Hey everyone, I'd appreciate some info please.

Which tire do you think would be better . . . BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A's or Michelin All Terrain LTX's (I think that's what they were).

They are for a 97 F-150 4x4. My stock tires are getting a little worn down (Goodyear Wrangler RTS's) and I'll likely be replacing them before winter.

Just for info, there is no real crazy offroading . . . gravel roads, pulling boats out of launches and the occasional small mud-hole on the way to a fishing spot. Oh and lots of snow and ice. Money constraints mean I can't get a winter and summer tire setup . . . have to have one for all seasons. The remainder of my driving is on pavement. I'd say about 80% pavement 20% offroad . . . but again, the offroad is nothing that my Wrangler's haven't handled . . . except for the odd mud hole that got a little tricky . . . those tires pretty much have nothing going for them for traction in mud.

I hear that the Michelin's can get alot more mileage out of them and I noticed by the tread pattern that the BF's look a little more agressive . . . probably a little more noise on highway.

Any pros and cons I should consider about each? How do they hold up? Are there any other makes/models I should look at?

Just for the record, I'm looking at LT 245/75R16's and both the ones I mentioned are roughly the same price.

Thanks for the help !

 

Mich over BFG. Yes the BFG will work but the Mich is a more refined tire. Will do what the BFG will with better road manners. Also don't like how the BFG goes in the snow. There was a time when BFG ruled but not anymore. Great tire but there is something better I have them in your size, aired to 45 front and 55 rear. Very nice

 

I have the Michelins.... So far they have been great and a huge improvement over the GY AT/S I had stock. I've been on dirt roads, some shallow mud, and sand. These handle good in the rain as well. The tread is not agressive like the BFGs (which was my first choise). Very smooth on the highways and quiet.

I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

 

Michelins LTX AT, consider up sizing to LT265/75R16.

 

I'll third what everyone has said about the michelin LTX A/T tire. i work in a tire shop where we do a lot of sales of that particular model. My boss actually put a set of 265/75/16's on his chevy 1500 and he loves them. I rode with him and they are very quiet as well as soft. As for tread life, I've seen a set of 245/75/16's on a chevy 2500 in the load range e rating get 80k miles, pretty hard to beat, especially on a work truck, especially for an all terrain tire.
Excellent road "manners", outstanding tread life, and great in the muck. However, when you mention lots of snow and Ice, I'd reccomend my tire over it, Michelin LTX M/S. Much quieter on the road, better handling road, rain and ice. Mud wise, I don't think they'd fare much better then the gy's so it's up to you.

With your 4x4, definately look into the 265 size, I think you'll be pleased. Also, unless you're towing your boat, carrying 2500 lbs in the bed and loading the family up, I'd stay away from the E rated tires, a C rating will do you just fine. for everyday use, 40psi front rear, and fill em up to 50 when you load it up.

Have fun with the choices.

 

Ahhh, the reputation of Michelin. Just as an FYI, Michelin purchased the BF Goodrich tire corporation a LONG time ago. BF Goodrich hasn't been in the tire business for years (although they are still going strong, they don't make tires). Michelin manufactures the tires under the Goodrich name.
Pick either one, they're both great tires.

 

It was not that LONG ago! I think around 85-86 because I remember worrying about getting T/A's for my rod then. Mich is/has always been a horse of a different color. A BFG is still be no means a Mich. Good but in a different ballpark.

 

Let's agree to disagree. BF has always been good, maybe not quite Michelin. However, I sincerely doubt that Michelin maintains so many different manufacturing lines to produce tires that are inferior to their product. The tires sold at Costco, carrying the whatever name the house tire of Costco is, rolls off the same manufacturing line as the Michelins also. The tires carry the same ratings as well as the same warranty. Yet, they are considerably less than the Michelin. I am getting ready to put 4 BFG TA Radials on my resto Cutlass. I beleive I am buying performance Michelins, not something from another "ballpark"
I don't think you can lose with either the BFG or the Michelins, but I'd be hard pressed to say one is superior at this point. Michelin has a great reputation, well deserved. But there is some capitalizing on that also. Especially since Firestone is teetering on the abyss.
Ultimately, stick with these and you win. I know I don't like Generals, that's FOR SURE.
P.S...I considered anything over ten years ago as a long time.

 

I switched to Michelins as soon as I could after purchasing my SCrew. They are great in any conditions I have been in. The only thing negative I have heard is they break down quickly if you drive a lot of gravel roads because they are softer than most tires. I have not seen that myself though.

 

Thanks for the help everyone, it was exactly what I was looking for. I've decided to go with the Michelin's.

