New Tires from Michelin or BFG?

[mtnracer]

I am trying to decide on new tires that will work on and off-road. I also really want to buy the tires at Costco since they have great deals on tires and I get free rotation and balance for life. Problem is they can only special order tires from Michelin and BFG.

Obviously I am thinking about the BFG AT KO but the sales person also mentioned the Michelin LTX A/T. Has anyone used this tire for off-roading? Does it hold up? How does it ride on-road? The tread seems fairly aggressive though less so than the BFG.

 

[jacal]

Obviously I am thinking about the BFG AT KO but the sales person also mentioned the Michelin LTX A/T. Has anyone used this tire for off-roading? Does it hold up? How does it ride on-road? The tread seems fairly aggressive though less so than the



I replaced stock Firestones on a 99 4x4 Ranger with 31" LTX A/Ts thanks to the tire recall.

I used this tire a great deal off-road. The sidewalls took a decent beating, although I'd expect the BFG to win that battle.

The tires seem to last forever. I put approx 100,000km on them with little signs of wear. They have plenty of tread left. I always monitor pressure. I had very few flats over their lifetime.

On road: for a large tire they were pretty quiet on the highway. They work well on gravel roads, but not the best I've ever used either. The BFGs seem to throw up allot of stones, the LTX less (but still a bit). If you spend enough time on gravel, this becomes a concern. Being bigger then the oem firestone the LTXes were a little more clumsy in cornering, mainly in city driving. They work ok in mud.

They are only acceptable in the wet, and okay/acceptable on ice. They were good to very good in deeper snow.

At the time I compared the same 2 tires you are. I preferred the look of the BFG (but now everyone and their dog runs em, so I'm getting tired of seeing them). For longevity, ride, and quiteness I think the Michelins win. For deep mud, or if off-road is your highest priority I'd say BFG all the way. I'm impressed the BFG gets the "severe snow" symbol.

I have no regrets choosing the LTX, I feel certain I'd be replacing the BFG right now if I'd gone that route. From a financial viewpoint LTX wins. Off-road will mean different things to everyone, but the LTX did everything I needed. I felt that a few times the more aggressive BFG would have avoided a "stuck".


J

 

[mtnracer]

Come on guys...

Someone else here must have the Michelin LTX ATs...

 

[RonMAIDEN]

If you truly off road but your truck is a DD then go with some Nittos and get the best of both worlds at a much cheaper price. BFGs have subpar street performance especially in the wet (I've driven on a few sets of BFGs) and the Michelins still lean toward more of a street tire and they would be the better choice if you do alot of highway driving with mild off roading.

I like the Nittos for around town with great dry traction and great resistance to hydroplaning and off road they'd give the BFGs a run for the money but at a significant lower price. If I was doing alot of long distant trips tho' I'd probably take the Michelins or a set of Bridgstone Revos since I think both have a 50k+ mileage treadwear warranty.

 

[Good Times]

if you plan to offroad, i highly recommend you upside the tire to 265.75.16 or 265.70.17 (depending on if you have 16 or 17's). both are the same size but different wheel size. (this size will fit on a stock vehicle no problem)

costco will not approve of the larger size even if it's incremental so you'll have to visit another franchise. (corporate policy). larger tires mean bigger foot print which is very important so every little increment makes a big difference.

If you want to go bigger, consider adding a lift to fit 275's or even 285's. Remember that the larger you go the more problems you may encounter (i.e. rubbing, power due to gearing etc) - do a search to learn more about this.

tire selection wise, any tire selection is good. I like Nitto as well as the Revo's so check those out too. I've seen Revo's in action and have driven a vehicle w/ Revo's on the trail and it did very well. Of course I'm not in your neck of the woods so my experiences will significantly differ so I highly recommend you chat w/ some of your local friends/members to see what they recommend. Terrain makes a significant difference in which tires works best.

Good luck

 

[davefisher]

I recently picked up a set of the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos and they're a really great tire. I live in Ohio so my "off road" experience is mostly through fields and some light streams, and they've performed great so far. I haven't been able to test them on snow yet.

They seem as quiet as the BFGs and I've heard they wear a bit better (?). They ride well, and hey I was coming from the Dueler H/Ts that were on there before--- a horrible tire. Ever for a highway tread.

If you are between the BFG and the LTX, let me tell you this: I was looking to replace my H/Ts and was inquiring on Michelin LTX A/T as well. (I've been a Michelin fan for sport tires for a long time). The guy at my shop said he won't even suggest the LTX A/T to people unless they ask for it by name... because for the price there are many other tires available. He suggested the Geolandars, Revos, and Nokian made one as well that were good true off-road but daily drivable. So that leads me to say-- I'd go with the BFGs. I've not had them on a vehicle as quiet as the 4R, but many trucks I've seen have never had a problem in any terrain next to a swamp

Good luck in your tire hunting.

 

[mtnracer]

Thanks for all the input.

If Good Times is right about the Costco policy about only selling stock size tires I'll have a lot more choices to sift through.

Since I definitely want to upsize to 265/75 or 285/75 after I get the OME lift, Costco will not be an option.

Everyone seems really impressed by the Nitto Terragrappler's performance and price so I will probably get those.

Thanks again.

 

[Kmvreter]

I am trying to decide on new tires that will work on and off-road. I also really want to buy the tires at Costco since they have great deals on tires and I get free rotation and balance for life. Problem is they can only special order tires from Michelin and BFG.

Obviously I am thinking about the BFG AT KO but the sales person also mentioned the Michelin LTX A/T. Has anyone used this tire for off-roading? Does it hold up? How does it ride on-road? The tread seems fairly aggressive though less so than the BFG.

