BFG A/T's OR General Grabber AT2's

[blue_kjR417]

I'm going to buy a Frankenlift I this summer and will be beefin' up my treads too but I can't decide if I wanna go with BFG A/T's or General Grabber AT2's. Now I'll be getting 245/70/16's. I'll be getting them through Sear's because my parents have an account there and can get a discount. I'll be ordering 5 so I'll have a spare. The BFG's are $180 a tire and the Grabber's are $123 so for a set of 5 I'm looking at $900 or $615. Now my Dad has BFG A/T's on his Z71 Tahoe, they need to be replaced now but he put them on at 40k and rolled over on a 100k last week, they still have bout 1/4" of tread in the center and probably 1" of side tread left. So they wear and perform great, but what would you expect out of BFG's and $900? Now I don't know much about the Grabbers at all but I have seem them on KJ's before and I think they look better, Their tread is wider because the BFG's cave in at the top for the side tread to form and the Grabber's are pretty normal. So the Grabbers look beefier and more aggressive. Now price matters but if I'm only gonna get 20 or 30k out of a set of grabbers screw that! So has anyone ran a set of either? or both? If you have let me know what you thought!
245/70/16 BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO's
245/70/16 General Tire Grabber AT2's

 

[jeepkj02]

Why would you run 245/70 on a frankenlift, you can fit that size on a stock KJ. At least get 245/75.

I would get the Grabbers.

Tire Rack rates the treadwear on the BFG and the Grabbers the same:

BFG Goodrich

Grabbers AT2

 

[Jeepman56]

Why would you run 245/70 on a frankenlift, you can fit that size on a stock KJ. At least get 245/75.

x2. I run 245/70 Grabbers on my unlifted '07 sport. I would definately go with the 245/75, get a little more clearance. As far as the brand, I love my Grabbers and for the price difference I couldn't justify the BFGs, but thats my opinion.

 

[Griemster1]

http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37262

 

[Atrus]

I have about 15k on the Grabbers and I am very pleased. They seem to be wearing very well. I rotate them every 5k miles.

So far so good IMO. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase them again at this point. I don't care for the look of the white lettering on them, so I have blackwalls out and I think they look great!

 

[J-Thompson]

just my .02
you get what you pay for and I am talking about more than just a price
buy a cheep tire and get a cheep tire
buy an off road tire get an off road tire
buy an on road tire and you get an on road tire

here is what I am getting at
on my rig ,trail mostly only on road is to and from the trail
I run Super swamper LTB's ,bias ply big lugs and soft tread
they may last for 15-20K before I will replace them but you could maybe get 30K if you push them ,I need traction so I will not be pushing them
they ride like A$$ on road and wear is garbage they are king off road ,I can almost crawl up muddy hills they guys running standard fare MT's can just barely make
when aired down

On the KJ
we run MTR's in a 245/75
poor mpg ,good ride for how aggressive they are and some what noisy but not that bad
they do well off road and should do that for 35-40K
if this rig were to never see a trail I would not run this tire I would run the BFG AT
it looks good and does good on road but has no place off road they end up looking like drag slicks with in the first 100' and you simply can not keep them clean

now if I were in a situation where I could not afford the BFG AT I would look to another company that does not make a "copy cat" tire to me the Grabber looks way to much like a cheep tire trying to be a BFG
I also think you are getting hosed on the BFG to start with
I have seen them in a 245/75 at Sams Club for $145 ,but it has been a while
I also have no plans to buy another "name brand" tire for the KJ
when it needs new tires it will be my "DD" I put DD in quotes because I do not need a DD I have a company truck
I will run an "el cheepo" mud tire on it
I can get some Remmington Mud Brutes for ~$120 or less per tire and they do very well off road and just as good as the MTR on road ,the Mud Brutes are better off road

Take this how you want and spend your money how you want

 

[blue_kjR417]

just my .02
you get what you pay for and I am talking about more than just a price
buy a cheep tire and get a cheep tire
buy an off road tire get an off road tire
buy an on road tire and you get an on road tire

here is what I am getting at
on my rig ,trail mostly only on road is to and from the trail
I run Super swamper LTB's ,bias ply big lugs and soft tread
they may last for 15-20K before I will replace them but you could maybe get 30K if you push them ,I need traction so I will not be pushing them
they ride like A$$ on road and wear is garbage they are king off road ,I can almost crawl up muddy hills they guys running standard fare MT's can just barely make
when aired down

