Comprehensive list of "Expo" tires?

[The Adam Blaster]

I imagine there are lots of threads that have been started concerning various tires that are good or bad for Expo trips...
Do we have the need for a single MASSIVE thread with input from members as to what has worked best? Which tires to avoid? etc. etc...

Just wondering if there is any interest in developing something that could be very expansive and something that continues to evolve as we get new offerings from the tire manufacturer's.

 

[RoundOut]

Is it possible to have a poll with the various tires and if someone has a tire that the "poll starter" didn't think of, add that tire to the poll? Did that make sense? LOL

It would be interesting to see what are the most popular tires.

.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Define "expo tire"
Are these not the same tires we would normally have had on our 4wds anyway?

Most owners would get by with some good A/Ts unless they are venturing into very muddy conditions.

In Australia we tend to use A/Ts that are tried and tested brands.
The BFG and Bridgestone are probably the 2 most popular.

I have the Bridgestone 694 light truck tyres and they are great on the beach and the road.
They also grip well on dirt roads.

 

[Cackalak Han]

I like the extra stiff/stout sidewalls of the BFG's. I liked the ride comfort of my old Bridgestone REVO's, though.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

Define "expo tire"
Are these not the same tires we would normally have had on our 4wds anyway?

1. That was part of my purpose for starting thi thread -- get a discussion going. What has worked, what hasn't... etc...

My personal opinion on this subject would include the following criteria:

Availability for replacement in the area of travel,
Have decent treadlife,
Ride fairly smooth on the highway,
Good grip in offroad situations (doesn't have to be great, but I don't want them just spinning in the mud if the trail takes me there)
Strong sidewall, but with decent flexibility

That would be a short list.

2. They wouldn't necessarily be the same tire that I would put on a standard 4x4 machine -- depending on where and how you drive your true 4x4 rig.
I've got a custom built tube chassis with Unimog axles and 42" Interco TSL's.
I would NOT want to drive on those tires on any type of highway. lol

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I like the extra stiff/stout sidewalls of the BFG's. I liked the ride comfort of my old Bridgestone REVO's, though.

I had some KM-31's on my Cherokee, they got louder and had more vibration as they wore down. Lasted quite a few miles too, more than what I was expecting.
Great on the trail though, lots of traction and they rarely received any trail damage.

 

[Sport-Trac 01]

I'm partial to the General Grabber AT2. At first glance it looks like the BFG A/Ts, but that's because they look very similar. We've installed half a dozen sets of AT2s on trucks at our shop, and we've gotten nothing but praise about them. They're what I'm putting on my truck once I get a new set for it. They seem to be a little better at self-cleaning the the BFGs, but they're still only an all-terrain tire at the end of the day, so they won't work as well as mud terrain, but they work a well on the road as they do off.

 

[hovenator]

I am running the Nitto Terra Grappler A/T. It is smooth and quiet on the road and can handle the southern Florida sand and goo very well. It has a very firm sidewall and is quite puncture resistant as well. I used to run a set of Interco Trxus M/T's, but they were only good off road and lousy on the street. Another tire to consider is the Mastercraft Courser C/T (same as Cooper Discoverer S/T). Also a great tire if you are looking for a more aggressive A/T tire would be the Parnelli jones Dirt Grip tires.

 

[98dango]

yes please define an expo tire


maxxis big horns curently on my jeep im happy with them for what i use the jeep for. This includes lots of hiway and backroad miles verry little wheeling by my standars.

Goodyear mtrs Ihad them on my toyota i hate them in every way shape and form

boggers there great for there purpos

irocks there good but have there place rand them on my toyota liked them just not enought mileage

bfg mt i had 3 sets of thes on diffrent rigs thay are a good all around tire

bfg at good for a on road rig gravel light mud

remington mud brut decent all around not great at aney thing

super swamper tsl Godd all around has it problems on the hwy

super swamper tsl sx a decent tire for off road more than on road



I could do this all day but what do you consider an expo tire. i live in the north west you cant leve pavement with out a decent mud tire. But in the desart you can run a car hwy tire and do fine.

 

[Redline]

It might be pretty difficult to have a complete/comprehensive 'ExPo Tire' thread because there will be so many extremes and variables discussed, just like everyone's definition of an ExPo tire can vary greatly based on their conditions & part of the world.

Having said that I'm a big fan of treads that are a little less aggressive than a 'full on' mud tire. Examples: Cooper ST, the new BFG KM2, The new Dunlop Rover, etc. If your 'ExPo' rig is also a daily driver then it is easy to argue in favor of a milder AT tire. But when in soft/wet off-highway conditions I would argue that a mild AT tire will perform to a much lower standard off-highway than a more aggressive tire will perform on-highway. These same high void tires can be easily improved on-highway by adding aftermarket siping if needed. Noise is a negative with a high void tire. If you don't have enough void for the conditions often the only option may be mounting chains, but chains have negatives too.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Tires are like underwear. There is no one size fits all, they're always dirty and no matter what tread you pick, boxers or briefs, not all girls like them.:sombrero:
Jason T.

