...they just look too badass for me to pass on!

 

[Thai]

Just an update...I have found that my G rides significantly better when i go down to 28 psi all around. (For off-road, i still run at 18 psi.) The ride is more comfortable...noise level is the same. And when i go back to 32 psi, i can feel the ride being too stiff now. I have not checked fuel economy...well, because it sucks anyway.

 

[Thai]

Update:

Unfortunately, i have some bad news this time. At least 2 out of 4 Firestones went out of round. Not sure what caused this, but my brother states that it could be from my G500 not getting daily driving. I drive it at least once a week, usually twice/week.

Therefore, i have switched back to BFG AT KO, but at the same size as my Firestones...265/75/16 (32"). Two things that i have noticed so far:

1. My G500 is a lot quieter, which is obvious given that i went from Mud-terrains to all-terrains. The ride is about the same.

2. My fuel economy is better...about 0.5-1 mpg. Both the Firestones and my new BFG are technically the same size.

Well, my adventure with the Firestones ended. It was a good mud-terrain until this happened. It was awesome off-road. But, on-road, the road noise did bother me and did factor into me getting back to ATs.

 

[ric]

woow thats strange, Ill have to agree with your brother.. Im on my second set, first set I got 50K out of them with some life left..
If you think these are loud, dont even think about getting the BFGs MTs now they are loud... I personaly dont think they are loud, I dont even hear them, but I air them up to about 40 psi.
sorry to hear what happened.

 

[neliconcept]

woow thats strange, Ill have to agree with your brother.. Im on my second set, first set I got 50K out of them with some life left..
If you think these are loud, dont even think about getting the BFGs MTs now they are loud... I personaly dont think they are loud, I dont even hear them, but I air them up to about 40 psi.
sorry to hear what happened.

yeah mine werent loud until they started to chunk but that was from some hardcore rock crawling on some certain obstacles.

im running 315 baja mtzs, i cant even hear these period, plus they float on air.