Why should we reinvent the wheel? We've brought you countless tire tests in the past. In most cases our opinions of the tires we tested then is the same as it is now. If anything changes, we'll let you know. For example, in this third installment of our yearly tire test hotsheet we've removed the Goodyear AT/S because we feel it's just not a great off-road tire. That's not to say it isn't a good tire. It's just better suited for the street. Since Jp Magazine is an off-road Jeep enthusiast publication, just street ain't gonna cut it. In its place we bring you the Maxxis Creepy Crawler, as well as some pretty new pictures of the tires you saw last year. Next time you can expect to see some of the tire tests found elsewhere in this issue. Tune in next year to see which ones.
It's too bad tire stores aren't like shoe stores. It would be cool if you could try on your new set of tires and drive around on them for a while before you plunk down your cash, but it doesn't work that way. Since we've driven each tire in this story, we'll give you our idea, on a scale of one to four stars, of how they do in a given terrain. That way you can match which tire excels in whatever type of driving you do most.
* * * *- This is the tire you should be running.
* * * - It's a good choice and will work well.
* * - There are better tires available, but it's acceptable if you need to compromise.
* - We'd choose a different tire
The Maxxis Creepy Crawler is a gnarly looking bias ply tire that excels in a lot of terrain. Like most modern tires, it exhibits good road manners without giving up any off-road performance. We found them ready to go with little to no break in time required. The tread is a little on the hard side, so there is some chunking of the rubber in hard, sharp rock, but the firm tread also translates into a more stable ride on dirt roads and on the street.
Street:* *
Sand: * * *
Mud: * * * *
Heavy Rock:* * * *
The BFGoodrich Krawler is a radial tire that shares more in strength with a bias-ply. In the rocks, the big lugs grab like gangbusters, especially with the tires at lower air pressures. The sidewall lugs work very well for climbing even slick granite on the sidewall. The tread and sidewall flex readily envelope obstacles but resist tearing and damage to an impressive degree. They excel in most terrain, but don't really seem to like deep, thick mud. On the street you can feel some lug slap, but the ride is not overly harsh and, once rolling, even borders on smooth.
Street:* * *
Sand: * * * *
Mud:* * *
Heavy Rock:* * * *
The BFG Baja T/A is often thought of as a race-only tire, but we've been really pleased with its performance just about everywhere. Surprisingly, if you air them down to about 5 psi they do very well in rocks, and their strong four-ply sidewalls aren't likely to tear. In mud and sand, they clean easily, and the outer lugs act like little paddles to keep forward momentum. Naturally, they do exceptionally well as a prerunner tire, giving superb forward and lateral traction while maintaining a high-survivability rate for rock hits. While the ride on the street is very rough, we've put about 20,000 miles on a set of 33x10.50-15s with very little tread wear noticeable.
Street:* *
Sand: * * * *
Mud: * * *
Heavy Rock:* * * *
The BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM is a radial tire that's available in sizes up to 37x12.50-17. The semi-aggressive tread pattern makes it a good choice for all-around use, including street driving. Dry loose dirt, sand, light mud, and some rock capabilities make the BFG Mud extremely popular. The sidewall lugs are slightly larger than those found on the earlier Mud Terrain, but the sidewall construction is the same three-ply. In some areas, they'll last a lifetime. Other more abusive terrains (sharp and rocky) have been known to cut the sidewalls of the BFG KM.
Street:* * *
Sand:* * *
Mud:* * *
Heavy Rock:* *