which tire is better, in your opinion

[glacierpaul]

1) BF Goodrich M/T KM's the stock wheel on my Rubicon. $263 per wheel Big O, would only have to buy 4, have the new spare

or

2) Goodyear Wrangler MT/R Kevlar $234.95 per wheel at Goodyear, would have to buy 5, but only a $120 difference, hence my question.


Thanks in advance for the help!

[Java]

I think both are great, and if you're not changing sizes, why bother replacing the spare? I'd probably go for the kevlars given where you live and all the rocky roads you drive.

[Clutch211]

I haven't ran either, but goodyear dropped a bunch of money into the mt/r . I am not looking forward to buying new tires , but when i do it well be the goodyear mt/r.

[Colin]

I really liked the set of the MT/R Kevlar’s I had on a TJ, but the only other tires I had on it where the old MT/Rs. Anyway the tread design is pretty cool and seemed to work great, the only time I got it suck was because of my stupidity not a lack of grip in the tires.

[Cr33p3r]

Paul, I have the kelvars but have not got a chance to go out on the trails with them yet but around town they run pretty good and not noisy. What I did was got an online price from TireRack.com then went to Discount tires website entered the info for price matching and they accepted it and saved me $35/tire on the kelvars also got the lifetime warranty for 4 tires and only paid to have it on 1 tire.

[ColoJeeper]

I run the MTR Kevlars and love the performance. But I absolutely hate that on the 33s you have to mount them white letter out, and it doesn't take long at all for the sidewalls to look like total crap. Take a look at the Treadwright Guarddogs. Tread pattern is like the old style MRT's which performed very well. They are also half the price.

[WDoG]

Four Wheeler did a whole article on a bunch of tires here is what they said about both of those.

BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2

The BFG M-T KM2 may look similar to the company's low-production high-cost Krawler, but this is a much more streetable version that is significantly lighter. The BFG M-Ts of yesteryear had decent three-ply sidewalls, but the company really stepped up sidewall durability with the new M-T. It's still three-ply, but a new sidewall compound and 33 percent stronger cords increase carcass rigidity and protection. This addiction makes the BFG KM2 even more of a jack-of-all trades that is perfectly happy in the mud, sand, heavy-rock, snow and street (wet and dry). About the only place it doesn't do well is the slick ice. But that's to be expected of pretty much every mud-terain tire with large lugs and very little siping.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 4 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 3 stars
Ice: 1 star



Goodyear MT/R With Kevlar

It’s an asymmetrical design that delivers both aggressive and tame tread characteristics. On the outer edges, the pattern almost appears to be grooved—like a purposeful mud-bogging tire would be to add void spacing. On the inside however, there is a column of tightly packed tread blocks that maintain a seemingly continuous rib for street-friendly performance. The on-road manners are pleasant and relatively quiet, with none of the vibration or harshness we expect from tires with high void ratios. In the mud, the tread cleans well, and when aired down, the three-ply sidewall is flexible enough to envelope rocks the size of tennis balls. Speaking of sidewalls, Goodyear included Kevlar fibers to the MT/Rs sidewalls to add puncture resistance. If you want a mud tire that shines both on- and off-road, the MT/R with Kevlar is hard to beat.
Rating
Street: 3 stars
Heavy Rock: 4 stars
Sand: 3 stars
Snow: 3 stars
Mud: 4 stars
Ice: 2 stars

I would go with the MT/R w Kev. Matching tires is nice plus I like the tread pattern better. They seem pretty comparable to me. Wonder which one has more road noise?


Take a look at the Treadwright Guarddogs. Tread pattern is like the old style MRT's which performed very well. They are also half the price.

I have the Guard Dogs. Very nice. Haven't had a chance to run them off road yet but I like them so far.

[glacierpaul]

I cannot get the KM2 without upsizing the wheel, the Rubicon comes with 32" tires on 17" rims- LT255/75R17/C. Not ready to do that yet...
Thanks for the replies!!
edit: I am not sure about re-treads, though they look nice.

[Mr6dwg]

I run the whitewalls on the inside.

