| Author | Message | ||
     Bill Mallin (Billmallin) Member Username: Billmallin Post Number: 154 Registered: 09-2003 |
I know there have been a zillion tire questions... I know, I know... But, this question is directed at only two brands--given the choice between the BFG MTs and the Goodyear MTRs... As great as my BFG ATs are, they sometimes pack up in the mud, and it is slippity slide time. We have no snow in Houston so that's not an issue. The wheeling we do mostly is loose rock and mud. Occasionally sand... but mostly loose rock, dirt, and mud. My opinion is that the MTs are a tad more aggressive, and the MTRs have a tighter pattern (similar to an AT), so perhaps the MTRs have a better ride on the highway? I don't know the answer; I do not have experience with the mud tires. Everyone in our local club is screaming MTRs... I'd like the opinion from this group of those with long-term experience with either of the two... And, there's really no difference in price... like $13 per tire difference... Thanks in advance, Bill Mallin Web Dood Houston Land Rover Club http://www.houstonlandroverclub.com 2001 Disco AKA "Sherman" | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 870 Registered: 05-2003 |
Bill, I am very happy with my MTs. I didn't know how very fortunate I was that I had BB's input on my tires. His exact words were "they're aggressive but will still give you good highway manners". I trusted him, ordered them, and had no clue what they even looked like until they arrived. They are very solid and responsive on the highway. I have much more control on the highway than I had when stock, but I know that my new suspension also contributed to the better handling on the highway. Off road, we've got lots of mud here and they work - I haven't done much slippity sliding at all with them - when the mud gets tough, they seem to just kick in, grab the mud more aggressively and we get right through it. In addition, they have made recovering other trucks from the mud so much easier. I enjoy the security I feel knowing that I can back up into the mud and pull someone else out without any problems. Needless to say, this is a wonderful change after being the stuckee all the time  I should add that I didn't learn to use them efficiently until I spent time training with Bill. He taught me to (slow down) be patient, keep my RPMs steady, and give the ETC time to kick in and use my tires so that everything works harmoniously getting thru the ickiest mud areas. Good Luck, Jamie | ||
| Ho Chung (Thediscoho) Moderator Username: Thediscoho Post Number: 610 Registered: 02-2002 |
bill, seems like you are on the fence on this one. perhaps this is a good time to let the word "WRANGLER" be the tie breaker. Ho Chung | ||
| Greg Hirst (Gregh) Senior Member Username: Gregh Post Number: 471 Registered: 10-2002 |
Ho- How can you ignore "DiggerLugz"?? That clinches it! | ||
| Bill Mallin (Billmallin) Member Username: Billmallin Post Number: 157 Registered: 09-2003 |
"Wrangler"... Well, I am in Texas. I'm definitely on the fence... I just like to make informed decisions (why am I telling you this... you already know). "Lessons Learned", to use some MBA speak. I think the reality is that I cannot go wrong with either tire; I just like input. | ||
| Michael Noe (Noee) Senior Member Username: Noee Post Number: 859 Registered: 03-2002 |
Bill: I was in the same boat as you recently. My primary concern is off-road ability but I wanted a tire that would wear better than avg on the road and I was down to MT and MTR. I've been out with quite a few guys with MTRs, I've seen a sidewall cut and generally avg performance in various conditions. From what I can see, they don't clean very well in thick mud or even the soft, mushy stuff. Recently, I've seen the MT KM in action a few times. I've got 5 MT KMs coming in next week, FWIW. Conditions vary, everyone has preferences and different experiences. Driver skill level is probably even more important than the difference between these two tyres. | ||
| Paul D. Morgan (V22guy) Dweb Lounge Member Username: V22guy Post Number: 2486 Registered: 02-2002 |
