BFG A/T experience on snow/ice?

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
Hey folks. I'm looking at buying some used studded tires for winter here. No, we don't need them in the city, but heading up to the mountain for snowshoeing and skiing you need chains or traction tires.

I'm wondering if the BFG A/T behaves like a studless traction tire? I know they have the snowflake emblem on them so legally they are considered one, but I'm wondering about real life experience.

How well do these tires work in snow and on ice? Should I skip the used studded tires and just spend the money on some BFG's instead?

Thanks.
 

outinthewoods

Adventurer
I live in the San Juan mountains of Colorado. So more then enough snow and ice to go around....
We have 35" bfg at's on our 95 Cruiser. I am absolutely thrilled with how well these tires do! I have had no grip or sliding issues on them.
 

98roamer

Explorer
I had them on my Xterra in Ohio, so a mix of wet snow and ice. They did great! Of course after 25k-30k miles on them they started slipping. But they are better then my present worn Firestone Destination AT.
 

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
I live in the San Juan mountains of Colorado. So more then enough snow and ice to go around....
We have 35" bfg at's on our 95 Cruiser. I am absolutely thrilled with how well these tires do! I have had no grip or sliding issues on them.

so, you are using these as traction tires then? do you also use chains? or do the BFG's work okay on their own?
 

INSAYN

Adventurer
I put a set of BFG AT/KO's on my '97 Taco 8 years ago and had them siped when they were new. This made a huge difference in traction on wet snow and ice. They also netted me 79,500 miles with reasonable tread left. I just replace them this fall with yet another set of BFG AT/KO's, siped and ready for another 80k miles. As long as you have weight in the back of the truck they stick really well to snow, and as good or better than studs on ice. With an empty light rear axle, it was clear that most tires with or without studs would make for some sketchy driving.

I vote you skip the used studs, pick up a new set of BFG shoes, have them siped and go hit the snow. :smiley_drive:
 

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
I put a set of BFG AT/KO's on my '97 Taco 8 years ago and had them siped when they were new. This made a huge difference in traction on wet snow and ice. They also netted me 79,500 miles with reasonable tread left. I just replace them this fall with yet another set of BFG AT/KO's, siped and ready for another 80k miles. As long as you have weight in the back of the truck they stick really well to snow, and as good or better than studs on ice. With an empty light rear axle, it was clear that most tires with or without studs would make for some sketchy driving.

I vote you skip the used studs, pick up a new set of BFG shoes, have them siped and go hit the snow. :smiley_drive:

what part of the country do you live in? lots of snow and ice?

i know about the light rear axle. need extra weight for sure.

oh, I should mention that the used tires are only ~$175.00 for four. gotta love craigslist, sometimes.
 

INSAYN

Adventurer
I live in NW Oregon up against the Coast Range. We don't get alot of snow and ice at my level, but I can be in snow within a half hour driving up in the Coast Range most any day in the winter. (Think Browns Camp!)

These tires really shine in snow and packed snow, and work as good as one could ever hope for on ice. Chains are the only traction device that really work excellent on pure ice. These tires siped will hold their own against new studded tires on pure ice.

Note: I grew up in the Columbia Gorge area (Washington side) and learned to drive a 2wd 1969 Datson pickup with manual tranny, manual steering, and manual brakes.....on ice! As that was our normal winter liquid fun. Got my practice with tire spin, slipping the clutch, NOT using the brakes much, and keeping my distance between other cars. Never had fender bender yet due to ice. :victory:

So, with reasonable expectations I can say you'll be steps ahead skipping the studded tires. Sure they can marginally get you moving better than most tires, but are no better at stopping, or turning on ice than a good set of BFG's.

Common sense, and realistic expectations will keep your truck rubber side down.
 

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
INSAYN- yeah, i know that driving skills are what really keeps you safe in the winter and tires are supporting help. but, don't studs help a lot with ice traction? especially stopping because they dig into the ice, right?

i had studless traction tires for my old vw, but never had the chance to use them. i couldn't figure out how they worked as good as studded tires, but supposedly they did.

i just get tired of putting on chains and want to avoid it this year. calling bfg and tirerack.com to see if they are rated as a winter tire.
 

007

Explorer
The BFG A/t is not a bad tire for snow and ice. It is by no means a great tire - not even close. A true dedicated winter tire is much softer in the cold and has way more sipes.