[mattzj98]

Id say KM2s all day long.. they are a lot softer (good for wheeling not street) but unlike kevlars, when you deflate a KM2 it actually forms to the rocks, Kevlars even at very low pressure were so stiff, it seemed like they were always inflated. KM2s are desgined after Krawlers which pretty much win every competition they run in.. at least they have so far. And they are not that much more expensive.. if I ever upgrade my wheel to beadlocked 17inch, 40inch KM2s are def. My first choise =)

[GaryG]

Hey Paul, did you consider the Goodyear Duratrac? I've had mine for a complete wheeling season and a couple winters. They're excellent on snow and ice, and I haven't been stopped on a trail anywhere because I couldn't get traction. And they come in a bit cheaper than the MTRs

[Beefy]

I really like the Duratrac design but I don't think they make them in 35s. :frown:

[GaryG]

315/70R17 18/32" Tread depth 34.4" Diameter 12.7" section width
315/75R16 18/32" Tread depth 34.6" Diameter 12.3" section width

[Beefy]

Don't fit on my 15" wheel. Bah! I've heard they're great tires.

[GaryG]

Here's a nice shot of 33" Duratracs climbing in Moab
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Fq4YVId-kTY/T5lhTl5s_fI/AAAAAAAALdI/cUFdf6QhvXE/s1225/IMG_1804.JPG-

[Max]

Between those two, I'd go with the MT/R. The BFG KM seems too basic. Strange price difference though, I thought the KM2 was more comparable to the MT/R.

Regarding the spare and buying an extra tire, does it even matter other than looks if it is the same size? Unless you plan on rotating it into the set of 4, you would only use it until you could get the main tire fixed right?

[mattzj98]

How is tire ever too basic?

[Max]

Um, the tread pattern? Have you seen both of these tires before?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic.jsp?sidewall=Blackwall&tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+MT/R+with+Kevlar&partnum=525QR5WMTRK

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic.jsp?sidewall=Blackwall&tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=Mud-Terrain+T%2FA+KM&sidewall=Blackwall

[Chris]

Being a contrarian I went with GYSA (Silent Armor) over GYDuraTracs because they're rated better on snow & ice and just a point below the DT off road. Sometimes a guy has to admit that his truck sees a lot more pavement than rocks.

[ColoJeeper]

You know that is very true....wonder where I can get a good custom keyboard with a good tread pattern? hmmmmmmmmmmm

[Chris]

You know that is very true....wonder where I can get a good custom keyboard with a good tread pattern? hmmmmmmmmmmm

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

[JCro99]

1) BF Goodrich M/T KM's the stock wheel on my Rubicon. $263 per wheel Big O, would only have to buy 4, have the new spare
or
2) Goodyear Wrangler MT/R Kevlar $234.95 per wheel at Goodyear, would have to buy 5, but only a $120 difference, hence my question.

Have you double checked pricing elsewhere? (Not sure if you meant KM2's) I recently had this same debate and I know there wasn't that big of a discepancy in price. I just checked discount tire:

255/75/17 BFG KM2's = $229 each

255/75/17 GY MTR's = $236 each

I think you'll be happy with either tire. I chose the BFG's and love em so far!!! However I have heard the "BFG's run small" .....so take that with a grain of salt....

[JCro99]

I run the whitewalls on the inside.

Not to be a stickler, but you do know that the tires were designed to be mounted the opposite way you have them right? Not trying to be critical I just wanted to let you know :)!!! I don't know if you are losing out on any performance, but I would assume they designed them with that specific direction for a reason. (NOT THAT I KNOW ANYTHING THOUGH)!!!!

[ajk150]

I had a set of the Goodyear MTRs on 37s on my last truck and loved them. Rarely got me stuck to the point where i had to get pulled out and never blew a tire. Although i used them on a slightly different terrain. From the times i took them on rocks though they handled great in my mind and practically climbed anything i fit on, also were awesome in the winter. Also they were/are cheaper the the KM2s ;)

[Mr6dwg]

Those are not directional tires.

[Michael4rnr]

I love my set of goodyear duratracs they have do great on everything i have run and are great on the street and off road.

[Brody]

Those are not directional tires.

Thanks, Bill. I was going to point out the obvious and say the same thing, but surprisingly (for me) refrained...