On the KJ
we run MTR's in a 245/75
poor mpg ,good ride for how aggressive they are and some what noisy but not that bad
they do well off road and should do that for 35-40K
if this rig were to never see a trail I would not run this tire I would run the BFG AT
it looks good and does good on road but has no place off road they end up looking like drag slicks with in the first 100' and you simply can not keep them clean

now if I were in a situation where I could not afford the BFG AT I would look to another company that does not make a "copy cat" tire to me the Grabber looks way to much like a cheep tire trying to be a BFG
I also think you are getting hosed on the BFG to start with
I have seen them in a 245/75 at Sams Club for $145 ,but it has been a while
I also have no plans to buy another "name brand" tire for the KJ
when it needs new tires it will be my "DD" I put DD in quotes because I do not need a DD I have a company truck
I will run an "el cheepo" mud tire on it
I can get some Remmington Mud Brutes for ~$120 or less per tire and they do very well off road and just as good as the MTR on road ,the Mud Brutes are better off road

Take this how you want and spend your money how you want

Those are basically my thoughts I just asked for more opinions to see if I had the wrong idea

 

[mikeb]

If one of them has a snowflake on the sidewall that would be the one I would get.

 

[Gont]

The Grabbers are awesome tires. I've put 20k on mine and they are wearing very well. Great all around tire. Actually replacing the BFG's on my truck with them this week.

 

[J-Thompson]

The Grabbers are awesome tires. I've put 20k on mine and they are wearing very well. Great all around tire. Actually replacing the BFG's on my truck with them this week.

I guess your basis for comparison is limited
there are many many tires that do there job much better than any AT
so why by an AT?
my swampers or even the MTR's will blow them away off road
and I am quite sure that you can pick up a good road tire that is much better on the high way so what makes them so "great"?
they dont do any thing very good they just do ok at every thing

 

[mikeb]

I guess your basis for comparison is limited
there are many many tires that do there job much better than any AT
so why by an AT?
my swampers or even the MTR's will blow them away off road
and I am quite sure that you can pick up a good road tire that is much better on the high way so what makes them so "great"?
they dont do any thing very good they just do ok at every thing

I guess thats why they call them All Terrains

 

[J-Thompson]

I guess thats why they call them All Terrains

yeh true
but why spend money on something that is good for nothing?
I know that some bias ply swampers will rule the trail ,any trail
but suck on the road
at least they do 1 thing great
I know that I can get some Michellins that will rule the road but suck on the trail again they do 1 thing great

To me it is a game of give an take and AT's are all give and no take
other than looks they do nothing great
any MT will be better than any AT off road but not as good on road
give on road take off road
any highway tire will be better on road but poor off road
give off road take on road

you pick what you want

oh and if AT's were "good enough" then why dont they put them on Rubicons?

 

[Atrus]

they dont do any thing very good they just do ok at every thing

Hence the name ALL terrains instead of MUD terrains. Look, it's very obvious you have a personal vendetta against the BFG A/T or the *gasp* copycat Grabber AT2.

I've owned both and have been very pleased with the wear and performance of both. Some of you need to get it out of your heads that we all go mudding or rock crawling every weekend. Most of us don't. I don't take mine out often. For the 99% of the time it's driving from the suburbs down to Detroit, the AT2s are actually much more aggressive than what I really need.

Sorry if this sounds harsh - I don't mean to be an ass with this post. I personally don't care whether you think they are the crappiest tires ever made. I just don't want someone coming on to the board with limited 4x4 experience and reading this and thinking "I need MTR's at a minimum to hit the logging trails!" because we all know it's not true.

There's a reason the BFG TKO has been a hot seller and been around for as long as it has, and there's a reason the AT2's are gaining in popularity as well.

 

[mikeb]

bingo

 

[J-Thompson]

Hence the name ALL terrains instead of MUD terrains. Look, it's very obvious you have a personal vendetta against the BFG A/T or the *gasp* copycat Grabber AT2.