I'm about 95% sold on the lt 245/75 R16's but I actually was considerin the 265/75 R16's as brought up in this thread. I had 2 main concerns, one was the performance losses with going to a larger tire ( have the 4.6 with the 3.55LS and auto . . . and the heay 4x4 EC) and the second being the mods I would have to do to ensure that the speedo and everything else was re-adjusted for the new tire size. Any comments on these two concerns? The only other issue was the hight diference due to the fact that the parkade I use is already VERY tight . . . the inch or so may be just enough to ruin my day . . . although I'd have to measure to be sure.

Anyway, thanks so much for your help. I'm looking forward to geting new rubber in a month or so.

 

Hey Couger Guy, I grew up in PG. Graduated from PGSS in '80. The one thing I remember most is that there's tons of great outdoors places to go to fish, hunt moose or whatever, but plenty of mud along the way.
I have had the BFG A/T on previous trucks and always found them to be a terrific combination of on/off road tires. They are definitely more aggresive than the Michelin. Now with the new rubber compound in the KO line of tires, I think that BFG has the best all terrain tire out there. I'm saving my nickels up so I can slap some on before my hunting trip into the Cariboo in October. They're hard to find in my size (265-70R17), even Costco will have to order them in from Alberta or Ontario. Gotta get rid of those useless Goodyear R/TS for sure.
I miss Prince George. Still keep in touch with some good friends there. People down here in Nanaimo never heard of a block heater. " Wattya mean you plug your truck in???" They can't believe it.

 

I'm not sure of your location, but here in MO, Cooper Tire has a pretty good rep. It's Discoverer LT tire is a good one, reasonably priced, quiet, good in all kinds of weather. An added plus, it's the ONLY U.S. made and owned tire company left. (Yep, I'm a Cooper tire dealer myself.) Excellent on light trucks, good load ratings, which you have to watch for in buying a light truck tire. The tires made for SUV's have a softer sidewall, and therefore won't stand up to heavy loads. BJ

 

Hey! Great to hear from a fellow PG resident . . . once a guy, always a PG guy.

Thanks for the input. It's a tough call but I think I'm still gonna go with the Michelin's . . . I just like the sounds of them. Besides, my buddy just got a new set of the BF T/A's and can't have the same tires as him!

You are right about the Wrangler's . . . I've almost been stuck a couple of times in some mud, and it would have been a very long walk out. Funny what we'll risk to get to a spot on a river or lake Yup there are still lots of great places to go bang some grouse or pull on some trout . . . not to mention the moose. Have you been back at all? PG has changed quite a bit in the last 5-10 years for the better in my opinion . . . more "grown up" but still has all the great outdoors stuff. It's a tough town to leave . . . like I said, there's always a little PG in you.

Funny about the block heaters . . . they sure are a life saver, although the lst few winters have been very mild . . . only got down to -30's for maybe a week and a half or so. The rest was manly in the teens and twenties . . . mind you if you are not used to it, that's still damn cold.

So where are you off to bag your deer at? Cariboo in the fall has to be deer right?

 

Michelin bought Uniroyal/BFG in 1990 and Michelins are not the same as UGTC (UniroyalGoodrich Tire Corp.) tires. The 2 entities operate seperately sharing information when it is beneficial to both. Michelin bought UGTC to capture another market segment, and upgraded their quality to be a better tire, yet still reasonably priced.
Michelins are great tires, but in the 4x4 truck segment, BFG is the best tire for the money in my opinion.

bj63624 is half right. Michelin/UGTC is not US owned, but they ARE US made. Michelin manufactures tires in many countries all over the world, but most any common Michelin tire bought in the US was made in the US. UGTC has tire plants all over the country. Cooper is supposed to be a pretty good tire, though. However, I have never owned a Cooper myself, so I can't really comment on them. But, alot of ppl who have owned them have made favorable comments on the Cooper tire here.

 

Yeah, deer hunting in the Chilcotin in October is one of my favorite pastimes. We've got those little coast blacktail deer on the island. Pretty much throw a couple of them over your shoulders and take them home as hors d'vours. We poke around in near the Gang ranch for real deer. There's some nice big mulie bucks in there.
I've been getting together for the past 14 years with the same bunch of buddies, 2 of them friends I made in PG over 20 years ago!
I haven't been back for awhile, but am taking the family to Fort St John next year so we'll spend a couple of days in Prince. I can take the kids out to the cutbanks and show them how we used to roll tires down and watch them smash trees and fly through the air at 100 mph. For that purpose, it doesn't matter if they're BFG or Michelin, they still are entertaining to roll down a 80 degree slope!!
Did you go to school there? When did you grad? Good luck with the tire purchase.--Jack.