New BFG AT's kinda suck

[Schattenjager]

:Wow1:
In case I have missed an already existing thread on this:
Have been meaning to get this posted for a week or so - learned some disheartening info about my beloved AT's - they are no longer SNOW rated and have lost the mountain / snowflake symbol. Far fewer sips and they really trap gravel and hold onto it till you are cruising at sufficient speed for the force to expel them against your rig with appreciable force. I have had numerous sets of the AT and am very familiar with the ride, traction and durability. It seems like everything but the name has changed. The tread blocks, at first glance, seem the same, but closer inspection shows a slightly different angel toward the threads, and the aforementioned missing sips. So, I'm hoping I can have them sipped - snow country is my life - and they last as long and as well as my old sets.

 

[mountainpete]

It's not all of the BFG AT's - just the ones that we tend to like

As far as I can see, these are the 16" and 17" that are no longer snow rated. Most are load rated D.

265/75R16 123Q E Not Rated For Severe Snow (SUCKS!)
285/75R16 126/123Q E Not Rated For Severe Snow (DOUBLE SUCKS!)
235/80R17 120/117R E Not Rated For Severe Snow
245/70R17 119/116R E Not Rated For Severe Snow
275/70R17 121/118R E Not Rated For Severe Snow
285/70R17 121/118R D Not Rated For Severe Snow
315/70R17 121/118R D Not Rated For Severe Snow
315/70R17 121/118S D Not Rated For Severe Snow

Why the change? Hopefully someone knows...

Pete

 

[4x4mike]

I'll have to check mine. Last week I picked up some 265/75/16 ATs for my 4runner. I've owned 2 sets before on a different vehicle and loved them and that is the reason I went with them again. One thing I noticed and has been documented on the internet is that they only come in load range E which is ridiculous for a 3rd gen 4runner. I forget now if I got the 123Q's. The 123Q's were the cheaper ones to pop up on online retailers. I'll glace at the sidewalls tonight.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Looked at my 33x9.50x15 BFG AT KOs at lunch. Still load range C, lots of little sipes and still have the snowflake symbol on them.

 

[ExpoMike]

Hummm... I'll have to look tonight. Recently bought a set of 285/75-16 (Load range E) AT's. I definitely notice that they hold a lot more small stones/gravel then I have seen other tires do. This is my first set of BFG AT's as I have used other brands of AT's in the past. Don't you love it when a manufacturer makes changes/remove features and really doesn't annouce these changes.

 

[mountainpete]

Looked at my 33x9.50x15 BFG AT KOs at lunch. Still load range C, lots of little sipes and still have the snowflake symbol on them.

Ah the pizza cutters of the dirt. Love that size of tire! :chef:

 

[The Adam Blaster]

There's typically not a big difference in the overall weight-carrying capacity between an E rated and a D rated tire. (10 and 8 ply respectively.)
And both are significantly "more tire" than a 4Runner needs. A 6 ply (C) is plenty, but the tire manufacturers are marketing their products towards the light truck market, 1/2 tons, 3/4 and 1-tons.
The market is moving towards just having P-rated tires, or the 10 ply E-rated tires. Many 1/2 ton trucks have been equipped from the factory for the last 2-3 years (at least) with P-rated tires.

4x4mike - the "123Q" that you quote is a combination of the load and speed rating of the tire, 123 being the load, and Q being the speed. Don't go over 100mph or they will blow up!!! lolol

So, having said all of that, most "truck-size" tires in 16+17 inch rim sizes are being made for the truck market, so don't expect many 6-ply options to become more plentiful in the future. And the 8-ply tire is becoming redundant, so don't hold out too much hope for those either.
The rationale for the lack of 6-ply tires seems to be that most people buying and using those vehicles will never see any off-pavement conditions, so they don't warrant the extra puncture protection that the 6-plies provide.
And the tire co's have been engineering the P-rated tires to handle as much (or more in some cases) weight than the 6-ply models they are replacing. So those same pavement-pounders can still load their SUV's to the roof and tow their boats or travel trailers around.

 

[Greggk]

i just bought a set of 315/75/16 BFG A/T's are they still rated?

 

[juicebox]

i just bought a set of 315/75/16 BFG A/T's are they still rated?

I think you could answer that question better than anyone else can.

 

[Greggk]

i'm 10,000 miles from my tires and my truck, I am deployed in Iraq. So I cannot answer that question

 

[ExpoMike]

So I checked mine last night and sure enough, no siping and no snowflake symbol. They still have the M & S rating listed but are definitely not the same as they used to be.

Bummer...

 

[4x4mike]

I'll have to check mine. Last week I picked up some 265/75/16 ATs for my 4runner. I've owned 2 sets before on a different vehicle and loved them and that is the reason I went with them again. One thing I noticed and has been documented on the internet is that they only come in load range E which is ridiculous for a 3rd gen 4runner. I forget now if I got the 123Q's. The 123Q's were the cheaper ones to pop up on online retailers. I'll glace at the sidewalls tonight.

I checked mine last night and I have the 265/75/16 - 123/120S. I ALSO have the siping and snowflake. It looks like it was the 123Q of this size that lost the features.

4x4mike - the "123Q" that you quote is a combination of the load and speed rating of the tire, 123 being the load, and Q being the speed.

Yes I know. The reason I brought up the 123Q is that that is the tire mentioned by the OP (in my size).

If you need 265/75/16's and want the snowflake get the 123/120S version.

 

[stevec]

Interesting... It's odd that only some of the sizes do not have the rating. It seems to me that they are different, then BFG should call them something different, so that people can pick up on the differences before buying a tire that isn't really suited to their needs (after all, they are calling it an ALL-Terrain!)

I picked up a set last month, and just had them mounted and balanced last weekend. I was quite surprised to see this thread. I did check, and mine do have the snowflake rating still (215/75/15)

 

[Co-opski]

Snowflake shmoflake. I have the rating on my 235/85r16 but I switch to dedicated snow tire for winter, Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT10s & double studded 235/85r16. Night and day better than the BFG AT in all snow/ice conditions. If you are serious about winter traction get a dedicated snow tire not an all terrain.

 

[targa88]

So what's the difference between:
BFG AT T/A KO (LT265/75R16/E123Q)
BFG Commercial T/A Traction (LT265/75R16/E123Q)