Tire Comparison/Review

[jeepboy381]

I love my KM2's in every type of terrain I have had them on but the snow. They work very well in the mud, rocks, trail, and road but I have been let down in the snow by them to many times.

When I bought my first set of 33X12.5-15 BFG M/T KM's they were amazing in the snow! I did have them siped but I was wheeling with guys on 35-40 inch tires and I could go nearly everywhere they were going in the deep snow. They were good on sidehills in the snow and they didn't dig to much.

When I stepped up to 35 KM2's I thought my Jeep would perform much better than the old 33's but I feel the oposite. I was following a friend with 37 MT/Rs at TSF, he was having no problem in the snow. I was right behind him following the same lines as him and I almost slid off the side of the trail twice. He had absolutely no problem, my KM2s on the other hand kind of scared me. There has been a handful of times I have been stuck with them thinking I would not have been with my 33 KM's.

I think they are a great tire but I am not pleased with their abilitys in the snow. They still do good in it but I think the old M/T's were better.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

i really think you will be the most happy with KM2's, i personally know you, your driving habbits, your rig, and your wheelin style more then these guys due to being family, and i really think the perfect match is the KM2,

You seem to be super worried about snow? well you gotta realize alot of these guys have done Snow-runs that would make both of us cringe, When they talk about snow runs, they're hitting the top of Stop signs with they're differentials.. and we dont deal with that *as much* because the Main snow run is up east of Seattle

Another thing is Daily driver, with the Trxus being a SS, they are hard to balance, you are much better off balancing with Airsoft BBs. and they will wear quicker then the KM2.

Noise, I know you have told me noise wont bother you, but after awhile on a daily driving rig, it does come into play, but from my experiences both of these tires do decent in that field. with the KM2 being *Slightly* better

From my view, You need a tire thats going to handle 2-300 miles a week, Take you up the trails at TSF, be good in mud, grip on rock on a "Moderately difficult" trail, and handle 2-3" of snow on the Oregon trail (when your able to enter the trail head)

I personally know your not a huge fan of rock, and that's where i don't think a tire like the new Mt/r is worth the price, I like them, but i think they're main advantage is strength/grip on a rocky adventure.. and would probably be the best for the road? (Correct me if im wrong guys?)

Due to the DD end, and the twice a month-at most wheelin trips.. i would focus on a better all-around tire.. therefore my vote is to stay away from any SS...

 

[SoreRunner]

Nice write-up on the thread Scott. Thank you!

 

[fubar XJ]

That's decent advice Scott, even radial versions of Swampers are only okay on the street, a KM2, MTR, or just about any other basic mud terrain radial will have better street manners and wear longer.

It's absolutely about the type, frequency, and difficulty level of the terrain you plan to wheel. Michael (2xtreme) wasn't trying to be an ass, he's a very nice guy. He was simply asking for more input from you about what you planned to do with the tire, to help give advice on which tire would be best for you.

It sounds like a KM2, MTR, Mickey Thompson MTZ, or similar mud-terrain radial would be best for what you have in mind. You'll get a decent street ride, decent traction i most conditions, and decent tread life. That's what most people refer to as a compromise tire, something that does everything okay, but nothing exceptionally well. If you were building a mud truck, you'd be better off with some Boggers or TSLs. If you were building a rock buggy, you might want to run Creepy Crawlers or IROKs. It's all about selecting a tire for what you plan to do with the rig.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

If you were building a mud truck, you'd be better off with some Boggers or TSLs. If you were building a rock buggy, you might want to run Creepy Crawlers or IROKs. It's all about selecting a tire for what you plan to do with the rig.

i chose the bogger. iratefla

dont follow me:wave:

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

edit

 

[BigBlueBeast]

I love my KM2 tires. They do have a 30% stronger side wall than the original KMs. If your worried about them being destroyed ? Buy replacment certs like i did. If anything happens to them other than getting cut with a knife, I get a new tire.

As for as snow, I wasn't to confident going through it. It was slow and thought at any time I would be stuck. My BFG AT were killer in the snow.

As for wet, I dont have a problem at all, Then again my rig wont spin out on wet pavement if I tried.

As for Mud, They bite hard and clean out well.

As For Rock, IDK yet.

 

[noutlawjeeper]

Trxus isn't anything like any of the other swampers. Infact, I don't beleive it is even considered a swamper. It was designed to compete directly with the other MTs on the market. Yes, they are harder to balance but mine are wearing great. Saying the trxus is similar to the other tires in the interco family is a wrong statement IMO.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

Trxus isn't anything like any of the other swampers. Infact, I don't beleive it is even considered a swamper. It was designed to compete directly with the other MTs on the market. Yes, they are harder to balance but mine are wearing great. Saying the trxus is similar to the other tires in the interco family is a wrong statement IMO.

Dont get me wrong, i love the trxus, i have wheeled with them and they do great, but the way they are like every other SS is they way the balance and IMO they are kind of "Round" and dont like to track on the pavement very well..again thats my opinion

 

[fubar XJ]

I've talked to several people who have run the TRX-US, and they all tell me the same things. Not the easiest tire to balance, not the most long-wearing tread, sidewalls tend to suffer under abuse. The plus side is everyone tells me their traction is excellent on pretty much everything.

The hard to balance and treadwear issues are very typical of all Swamper tires, as is the generally excellent traction comment.

And for the sake of argument, the Thornturd is not a Swamper tire. Not sure what the Hell they were thinking when they cut the molds for that abomination.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

And for the sake of argument, the Thornturd is not a Swamper tire. Not sure what the Hell they were thinking when they cut the molds for that abomination.

i have "Heard" they are decent in sand.. that is ALL the positive i have heard.. other then that.. i advise everyone to stay away from thornbirds.:lecture:

now that i think about it.. whoever told me they were decent in sand is flippin nutts, i had to think about this, but you would want wider voids to go anywhere..

again, stay away from thorntirds.. anything is better, Hot-knife some racing slicks and your still better off

 

[IXNAYXJ]

The Interco TrXus M/T is a great medium duty M/T, and probably the best snow tire you can buy. When wheeled HARD (I can't emphasize that enough...I mean bouncing off the rev-limiter with the sidewall into a root), the side wall is the weak point. They are very quiet on the road, not terrible to balance and last a long time for as aggressive an M/T as it is.

I had very high hopes for the BFGoodrich KM2 when it came out and planned on getting a set. Before I could justify it, a couple people I know got them and I got to see them on the trail. There is no question they're a great tire, not as good in the snow as the TrXus, but slightly better on rocks. Mostly a wash in my mind; where I really cared was the sidewall strength, something the KM2 promised to have in spades. I have not been impressed, howver, seeing them on the trail. I've seen plenty tear the guts out of the sidewall.

The new Goodyear MT/R with Kevlar is a relative unknown, not to be confused with the old school MT/R. I've now put almost 5000 miles on a set and I have to say, that in my opinion, it is the best all around M/T currently available. Good on the road, good in the snow (again, not up to TrXus standards), amazing in the rocks, very good on muddy sloppy PNW trails and finally a sidewall that I can't break.

If anyone at all is thinking about new tires, seriously consider the new MT/R with Kevlar.

-----Matt-----