Fred Williams
Brand Manager, Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off Road
The BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain has been around since 1980 and a stable performer in the off-road tirescene since before many of you readers could even drive. These tires have been used in every terrain and could be depended on for solid performance no matter where you wanted to take your 4x4. So why mess with a proven thing? Well, we like to think that the guys at BFG are just like the rest of us with our trucks-always trying to make them better. However, we were skeptical; we like the old BFGs, and like an old codger, we weren't excited about change. Funny thing is we have a weakness for big tires, and BFGoodrich delivered to us the very first set of the biggest tire they have ever made, the new Mud-Terrain T/AKM2. Fresh from the molds, a set of 42-14.50R20 showed up at our door for our Rubi Wagon Jeep project. Our first thought was how similar the tread design is to the BFG Krawler. However, when you realize that the Krawler design is a derivative of the world-renowned Michelin XML and XZL military tires, it's easy to understand why this design was chosen. Michelin is the parent company of BFGoodrich, and years of research on military tires combined with BFG's longstanding performance in both recreational and competition four-wheeling were bound to result in a tough-as-nails (or should we say tougher than nails) tire with great results in the dirt.
We took these big 42-inch-tall tires and headed for Ultimate Adventure, a true week of both on- and off-road testing, and they did great. One of our only complaints with the old Mud-Terrain was the sidewall strength wasn't as tough as some other mud tires on the market. So we felt it our duty to beat the living snot out of these new Mud-Terrains, and scuff, scratch, and scar them we did. Yet even with a 7,800-pound 4x4 bearing down on them in sharp Texas rocks, we never lost a puff of air. Plus, the traction and ride both on and off road was equal or better than any prior Mud-Terrain. After more than 3,000 miles of both on- and off-road exploring, we can finally say that this change is good.
Though this new BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 is becoming available as you read this, it is only coming out in sizes for 17-inch-and-larger rims for 2007. Expect some smaller rim sizes next year around September. For now here are the sizes being offered:
TireOverall LT TireOverall SizeDia. (in)SizeDia. (in)35x12.50R17/D34.8LT245/70R17/E30.835x12.50R18/D34.8LT285/70R17/D33.037x12.50R17/D36.8LT305/55R20/E33.537x12.50R18/D36.8LT305/60R18/E32.637x12.50R20/D36.8LT305/65R17/E32.838x14.50R17/D37.8LT315/75R16/D34.840x14.50R17/C39.9LT325/60R20/D35.642x14.50R20/C41.8LT335/55R22/D36.7
