Getting tires soon but have a few complications. I really want to get the BFG Mud Terrain KM2's but everyone has them on backorder till about mid January. I can get a discount kind of from work and when I asked for some prices, I was given a few options.
Since they KM2's were on backorder and apparently they can't get the old mud terrain anymore, I was given a price on the Goodyear MT/R tires.
With my discount from work I can get the MT/R's for 172$ a piece which isn't bad for a 35x12.5/15. I think I was quoted just over 200 for the KM2s.

So the question is, since I can't find anything about them using the search, does anybody have any input on the MT/R's?
I'm mainly looking for good tread life/wear, good offroad traction (mainly mud), and good puncture resistance (punctured sidewalls aren't fun in the middle of the woods). I've seen other decent looking mud tires for good prices, but the biggest turn off was 2 ply sidewalls... I tend to hit roots and drive on trails with a lot of big branches that jump out in front you, and I've had a sidewall torn in the woods before, so for the extra money, the extra protection is well worth it in my eyes.

I have experience with BFG tires so I know how they are and thats why I had my mind set on the KM2's, but I really don't want to wait a month just to see if they'll even be available yet.

 

my friend was in the same boat with the km2s. ended up gettin the goodyears put on today in 35/12.5/15 on his jeep. he wheels ALOT. its a nice looking tire though. but so far i dont kno how theyve been he just got em

 

Yeah looks like I might be making the same choice. The one thing that is kind of making me rush is that also now at work we're having an employee discount on gift certificates (the most is 20$ off of a 100$ valued certificate) for the workers... so I could get the MT/R's for about 550-600$ when its all said and done. But if I wait till the KM2's are available I would either have to buy a bunch of the gift certificates and hold on to them till the tires are back in stock, or miss out on getting the extra 20$ off per 100.
I'll probably bite the bullet tomorrow and just go for the MT/R's... for the savings it might be worth it

 

yeah thats not bad for a set of muds. i have read and heard good things about them. google reviews on them or look on discount/tire rack for reviews

 

My bro back home just put them on in May on his 05 F150, I had 35 BFG ATs and his Goodyear MTs looked way better, way more aggressive obviouslly. But overall, they made alot of road noise, but just turnup the radio.

We used them a few times to pull people out of the mud and they never even thought about getting stuck.

I havent seen them lately, but he drives a ton and Im sure he had over 10k on them since May and from what Ive heard they are holding up fine.

I would get them but I need AT/MT mixes atleast, just picked up some Cepek FC-II's so we ll see how they go.

 

Yeah I've googled reviews on just about every mud in my price range haha, and it seems really mixed for all of them. Thats why I figured I'd come and bring the question here to see what the F150 guys seem to think haha.

Yeah I have BFG ATs (33x12.50) on right now. Really not worried about noise at all since my truck is loud as it is with straight pipes and basically no window weather stripping.... so the radio is always up anyway haha. I mean I do a ton of wheeling with my All-Terrains but know my trucks limits for the most part and avoid questionable holes at all cost without seeing somebody else go in it. Since All-Terrains serve me pretty damn good, even if its not the "best" mudder out there, chances are it'll surpass the AT in most all situations out in the woods. Nowadays I mainly just do trail driving and stuff like that but theres always a lot of fallen trees and roots, so I just want a tough MT that will hold up to some abuse.

As much as I love the look of the new KM2 and as much that it looks like a much better off road tire then the MT/R to me, I think the MT/R should get me by after reading over some reviews again. I read a few that say its pretty good for rocks and stuff but sucks for mud, but compared to an all-terrain it's still probably a lot better off in the mud.

 

Someone here has them and swears buy them

He's got a yellow extended cab.

I personally do not care for good years. What brands can you get? I can get myself anything

 

Yeah I've been more of a BFG guy myself, but really don't want to wait it out for the KM2s to become available and then pay a lot more for them then I can get these MT/Rs for right now.
The only big tires (35") I'd really be able to get through work was the BFG Muds, BFG A/t (I think), GoodYear MT/R's, and Dunlop mudrover. Might be able to get Firestone Destination MT's since I think we deal with a couple Firestone shops in the area, but not too sure. A buddy of mine has those but they look worn pretty bad pretty quick.. probably due to alignment issues and burnouts, but idk.