Get both! Let me explain.
I'm a Mich fan. Haven't put anything else on a vehicle for the last 25 years. I ran a set of LTX A/T on my former Jimmy for over 200,000 Km. The are an excellent tire and surprisingly very quiet onroad for the aggressive tread pattern. I don't do any hard offroading but I think the sidewall would not stand up. They don't come in the stock size but if I was to get one set of tires I would get these again (the upsized 265/75R16 will fit.)
However, I wanted 2 sets (summer alloys, winter steels.) I got the BFG A/T (275/70R16) for winter instead (more aggresive; "snowflake"; spare set if I want to start going off-road.) Only downside of these is the noise (it's relative, some don't mind it but I like quiet) but it's only for 3 months/year. I'll get a Mich CT or Pilot for summer (when the Dunflops go; depends on what kind of deal I get.)
You may have a problem with Costco putting a non-stock size on. I would ask before ordering. In that case you won't get the LTX A/T but I can't recall if the BFG A/T comes in a stock size.

 

[jacal]

Thanks for all the input.

If Good Times is right about the Costco policy about only selling stock size tires I'll have a lot more choices to sift through.
Thanks again.

I can see that policy Stateside, but in Canada the local Costco couldn't care less what size I wanted to buy. Although they suggested sticking within 1 size of OEM.

Hey, if you have any other questions on LTX A/T for me fire away. I have not owned the BFG, but both the father-in-law and bro-in-law have run them; they both live in the country with plenty of off-road time. We also have a family member who has been in the tire business for a couple decades, he is a great resource.


J

 

[mtnracer]

I can see that policy Stateside, but in Canada the local Costco couldn't care less what size I wanted to buy. Although they suggested sticking within 1 size of OEM.

Hey, if you have any other questions on LTX A/T for me fire away. I have not owned the BFG, but both the father-in-law and bro-in-law have run them; they both live in the country with plenty of off-road time. We also have a family member who has been in the tire business for a couple decades, he is a great resource.


J

I actually worked in the Costco tire shop about 8 years ago and we always upsized tires. It seems they have changed their policy since:

I called my buddy today who still works there and he confirmed that they will only install what is listed in their tire fitment guide. If it's not in the computer as an option they won't do it...sucks.

 

[Koz]

Stay away from the LTXs, they suck in bad weather. REVOs or BFG KOs.

Koz

 

[davefisher]

Stay away from the LTXs, they suck in bad weather. REVOs or BFG KOs.

Koz

I would have to agree :bigok:

 

[Kmvreter]

Stay away from the LTXs, they suck in bad weather. REVOs or BFG KOs.

Koz

And I would have to disagree. We are talking the LTX A/T (not the LTX M/S or LTX A/S?) Never an issue with grip year-round in a northern bad weather climate. Not a hard-core off-road tire but quite capable (well worth the money.)

 

[Koz]

And I would have to disagree. We are talking the LTX A/T (not the LTX M/S or LTX A/S?) Never an issue with grip year-round in a northern bad weather climate. Not a hard-core off-road tire but quite capable (well worth the money.)

I had both A/T + M/S and the LTX M/S's were a little better but still sucked in bad weather. I used them on a 2wd taco which is desperate for rear traction in bad weather. The LTXs will last forever but after 25K mile they were dangerous in bad weather (even with added weight). At less then 20K miles I had to add 300lbs in the bed to be able to safely drive in the rain (forget about snow). I have the LT REVO's now and there are incredible, I wish I would have known about them sooner, I went through many different brands before finding them. I can't wait till I get them on my 4Runner, but the H/Ts are working pretty well.

Koz

 

[mtnracer]

I had both A/T + M/S and the LTX M/S's were a little better but still sucked in bad weather. I used them on a 2wd taco which is desperate for rear traction in bad weather. The LTXs will last forever but after 25K mile they were dangerous in bad weather (even with added weight). At less then 20K miles I had to add 300lbs in the bed to be able to safely drive in the rain (forget about snow). I have the LT REVO's now and there are incredible, I wish I would have known about them sooner, I went through many different brands before finding them. I can't wait till I get them on my 4Runner, but the H/Ts are working pretty well.

Koz

Right now I am running the LTX M/S on my 4Runner and they are very solid - good and bad weather. Drove through massive rain storms in South Florida with no problem. Of course this could also be because of the full time 4WD on my V8 compared to the 2WD on an unloaded tacoma....

 

[Koz]

Right now I am running the LTX M/S on my 4Runner and they are very solid - good and bad weather. Drove through massive rain storms in South Florida with no problem. Of course this could also be because of the full time 4WD on my V8 compared to the 2WD on an unloaded tacoma....

I think the 4Runner would work well with bologna skins. I had pulled my Taco (with LTX M&S, with 20K miles) out of the driveway so I could clear about 4" of fresh snow. The problem was I could not put it back. My neighbors were busting my balls because they thought it was 4wd (PreRunner looks like 4wd). That POS Toyota and so on

 

[mtnracer]

I think the 4Runner would work well with bologna skins. I had pulled my Taco (with LTX M&S, with 20K miles) out of the driveway so I could clear about 4" of fresh snow. The problem was I could not put it back. My neighbors were busting my balls because they thought it was 4wd (PreRunner looks like 4wd). That POS Toyota and so on

 

[Red3.slow]

I have the michelins. If you go over any rock you will be missing chunks of tread. I'd stick with the BFG

 

[Kmvreter]

I think the 4Runner would work well with bologna skins. I had pulled my Taco (with LTX M&S, with 20K miles) out of the driveway so I could clear about 4" of fresh snow. The problem was I could not put it back. My neighbors were busting my balls because they thought it was 4wd (PreRunner looks like 4wd). That POS Toyota and so on

 

[Kmvreter]

I have the michelins. If you go over any rock you will be missing chunks of tread. I'd stick with the BFG

Yes, the BFG is better than the Mich offroad.