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M/T or A/T.....Survey says ??

D

dktool

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Covina
I will be replacing my 33 x 10.5 x 15 KM2 M/T's soon, I will be staying with that size so I know my choices are very small, BFG or Toyo.

Question is, as a socal user the M/T works well for my needs but for the next 2 years my Heep will also be seeing use in the Oregon central valley which means ice and snow.

So what say you snow people, is the M/T still a good choice or is the A/T a better choice ??
 
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MT's pretty much suck on snow/ice. AT's pretty much suck in deep mud. Choose for what you will see most often.
 
Tim_MN said:
MT's pretty much suck on snow/ice. AT's pretty much suck in deep mud. Choose for what you will see most often.
Click to expand...

I don't do mud (I HATE MUD !) I see mostly rock, dirt, etc. and now, ice and snow.
I always thought the M/T would perform better in the rock gardens, sand etc. than a A/T, is this accurate ?
 
dktool said:
I don't do mud (I HATE MUD !) I see mostly rock, dirt, etc. and now, ice and snow.
I always thought the M/T would perform better in the rock gardens, sand etc. than a A/T, is this accurate ?
Click to expand...

Depends on the tire really.

In sand, you will see people are using buoyant tires. Slick and soft because they float on the sand.

In rocks, you will see people are using aggressive tires. Not necessarily mud terrains. Check out a good all terrain and mud terrain hybrid like the Goodyear Wranger Duratracs. People also love the Goodyear MT/r with kevlar for rocks.
 
Draven1474 said:
I recommend the Duratracs or cooper AT3, ST, STT, or ST Maxx!
Click to expand...

Those would be great but unfortunately they are not available in a 33x10.5x15

I think it really comes down to which of the BFG's are better on ice and snow, the KM2 M/T or the KO A/T ?
 
if you are 100% satisfied with the KM2 and want another pair but are just unsure of its ice/snow characteristics... get the center tread blocks siped. it has made a huge difference for every vehicle i have had it done on up here in michigan.
 
My XJ is running 33x10.5 BFG AT. I ran lots of trails with NAXJA group on the first set. Never felt disadvantaged in the rocks when everyone was running MT. Always liked the on road manners. One time walked right up a snow and ice covered, bolder strewn John Bull when all the big dog MT's we're spinning in their tracks. I am fairly sold in the BFG AT for an all purpose tire. I got over 95k miles on a set with a heavy Ford Excursion (not expidition)

With all that said, the BFG MT's on my JKU have done well on rock, sand, mud, snow and pavement. If they hold up mileage wise, I'd probably switch to MT's. If nothing else for the more aggressive tread looks and off road performance.

Bottom line: AT's might be better long term mileage wise and might be better in ice and snow. MT's are likely better in all other (non ice/snow) conditions. Pretty sure AT's are cheaper.
 
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An aggressive AT / AP tire will outperform a MT in most conditions except mud.
That's what the MT was designed for. For all other purposes, they measure sub par and cost you fuel. I drive my Jeeps 90/10 now days (90% on-road, and 10% off-road). I can, and have tackled just about every type of terrain available to me. For my purposes, the AT/ AP tire works the best.

There are a set of BFGs on one Jeep and Hankooks on the other.

Personally, I have never understood why a passenger vehicle was delivered from the factory with MTs. Seems like an accident waiting to happen. ~Ron
 
One type of "rocky" terrain where the AT's might work out better for you is where there is a lot of thick bedded to massive sandstone, such as SE Utah.
 
I have run BFG T/A AT's in Moab, Central Colorado, and in MN Forests and iron ore pits. The BFG's performed well, except for weak sidewalls. On winter roads AT's perform much better than MT's. MT's and AT's seem to work about the same in Moab.

I now have MT's for 4x4 trips and for summer driving, and AT's for winter driving.
 
LOVE my M/T km2's. I have them in the same size you do. As soon as they wear out another pair will go on. They're great on and off road for me.
 
stay away from the BFG AT for snow. I have snow from September to June here and i might as well put ice skates on the xj, these bfg at's are that bad, even deflated to 15 lbs.
 
WyoCherokee said:
stay away from the BFG AT for snow. I have snow from September to June here and i might as well put ice skates on the xj, these bfg at's are that bad, even deflated to 15 lbs.
Click to expand...

How wide are they? Wide tires suck in snow, its like having skis.

My 30x9.5 BFG A/Ts were awesome in the snow, ice, rain, pretty much everything. I would've gotten them again but bought the General Grabber AT2 which is basically the same tread pattern but a cheaper price.

I wouldn't use MTs in the snow or even heavy rain.
 
I have 33"BFG AT's on one XJ and just placed Cooper AT3's on the other more road worthy one. I have always wheeled AT's and like you I hate mud ;) I think the Coopers are better on road but the BFG's are a bit more aggressive for off road.... just my .02
 
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