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Report BFG KM 2

17K views 91 replies 32 participants last post by  fireman9027 
#1 ·
Got them and had them mounted on new Toy steelies with Gorilla lugnuts. They look good. A little louder than BFG AT's, not much. Drove on the freeway and they felt bad. Had vibration and steering wheel shake. Didn't know if wheels or tire or balance, even though they were just balanced. They put weights on the outside, which I don't like.

Just so happened I was on my way to pick-up my pre-runner with my son at a friends shop. We were looking at the FJ and he told me about their new balance machine, some state of the art thing. He rebalanced my tires. Everyone was off. He put weights inside. The truck runs as smooth as the AT's if not better. Took the wife out for a ride with the Puddy cat(another story) and she thought it rode better than with the other tires and not noisy at all.

Hence, these tires have now passed the street test. We shall see how they do off-road today and I will update. If I knew how to post pictures, I would, but I don't.

Regards, SSC
 
#34 ·
Well, we finally got RAIN and lots of it. I was driving the FJ because I was going to go to Dirty Parts to have some work done. Decided to reschedule due to rain and traffic. In So Cal, when it rains people forget how to drive and it is a traffic mess.

Driving on the flooded highway I felt a little bit of hydroplane. From a stop, flooring the gas, I could get a minimal amount of slip.

Off to the mud. These tires did great. They powered through with no issues. They pulled the rig from a standstill and at least 12 inches down in the mud without a problem. They did a great job of digging in and grabbing traction. I guess you could say that when the tires start turning they are pulling you through the mud with very little drama and they self clean great.

Of course, I had to go get my 4-Runner that has BFG AT's and try the same mud. The AT's do not self clean near as well. They slip and spin and are not anywhere near as efficient as the KM2's. It is a different feeling. They don't pull you through. It is like they are looking for traction. Seems like the KM2's drove right through and down the muddy road, whereas the AT's were slipping and sliding and took longer to get down the road.

The KM2's gave me great confidence in the mud. The AT's left me wondering if they would make it.

I wish I could play some more in the mud, but I cleaned her up and took her into the dealer as the rear end has been making a clicking bang noise for a few weeks. Busted diff maybe, but the rig runs fine.

Regards, SSC
 
#37 ·
I just walked in from cleaning some mud off the FJ. The puddy cat thought I was going to leave him. I could hear him raising hell at the front window. He likes to ride in the FJ! Go figure. Check it out--an old picture:

Regards, SSC
Cat Vehicle door Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Windshield
 
#38 ·
GREAT Kitty'... I Had one that looked just
like that, who went with my daughter when
she got married 2 years ago...

I would luv to see some video of your tires
in action some day, or picts' even, to hold
me over till some day when I get my set... ;)...
 
#39 ·
Banhttp://www.hiredassassinphotos.com/di,
You can see some of my pics at picasaweb.google.com/fjcssc
Since I am usually the photographer, not that many pics of my rig.

I wheel with another gent who takes pics and you can visit his site and see more pics at the site above.

Regards, SSC
 
#40 ·
#41 ·
SSC- you said you were running 285/70/17's. are you getting any rub from the mounts? i have the same tire and just took it in today to get them chopped. on road is ok but when i start articulating the front end every now and then it sounds like im going to rip the tred of the left front.
 

Attachments

#42 · (Edited)
No Chop and no rubbing.

What size rims are you running? What is the backspace? It seems this is the problem, not the tires. I run stock Toy steel wheels.

Regards, SSC
 
#43 ·
FJamming, Thanks for the help. That is indeed the correct link.

Regards, SSC
 
#44 ·
This would appear to be my last review. I was able to run a few weeks ago at cleghorn in the mud and snow. I also drove up the south side of Big Bear today, up clarks grade to the summit and into BB.

The gate was locked to exit and we had to call the forest service to come unlock the gate. We were driving in virgin snow from both previous storms. The depth of the snow was from a few inches to close to 30 inches in some drifts.

The tires performed excellent. Great traction and with a bit of speed they stayed on top of the deep stuff. I even tried to get stuck by taking the rig into a drift, no locker, no a-trac up hill and then stopped. Got it to stop forward movement. I must have looked like a goof as I had my door open and was looking at the tires, hanging out of the rig. Backed up a few feet, engaged the locker and a-trac and then went forward walking the front tires. They grabbed traction and up the slope we went.

I had to pull my partner out once when he got stuck. He was following in my tracks.

Needless to say these tires have performed very well in the mud and snow tests. Cleghorn a few weeks ago was snotty, slick mud and they did as well as expected. I will post some pic's. This concludes my report for the KM2's. It appears there are many other people now running this tire and I look forward to thier reports.

