Why should tyres be any different to parts:confused: They are also often cheaper in the UK!Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilipA
Printable View
Why should tyres be any different to parts:confused: They are also often cheaper in the UK!Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilipA
Er Hmmm.
Maybe something to do with Rover parts often being made in UK/Europe.
On the other hand Coopers and BFG are often made in USA.
I guess my subtle point is that Cooper tyres are priced right up against or more than BFG in Australia, and the BFG prices are roughly consistent with USA and UK , if you add the 25% import duty which protects Bridgestone.
On the other hand Coopers are cheap in UK and USA, dear in OZ, which leads me to believe that maybe thay are lesser quality tyres, or the local distributor has to pay for all the marketing he does, or the free tyres he gives to the magazines. On the other other hand maybe the tyre manufacturer sells cheap to UK as the market likes BFG.
AFAIK , BFG has not had any recalls, whereas Coopers Have.
Regards Philip A
well, a mixed review as suggested although the majority is against. in the u.k. people report huge mileages without any problems but then again we don't have the size of playground that you lot have. perhaps the 'sheep' attitude has something to do with it as well and nobody over here has the courage to say that they bought a wrong 'un!
a set of 5 BFG AT's in the u.k costs around £500 and for me it's more than a lot of money! so not a decision i want to rush.
the comments about abrasion are quite interesting as i'm off to iceland this summer and the majority of tracks in the interior are volcanic rock and abrasive as hell. perhaps my michelins with 2 steel plies on the sidewall are more suited. i'm not so certain of the tread though (pattern).
i guess it's just a matter of trail and error!
thanks for the replies.
As far as im concerned, I wanted Muddies but Ive got AT's mainly because on my last 3 cars and always got good k's out of them.
On the Disco we have got 120,000km's out of the last set of all sorts of terrain and not 1 puncture until one was in unroadworthy condition so it went to the spare but it ended up being a faulty valve not a puncture at all.
As far as chipping, I only got a few chips but nothing to worry about, not like the coopers we had on the piece of crap Jeep.
They chiped on a gravel road that I went for a drive on out the back of Cranny which is just a normal graded dirt road that normal cars drive on all the time.
I had about 6 or 7 punctures over 6 months and were noisey and handled crap, they were sst or stt what ever. dm TD5 may have (and im not having a go at him) problems as the NT gets pretty hot up there and until recently had no speed limits on the open roads and corregations on the big wide dirt roads that can swollow a mini.
A combination of 2 or all 3 of these could have caused any tyre to delaminate, sidewalls to deteriorate (espesialy if he had deflated a bit to improove the ride) and quite quickly blow out.
Some tyres take this sort of punishment better than others but in normal and some serious 4wding (minus mud) the AT's wil be an excellent choice which will last you for years.
They do hang on the sealed road and gravel very well but dont bother in mud or on grass there they are hopeless.
I highly recomend BFG AT's,
I think 235/70/16 is the closest SA at the moment. I run them in 225/75/16 and so far I'd buy them again.Quote:
Originally Posted by ak
I'd never go with them again - 5 brand new and 2 wrecked tyres on my first trip - both sidewall damage...
I had a set on BFG ATs on for a bit. Got good mileage but like others here, they chipped quite a bit and were pretty ordinary in mud. I didn't find them as good as I expected on wet bitumen either, understeer is to be expected.
If I was to get some AT tyres again then I would like to try some Cooper ATRs or ST-Cs. Bering in mind I would also have a set of play tyres for the serious stuff.
I've had a set of BFG ATs running for 9 years with no complaints. Recently began inquires about a new set and have been told by many tyre shops that they have stopped selling them. This is because the new BFGs are manufactured in asia or mexico or where ever, and don't come up to scratch. The guy said they have real problems balancing them and can't affort to have so many warranty/ returns all the time. Real shame, I like the BFGs I got 9 years ago.
You should be aware that Michelin has restricted supply of BFG to their dealer network, by charging more to non Michelin franchises.
I do not know how they can do it under trade practices but they can apparently.
Many non Michelin dealers will try to sell you something else rather than direct you to a Michelin dealer. My local independent , who I had bought from for many years was honest with me.
BTW , I looked at comparative prices last night in LRO.
Cooper 235.70x16 with modular wheels are GBP50 less than same BFG deal on 4 tyres and same wheels at the same dealer.
That is about $120 or $30 per tyre .
Regards Philip A
Im about to go for new tyres too, and ive read through the posts here. Iv had the BFG Ats and no, I dont want them again. I did get good milage and no i didnt get side wall damage and chipping, but overall I wasnt to happy with them off road. So my next choice is Coopers sst or Goodyear MTR. so whats the general concenses on these two tyres?