 

I had a set on my old truck and I LOVED them. They lasted me around 40k and then i sold the truck. They still had plenty o tread left, however I did rotate every other oil change. I mud alot in Deep East Texas on deep trails and i never had a problem with sidewall tears or anything from the roots. I also went in for consultations on logging evacs and I hit plenty of stobs. They did very, very well in the mud and would clean until the frame hit the mud. They never chunked or tore and were very easy to balance. I loved the tire and would get them again except I moved to a concrete jungle called Dallas and now don't really have a need for mud's. If i did, I would buy these.

Just my 2 cents.

 

i was not happy with my MT-R's they did last 35K miles on my ranger but i never was completely happy with the offroad traction.

If you really want a tire that will last 35K+ and will get you though some sticky offroad situations. Go take a look at Super Swamper Radial TSL's my TSL's havent let me down once. Yeah ive been stuck, but that was more from stupidity, undergeared and under powered.

Im not sure what the sidewall ply is on these tires but i know they will take abuse, heres some proof, I was wheeling at a local spot and ran over a tree, well a big branch (i didnt notice) bounced off my front passanger tire ran down the tire cracked the fender flare then dented the bottom portion of the truck door all the way down to the other fender flare. It left a pretty nasty scar on the metal but no damage done to the tires.

 

The MT/R is by far my favorite looking tire. I would love a set of them, but I would never use them. Also, if you are looking for just a mud tire, I would pass on the MT/R. It is not a mud terrain tire. The MT stands for maximum traction or something like that. It shines in the rock and snow department, but not the best for mud. Thats why you see alot of rock crawlers wearing MT/Rs. SS makes some really good mud tires, but I tend to notice that they wear faster than most m/t. If I was in the market for a m/t I would get the Firestone Destination M/T. Great tread life, awesome looks, and I could never get mine gummed up with mud. There are some others out there, I've just seen the better comments on the Destinations.

 

Yes Interco tires are gonna wear rather fast, they are made of a soft rubber compound, this allows for great tire flex over rocks, limbs, mud and anything else you might drive on.

My TSLs have alittle more than 30K right now and the tires on the front wont make it to 40k do to cupping, unless i get the crap fixed soon.

When looking for a Mud Tire theres somethings that i think about no paticular order here:

1. Tread Design: When looking at a tire pick a tire pick one that looks functional, not just random tread block placed in odd spots. Keep in mind Larger voids in the tread block will allow mud to clean much easier but also make the tire louder on the road.
2. Terrain: Consider the terrain you will be driving in, from mud bogs, rockclimbing, to trail riding. Characteristics change so tires should change. IMO theres no 1 tire perfect for every situation, Diffferent tread paterns will offer advantages and disadvantages. For istance if you are running a mud bog the best street legal tire is gonna be the Super Swamper Bogger hands down. But when doing rock climbing or trail riding the Boggers dont offer enough lateral traction and can cause you to slip and slide all over obstacles. For Rock climbing or Trail riding id much perfer a tire like the TSL's, SSR's, Irok's, SX's. Too name a few other Interco Brands.
3. Rubber Compound: This can make or brake a good MT. Harder Rubber will make a tire last longer but also make the tire stiffer allowing less flex and less cleaning ablility. Thus causing the tire to fill up with with mud and turn itno a huge slick. Hard compound tires in rocks arent great either, the tires sidewall/ tread wont flex even when aired down, so your not getting maximum traction.
4. Company Prestigue: If the Manufacturer doesnt have a good review or customer satisfaction im normally wont give the tires a chance. Im hard on my tires and expect them to last.
5. Tire Size: Dont only think about Diameter here, the tire width and amount of sidewall will affect how the tire performs offroad. Currently with my truck im running a narrow set of 36" TSL's i went narrow for a few reasons, 1. save weight my v6 would have a hard time turning 14.5 or 15.5" wide tires though sticky mud. 2. When in mud i dont have to spin the tires to beable to get out, i can pop into 4LO and crawl though most stuff ive been in. Im not saying narrow tires a supiorer to their wide counter parts but it all depends on what you are doing and what you are doing it in. Rock Crawling, or mud races i would much perferr a wider tire if the engine/gearing will allow for it. This creates a bigger tread footprint and normally bigger voids.
6. Wheel Size: Everyone knew this would come out. Wheel size comes into play greatly in offroading situations, the bigger the wheel the less sidewall you have which means the less flex your tire is gonna give you. Im not saying that big wheels and offroading wont mix but it needs to be porportional, a 35" tire on a 20" wheel is gonna make for a super stiff tire, with little to no sidewall tread. This being said yes that same tire combo can go out and run and have fun with buddies and shine up and look good but for tue more competitive offroader this wont work. Lets not get into a big debate here.
7. Tire Life: When im looking for mud tires im not looking at the tread life as much, due to the fact that a long lasting MT will be sacraficing Offroad performance. Ive ran MT's that have lasted from 10k-40k. However there is a good median for picking a good road worthy tire that can still handle its own offroad. BFG has been making products like this for awhile now, Toyo open Country MT's IMO will out last any MT on the market but they dont clean nearly as well as KM2's or TSL's. If you have plenty of power to spin them and keep them spinning then you will probably have no problem for the weekend warrior. I personally normally want to get a solid 25-30K miles out of a MT
8. Tire Noise: Too me this is not a big deal, my TSL's are quite loud but are reasonable, there are only a few tires on the market that are louder than mine, The bigger the void inthe tread the louder the tire is gonna be. As long as the tire backs up its sound when offroad ill be happy. If the tire is just stupid loud then turns into an avarage MT i wont be purchasing agian.
9. Balancing Issues: Also a mute point with me, yes it helps but with a aggressive MT theres gonna be alot of weight had to balance them, Some will be easier some wont.

