OBS Suburban with 6" RCD lift 35" or 37" tires- BFG AT, BFG MT, Toyo MT

[bensblueburban]

I have a 1997 Suburban K1500 with a 6" RCD lift under it. I have been running 315/70R17 BFG AT's for the past 5 years. With 72,000 miles on them, they are almost worn out & its time for some new tires.

I have loved the BFG's & they have stood up to everything I have dished out. No problems whatsoever. I am equally impressed that I will be able to hit 75,000 miles on them too, but that was probably due to me rotating them every 3,000 miles.

I am looking at BFG AT's again, BFG MT's, and Toyo Open Country MT's. I'm trying to decide on 35" Toyos, 35" BFG AT, 35" BFG MT, 37" BFG AT, or 37" BFG MT.

After 5 years with the AT's & so much luck with them, I should just go with the same thing again. However, I kind of want to switch things up if I am going to have these tires for the next 5 years.

I have decided that I would be happy with the BFG AT's again if I got them in a 37". They are the same exact width as the 35" & they only weigh about 7 pounds more than the 35". I would only get the Toyo MT's in a 35" due to the weight, gas mileage loss, and punishment the 37" Toyo would put on my front end parts. I am still concerned that the 35" Toyos would kill my gas mileage, braking distance, acceleration, and front end parts due to the fact that they are almost 20 lbs heavier than the 35" BFG AT's.

I know how notorious 37" tires are for tearing up front end parts, axles, etc, but would a BFG AT in a 37" size have much of an affect versus the 35" BFG AT's I already have? They are the same width & only a few pounds heavier than the 35's. They also only measure out to a true 36.3".

I also already have 4.88 gears in my axles, so that wouldn't be a problem. My main concern would be with fitment and whether I would tear up more parts with the BFG 37's? How much trimming would I have to do to fit BFG AT's or MT's in a 37" size? My front & rear bumpers are ranchhands now, so I wouldn't need to trim the front bumper. Just the rear part of the quarter panel. Another thing to note for the 37's is that I have Mickey Thompson Classic II's that are 17x9 with 4.5" of backspacing. Do you think I can fit the BFG 37's in there?

How much of a drastic difference would the switch from my current BFG AT's to the Toyo MT's be? My gas mileage already sucks as is, so I'm afraid those heavy Toyo's will kill it even more.

If I can fit the 37" BFG AT's, then I thought why not switch it up still & go with a 37" BFG MT? The MT's are only a few pounds heavier than the AT, so I have put that as an option as well.

So, I guess I'm asking everyone's opinion of the BFG All Terrain TA, the BFG Mud Terrain KM2, and the Toyo Open Country MT first?

Next, I am asking whether you would stick with the 35" tire size I have now, and also whether you would go with the Toyo or one of the BFG's in the 35" size?

Then finally if you would bump it up to the 37" tires in the BFG, since the only difference from the 35" tires is the weight?


Thanks!
Ben

 

[Kyle97GMC]

Do you have pics of this burb it sounds like a beast!

 

[oohunter04oo]

X2 on pics!!!! I've heard the KO's aren't what they use to be. But that may not be true. I know I didn't like the way they perform in the mud, but that just me. And so far I love my Toyo's! They have my vote!

 

[TylerZ281500]

if its holding up now that well then i dont see why another 1.3 inches of tire would adversely affect that. try them and find out, i dont see any reason it wouldnt work.

 

[bensblueburban]

I don't have any really great pictures, but I will attach a few below.

Anyone who went from another set of tires to the Toyo MT's,
How big of a performance loss was there with acceleration, braking, gas mileage, etc? I know the ride usually improves with Toyos, but I'm concerned about a large loss in gas mileage.

My thought was that a little under 2" wouldn't matter considering the tires are about the same weight & width. I like the idea of buying the BFG MT's too though because they are almost the same weight as the BFG At's, but they have a more aggressive look.