I am on my second set of MTRs. IMHO they are great off road, not so great on road. But then again, I am driving a Pig around. Mike has a good point above about the MTR cleaning out. The MTR does get clogged up. Here's a pic of the Pig with clogged MTR's. About 5 minutes prior to the pic being taken, I had to winch myself out of some thick ass mud. http://www.discoweb.org/mar2003/ppMAR%20PIG.jpg I will keep this current set until they wear out and my next off-road only tire will be the BFG MT. FWIW, tonight I am picking up a second set of D2 rims to mount a set of Bridgestone Dueler AT's for everyday driving. | ||
| Kai Dussling (Kai) Member Username: Kai Post Number: 114 Registered: 06-2002 |
BFG MT | ||
| Joe M. (Little_joe) Senior Member Username: Little_joe Post Number: 303 Registered: 11-2002 |
All of the tire plugs I've used have been on BFG MT's & none on MTRs - BFG's tear pretty easily compared to the MTR. They're a wash in the mud. The MTR center tread does pack but the more open shoulder lugs self clean much better than the BFG MT. The BFG center treads also pack and require a lot of spin to clean. MTRs have incredible stick on the little rocks we encounter when aired down. I'm sold on the MTRs (on both my Disco for a yr now and my Toyota since the MTRs came out). The road ride is fine, noise is equivalent between the two, but my personal experience is the MTRs just work better offroad. Wear has been exceptional as well. joe | ||
| Chris Browne (Chris_browne) Senior Member Username: Chris_browne Post Number: 634 Registered: 02-2003 |
great subject....this is just the thread I need right now..... | ||
| Bill Mallin (Billmallin) Member Username: Billmallin Post Number: 162 Registered: 09-2003 |
Well... if you are interested... here are a couple of comments from two guys in our club: "Bill: I am not totally convinced by my MTR's...... and a lot of the mags have been rating the BFG's better." "Bill: I saw several sets of MTR's this year on south Texas ranches that were primarily loose rock, no 4WD required. All of the MTR's on the rear of the trucks were shredded. I spoke to people at the different ranches and all had the same complaint about the tires and this problem." FWIW... | ||
| Nadim Samara (Discodino) Member Username: Discodino Post Number: 221 Registered: 02-2003 |
MTRs | ||
| Alan Bates (Alanb) Senior Member Username: Alanb Post Number: 449 Registered: 07-2002 |
BFG MT, proven tire that has been around for a long time with consistently good results. | ||
| Joseph DeLautre (Mudderducker) New Member Username: Mudderducker Post Number: 11 Registered: 02-2004 |
I had some MTRs on my Tahoe. They were great off road but an absolute menace on road. Granted, mine were 305/70/16 so they were bigger than what you're probably going to use. They had terribly uneven and fast wear and sounded like a tank rolling by as well as shook the bolts out of three of my lift blocks. THOSE sucked! I might try them in a smaller size for my Disco but I guarantee you will get more miles out of ANY BFG. I think the MTR's look more aggressive but next time I will probably follow 'function over form' .02 | ||
| Ho Chung (Thediscoho) Moderator Username: Thediscoho Post Number: 611 Registered: 02-2002 |
alan, you bring up a good point. i'd consider the BFG MTs to be the "old faithful" all others are "fashion" trends that come and go. Ho Chung | ||
| Shane Lesteberg (Snwbord24) New Member Username: Snwbord24 Post Number: 11 Registered: 01-2004 |
At first I was torn between the BFG AT and MT for my offroad set of tires. Then I decided to go for an MT tire, so I was torn between the MT and MTR. Based on this thread, I'll be going with "old faithful". Thanks all. | ||
| John Lee (Johnlee) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Johnlee Post Number: 892 Registered: 03-2003 |
I much prefer the BFG MT-KM. The biggest tie-breaker for me is that MTR's are generally hard to balance. | ||
| Alan Yim (Alan) Senior Member Username: Alan Post Number: 1065 Registered: 09-2002 |
John, Aside from being hard to balance, what do you think of their (MTR) performance on a technical level? | ||
| Max Thomason (Lrmax) Senior Member Username: Lrmax Post Number: 291 Registered: 11-2002 |
