BFG "Rugged Terrain" (OH NO, ANOTHER TIRE THREAD!)

[Martinjmpr]

Just wondering if anyone here has had any real world experience with the BFG Rugged Terrain.

I know in the past, the Rugged Trail (I've heard people call them "Ragged Trail" or "Rugged Fail" ) was the "cheapo" BFG that you often saw as OEM tires on trucks (my '04 Taco had a set that may or may not have been the original tires on the truck.) Not that impressive of a tire.

Of course the BFG AT seems to be the "gold standard" but sadly, they are priced that way too.

So now, along comes the "Rugged Terrain" which seems to be priced mid-way between the Rugged Trail and the AT/K0.

Looking for real life experience with them - I'm sure SOMEBODY here must have experience with them?

What I'm looking for in particular are such things as:

* Performance in snow, ice, and rain as well as dirt and sand (mud's not much of an issue here.) Do they have the severe weather mountain/snowflake thingy? I know the BFG AT's that I had on my 99 4runner did.

* Sidewall strength

* Longevity

* Noise and MPG.

Understand, I'm a big advocate of "buy the best and cry once vs. buy the cheapest and cry multiple times", so if I have to, I will spring for a set of ATs.

But in my chosen size (265/70/17) I can get Rugged Terrains for over $50/tire less than ATs. That's $220+ more in my pocket if I go with the Rugged Terrains. That's not chump change.

Reason I'm looking for real world experience is that anybody can express an opinion, I'm looking for those who either got Rugged Terrains and are quite happy with them, or who wished they'd spent the extra coin for AT/K0.

Thanks in advance! :ylsmoke:

 

[Martinjmpr]

Elaborating a bit...

I guess I should explain why I'm tire shopping:

Currently my '07 4runner is shod with the tires that came on it when I bought it in 2012, Cooper Discoverer M+S in 265/70/16 on the factory alloy wheels.

Back in '12, I got a set of 5 FJC black steel wheels, which I really like the looks of. They came with a set of BFG MT's in 255/75/17 and that's what I ran all last Summer. They were not as noisy as I expected them to be, and of course, off-road traction was great. They are also tough as nails.

Problem is, they aren't very good on wet roads nor on snow and ice, which we get a bit of here in Denver. So, I kept my factory 16" wheels with the Coopers (which are more road-oriented and carry the "severe weather" snowflake mountain thingy on them.) At the end of Summer last year, I swapped the FJC/BFG tire & wheel combo for the factory alloys & coopers.

Then, just before DE-IV, I swapped the tires out so I would have a good off road tire. As expected, the BFGs performed well.

However, after I got back, I looked at the tires and realized it didn't make sense to leave them on all Summer. We have a bunch of trips planned towing Bubbles, our Teardrop Trailer (see my sig for details) and all of our traveling would be on the highway. I saw no point in running a set of off-road tires, with no TPMS, for our first Teardrop trip, which was nearly 2,000 miles from Denver to SE Oklahoma and back, so I got out the jack and spent an hour or so putting the alloys/coopers back on.

Now, I've gotten to where I can swap the tires out in about 40 minutes, to include the spare, and that's not bad considering that I don't have a floor jack (this is using the factory bottle jack.) But it's still a PITA and it also puts me in a position of having to store a set of 5 tires & wheels, which I'd rather not do.

So, my new plan is to keep the Coopers and Alloys on for now (since all of our upcoming trips with the 4runner are highway trips.) The MTs will be dismounted from the FJC wheels and sold on CL, as they still have at least 50% of the tread left. This will also make my storage problem easier as it's much easier to store 5 wheels than to store 5 wheels and tires (I can store the wheels in my garage, which had no room for the wheels/tires.)

But it's still a PITA to keep two sets of tires so what I want is to have one set of tires/wheels that stays on year 'round. After Summer is over and/or whenever the Coopers start to show significant wear (or when I get the money), I will buy new, 17" tires, have them mounted on the FJC rims with the TPMS sensors from my current alloys (I've already determined that the TPMS sensors can be swapped to the new wheels) and the alloys and coopers will be sold.

That's why I'm looking for a 17" tire that will be good in snow and ice, and good on the highway, and "good enough" off road (since off road, honestly, is the least use my 4runner gets.)

Anyway, I hope that explains where I'm coming from a bit better.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I had a set of Rugged Terrains on my old Land Rover, and they are a great tire.

They give you plenty of traction just about anywhere you need it. They're not the best mud tire, but they charge through everything else without a hitch. They really like rocks, and kick the crap out of the AT in the snow and the wet. I never felt like they weren't grippy enough.

The sidewalls are pretty tough. If you get the E load range, you get a 3 ply sidewall that I believe is a similar construction to the AT. I had them over lots of rocks and never had a problem.