 

Theres someone in the area thats selling a set of bias 36x12.50/15 TSL tires that look pretty good (states about 90% tread) for 700$. Going to check them out tomorrow and see how they look in person. If they look good then I might be getting them. Just a lot of money to be dishin out thats why I'm checking out all options before I settle on something

 

I've run both the bfg's and the mt/r. Both lasted me over 40,000. The mt/r never got loud on me until the 35,000 or close mark. The mt/r is a heavy tire and imo just as good an off road tire as the bfg in every way. I run through a lot of rock and roots in east tn and the tire never burped once. If a tire can live through the east tn mtns and rock it is tough. I've run both, and both did great. I'm getting the itch for another set myself. The price on the mt/r is now pretty much in line with the other tires in it's class. For a while it was a lot more. In my close to 30 years of driving I've just about run everything. The bfg mud and the mt/r are really just compromise tires anyway. Neither is a true mud only tire. I think the mt/r cleaned out and ran what mud I hit really good. I don't hit the deep mud pits anymore. I don't have the time to clean, or the m.ney to repair the truck at the end of the day. If you're wanting a true mud tire, think Interco. I know very few people who run swampers like the tire is intended. Too many buy them and run down the road in them. You can also expect around 20,000 out of a set doing this. One of the best and toughest tires I have ever run was a co-op grip spur. Loud as hell and didn't last very long. If a mud hole had a bottom they would find it quick and either pull you through or leave you on the frame, stuck. Good luck. The gy mt/r is a great tire. Keep them rotated and run the right pressure and I think you'll be more than happy.
Rich

 

I had 33x12.5" MT/Rs on my old truck. Let me first say what I liked about the tires. Lets start with looks. The MT/R tread patteren looks very tough. The sidewalls on a "taller tire" (say 35" on a 16" wheel) look very tough. The overall offroad traction was great! What I mean by this is that the tire performed well in just about all situations. My friends "old style" BFG M/Ts performed better in mud, but my MT/Rs weren't far behind. However, when we were on a dry technical section of rutted trail, my MT/Rs owned. They did well in mud, very well on dry trails, very well on rocks, very well in deep snow, slush, and were good for an M/T on rain and ice cover roads. (The tires are awesome when aired down!) They're also a very tough tire. I had a few good abrasions from tree roots on a couple tires and they were perfectly fine.

Now, let me say what I wasn't too happy about. First was the road noise and rougher ride. Yes it's an aggressive tire so I can deal with the road noise (which got louder with the miles), but they also a little on the rough side. Second, I expected to get more mileage out of the tires. At 35,000 it was time for new tires. They weren't bald, but there wasn't much tread left. Granted, I did use and abuse the tires. They were daily driven on the street and saw a lot of gravel road. They also didn't wear the best. These are the reasons Jeep switched from the MT/R to the BFG M/Ts on the Rubicons.

Overall, they're a well rounded offroad tire. If that's a priority for you, these are great tires.