There are very few "directional" tires on the market anymore....Out of god knows how many big tires I have bought for a bunch of different rigs, the last time I remember mounting the tires with the white letters out was back in 82 or so...and that was in my huge lift, huge tires, gumbie mall crawler daze...The last directional tires I had was before that and back in the 70's and they were Denman GroundHawgs.

And yes, the manufacturers do put the white letters on for a reason:looks.

[JCro99]

Those are not directional tires.

This is a quote from another board:
"they're not directional, but they are asymmetrical - Goodyear specifically states that the tires must be mounted with the "rain strip" on the inside of the wheel for maximum performance. the outer lugs and the inner lugs are designed for different terrain. the sidewalls specifically state "this side inboard" or "this side outboard""

Look at your tires and I guarentee it says this.
Again I'm not trying to argue, just trying to state what I've heard........no worries either way :thumb:

[Java]

I love my set of goodyear duratracs they have do great on everything i have run and are great on the street and off road.

I've been running 33x12.15r15s Duratracs for about a year and love them. with the rocky trails in the area Paul lives and wheels (all the time, lucky duck) in I'd probably still go with the MT/Rs. The Duratracs would probably be a lot better on ice though...

[glacierpaul]

I have the solution, MT/R's for summer, Duratracks for winter, and two sets of wheels....right...
I have found that I can get the KM2's in a narrower tire, and will fit my stock wheels(actually a few tires will fit, just need to decide. I am leaning toward the MT/R Kevlars, because of those pesky "Rocky Mountains" I live in:rolleyes: I have chewed up my KM's pretty good, but that is a testament for the KM. I do not like to air down my tires, may do this when I go to beadlocks at some point, but for now I do not air down for runs. Does this cause premature wear on my tires?

[ColoJeeper]

Not airing down will cause reduced traction as the tire does not comform to and wrap around an obstacle when driving over it. It also causes your ride to be much rougher on rocky or washboard roads. Does not airing down cause premature wear on tires... probably a little as reduced traction means increased wheelspin.

I"ve been airing down tires for years and haven't had a problem with it. I typically take my tires down to about 16 lbs, and have been down as low as 8 lbs for a fairly extreme trail. I do carry air, so don't worry about losing a bead on a tire.

[Java]

I sometimes do, sometimes don't air down, it depends on the trail and my mood. It does make the ride and conforming better, for sure, but it also makes you lose some ground clearance. With this Jeep I air down more often with my 33s than I did with my 31s for that reason, but I usually only go to about 20lbs or so if it's not a super-rocky trail.

[Brody]

I do not like to air down my tires, may do this when I go to beadlocks at some point, but for now I do not air down for runs. Does this cause premature wear on my tires?

What Don said.

Airing down to below 20 lbs will improve traction significantly and will soften the ride. Below 10-12 pounds is where you should be concerned about having beadlocks. Chances of popping a bead above that poundage is slight, though excessive speed coupled with an immovable obstacle will make it happen. We routinely air down to 20 for most trails simply for the comfort level.

A lot depends on sidewall stiffness (and vehicle weight), too, as many of the more aggressive (and bias ply) tires have a very stiff sidewall. Some size comparison, my Nitto Mud Grapplers (38x15.50x15) had almost no sidewall flex until aired down to 12-14 pounds. The KM2s I have now show flex at around 16psi. Both Pit Bulls and Swampers don't flex until aired down lower than that. You can certainly do harder lines/trails with reduced tire pressure with less wheel spinning when aired down.

20 pounds is a nice compromise as you can drive home with this pressure OK and can certainly drive trail to trail if doing two trails in a day. Since 90% of the driving most of us do is to and from the trail at street pressure, the amount of extra tire wear is pretty minimum.

I posted this awhile back:

Airing Down (http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?11828-Airing-Down)

[2000Durango]

I love my goodyear dura-tracs on my durango but I have not been off-roading in them too much but I say stay with good year all the way around!!

[2000Durango]

I've been running 33x12.15r15s Duratracs for about a year and love them. with the rocky trails in the area Paul lives and wheels (all the time, lucky duck) in I'd probably still go with the MT/Rs. The Duratracs would probably be a lot better on ice though...


See this is what I am talking about!!