They wear like iron too. Mine had 15k miles on them when I sold the truck, and they looked brand new.

The E load range will obviously be heavier and have more of a mileage impact, but the tread is a fairly mild AT design, so it rolls pretty easily. On the road, they are quiet as a mouse and handle like an HT tire.

Overall, they are a great tread.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Hmmm...well, I just got off the phone with Discount Tire and he confirmed that they do not have the "Severe weather" rating. I would prefer one that did, although it's not necessarily a deal-breaker.

 

[tarditi]

Go for the ATs...

In my experience the rugged trails were not nearly as durable as the ATs. IIRC, our treadlive dropped off precipitously around 20K miles.
I had the same experience with MTs... great on anything except wet/snowy pavement.
ATs are great on anything except sticky mud, where the lugs will clog - they also like to pick up stones and sling them, though.

 

[ZG]

LOL @ BFG A/Ts being the "gold" standard.

 

[Jack Stilts]

I had a set of Rugged Terrains on my old Land Rover, and they are a great tire.

They give you plenty of traction just about anywhere you need it. They're not the best mud tire, but they charge through everything else without a hitch. They really like rocks, and kick the crap out of the AT in the snow and the wet. I never felt like they weren't grippy enough.

The sidewalls are pretty tough. If you get the E load range, you get a 3 ply sidewall that I believe is a similar construction to the AT. I had them over lots of rocks and never had a problem.

They wear like iron too. Mine had 15k miles on them when I sold the truck, and they looked brand new.

The E load range will obviously be heavier and have more of a mileage impact, but the tread is a fairly mild AT design, so it rolls pretty easily. On the road, they are quiet as a mouse and handle like an HT tire.

Overall, they are a great tread.

I have to second this. I've had them for 20K miles on my Xterra - through two Michigan winters, two trips to Windrock park in Tennessee (nothin' but rocks), tons of sand / beach, and a bit of mud. They've never let me down and I've never been stuck. No A/T or M/T hum on the freeway, which is a huge plus for a daily driver like mine. Snow traction was never lacking, even on hills.

I got them shortly after they were released for the same reasons you compared them to the A/T - saving that change. They've kept me pleasantly surprised this whole time.


Edit: I'd like to add that they're a "sleeper" tire of sorts. Not as aggressive as the A/T, but there is certainly no sacrifice when the pavement ends.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Go for the ATs...

In my experience the rugged trails were not nearly as durable as the ATs.

Understood, my experience with the Rugged Trails was similar to yours, so they're definitely off the list.

What I'm asking about is the Rugged Terrain, which is a different tire from the Rugged Trail.

 

[kojackJKU]

I think the rugged terrains are a much better tire than the rugged trail, I have the AT's as they were in stock when I was ready, I really love this tire. Get better every time I drive. no harsh ride with lots of grip.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Agreed, they are a great tire tire. If you're looking for a good AT-type tire that can handle the snow and ice better, have a look at the General Grabber AT2. Quite a bit cheaper, just as high quality. Great traction, great tread life.

 

[kayadog]

There is a good rebate on the Cooper AT3 and ATP right now. Either of these would work. I've heard mixed reviews of the Rugged Terrains in ice and snow, although they do look nice.

 

[redthies]

There is a good rebate on the Cooper AT3 and ATP right now. Either of these would work. I've heard mixed reviews of the Rugged Terrains in ice and snow, although they do look nice.

The ATP looks like a great choice to me.

 

[4D55 Performance]

I know they are a fairly new tire but I have had 3 sets of Rugged Terrains. They have all been 235/85R16. The perform well in the snow, ice, mud, rain etc. I have liked them much better than the 3-4 sets of BFG KO's I have had over the years. The KO's have a tendency to wear funny, they are terrible on ice and the can be a bit noisy. My biggest complaint about the Rugged Terrains is I wish they came in more sizes. After I put them on my 2005 Duramax I took a long trip to Disneyland with the family. I averaged 25mpg with them on the 2000 miles trip. Thats pretty good for a big crew cab 4x4.

 

[kayadog]

Not knocking the Rugged Terrains-- they look good, but the Cooper ATP is $456 delivered for 4 p265/70r17 ($426 if you use their credit card) with rebates at Discount Tire Direct right now. I ordered at set of AT3's with the same deal last year and are really happy with them.

 

[Redranger90]

I didn't read every post, but I swapped my "rugged trail" stock tires on my nissan for the cooper "discover at3" tires, and like them much more. Way less road noise and seeming better grip. Similar mileage, maybe one or so less. But it IS a teeny bit more aggressive than the stock bfg, and has a lot better traction I found on snowy roads. (Though that also could be because my bfg tires were worn and in need of replacing anyway.) however I found the coopers to be a better tire, even for daily driving use