I've owned both and have been very pleased with the wear and performance of both. Some of you need to get it out of your heads that we all go mudding or rock crawling every weekend. Most of us don't. I don't take mine out often. For the 99% of the time it's driving from the suburbs down to Detroit, the AT2s are actually much more aggressive than what I really need.

Sorry if this sounds harsh - I don't mean to be an ass with this post. I personally don't care whether you think they are the crappiest tires ever made. I just don't want someone coming on to the board with limited 4x4 experience and reading this and thinking "I need MTR's at a minimum to hit the logging trails!" because we all know it's not true.

There's a reason the BFG TKO has been a hot seller and been around for as long as it has, and there's a reason the AT2's are gaining in popularity as well.

problem with that thinking is that it is an opinion NOT A FACT
fact is AT's are not as good as MT's off road and not as good as Highway tires on road ,argue other wise
you may get 35-45K on your AT's
many many people get the same out of MT's ,maybe 5K less
I will get 40K+ out of my MTR's but I know several guys who have gotten 40K out of cheep MT's also so the "MT's wear to fast for highway driving" is out unless you look at VERY aggressive MT's ,like super swampers
I live where we get rain in the amounts of inches a day and can tell you that every MT I have owned does very well in the rain ,big deep tread channels the water out fast and easy
yes they are all loud and some ride rough but ,really, is that something to complain about you drive a Jeep

My opinion is this
you have AT's and wish you had MT's but are scared of them for some reason and you want every one to be like you ,or you are in denial about the fact that AT's are not all they are cracked up to be ,either way it is an opinion and I DO NOT believe in preaching opinion like it is fact

 

[Atrus]

You can have whatever opinion you want. I researched and chose the AT2's, and the next set I get (in about 40-50k miles when you're already on your second set) will most likely be AT2's.

You "fact" is that MTR's are better when playing offroad. No contest, you're correct there. What I don't understand is with this mentality, why drive a KJ? Shouldn't you be driving a Rubicon? I mean, why buy the KJ - it's a better "all around" vehicle, but a Rubicon will spank it offroad stock-for-stock, not to mention can be more easily and cheaply modified. Why drive your KJ on the road at all? I mean, any relatively sporty car out there will outhandle and outbrake it. You may as well just buy a road vehicle and buy Rubicon and dump your KJ.

Again, for the vast majority of people who rarely take their vehicle offroad, a good (not like the SRA all-terrains) AT tire is a great choice.

I'm not preaching that AT's are superior to MTR or any other style, I think I have made that clear. I am simply saying that they do just fine for most people and are a significant upgrade over stock. They provide a nice balance between road duty and trail duty. I'm MORE than pleased with mine.

That's great that you get a ton of rain where you live, and that MT's have helped a ton. Awesome, I am glad you made the right choice. Newsflash - we all don't live where you do. AT2's have done well for me in all conditions, and believe me, MI has ALL CONDITIONS. Furthermore, they've taken quite a pounding commuting to Detroit every day - you SE MI people know what I am talking about with construction and potholes from hell - and have held up very well.

Anyway, this arguement will continue to go in circles. ANY NEWBS OUT THERE LOOKING FOR A DECENT TIRE - just please do your research and decide what is the right tire for YOU. J-Thompson obviously loves his MT's, and that's great - if you think that's right for you, pick his brain and see why he likes them. I am sure others will agree with him. Many of us enjoy our AT's and would be happy to discuss the pros (and cons) of them as well.

 

[J-Thompson]

What I don't understand is with this mentality, why drive a KJ? Shouldn't you be driving a Rubicon? I mean, why buy the KJ - it's a better "all around" vehicle, but a Rubicon will spank it offroad stock-for-stock,

who said I drive the KJ off road?
I have an '02 TJ that cost less than a Rubicon
I lifted it and put tires on it just like the Rubicon owners do
I spent money on a locker set up THAT I WANTED not what Jeep gave me
It still cost me less than a stock Rubicon would have ,same milage but a year newer with a "junk auto ******" not the tried and true TF999 that I have
as of now I am still about $2K or so to the better and with that I can have a 4 to 1 T-case
and I can be comfortable beating the snot out of it
it is not my DD

You judged me not knowing me
I never said any thing about who drives what or what tires people should run
only what I know or what is fact
even what I "know" may still be opinion

