No more BFG for me...UPDATED!

I could never get more than 30-35,000 miles out of BFG T/A's.

Ran BFG A/Tt's for years, '04 F350 heavy long bed SC 4x, always aired up, balanced and cared for. I think my problem was airing Them down in sandy conditions, while towing our hauler at the beach. Seems that I have ply failure after we get back. So 2 months ago it happened on the freeway not towing, so off to get quotes on new tires.

I decided on Cooper Discovery Stt Pros. A more aggressive tread tire with 3 ply sidewall. Quiet, stable load range e. More than happy with performance and they look great. So far only used them at pismo beach but they motored thru even inflated to 75 psi when we left for home. Great on the pavement, two thumbs up!!

Good bye BFG.

UPDATE: We had our annual family campout last weekend and the new Cooper tires worked well. All 4 at 80 psi; same for the FW, as we were running a bit heavy. Towing at +/-62 mph. Tires are very quiet, though there was still a bit of "hunting" along the pavement seams, so I did have to be on top of my driving. Was muddy getting out, but had no problems, even in 2wd. Very slopping going in, however, and was in 4LO simply to keep my speed down through the ruts and holes.

So far, I'm happy with the Coopers and hope they last better'n the BFGs.

Lyle

Everyone has a brand they have had issues with for me I will never buy another Michelin two sets in a row only lasted 20,ooo miles ..... they wore even though. Same vehicle got 45,000 out of Bridgestones after dumping the Michelins :)

laknox wrote:
I had BFG Long Trail TAs on my truck. 3 of 4 separated at about 25k miles....

I have limited experience with other brands, but I can say I've had over 100,000 miles of great service out of Firestone Transforce AT tires. I've averaged about 50,000 miles per set with no problems at all.

KJ

Maybe it's just me, but I have never had to "wear in" a tire. I agree with the others who have said something else may be going on. Not sure what. Shocks will not help with the wandering. What load range tire are you running? You are also in a short bed truck. Adding any amount of weight to the rear makes the front lighter, which in turns, causes the front end to wander.

I only use 2 brands of tires. Toyo and Michelin. I wouldn't put BFGs on my lawnmower. Switched to Toyo and get better handling, mileage and a less cost than most of the others. Used to run Cooper passenger car tires and had great luck with them. Hope you get the issue figured out.

So, update on the Coopers, after a quickie round-trip to Durango/Cortez.

First, they run =very= quiet, which I like.

Second, even with a fresh alignment (on the old tires) and a recheck (on the new Coopers), truck was a bit twitchy on the road. After talking to both GM and Discount, the fact that these tires have a =very= deep tread, and that the tread is very sharp and "grabby", leads me to believe that these tires just need to "wear in" a bit. I was feeling every seam in the road with a slight pull. Also, I know I need new shocks but didn't have time to get them on before this trip, so I'm thinking that will also help. I was towing a light FW, about 5-5.5k, so was running 70 psi in the tires.

So far, after not quite 1,000 miles, I'm happy. I'll update again after the new shocks in 2-3 weeks.

Lyle

tragusa3 wrote:
With 6 separations out of 8 tires, I would suspect something other than the tires.

Suggestions as to what that "something other" could be?

Lyle

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Lyle,

What pressures were you running those TAs at?

What were the mfg. dates?


When I wear out my current Michelins I am going to give those Cooper Discover a shot.
I used to run Coppers for years on my Broncos back in the 1980s and always had good service...interested to see how they hold up now.

Always run at 60+; 70-80, depending on load.

Lyle

I believe the Rugged Terrain are a light duty tire and have been known for this problem. My previous tires was the BFG Rugged Trail E rated and they were a really good tire. Problem is they stopped making a E rated in the 20" tires.