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Tire Comparison/Review

S

SoreRunner

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
I'm wondering which is plain better.

TrXus Mud Terrain

OR

BFG KM2

In the past, I've had crappy luck with the BFG All Terrain tire. I do not want to drop a 1000.00+/- on tires and have the same luck. If you have a word on the tire subject, please write a response. I would be glad to read your idea's.
 
The KM2s do better in the snow than the average MT.
 
I must have had a set of "lemon" km2. I 2 weeks time I went through 3 tires do to sidewall slices. In the snow they liked to dig and wasn't impressed. They reminded me of the old BFG MT and I got rid of them after 3 months and went back to my krawlers.
 
OK OK, this is exactly what happen to me also with my A/T's. I don't want the thin sidewalls. I like the thickness of the sidewall on TrXus and TSL tires. I want a good tire that will do what tires are meant to do, provide traction. Also, a tire that will balance well. Noise levels are not an issue to me either.
 
I just got KM2's, in the 2 trips I've been on, I've been satisfied with them and expect them to continue to do well for me and the terrain we wheel on up here. However, if there was a 32" TrXus, I'd probably be running that instead. They are killer in snow and provide great all-round traction perhaps even more so for NW terrain.
 
I'm pretty happy with my KM2's as well. They seem to be a great all around tire. They grip really well in the rocks, and seem to clean out pretty well in the slick stuff.

I still have mixed thoughts about their snow performance. They definitely pull hard in most conditions when aired down, but they tend to dig in the light fluffy stuff from what I've experienced. I had my tires aired down to 3psi and they wouldn't stay on top (definitely tried though). On the other hand the Trxus' were able to float right past me. I never really believed all the talk about the Trxus snow performance, but seeing them first hand definitely changed my mind. Perhaps a little bit of siping would make the KM2's shine in the snow, or maybe I'm being too picky with them. However, for a MT they're a great all around tire in my opinion.

I also daily drive on mine (200+ miles a week), and the road noise / handling is very tolerable. Tire wear also seems to be doing pretty good too. Not sure if I'll go with them again when the time comes though.

SoreRunner said:
I don't want the thin sidewalls. I like the thickness of the sidewall on TrXus and TSL tires.
Click to expand...

Trxus aren't known for their sidewall strength. That's one of the main issues that turned me away from them. The KM2's are suppose to have a better sidewall then the old 3 ply KM's. I never had a problem with my old AT's, and so far the KM2's are holding up well too.
 
TORX said:
I'm pretty happy with my KM2's as well. They seem to be a great all around tire. They grip really well in the rocks, and seem to clean out pretty well in the slick stuff.

I still have mixed thoughts about their snow performance. They definitely pull hard in most conditions when aired down, but they tend to dig in the light fluffy stuff from what I've experienced. I had my tires aired down to 3psi and they wouldn't stay on top (definitely tried though). On the other hand the Trxus' were able to float right past me. I never really believed all the talk about the Trxus snow performance, but seeing them first hand definitely changed my mind. Perhaps a little bit of siping would make the KM2's shine in the snow, or maybe I'm being too picky with them. However, for a MT they're a great all around tire in my opinion.

I also daily drive on mine (200+ miles a week), and the road noise / handling is very tolerable. Tire wear also seems to be doing pretty good too. Not sure if I'll go with them again when the time comes though.



Trxus aren't known for their sidewall strength. That's one of the main issues that turned me away from them. The KM2's are suppose to have a better sidewall then the old 3 ply KM's. I never had a problem with my old AT's, and so far the KM2's are holding up well too.
Click to expand...

X2.

All that I have to say about the two tires is pretty much listed off my Dustin. But, I never had any problems with my KM2's in the deep snow. Aired down to 4psi, I did very well on the hypo run, as well on the other snow runs. On the other hand, I have never heard a complaint about the Trxus in the snow. IIRC, it has the the most factory siping on any MT tire. Sipe the center lugs on the KM2's and your good to go.

And about the sidewall arguement, KM2's are a 3 ply, while the Trxus are a thinner 2 ply. The Trxus is a great tire, but the sidewall strength is not a strength of it, rather, it IS the weakness. If it weren't for the sidewalls, people like Matt and Horus over on PNW would still be die-hard Trxus runners.

Overall, I am very happy with my set of KM2's. They do awesome in the sloppy mud, rocks, roots, and FWIW, the snow.

-Lyle
 
Ok, so TrXus doesn't have a good sidewall!

TORX - What would you buy if you needed new tires now?

This question also applies to the other NAXJA member's. I'm trying to feel for a tire that would be or is better than the KM2. I cut two different tires(BFG A/T's), one tire each time, driving on the Truck Dent trail in the TSF. It's a very steep, very rocky, but very easy, short trail. A trail to burn some time while camping at Jones Creek near Diamond Mill. My experience with BFG's has not proven good at all. I also lost control of a 4-Runner I had on a corner in very wet situation. The 4-Runner was wearing BFG A/T's too! With my personal experiences, I don't feel comfortable purchasing another style of the BFG. I do notice though, most of the Jeeps on this forum are fitted with the KM2, so with that in mind, I do have faith that BFG can make a solid tire for offroad use. Thank you so far, for your time.
 
