The whole enchilada...
sidriptide said:
although i'm not a BFG fan at all, stay away from MICHELIN!! french owned company..
Actaully, the company is named Michelin America Small Tire (MAST). They are based in France, Canada, Australia, and America. Their brands include Michelin, BF Goodrich, Uniroyal and a host of Associate Brands. The LTX A/T's are a good all season and dirt tire. They do average in the deeper snow and are fairly good on wet roads. Their resistance to hydroplaning is superb through the first 2/3 of treadlife. Then the outer tread blocks have a ridge which connects them all at at depth of about 4/32". With good maintenance, expect about 60-100k miles out of these babies. I have personally seen more than one set of these Michelin beauties break the 100,000 mile mark. If you get the LT235/75r15's, expect a fairly harsh ride, but no worse than the 3-ply sidewall BFG A/T's. Go for the P235/75R15 XL (extra load), they hold more weight with less air, and ride smoother. The 4 ply and 6 ply versions both have the same tread depth and each will last an equal amount of mileage.
The BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO's will ride a little rough, but do substantially better off road. They have a more durable shoulder area and sidewall, so are harder to puncture than the Michelin. Expect to see between 40-60k miles out of a set of them. They do very well in snow and even carry the RMA (rubber manufacturer's association) Severe Snow Rating. This rating is difficult to acquire and the tire must pass some pretty rigorous snow traction tests to recieve it. It is one of the few non-snow tires to have it. They are fairly quiet on the road. All A/T KO's are 6-ply rated and higher.
Both of these tires are ones that I'd recommend. If you want a smoother, quieter ride, go for the Michelins. If you want a bit more off road prowess, and are willing to sacrifice a little highway manners, go for the BFG A/T KO's. Both tires are close to the same price, at about $105 retail.
By the way, I sell tires for a living, and have for years... Sam's Club is hard to beat on the price for most Michelin tires, BTW.
Jared