Bill, I as well was torn by this subject. But I have come to the following conclusion: MT/Rs are very good for everything except mud. I have seen them clog up in the thick Carolina mud constantly. In terms of rock crawling, they seem to work very well on rocks. Paul, as well as others have praised the MT/R for its road worthiness and I don't doubt it. I currently run BFG MTs. I find myself in thick gooey mud and they perform very very well in it. They are able to clean out the lugs well to keep forward motion. Overall they are fairly quiet on the road and ride very well. They work very, very well in snow and wintery conditions (well, as wintery as its gonna get in VA and NC). I've tried them out on rocks and I'd have to air down. Last time I didn't and the MTs were not gripping the rocks very well. Overall, I'd buy the MTs again. One thing to remember though: the rig that these MTs are being used on is a 73' 109. They replaced my bias-ply Goodyear Xtra Grips and are lightyears better than the Xtra Grips. I drive my 109 on farm roads a lot. An example of tread pattern comparison was my buddies' 85' Ford F-150 with BFG ATs on it (truck was as old as I!). It couldn't take the mud and just slicked out and spun its wheels. My 109 with the MTs could cruise right on by in 2WD. Another comparison was the last time I was up at the Uwharrie National Forest. It was REALLY slick. My friend had his disco (a mighty fine rig) with Dunlop R/Ts on it. The R/Ts, while the worked well, slicked up in the thick mud. For the most part the MTs were able to clean out but at some points the treads got filled right up. Even so, they did very well in throwing the mud out of the treads. Max T. | ||
| Chu Y. Son (Cyson) Member Username: Cyson Post Number: 46 Registered: 01-2003 |
For whatever reason, the MT/Rs are damn good in snow. Stopping, starting, turning. A noticeable improvement over BFG ATs and the old MTs. Have yet to try the new MTs in snow, however. On the dry CO trails, I haven't noticed much difference between the ATs and the MTRs. I have a feeling it would be the same with the MT kms. | ||
| John Lee (Johnlee) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Johnlee Post Number: 894 Registered: 03-2003 |
"Aside from being hard to balance, what do you think of their (MTR) performance on a technical level?" I don't think they perform any better or worse than the MT-KM's as far as I can tell. | ||
| Brian Brown (Rtiqulatendisco) New Member Username: Rtiqulatendisco Post Number: 8 Registered: 01-2004 |
I just had MTR's on my Disco for 2 years. Great tire but I did rip the sidewall open. I now have the BFG MT's and love them. Ride on Road is slightly better with the MTR and sidewall seems to be slightly thicker but traction off road is much better with the BFG MT. The BFG cleans better for sure. You'll be happy with either. | ||
| Bill Mallin (Billmallin) Member Username: Billmallin Post Number: 163 Registered: 09-2003 |
Well... after all this, I decided on the MTs. I appreciate all of your input. As usual, it's great to have a bunch of informed people around.   Thanks again. | ||
| John Lee (Johnlee) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Johnlee Post Number: 895 Registered: 03-2003 |
Sweet. I'm so glad you didn't get the WT-R's. | ||
| Barry (Barry) New Member Username: Barry Post Number: 30 Registered: 02-2003 |
Bill, Thanks for starting a great thread. I have been sold on the BFG AT for some time. But, I'm getting closer to needing a MT for a future trip. Have you considered tire siping? Bill Burke told me his BFG MT's are center siped, and work very well on snowy/wet Colorado pavement. Some info here: http://www.can4x4.com/articles/siping.html http://www.4x4review.com/tech/siping.asp -Barry | ||
| Bill Mallin (Billmallin) Member Username: Billmallin Post Number: 168 Registered: 09-2003 |
Hey Barry: He told me the same thing. And I have thought about it... here's my take (though maybe I am wrong): First: I'm sure it works, at least everyone claims it does. But if it is so great, why don't tire manufacturers do it from the start? In other word, why didn't BFG sipe them at the factory? Second: I guess it is just difficult for me to cut into my brand new tires without trying them out just like they are first. The tire store told me I could bring them back and they would do them if I was unhappy with them as is. I've got 4 miles on them. I'm happy so far I guess since this thread is so good, we could move on to siping... yes or no and share experiences... I do think if I were to do it, I would only do the center lugs... | ||