 

[teotwaki]

I am just under 60,000 miles on my Bridgestone Revos. I rotate them often and keep the truck well aligned. Size is 265/75/R16 load range C. Most of my miles are street so mileage and noise are important to me.

Good all-round performer, not much road noise until I hit over 50k miles. Good in snow, okay in mud, good on hard packed dirt and on rocks.

 

[01tundra]

My two cents........

I put 4,830 miles on my BFG KM 2's during the Ultimate Adventure - combination of highways (70-80 MPH wet & dry), gravel roads, dirt roads, sandstone, sharp rocks, mud, water,....you name it. They still look and ride just as smooth and quiet as brand new. I used to be one of those people that thought the only option was AT's for a dual purpose rig......turns out I didn't know jack!

For what it's worth, so far I've ran the following tires on my Tundra (in sizes ranging from 265's to 37's):

Michelin LTX A/T's - good on the highway, OK for light (very) off road trails, not bad in the snow, sucked in the mud

Bridgestone A/T's - suck all the way around

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos - very good on the street, surprisingly OK off road (light duty stuff)

Goodyear Wrangler MTR's - heavy, loud, rough, piece of MMMMs

BFG A/T's - waste of money, no quieter or smoother than the M/T's and not too great off road

BFG M/T's - OK on the street, weak sidewall for the rocks

BFG M/T KM's - about the same as above

BFG M/T KM 2's - best of all worlds for me, great on the road, great on rocks, decent sidewall, good in the mud

Toyo Open Country M/T's - a little on the heavy side, bullet-proof sidewalls, nice ride on the road (smooth & quiet), high dollar, did well on all off road terrains I put them through (were my #1 pick before I switched to the KM 2's)

 

[RoundOut]

Tires are like underwear. There is no one size fits all, they're always dirty and no matter what tread you pick, boxers or briefs, not all girls like them.:sombrero:
Jason T.

:xxrotflma:xxrotflma:xxrotflma:xxrotflma

This will go down as one of my all time favorite analogies. :clapsmile


.

 

[CanuckMariner/Nomad]

Before we get too far into this, perhaps one should consider some other factors that go into tire selection and to organize this data. A poll, with various selections may make this data much more useful. Some factors (not all) that would influence one's decision:

• Manufacturer: besides the name of the manufacturer, availability to where one lives, availability from manufacturer, retailers, any mounting issues
• Type of tire: model (ATs, MTs, Swampers, etc.), size (AxBxC), height versus width (stability, wind resistance) weight
• Rims: width, diameter, alloys or steelies
• Misc: Gearing (diffs - stock, or lowered), auto or manual trani, HP, Torque, noise, weight (rims plus tire might add to already a burgeoning beastly rig)
• Vehicle: make, model, lift (type of lift), articulation, roof rack, weight
• Purpose: dirt/gravel trails, rock crawling, mud bogging, snow, ice, sand dunes, desert environs,
• Ratio of travel to trailing: how much highway (blacktop) driving to get there versus what surface is driven on when you get there, will vehicle be trailered there or driven,
• Budget: used vs new,
• How long do you estimate you will keep them as in time (winter/summer wear - freeze thaw), versus mileage/year, etc.
• Customer service, warranty, etc

the list goes on....AND all or only a few of these factors and more may actually come into the equation. The underwear example, albeit somewhat simple, is still a good analogy...too many variables!

As you can see if you factor these and/or others in, the choice becomes quite difficult as well as unique to the buyer and the vehicle they have. Add to this the personal preferences as mentioned in the somewhat more detailed very personal experiences above. Way too many factors to simple have a matrix to choose from.

I have been driving BFGs for over 30 years in a wide variety of conditions all over the globe and find them for the $ they are one of the best values out there. Easy to find almost anywhere (from Wal-Mart's 24hr tire stores to Costco to chain tire stores to small town garages), at almost anytime.

Currently I use BFG AT KOs and have had two issues and both covered under warranty.

The bulk of my current expedition driving is about 95% blacktop getting there and 5% on the trails, rocks, sand dunes, mud and in the water. I drive about 15-25000 kliks a year, so I get about 2-3 years for a set and then sell them. I found MTs somewhat noisier than ATs, not as widely available and for me, not worth the extra $.

And I agree completely that having all the input, comments, experiences, etc on one topic in one place would be a great way to organize this data as well as other the other gear data, vehicle info, etc. and educate the newbies as well as the long in the tooth guys.

All IMHO