What will be the difference with on road handling, mpg, and ride quality between going with 35/12.5 all terrain tire and a mud tire? Say for instance bfg km2's vs bfg all terrains? I dont do too much off roading, mostly highway driving. I'm just looking for a really nice aggressive looking tire. I'm putting in a 2.5 teraflex budget boost next week. I do have a lot of snow In the winters to consider though.

 

All terrain (in general):

Better gas mileage
Quieter on road
Longer treadwear
Better handling
Smoother ride

Mud terrain (in general):

Worse gas mileage (heavier tire, more unsprung weight)
Shorter treadwear -- much like a performance tire.
Worse handling (taller, more flexible tread, more weight)
Noisier on road (more potential for tread "hum")
Slightly rougher ride (depends on load rating)

Unless you have a specific need for good traction in loose mud and sand, I'd go with an all-terrain if most of your driving is on-road.

A good compromise is going with light truck tire (LT) all-terrain tire with a "D" load rating. The heavier load rating will safegaurd against abuse offroad but still maintains good on-road ride quality. The all-terrain tread will be much more agreeable on-road but will also do well offroad. The downside is that in deep, loose mud, you'll be wanting for a mud tire. I would never recommend a passenger car tire with standard load ratings, on a Jeep. Non-rubi models come with Goodyear SR-A's or ST's, and I absolutely would never want to take them offroad. Ever.

Nitto Terra-grapplers and Goodyear Duratracs are right on the edge of all-terrain design. BFG A/T KO's have a slightly less aggressive look but are rated very highly...

 

A Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac is a nice compromise between the two BFG tires you named and it comes with a severe winter weather rating that few offroad tires carry. The KM2 Mud Terrain is actually a fairly tame mud tire, but its not the best for winter weather driving and it does howl a little. The BFG all terrain is a great street tire and fair off road, but it is useless in mud if that matters at all.

 

I've run BFG at for years now no regrets . Last a long time works good on road and does well off road . I run them all winter here in Nova Scotia Canada no problem .and I've been through deep mud holes with them no problems at all ! Just have to give her to keep mud out of the treads . I go through mud this wont







That's a 33(295/75r16) on 2 1/2 inch lift .

 

I have 35x12.5x15 km2's and love them! They weigh the same as my 33x17's did roughly 72 pounds each, if memory serves me. I get between 15.9-25 mph. I got 25 when going up to Yellowstone with them. Roughly 12k miles on them and they still look new. I run at 28psi and do a good deal of highway driving, about 60 miles a day min. I can't say enough about them. I was on the fence about them but would buy them again in a heart beat.

 

Saying a MT will not wear as well as an AT is a misnomer.

Most MTs have more tread depth and some have a harder compound. Ill bet you can find plenty of guys with 40k plus on some KM2s.


Personally I like the look of an MT way more than a AT on a Jeep. It just looks right if you know what I mean. I had Duratracs before my KM2s and to me they are the best hybrid style tire out there and still have a nice aggressive looking sidewall and tread.

Chicks dig MTs!!!!!

 

I personally would go km2 over at. I have 35" km2s and honestly didn't notice much noise difference, granted I do have a pretty loud exhaust tho. Plus they still have pretty decent tread life from what I've heard

 

What kind of rims do you have? Did you have any rubbing issues with the calipers? And did you have any problems with the tpms sensors?

 

I've only heard good things about km2's. always been told they are one of the best highway use aggressive tires. But if I wasn't running nitto mud grapplers, I'd have nitto trai grapplers. My friend has them on his range rover and loves them. He had mud grapplers but said they were too much for his highway driving. He says he is very happy now with the trail grapplers.

 

KM2 285/75R17 is a 33.8" with narrower tread width;

mileage & power does not suffer at all ( running 3.73 here )
it does sing a bit on the freeway ( turn up the radio )
you feel the aggressive tread during starts and stops ( who cares )
off road traction is excellent, wet road traction is good, snow traction is excellent



Where I live; if I had all terrains; I would need a winch on a regular basis.