| Shawn McKenzie (Shawn) Member Username: Shawn Post Number: 195 Registered: 10-2002 |
Went out with a few trucks earlier this winter. BFG MT's, BFG AT KO's, and MTR's were all there. The MT tread blocks turned into hockey pucks on the icy trails and were all over the place on icy pavement. They dug well in packed dirt. My BFG AT's were great, but don't dig much in packed dirt. Icy roads awesome, icy trails awesome. MTR's worked amazing on icy trails and icy roads too. They dug just as well at the BFG MT's in packed dirt. No mud When I was down in Moab last summer I watched the Rock Crawling Nationals. Every competitive truck was running the MTR or BFG Krawler. Only saw MT's on some older stock class jeeps that didn't make the semi's. I don't wheel in gumbo mud. For rocks and Rocky Mountain type wheeling, the MTR is the best choice if you need more than the BFG AT. Every CJ/YJ/TJ/XJ in town here has BFG MT's. They are the "Jeep tire" to paraphrase John Lee when he goes off on some non-Hellas as "Jeep lights" I like stuff that is different. BFG MT's are not it. | ||
| Shane Lesteberg (Snwbord24) New Member Username: Snwbord24 Post Number: 13 Registered: 01-2004 |
As long as we're on tires, what is everyone's opinion of the Terra Grappler? I'm guessing it's comparable in traction to the BFG AT but at a little cheaper price I think (definately less than the MT or MTR). | ||
| Nadim Samara (Discodino) Member Username: Discodino Post Number: 225 Registered: 02-2003 |
MTRs are NOT fashionable...Tehy are the MILDEST competition tire on the planet, so "supposedly" u get the best of both worlds. However, I do not run them. | ||
| Phillip Perkinson (Rover4x4) Senior Member Username: Rover4x4 Post Number: 683 Registered: 02-2003 |
maybe the j**pers are on to something | ||
| Greg Bright (Gregd2) Member Username: Gregd2 Post Number: 132 Registered: 06-2002 |
I ran BFG MT's for a couple years on my D2, they held up well. They did get noisier the longer that I owned them. I now have MTR's on my D1 and so far I like them a lot. They're tread pattern puts a little more rubber on the ground than the MT's. This gives better performance on rock and ice and snow, however, they don't do as well in the mud. Takes more spin to clean them. Sidewalls bulge about the same pressures as the MT's I had. As far as sidewall performance goes, I think driver error is to blame for some of that. I see a lot of guys get hung up on a rock and then start putting the hammer down to get over it. Lots of wheel spin, etc. Now, I'm not saying that's the only reason people have sidewalls go out on them. I realize that shit happens and there's lots of things on the trail that can cut a sidewall. I've just also noticed that a lot of the guys around me that complain about tires failing on them are the same guys that are spinning the shit out of their tires on obstacles that they're having trouble getting over. | ||
| Ho Chung (Thediscoho) Moderator Username: Thediscoho Post Number: 613 Registered: 02-2002 |
greg, you get sidewall damage because tire gods are watching you. all it takes is that small rock at the right time and location. and you are done. and nadim, i knew you weren't just a trend follower. LOL Ho Chung | ||
| Nadim Samara (Discodino) Member Username: Discodino Post Number: 230 Registered: 02-2003 |
Ho...depends what trend Those mog axles in the yard look very tempting... | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 878 Registered: 05-2003 |
Bill, Congratulations!! I hope you'll keep us posted on how they work out for you in the Texas mud! Jamie | ||
| John Lee (Johnlee) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Johnlee Post Number: 904 Registered: 03-2003 |
"I'm sure it works, at least everyone claims it does. But if it is so great, why don't tire manufacturers do it from the start? In other word, why didn't BFG sipe them at the factory?" Siping lets the lugs get shredded more easily. Even on unsiped tires, the lugs get mangled on the leading edges. It's much worse with siping, at least the siped tires that I have seen. | ||
| Keith McFatridge (Mcfatty) New Member Username: Mcfatty Post Number: 13 Registered: 02-2003 |
Currently running MTR's. Have been good to me, and John put the equal in--no balance probs I know of. Have worn evenly. |
