Anybody have the 285/65/18 BFG AT's yet?

MXTitan · 12-11-2005, 10:23 PM

I ordered mine from America's Tire on Thursday, they were in stock in the warehouse and should be here tomorrow (Monday).
I didn't even know they came out with that size until I was in the store - definitely looked to be the best replacement for the junky Goodyears on the 18's.
Am I going to be the first with them mounted?

keane · 12-12-2005, 07:37 AM

Na, lots have them. I got mine last week. They look good and drive nice. Not any better than the stock SR-As in the ice, but they seem to be better in the snow, but I haven't had them long enought to tell.

Miker84 · 12-14-2005, 06:03 AM

I can't wait for my Goodyears to wear down so I have an excuse to get something different.

*Jasonoff* · 12-14-2005, 09:05 PM

I got them put on today.

They look awesome thats for sure. Better in the snow hands down but as for ride and what not. Not a whole lot better than the SR-A. I did only have 500miles on the OE tires though.

BlackBart · 12-15-2005, 03:40 PM

Can u guys post some pics of them on ur truck?

*Jasonoff* · 12-15-2005, 05:40 PM

It's dark but here's a snow pic i just took heh.

*Jasonoff* · 12-15-2005, 05:42 PM

BTW... these tires are great in the snow. It was fun accelerating like normal off a light as i would on dry pavement in the slick snow while everyone else was left far behind spinning and sliding and dancing

FLfinfan · 12-16-2005, 09:55 AM

Seerex · 12-16-2005, 10:15 AM

Hmm very nice Finfan , think those might have to be my replacement, do you think there will be any rubbing issues with mine being a 4x2 but I have the prg?

MXTitan · 12-16-2005, 12:29 PM

Nope, you will be fine - I have a 2WD and the PRG kit with no rubbing whatsoever. The tires really do make the truck look 100% better as well.

1bigtexastitan · 12-16-2005, 12:31 PM

Did any of you guys that put these tires on have to recalibrate your speedo or anything of the sort? I guess there isn't much difference between the two sizes?

*Jasonoff* · 12-16-2005, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1bigtexastitan

Did any of you guys that put these tires on have to recalibrate your speedo or anything of the sort? I guess there isn't much difference between the two sizes?

You don't have to do anything. It's basically a direct replacement.

It's more like 0.01% difference.

1bigtexastitan · 12-17-2005, 01:12 AM

Thanks Jasonoff, I have just one more question for you guys that have these tires: How different is the ride quality and steering response with these tires? Better? Worse?

RED BRAWN SE CC · 12-17-2005, 06:23 AM

Steering response is better simply because these tires are 3 ply walls. Noise is also better that my old Crapyears.

*Jasonoff* · 12-17-2005, 08:29 AM

I only had my goodyears on for 500miles so my opinion on them my differ from those who had them longer.

Also I drive an s2000 day in and day out so steering response on this truck sucks no matter what tire you put on it.

Ok all joking aside.

Goodyears:
-Steering response seemed to be ok. Actually quite good for a heavy truck.

-Snow traction was ok (what I would expect for an all season tire).

-Noise level was not noticeable at all (windows closed, its cold here).

-Higher speeds on the hwy (80-90mph) was fine. No shake but the truck did want to wander (follow contours in the road).

I'm not sure why this tire received such a bad review. Possibly because I only drove on them for aprox 500 miles.

BGF AT: (285/65-18) about 400miles now
First off these tires look amazing on the truck. So a right out of the box improvement.

-Steering response actually seems a tad less responsive than the goodyears. RED BRAWN SE CC mentioned the sidewall having a 3 ply construction but with such a high sidewall (185mm = 7.28") and 5000lb of truck sitting on them, an extra ply is not really going to make that much of a difference for response. Don't forget the tread on these tires are deeper so tread squirm is also a factor in response. Now a side affect was less tracking on the hwy. The truck likes to point straight now rather than follow the contours of the road which is a great tradeoff.

-Snow traction is a 10x improvement. This was the most noticeable difference with these tires. Braking, accelerating, tracking all 10x better. Select 4W Low, point straight and mash down on the throttle. For the most part this beast will pull fwd just like it would on dry pavement.

-Noise level is slightly increased but again not really noticeable with the windows up. At hwy speeds with the radio off you can hear a slight hum but it's a soothing sound if you ask me. I have caught myself turning the radio down to listen to it

-Higher speeds on the hwy feel more luxurious now. It's hard to explain the feeling but think of it as being more comfortable now. Now I must admit with high winds it does feel like you have a little less control than with the goodyears. I suspect since the tires have a little more room to squirm due to the tread depth.

All in all this was a great purchase. If you live in an area that does see snow I would recommend swapping out the goodyears on delivery if possible. As for you guys in the south. I can't really make any recommendations whether to keep these on or not. I have no idea how they would hold up with more than 500miles on them.