A few AT tire questions. Is this normal?

Tony5150RN · 03-30-2007, 04:38 PM

OK, my new BFG AT KO's are my first set of AT tires so please gentle. First let me say that I love the look and ride of these tires but I found two drawbacks and maybe they're due to tire pressure or lack of experience. First of all, it seems like it take a decent amount more accelerator to get them rolling. I find myself shifting to "4" in situations where I need to get going quickly. Secondly, it seems sluggish on the highway at certain speeds. like it doesn't want to keep rolling. Is this normal??

**jeshua** · 03-30-2007, 04:40 PM

Did you go bigger or are the stock size

Tony5150RN · 03-30-2007, 04:46 PM

Quote:

jeshua previously said:

Did you go bigger or are the stock size

The stock 265/70R17 C-rated tire.

couver · 03-30-2007, 04:48 PM

The BFGs definitely behave differently than the stock tires - IMHO, the ATs do have kind of a "flat" feeling. You need to re-read your tire pressure thread and take the advice with regard to higher pressure. I have ATs on my pickup and run them close to 50 psi. BTW, shifting into "4" is not going to help you get going any faster.

1 Bored Clerk · 03-30-2007, 04:53 PM

Well, there are several things to consider that are different.

Heavier tires - make acceleration harder
Larger Diameter - even though they are stock 'size' doesn't mean that aren't possibly bigger
Squirmier Tread - the tread will squirm around more
Stiffer Sidewalls - This should make up for the squirmy tread to some degree
Tire Pressure - every tire reacts differently to pressure. I have tires on my Miata that work best at 22 psi while the tires they replaced worked great at 38 psi.

Basically, you have changed a lot of important parameters with your new tires...it shouldn't be too noticeable considering there wasn't any size increase, but if you feel it, then you feel it.

Tony5150RN · 03-30-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

1 Bored Clerk previously said:

Well, there are several things to consider that are different.

Heavier tires - make acceleration harder
Larger Diameter - even though they are stock 'size' doesn't mean that aren't possibly bigger
Squirmier Tread - the tread will squirm around more
Stiffer Sidewalls - This should make up for the squirmy tread to some degree
Tire Pressure - every tire reacts differently to pressure. I have tires on my Miata that work best at 22 psi while the tires they replaced worked great at 38 psi.

Basically, you have changed a lot of important parameters with your new tires...it shouldn't be too noticeable considering there wasn't any size increase, but if you feel it, then you feel it.

Now the question is, how do I compensate for it? I just got back from a 60 mile trip to Venice beach so I'll have to wait to check the true pressure. Right now they're reading 35 PSI. I hate to overdo it because I just , prematurely, replaced tires on the Trans Am because I overinflated them.

**jeshua** · 03-30-2007, 05:13 PM

I would aggree you need to play around with your psi and find what works best for you when on the street. I think I run my 285 BFG AT at 35 and it is fine for me. but I tend to like my tires a little low. My BFG muds on my truck I run at 22. just to give you an idea of how I like my tires.

take it up slowly and drive around for a bit then go up some more and drive around for a bit... till you get to a place you like then just keep your eye on your tires for strange wear.

1 Bored Clerk · 03-30-2007, 05:16 PM

Lol...oh, you wanted a solution?

You are going to have different manners with these tires but you will quickly get used to it. You need to monitor your tire pressure and check the wear on your tires. If you look closely at your tread, you can see what's going on. If you are overinflated, you will see wear in the center and not on the edges...and vice versa if you are underinflated. Experiment...I would go up in 5lbs increments until you are more or less satisfied with the ride and handling...then keep an eye on your tread and fine tune your pressure from there. I think running them around the manufacturers (Toyota) recommendation would be fine. After all, the weight of the vehicle is a huge issue when it comes to handling/wear of tire and PSI.

**Mtbcoach** · 03-30-2007, 06:59 PM

My guess is that at 35lbs, you should be fine and all your are noticing is the difference in weight of the new shoes as well as some slightly larger size. If you start messing with psi, I would agree that goingin 5lb increments is a good idea and add to carefully watch the tread wear if you get into "higher" pressures for an extended time. You would hate to ruin a nice set of tires from over-inflation...

Tony5150RN · 03-31-2007, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Mtbcoach previously said:

My guess is that at 35lbs, you should be fine and all your are noticing is the difference in weight of the new shoes as well as some slightly larger size. If you start messing with psi, I would agree that goingin 5lb increments is a good idea and add to carefully watch the tread wear if you get into "higher" pressures for an extended time. You would hate to ruin a nice set of tires from over-inflation...

Thanks for all the advice. I checked the actual "cold" temp this morning and it reads around 31.5 psi. So, I'm going to take it up to 35 psi "cold" and see how it feels.

Oh, and now I found something else I'm going to need to buy, a real air compressor. LOL, all I have is one of those rechargeable emergency ones that you can't run for more than 20 minutes at a time without ruining it. If I'm going to really play with inflation / deflation I'm going to need something a little more substantial. Damn an FJ is an expensive habit.