katuah
Adventurer
Um, are you saying you think there really is $150-$200 difference in the AT2s and the KOs? Or what? Afraid I don't understand?
Easterner seeks tire advice for Southwestern US XJ expedition build
- Thread starter katuah
- Start date
Um, are you saying you think there really is $150-$200 difference in the AT2s and the KOs? Or what? Afraid I don't understand?
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
I paid around $820 for my last new set of K/O's and know they are worth every penny, you can find complete used sets for half that in the classifieds with 60% tread or better. I will never run a Firestone tire, but that's just me. 12 years with ZERO problems on the K/O's is proof enough for me that they work, and I have watched others slash their tires on the same terrain. But do as you wish, just don't end up in the middle of nowhere with 2 flats wishing you had invested a bit more and avoided the situation altogether.
Of course 15"'s have always been the most popular size in the States and on pre 2000 Japanese trucks, but rim sizes are definitely going up and up, 16" used to be the world's standard rim size (Land Rovers, and Japanese and European makes as well as US big trucks - and don't forget the "ever popular" 16 1/2 inchers!!) and there's heaps of 17" and 18" sizes now.....19" and 20" LT tyres are much harder to find though.
Only LT tyres I was ever used to be able to get for my Range Rover Vogue 2005 19" were Goodyear MTR's
Get five and stick with a 5 tire rotation regimin. That will extend the period between new and needing replacement by 20%. And if one has an issue and you run on the spare you know you aren't causing your Jeep problems. The same size tire in two different brand, or even two different models in the same brand, will have different real world dimensions. Also, with a five tire rotation regimin the spare is worn the same as the four under the truck...
JPK
Katuah, you will be fine with your Generals! I'm extremely doubtful you will have any durability issues with these tires. I think some people are either working for BFG, or just trying to justify in their own minds why they paid hundreds more for a similar tire.
I spent some time searching for any first-hand accounts of Grabber AT-2 sidewall punctures, cuts, blow-outs, etc., and I haven't been able to come up with any real evidence of sidewall durability issues on these tires other than someone on a forum saying "someone told me they heard from someone else that they saw someone else with those tires blow a sidewall."
The only times I've seen anyone lose a tire through a sidewall cut is when someone with street tires is somewhere they should't be, or when someone decides to romp on the skinny pedal trying to overcorrect for bad tire placement.
For what it's worth, my GY Duratracs sidewalls (and tread in general) have held up better to more abuse than my BFGs ever did.
Enjoy your new tires, and report back on your real-world experience with them! Be sure to take some good pictures on your trip, and hit us up if you are looking for ideas for trails/routes through CO.
I spent some time searching for any first-hand accounts of Grabber AT-2 sidewall punctures, cuts, blow-outs, etc., and I haven't been able to come up with any real evidence of sidewall durability issues on these tires other than someone on a forum saying "someone told me they heard from someone else that they saw someone else with those tires blow a sidewall."
The only times I've seen anyone lose a tire through a sidewall cut is when someone with street tires is somewhere they should't be, or when someone decides to romp on the skinny pedal trying to overcorrect for bad tire placement.
For what it's worth, my GY Duratracs sidewalls (and tread in general) have held up better to more abuse than my BFGs ever did.
Enjoy your new tires, and report back on your real-world experience with them! Be sure to take some good pictures on your trip, and hit us up if you are looking for ideas for trails/routes through CO.
I wouldn't say running out but I've been in a few situations trying to find some 15" tires for my car hauler in an emergency and not being able to find a suitable 15" trailer tire in stock and having to look for any type of tire to get me back on the road, while the tire place had plenty of the popular 16" sizes. Or even the places that sell used tires almost never come across decent used sets because no one runs 15" wheels anymore from the factory... While amazingly enough a 265/70r17 is easy to find due to it being a factory size tire on newer GMs for example.
Ruffin' It
Explorer
BFG's vs General
I have run the Generals as well as the BFG's. Go with the BFG's. The Generals perform decently both off and on road. However, they puncture easily. I am not a rock basher, but I would get a hole about every 3rd or 4th trip with the Generals. Check eBay. I just picked up a brand new set of BFG's for my XJ (stock size) for about $625 delivered. Worth the small increase in cost.
I have run the Generals as well as the BFG's. Go with the BFG's. The Generals perform decently both off and on road. However, they puncture easily. I am not a rock basher, but I would get a hole about every 3rd or 4th trip with the Generals. Check eBay. I just picked up a brand new set of BFG's for my XJ (stock size) for about $625 delivered. Worth the small increase in cost.