Opinions on tires are really sketchy to use as advice for a new tire purchase. Everyone has different experience and it is really difficult to take the best info away from it for your use.

1. We need to know what the use is for you. Is this a DD, how often does it get wheeled, where does it get wheeled, deep snow, or compact snow and ice, mud, rocks, what wheels, etc, etc, etc, etc!!!!!!!

2. The BFG AT is has been the "standard" for comparison of all AT's for years and years and years. It is an EXCELLENT tire. Understanding why you had issues with yours might be helpful for us to recommend others or for you on how to avoid these issues in the future.

3. The BEST Daily Driver/Mud Terrain tire I have used on my XJ is the High Tec Retreads. I got excellent traction on the diversity of the trails that I run in the area, great side wall strength (BFG MT Carcus, tripple sidewall) and got lots of miles on the treads. However, I siped and grooved them myself.

4. The Truxus, KM2, MTR, (and a long list of others lesser known) are all good comparable MT tires that have reasonable tread life, hold up well to general trail abuse, and get good traction. All of them have slight advantages or disadvantages over each other in very particular areas, with specific driving habits and vehicles. Understanding your primary area that you want better traction, how you drive, and the other specs of your vehicle can help you understand which tire might have SLIGHTLY better performance for you. i.e. the Truxus because of the factory siping will likely be better in the snow (compact snow and ice) than any of the others.

5. Custom siping and grooving any tire can help create the "perfect" tire for your application. i.e. I wouldn't consider the TSL if I didn't sipe and groove them for my application.

Just my opinion.
Michael
 
Wow, 2xtreme lives up to his name/handle. LOL! Ok, you pushed me down to my knees and showed me who's boss. HAHA! The ZJ is my DD, my wheeler, my mallcrawler, my everything. I'm looking for an all-around tire. Not just specific in any area. I'm leaning towards the KM2's, but just feeling for a better application of a tire.
 
SoreRunner said:
Wow, 2xtreme lives up to his name/handle. LOL! Ok, you pushed me down to my knees and showed me who's boss. HAHA! The ZJ is my DD, my wheeler, my mallcrawler, my everything. I'm looking for an all-around tire. Not just specific in any area. I'm leaning towards the KM2's, but just feeling for a better application of a tire.
Click to expand...


TIres aren't going to make you a better driver :looser:


Justin, the guy in th burnt orange TJ I wheel with, has been running his KM2's for a year. He likes them. They don't seem to do well in snow. Everywhere else they perform.


I was going to go with KM2's because they were a good price point. I ended up going with the new Wrangle MTR with Kevlar. I don't even have them under my heep yet, but they look like a tons of fun. The old style MTR was tough, and had good sidewall strength. These are supposed to be 33% stonger. Which should be good to go.


I was also Checking out the Trxus. I have seen many guys drive up all kinds of stuff with those magic meats.


All in all, go with what you want and wheel the piss out of em... Any MT will out perform an AT in the bush.
 
SoreRunner said:
Wow, 2xtreme lives up to his name/handle. LOL! Ok, you pushed me down to my knees and showed me who's boss. HAHA! The ZJ is my DD, my wheeler, my mallcrawler, my everything. I'm looking for an all-around tire. Not just specific in any area. I'm leaning towards the KM2's, but just feeling for a better application of a tire.
Click to expand...

I am not trying to be a Jerk about this. But you Still have not provided any significant information. With what you have listed you could be recommended anything from a BFG AT to a TSL (There is a LARGE different between the two ;).

Here are a few more points:
the KM2 is proven better through trial and error. WTF is that? How, when, who, where, etc, etc, etc, there is NOTHING of substance in this statement!!

Ok, so TrXus doesn't have a good sidewall! When the Truxus first came out everyone thought it had a great sidewall, that was one of it's strengths :shhh: I know several people who have not had ANY issues with the Truxus sidewalls at all. I know others who EAT TSL/SX sidewalls commonly. My point is that I don't think you will find as much different in the sidewall strength of any of these MT tires in application as you might find difference in tread life, or snow/ice performance.

I also lost control of a 4-Runner I had on a corner in very wet situation The BFG AT has had one of the best reputations for On/Off road performance in snow, ice, rain, dry of ANY AT tire for MANY years. I find it hard to believe you want to blame this on the tire manufacture instead of the driver, alignment, bushings, shocks, LS rear axle, steering box, etc, etc, etc :confused:

I'm just saying:bs:
Michael
 
The KM2 does get pretty good overall ratings, I'd consider it a good dual-purpose driver/wheeler tire. The new edition Goodyear MTR has gotten very good reviews as well, look into it before you buy. There was a 7 page thread in this forum on it not long ago, look it up. TRX-US Swampers tend to have sidewall issues and not very good tread life, but have excellent traction. I have a set of SSR radial Swampers, they have a similar but not quite as bad sidewall strength issue as the TRX-US, but also provide very good traction in most conditions. Their on-road ride is okay. I use a set of old-style MTRs as my daily tires, they're a pretty good balance of on-road ride, tread life, and off-road traction. They're just okay in the mud and snow, pretty good in everything else. especially rocks.

If you do a search using "best tires" as a keyword, you'll find literally hundreds of threads I'd bet. Let us know what you end up going with.
 
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