I wouldn't have even posted this question if the Toyo's were a lighter weight, but I have to weigh my options. Each one of the tires has pros & cons.

oohunter04oo,
I am also concerned about the BFG TA KO's longevity these days too. My cousin asked me how I liked mine, I said they were great & didn't hardly wear at all. He bought some & put them on his 2008 2500hd. He ended up only getting 27,000 miles on them. I don't know if it was the tires or the fact that it was a heavier truck. Makes you wonder though.


Thank,
Ben

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/suburbanleveled-1.jpg

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/suburbanboat.jpg

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/IMAG0258.jpg

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/IMAG0555.jpg

And one before shot of what the suburban looked like before it got out of hand.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/originalsuburban.jpg

 

[StevenL]

Toyo Tires

I have run through two sets of BFG 37x12:50x17, All Terrains, and thus far have been disappointed with their overall performance. The BFGs are as everyone knows, are load range D. The Toyo 37x13:50x17 are E range, a handy bonus for my truck, a 1997 K2500, 10in superlift, 454 Vortec, 4L80E, and 14b 10 1/2 differentials. RunningYukon 513 in gear sets.

 

[oohunter04oo]

I don't have any really great pictures, but I will attach a few below.

Anyone who went from another set of tires to the Toyo MT's,
How big of a performance loss was there with acceleration, braking, gas mileage, etc? I know the ride usually improves with Toyos, but I'm concerned about a large loss in gas mileage.

My thought was that a little under 2" wouldn't matter considering the tires are about the same weight & width. I like the idea of buying the BFG MT's too though because they are almost the same weight as the BFG At's, but they have a more aggressive look.

I wouldn't have even posted this question if the Toyo's were a lighter weight, but I have to weigh my options. Each one of the tires has pros & cons.

oohunter04oo,
I am also concerned about the BFG TA KO's longevity these days too. My cousin asked me how I liked mine, I said they were great & didn't hardly wear at all. He bought some & put them on his 2008 2500hd. He ended up only getting 27,000 miles on them. I don't know if it was the tires or the fact that it was a heavier truck. Makes you wonder though.


Thank,
Ben

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/suburbanleveled-1.jpg

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/suburbanboat.jpg

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/IMAG0258.jpg

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/IMAG0555.jpg

And one before shot of what the suburban looked like before it got out of hand.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee481/btf112989/originalsuburban.jpg

Man your truck looks awesome! I can't help to much because I went from 37" Boggers to 35" Toyo's. and the Toyo's ride awesome!!! They've done good in the little bit of mud if been in.

 

[bensblueburban]

StevenL,
Interesting to hear from someone who has run through a set of each. What disappointed you about them? How do you run your truck? Mainly city? Mainly Highway? Combo? I guess I'm just trying to figure out the mpg decrease I will take by going from the BFG's to the Toyos. Did you notice a significant drop in performance going from one to the other? The D & E load range jump doesn't make much of a difference to me, since the most I usually tow is about 7,000 lbs. The difference in tire weight between the two brands for your 37s is 66.4 lbs for the BFG & 92.6 lbs for the Toyos. That's quite significant. I'm sure your 3/4 ton with a 454 handled it just fine. That engine has so much low end torque & grunt that it probably wasn't that noticeable. My worry is that my 1/2 ton with a 10 bolt axle, 350, and 4L60E can't handle the jump from 65 lb BFG's to 82.7 lb Toyo's without breaking something. I know that I can't make an almost 30 lb jump to the 37" Toyos.

oohunter04oo,
I guess the ride was pretty incredible after going from boggers to Toyo's. Are you happy that you went back down to 35's from 37's? Did you like the 37's or were they too stuffed/too much of a hassle to deal with compared to the 35's?


Thanks,
Ben

 

[TylerZ281500]

he was running only a 3in body lift on the boggers with some crank i do believe.

 

[phule]

from what i understand bfg(michelin) changed there compounds a few years back and everyone that got great wear and mileage has been greatly disappointed by the "new" compound less mileage more wear and ive seen some dry rotting faster.