I do know that every time I turn around I see a post about "what AT's work good off road"
and fact is NOT ONE sure you may be satisfied with yours but does that mean they work good?
and if you say "yes" compared to what?
I have seen you talk about how great your tires do in mud ,really compared to what OE tires?
when people are asking these questions they are looking to replace their stock or street tires so why lie to them?
thats right I said LIE to them
because when compared to street tires AT's do work well off road compared to Swampers they suck
if they want to know what works well off road tell them
"MT's rule the trail!" it is the truth
also tell them that they are loud on road and you will probably only get 40K out of them on the street ,so what it is a Jeep and who wants to drive on slicks with 50K on them any way? besides not many tires made go much past 40K so that point is out

and yes this will go round for round
opinions are like butts
we all got them and they all stink
just that some are louder than others

 

[tommudd]

You can argue until the cows come home which tire is best but it comes down to where you live and how much off roading you do...period! Take for me, I live atleast 4 to 5 hours from any place that you can off road, my parents who are in their 80s live 5 hours away so I make several trips there every month to help them out, so why would I want to wear out say MTRs on the street? That would 1.) be stupid, 2.) be unsafe as they sure do not handle well on snow/ice/etc 3.) ungodly loud for long trips

Now if I lived close by to rocks/off roading area/ never took long trips/ and worked 2 miles from the house I would look at it differently but for me give me some good ATs and will have the mud tires sitting waiting in the garage.

Now some will say I don't have experience with running say a mud tire all the time.... I have wheeled for over 30 years, ran bias ply Gumbo Mudders/ Ground Hawgs back in the day,( 38s and 40s none of this small 33/35 inchers) back and forth to work, even to Daytona Beach for vacation and never blinked an eye until they wore out lots sooner than an AT would have and rode too rough to really enjoy any more.

So if you are picking a tire go with what will work for where you live, what you do on a daily basis not what you need once or twice a month

 

[mikeb]

By the looks of these rating charts there is not that much of a differance between the two.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/BFG-Mud-Terrain-TA-KM2.htm

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/General-Grabber-AT-2.htm

 

[mikeb]

And here are the reviews. Some say they kinda $uck in mud.

BFGoodrich Krawler T/A KX MT Mud Terrain Tire Post a Review


Author Post a Reply

Anonymous Review Date: Wed January 31, 2007 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros: Great all round tire
Cons: could be better in the mud

Anonymous Review Date: Fri February 9, 2007 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Pros: Very Good All Around
Cons: Tend to slide on wet pavement


Anonymous Review Date: Mon March 19, 2007 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros: amazing look.
Cons: the tire isn't to good on the road and it slides all over when its wet




I'd stay with yoko mt... better tire overall!




Anonymous Review Date: Mon October 8, 2007 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: $218.00 | Rating: 4

Pros: Good in Mud and Rock -- pretty quiet not much louder than the Dune Grapplers that came off
Cons: Flimsy sidewall --- sliced one the first weekend at the ranch. In addition, 2 of the 4 tires could not be road force balanced successfully.


Might be a good tire if mud is all you run through but rocks no way. I have always had trouble with BFG's on the rocks but thought I would try these new ones out.


Will not make that mistake again.



Anonymous Review Date: Fri October 12, 2007 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros: Godd in mud, gravel , sand, and waiting for snow to come.
Cons: None


This review is for the new Mud Terrain KM2, for some reason it loads to this page.
New Mud Terrain KM2 blows old mud terrain outta water. Best mud terrain i've ever owned, definite tire for the all around person.



Anonymous Review Date: Mon November 19, 2007 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros: Good in sand and rocks
Cons:


Anonymous Review Date: Thu February 14, 2008 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: $900.00 | Rating: 1

Pros:
Cons:


not good for mud but good control on street



Anonymous Review Date: Fri February 29, 2008 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: $485.00 | Rating: 3

Pros: Pretty good apperance...thats it!
Cons: NOISY


Well, I have always been a fan of firestone destination mt's...went through 2 sets on my 2000 silverado z71. Figured it was time for a change.
So far I have had these for about 25,000 miles and boy do they suck. They are almost 50% gone! I shake rattle and roll on the street( especially at parking lot speeds ). Don't get me wrong, they grab dirt and sand just fine but in the mud they like to dig, and dig, and dig instead of climbing out of the ruts. They have about the same street wear as a super swamper tsl and I would recommend these for a beach/sand vehicle only unless you like ALOT of noise and vibration and are richer than me. lol
-Bill
Palatka, Florida



