New Tires from Michelin or BFG?
- Thread starter mtnracer
- Start date
Thai
Elite Member
I have had both. LTX A/T is a good tire...very good wear. However, it didn't do anything for me in terms of looks. The sidewall is like any other tire (2-ply). It is NOT any quieter than REVOs or BFG AT KO. I don't think that it has enough siping to be as good as REVOs on road.
My favorite is BFG AT KO by far. Yes, i have had Nittos too...they were nice, but the sidewall was rather thin (even when compared to my stock Yokohama H/T). Remember, Nittos (and Toyo) are relatively small tire companies. I rather buy from the big tire companies. BFG AT KO is as quiet as any AT tire out there, including all of the above listed. The only thing about BFG that i have heard is that wet traction degrades as it wears. Otherwise, i love my BFG AT KO.
Conclusion: between LTX A/T and BFG AT KO, i would pick BFG AT KO. Remember, there is a reason why BFG AT KO has dominated it's category for years. Just take a poll of trucks on the road...most have BFG on them.
To tell you the truth, if you don't off-road much and want somthing nice on-road, then i would look at Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor. It is probably as good on-road as REVOs, but is slightly stronger (stronger tread and sidewall). The only negative that i have heard is that these tires seem to affect fuel economy (in a bad way) than other tires...higher rolling resistance or something.
My favorite is BFG AT KO by far. Yes, i have had Nittos too...they were nice, but the sidewall was rather thin (even when compared to my stock Yokohama H/T). Remember, Nittos (and Toyo) are relatively small tire companies. I rather buy from the big tire companies. BFG AT KO is as quiet as any AT tire out there, including all of the above listed. The only thing about BFG that i have heard is that wet traction degrades as it wears. Otherwise, i love my BFG AT KO.
Conclusion: between LTX A/T and BFG AT KO, i would pick BFG AT KO. Remember, there is a reason why BFG AT KO has dominated it's category for years. Just take a poll of trucks on the road...most have BFG on them.
To tell you the truth, if you don't off-road much and want somthing nice on-road, then i would look at Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor. It is probably as good on-road as REVOs, but is slightly stronger (stronger tread and sidewall). The only negative that i have heard is that these tires seem to affect fuel economy (in a bad way) than other tires...higher rolling resistance or something.
I also went through this delema years ago, but had no one to ask excet for strangers on the street. So I went with the Ko's and never looked back. Great tire I got 112,000 KM's out of a set and they still had 9/32 on them. Just dont expect these tires to clean well going through the deep stuff (MUD).
RonMAIDEN
Super Moderator
Thai said:
Why is it bad to buy from a small tire company?
I totally disagree about the noise as my Nittos are quite a bit smoother riding and quiet as directly compared to my friend's Tacoma with new BFGs on it. Dry handling also goes to the Nittos as after 20k my BFGs started to get hard and slicker and even worse by 30k.
Yes,many trucks have BFGs but popularity doesn't mean superior and BFG just has a hold on the market partly due to them establishing the tire in the '90s with a superior product and there wasn't much competition in the market for solid AT tires as there is now.
Also many people put BFGs on their trucks because it's trendy (they do have the best off road look and lettering) and many won't give anything new a try since they assume BFGs are the best and IMO for a DD they are lacking especially if you waste your $$$ putting them on a vehicle that will NEVER see off road and that is a common scenario.
Putting Nittos on a truck that'll never off road is a bad idea too but around town I would never go back to BFGs unless my truck became a weekend warrior.
BFGs are great tires but for a daily driver Nittos are a much better performing tire and are substantially cheaper. Off road tho' BFGs would get he slight edge in durability but so far my Nittos are handling off road abuse quite nicely.
I'm really looking forward to a proper head to head comparo on and off road but I've yet to see it but maybe soon.
Thai
Elite Member
RonMAIDEN,
The problem is that i have tried all of the tires i listed out. Noise level is pretty much the same across the line. In fact, i found the BFG to be slightly quieter than Nittos on my G500. The Nittos hummed significantly on the highway. This was very noticeable...Discount Tire advisor said that it was due to the center tread being continuous or something like that. My BFG AT KO does not do this...you hear a slight humming only. In addition, i compared side wall thickness and it was not even close. I found that Nittos' sidewall was even thinner than my old Yokohama HT that came stock on my G. I swapped back to the Yokohamas after 1 week on Nittos.