It would never compare to a studded tire on ice, or to a real winter tire like a Yokohama I/T G072.

The A/t's I had did perform better than the M/T's I have now, but I won't buy them again for winter driving.
 

INSAYN

Adventurer
The BFG A/t is not a bad tire for snow and ice. It is by no means a great tire - not even close. A true dedicated winter tire is much softer in the cold and has way more sipes.

It would never compare to a studded tire on ice, or to a real winter tire like a Yokohama I/T G072.

The A/t's I had did perform better than the M/T's I have now, but I won't buy them again for winter driving.

You nailed my point great. It's about the siping. If you have the new tires siped before they are installed on your rig for the first time, you will greatly increase the holding grip factor of the tire while driving on ice. What the sipes do on any tire allows the tires to break the surface tension between the lug and the road surface. The BFG AT's already have a crazy tread pattern that are void of lugs with large flat bare surface areas.

Tire chains should always be available in your rig if you plan to drive in the Portland/Beaverton/Vancouver area in winter. It has mostly to do with the extremely large amount of idiots we have out here that don't understand winter driving conditions. They are your primary danger to watch out for, and having chains on your rig while traversing the local highways and bridges will give you the edge on getting safely out of the way of a car that has taken control away from it's driver. :Wow1:

Any other area out here minus extremely steep, or windy areas, you can safely get around with good tires, and common sense driving without the need of chains. The BFG AT's with the winter snow flake will satisfy ODOT conditions that only require traction tires, and not the chains. :coffeedrink:
 

NorthernWoodsman

Adventurer/tinkerer
oh well.

i went and looked at the studded tires. they were in mint condition, used for four months and with less than 1,000 miles. They had all of the studs and very deep tread. He wanted $200, I offered $175, we settled at $180 for the four.

All in all a decent deal. I plan to save for a little and pick up some BFG's in the spring. Which is fine, I needed time to get my new, to me, wheels cleaned up and either painted or powder-coated.

thanks for all of the replies folks.
 

Applejack

Explorer
yeah I know you already made your choice but I would still like to throw this out there for others who are trying to make the same decision.
Your average set of BFG AT KO's will last at least 30k miles, some say they get 80k some say they get 25k. Go Figure. A set of true studless winter tires are only going to get you on average 2 seasons. BEWARE when buying used ones. They may still have lots of tread but many tires stores will not mount them once they have reached their ridiculous wear bar. Last year we bought a set of used Blizaks for my wife's WRX, $550, and no tire store in southern Oregon would mount them. I was told that you typically get 6-8000 miles before they get to this point. Personally I love the BFG AT tires and am kicking myself for straying away from them for an ALL AROUND great tire. This year I'm rolling on some Nitto Terra Grapplers and they scare me but I will have to make do this year.

Bottom line: The BFG AT with the severe weather rating is a great winter tire but no, not THE BEST because it's not a dedicated winter tire. But it will last you at least 3 times as long (probably much longer) and you can run it all year long. As long as you have the basic winter driving know how they will impress. If you don't have the basic winter driving know how maybe you need studded training wheels on your rig or better yet, STAY OFF THE ROAD!:sombrero:
 

Lynn

Expedition Leader
I know I'm too late, but had to throw my $.02 in.

When I lived back in Colorado Springs I ran a set of 30-9.50 BFG A/Ts on my 1st gen 4-runner year-round. I was really impressed with their performance on snow and ice. I've been through snow deep enough I was pushing it with the front bumper on that truck. Never should have sold it. After every snow storm my buddies and I used to grab the shovels and jump in it and go out and help people get unstuck.

I carried chains in case I ever needed them, but don't recall ever using them.
 

4Rescue

Expedition Leader
The snow we get here in Portland tends to be of the wet/icy variety and personaly I think the BFG's are amazing in the snow... I run 33x10.50's and honestly the difference over my old 31's was VERY noticable in ride and ability to just keep going. As far as AT tires go I personaly prefer the BFG's to anything else really. They're agressive enough, work real well in the wet and they seem to be wearing really wel so far. Plus they're a pretty dam tuff tire, the 3ply sidewalls are a nice insurance policy in the bush IMO.

Cheers

DAve
 

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