Anonymous Review Date: Tue March 25, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros: Appearance, good on rocks, street and trail
Cons: None so far


Awesome looking tires. They not only look good, but have performed well so far. I am not sure what everyone is talking about with the noise issue. My BFG MT TA/KM2's are as just a tad bit noisier than my wifes BFG AT's. They are not anywhere as noisy as the original MT's!!! They grip rock gr-8 (try letting some air out if u r having probs) and take trails with ease. They are awesome on the street as well. I have only had mine for a month now, I hope they don't wear as quickly as everyone is saying. Nonetheless, these are good tires from a company that stands behind their products.



Anonymous Review Date: Mon May 5, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros: Looks, Performance, longevity
Cons: none to speak of


I have gotten 20,000 miles out of these tires with about 5 or 10 thousand more to go. Its done great in Colorado on the rocks and works great in the mud and on the street. I have 35's on my jeep and I'm gunna put some 35's on my truck too.



Anonymous Review Date: Sun May 18, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros: smooth, quiet, flexible sidewall, long wearing tread life. Ican go on and on with this!
Cons: a little pricey, but worth it.


I have been running these tires since '87.
My dad and all his friends run it too w/no complaints. I've gone though 3 sets of these tires and not once thought about changing to another. these tires are just AWESOME !!!!!



Anonymous Review Date: Wed July 9, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Pros: Long Life
Cons: Vibration and wear


I just took these of my silverado, and they helped me through some tuff spots in the mud. They also last a long time. The only negatives I have is the rough ride they gave me, even when balanced. The wear on them was also wierd and uneven, and my truck is perfectly aligned. I just replaced them with the new Dick Cepek Mud country and the smoothness of my ride and lower tire are significantly better. Also the ability to handle wet roads was not as good as my new DC. I just they last as long as the BFG's.



Anonymous Review Date: Sun August 3, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros: wonderful on street and in mud
Cons: none


Goes so go in the mud and isnt that loud on the street.



Anonymous Review Date: Mon August 11, 2008 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 1

Pros: none
Cons: all


bfg ***** all together if you want a real tire get a dunlop mud rover



Anonymous Review Date: Tue September 16, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Pros: Tires work in all terrain. low road noise for an aggressive tire
Cons: Seems to chunk easy


This tire works fine if you know how to drive. Air down, slow down. Work great on rocks,sand. Wet rocks are no problem. Someone posted 1/2 tread lift at 25k so they suck? do the math 1/2 of 25k is 50k, not bad for a mud tire. Buy a highway tire if you want more miles out of a tire.



Anonymous Review Date: Wed September 17, 2008 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 2

Pros: Quiet for a mud terrain
Cons: Shake rattle and roll


I just installed a set of 35x12.50x15's on my 77 Bronco as soon as I got on the highway to go home I felt a vibration. I went and had them checked out on a Hunter road force machine 2 failed badlly, and exceded the limits and could not be made to work. The other two did pass but by just the slightest margin.


I called BFG and even with the dealer I bought them from telling them two needed to be replaced, BFG would only authorize one replacement.


If a company won't stand behind there tires, I won't ever buy from them again.



Anonymous Review Date: Mon October 13, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros: Great grip, wear great
Cons: flat spot easily for a radial


They kick ass for an all around wheeler/daily driver...I've had since they VERY first came out, and am still running the same set with close to 15/32's tread as a DD. Maybe I have a harder compound? They out perform my buddies MTR's in every possible way.



Anonymous Review Date: Sun October 26, 2008 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:
Cons:


my dad wants to buy them for his suburban wich is a 1995 gmc brand new 6.5L diesel @#cking dirty motor 4inch lift and he wnats bfg mud terrain t/a km2 i have heard so many good things



Anonymous Review Date: Mon November 17, 2008 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid (per item)?: None indicated | Rating: 1

Pros: none
Cons: all


BFGOODRICH is the worst tire ever period u want a good tire get a dunlop mud rover