Yet another BFG Tire fail.

[E350]

rallypanam: Thanks, at 3,750 your tire truly has a high load rating. So that makes me even more curious why there isn't a "Another Michelin Tire fail" thread?

A few years ago, I personally could have started a "Another Toyo Open Country AT Tire fail" thread having gone through at least two sets of them prematurely wearing and at least 3 of the 8 tires breaking belts and getting sidewall bulges...

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by E350

So that makes me even more curious why there isn't a "Another Michelin Tire fail" thread?

A few years ago, I personally could have started a "Another Toyo Open Country AT Tire fail" thread having gone through at least two sets of them breaking belts and getting sidewall bulges...

I suspect it's a numbers game.. SMB has been putting BFGs on most every 4x4 they roll out for years, and most people probably just put the same tires on when they need replacing.

And up until recently, there hasn't been too many other options either.

So I think the total miles on SMBs with BFGs far exceeds any other tire.

[sierraskier]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

My story is the same as Scatter's. But I just put on a set of 315-75 R16 KO2's and they are fine so far....still new.

x3

Nothing else to add to this discussion other than I just put on a new set of BFG 315/75/16 KO2's coming from a set of same sized Maxxis Bighorns. Time will tell, but so far HUGE upgrade in ride quality and road noise over the Bighorns.

Edit to add: I believe tire shop put the rears around 48 and fronts around 44 PSI

[MadScience]

So, the plot thickens a little: My other rear, which was the same age and went on at the same time, developed a bulge since the blowout. There's no obvious sign of external damage. It's going back to BFG (under the assumption that they have an engineering and QA department that wants to do the right thing), and we'll see what they say (which from what I know, working as an engineer, and having to keep my external language PR/legal compatible, won't be much).

Originally Posted by rallypanam

Toyo seemingly makes several options that are your size.

Thanks, that does seem more likely than my assertion. Neither my local shop, nor tire-rack showed any in stock, so I jumped to that conclusion.

[daveb]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

I'd like to hear what Daveb thinks about this.

Damn, knock on wood but I've yet to have a tire issue and you got to see the places I go with my van. Ran BFG's for several years and no issues. Switched to Toyo's just because of the issues that I've heard about, but really it just seemed like the BFG's were melting away on normal road wear. Well so do the Toyo's! At this point I wondered if it was a rim size issue why BFG's were failing for other members. Guess not.
As Herb is probably referring to is that my van is heavy @ around 12,000 pounds. Did I mention I rarely even check my tire pressure? Seems like the only time I do that is when I air up/down on trails. OK I visit the back country often...
I'll be knocking on wood...thanks Herb

[shenrie]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

I suspect it's a numbers game.. SMB has been putting BFGs on most every 4x4 they roll out for years, and most people probably just put the same tires on when they need replacing.

^^^ totally agree. when theres way more bfg's on the road, your a lot more likely to hear about their issues. i tried looking up best selling at tire yesterday looking for info to back up your statement, but wasnt successful. all i found was independent tests. no factual numbers.

only reason i didnt buy bfg's was due to the threads i saw on here when i first joined. i have had great luck with bfg tires prior. i just wasnt willing to take a chance with the van since i am still new to all this relativity speaking (huge, heavyass vehicles).

[ert01]

I agree that it's likely a numbers game.

The bfg AT is the tire of choice for almost all (I'd estimate 80%+) of the vehicles in northern Canada. Heavy haul trucks excluded. They sell ALOT of tires up here.

Minivans, cars, trucks, commercial trucks... They all run the AT.

[scatter]

Originally Posted by coyotearms

Your signature indicates you have a 2007 with SMB interior. Doesn't you door Ford Tire Label state you should be using E rated tires? If so, you are taking the chance of being at fault in an accident no matter who you think was the problem. Are you sure you are not exceeding the load rating of the tires you use? Some folks still do not know the importance of the E rating for their SMB rigs, which has be covered many times on this forum in other threads.

Yeah, have an '07 SMB. The door sticker from Ford sez 245/75 E. Sportsmobile remade the vehicle and they say they have "permission" to go to a larger size D rated tire. Whatever.

I also was concerned about this and back in '07 I checked with my insurance company and a CHP (I'm in CA) friend and they both said using a D rated tire of the proper weight rating would not be a legal problem.

I have weighed my rig several times and am just under 10,000 lb. The BFG's are rated at 3195 at 50 psi and therefore I'm OK there. Even taking into account front and rear weight differences. Most of the 245/75 E tires that I'm aware of are rated less than 3195.

I like D rated tires as they usually are rated at less pressure than the E series. That generally gives a better ride and anything that helps these rigs ride better is good by me.
As I mentioned, I'll be switching to the KO2 series later this year and therefore will be "upgrading" to the E series as that is all that is offered.
I'm not saying BFG's don't have their share of problems, balancing being one major one. But, with the places I go they do great by me. By places I go, I mean seriously nasty rocky, one wheel in the air, stuff. I constantly have backpackers coming by and saying - how in the hell did you get that thing in here? I just offer them an ice cold beer and smile....

Bottom line - I have worked with several tire manufactures over the years and am comfortable with the tires I'm running. I'm VERY safety conscious and constantly check my tires for damage. That said, I'll probably have a major blowout next time I hit the road....

Everyone, do your research, make your choice and drive carefully.

[MadScience]

My spare is currently a d rated tire. It does run noticeably warmer than the other tires. Not too hot to touch, but clearly warmer. If I'm towing and need to replace a rear tire, it won't do, and I get to play musical tires. But otherwise I'm not over its load rating.

I came back looking for this thread since I had noted that I didn't think gauges were all that accurate. Well, I compared mine, and they all agree within a PSI or tow, except for the one on the milton inflater. It was reading higher than the actual pressure by 7-9 PSI. That means I had inflated to something closer to 70 and then pressure was around 78 warm. Still well in line with what should be fine for my weights, and that also explains why I thought I like (what in the end wasn't) a higher pressure in the front. Thankfully that's the one gauge that can be easily calibrated, and I set it up to read in line with the rest of them.

Some days I wonder, which, if any, of the games ever involved full decks. Sigh.

[rob_gendreau]

Scatter, I was where you are. I preferred the AT KO's in D. More than enough weight capacity for my van (about 8.5k).

But they are gone, so got the KO2's recently. Love 'em. Have to say that even with the E rating they ride at least as nice as my D's, maybe better. The inflation isn't that much of an issue at my weight, since again I'm not near capacity by a pretty big stretch. Not sure exactly sitting here, but probably less than 60 on the fronts for sure.