Regards, SSC
Land vehicle Vehicle Automotive tire Car Toyota fj cruiser


Vehicle Snow Automotive tire Car Automotive exterior


Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sport utility vehicle Automotive tire
 
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#47 ·
This would appear to be my last review. I was able to run a few weeks ago at cleghorn in the mud and snow. I also drove up the south side of Big Bear today, up clarks grade to the summit and into BB.

The gate was locked to exit and we had to call the forest service to come unlock the gate. We were driving in virgin snow from both previous storms. The depth of the snow was from a few inches to close to 30 inches in some drifts.

The tires performed excellent. Great traction and with a bit of speed they stayed on top of the deep stuff. I even tried to get stuck by taking the rig into a drift, no locker, no a-trac up hill and then stopped. Got it to stop forward movement. I must have looked like a goof as I had my door open and was looking at the tires, hanging out of the rig. Backed up a few feet, engaged the locker and a-trac and then went forward walking the front tires. They grabbed traction and up the slope we went.

I had to pull my partner out once when he got stuck. He was following in my tracks.

Needless to say these tires have performed very well in the mud and snow tests. Cleghorn a few weeks ago was snotty, slick mud and they did as well as expected. I will post some pic's. This concludes my report for the KM2's. It appears there are many other people now running this tire and I look forward to thier reports.

Regards, SSC
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Great review SSC!
I purchaced this tire because of your success with them and could'nt be happier. Yeah, they suck as far as mpg's are concerned, but I knew I would lose with any mud tire. It's all a part of having to pay for what you like, and I like this tire , No! I love this tire!!
 
#46 ·
That size is not available yet. I have seen that size before though on a test rig so hopefully that means they will offer it to the public at the next release. As far as the chop goes it all depends on what wheel you run and the tire. Some have problems and some don't with the 285/70/17 and 285/75/16 I rubbed a little when I went to 285/75/16.
 
#49 ·
What has your gas mileage been at sine you o these tires? Thanks
 
#50 · (Edited)
I second SSC review so I will try not to repeat words here. I have only had the tires for just over a month and logged about 2000 miles on them. I have done 3 runs in AZ and 2 runs in Mexico over the holidays.

My Summary notes:
I found the tires to be more effective at 14PSI compared to when I tried them at 19 PSI. The sidewall must be pretty thick because the tire looked like it still had more air. When new the tires at slow speed could be felt and was a bit noisier. After awhile the slow speed knobbies shake went away and the noise has gone down. It is really a pretty quiet tire. The tread has held up pretty good in the sense that I do not see any chunking at all from the sharp desert rocks. In sand the tires seem to perform really well as long as you were gentle with the throttle. Yesterday I took the same lines that one Chevy had trouble in and another time where Homedad was digging a little more with his Hankooks than I was. At 35 PSI there was less wandering on the freeway compared to 45PSI but the trade off is 1.5 MPG difference which can lead to a loss of 20 Miles to your total trip. So in expedition mode you might want to consider 45-48 while everyday I would choose the better stability of 35-38 PSI.

Overall I really like them and at just about every run the FJ seems to crawl up everything much easier. I did notice one crack on the sidewall on one of my tires when I was airing down for the Jan 1st. run . It could be a fluke but I am going to take it in to have them check it out.

BTW, yesterday, FJabbu put the BFG A/T sidewall strength to the test. First time on a branch and another on a sharp rock. By all purposes it should have punctured it but it didn't. I am sure the KM2's on mine would do just as well.

Cheers,


P.S. To answer NMVOODOFJ question I was easily getting 285 miles before the fuel light turned. I was lifted, Full skids,Sliders, and ARB Roof rack. Just going with the KM2's I am lucky to get to 240 before the fuel light comes on. Over the holidays I was loaded with gear, 3 people and boy did it hurt. I got to 89 miles on the ODO when I reached the half tank mark. Then again weight and wind drag was killing me.
 
#54 ·
I was getting a little rubbing at some hard compression and thought it was the body mount or upper A-arm. Cleaning up the FJ I noticed that the rub was not on the body mount nor the upper A-arm but rather the bolt that holds the air intake. Here are a couple of pictures that I took. I am going to take the bolt out and replace it with one that is shorter. If you are experiencing some rubbing then replace this bolt before considering a Body mount chop or wheel spacers. Leaving it on there will only tear on the lugs of the KM2's.

Bolt:
White Black Text Line Font


Where the tire rubs on:

Auto part Automotive tire


Cheers,
 
#55 ·
Just a short note, I am getting 16-17 MPG.

Regards, SSC
 
#57 ·
Im having my KM2's installed on Friday. The guy at the shop says I can fit and ordered 305/75/17 on my stock rims and a 3" lift.
Does anyone think I will have a problem with rubbing?
 
#60 · (Edited)
On the street I run 42-44PSI. I am not a slow driver, but don't push it like my SRT-8. Highway cruise at 70 to 75. I don't run a roof rack and I think that helps with the MPG.

I would think that over the 285/70 -17 size you may get rubbing.

Regards, SSC
 
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