IMHO, for mostly on-road use with a few occasional off-road ventures, i would go with Goodyear SilentArmor.
In tires, i trust big companies with history of making tires. I would rather buy from Goodyear or Michelin than from Cooper or Toyos. Now, don't get me wrong, these tires are good quality i am sure, but it's just my personal bias. (In other words, my opinion on this point is purely choice rather than fact.)
Your Nittos sounding quieter than your friend's Tacoma with BFG could be due to better sound proofing in the 4runner. When i had my '02 4runner, it was quieter than a Tacoma for sure. As stated above, i have had both tires on the same vehicle (head-to-head comparo), and i found the BFG to be a bit quieter on the highway. Trust me, if i did not believe this, then my G would have Nittos because they are much cheaper than BFG.
There are tons of people driving Camrys. A lot of people having one product means that the product is PROVEN. This is what i meant by above. People come back to it. Recently, i was influenced by flashy advertisements for Goodyear SilentArmor. I almost made the jump. However, after comparing both tires side-by-side at my local tire store, i found that BFG's sidewall was thicker. And for MY purpose (on-road and off-road with rocks, including airing down), i need the extra durability that BFG offers.
My opinion.
The problem is that i have tried all of the tires i listed out. Noise level is pretty much the same across the line. In fact, i found the BFG to be slightly quieter than Nittos on my G500. The Nittos hummed significantly on the highway. This was very noticeable...Discount Tire advisor said that it was due to the center tread being continuous or something like that. My BFG AT KO does not do this...you hear a slight humming only. In addition, i compared side wall thickness and it was not even close. I found that Nittos' sidewall was even thinner than my old Yokohama HT that came stock on my G. I swapped back to the Yokohamas after 1 week on Nittos.
IMHO, for mostly on-road use with a few occasional off-road ventures, i would go with Goodyear SilentArmor.
In tires, i trust big companies with history of making tires. I would rather buy from Goodyear or Michelin than from Cooper or Toyos. Now, don't get me wrong, these tires are good quality i am sure, but it's just my personal bias. (In other words, my opinion on this point is purely choice rather than fact.)
Your Nittos sounding quieter than your friend's Tacoma with BFG could be due to better sound proofing in the 4runner. When i had my '02 4runner, it was quieter than a Tacoma for sure. As stated above, i have had both tires on the same vehicle (head-to-head comparo), and i found the BFG to be a bit quieter on the highway. Trust me, if i did not believe this, then my G would have Nittos because they are much cheaper than BFG.
There are tons of people driving Camrys. A lot of people having one product means that the product is PROVEN. This is what i meant by above. People come back to it. Recently, i was influenced by flashy advertisements for Goodyear SilentArmor. I almost made the jump. However, after comparing both tires side-by-side at my local tire store, i found that BFG's sidewall was thicker. And for MY purpose (on-road and off-road with rocks, including airing down), i need the extra durability that BFG offers.
My opinion.
RonMAIDEN
Super Moderator
Good reply Thai and yes the sound is probably less in the Runner due to what you mentioned but the ride on the street is a little less rough as BFGs have stiffer sidewalls.
I like the Nittos due to their slightly better day to day liveability but still get an aggressive look and resistance to hydroplaning over 65mph which the BFGs do get a little squirrelly.
Both are great tires but if your Runner spends most of it's time on pavement (daily driver) and are on a budget the Nittos are a solid choice IMO.
I like the Nittos due to their slightly better day to day liveability but still get an aggressive look and resistance to hydroplaning over 65mph which the BFGs do get a little squirrelly.
Both are great tires but if your Runner spends most of it's time on pavement (daily driver) and are on a budget the Nittos are a solid choice IMO.
mikestang
Guest
Good Times said:
Stock is 265/70/16. By going "larger" to a 265/75/16 the footprint does not increase, but the tire height does (by about an inch).
The great thing about Costco is their return policy. Does it apply to tires, too? I don't know, never bought them there before. But if it does, how nice would it be to return the tires after they wear out and get your money back? :biggrin2:
