Tire and Rim Choice

New tire and rim time and I need some help figuring out what I'm going to go with. I'm partial to sticking with 16" rims because this makes tire selection a tad easier and I'm partial to BFG ATs because they're knobby, grippy and will look cool. I understand on my '06 Foz I have ~27.5" of usable wheel well space; anything larger will probably rub.

Tire

• BF Goodrich - All-Terrain T/A KO LT195/75R14/8 Overall Tire Diameter: 25.51; Approved Rim Width: 5.0 - 6.0
• BF Goodrich - All-Terrain T/A KO LT215/70R16/6 Overall Tire Diameter: 28; Approved Rim Width: 5.5 - 7.0
• BF Goodrich - All-Terrain T/A KO LT215/75R15/6 Overall Tire Diameter: 27.8; Approved Rim Width: 5.5 - 7.0

Rims

• Focal - 172BS F-01 Size: 16X7.5 Bolt Pattern: 5x100 Offset: 42.00
  
• Drifz - 207MB FX Size: 16X7 Bolt Pattern: 5x100 Offset: 42.00
  
• Drifz - 207B FX Size: 16X7 Bolt Pattern: 5x100 Offset: 42.00
  
• Pacer - 83B Black Mod Size: 16X6.5 Bolt Pattern: 5x100 Offset: 42.00
  

What do you guys think? The items in RED are the things I'm leaning toward.

My rule of thumb is to have tyres that will suit the vast majority of the driving you do- or have 2 sets. At present, I do mostly road ks on tarmac so I have dedicated road tyres. They have not let me down yet off road, so I'm in no hurry to get dedicated off road tyres. I'm not sure how you will go for clearance on the tyres you have nominated

What about 205/70/16?
Might fit according to your figures & i think is prob a more common size therefore cheaper.

Dont like Geolander AT-S?

Nachaluva said:

What about 205/70/16?
Might fit according to your figures & i think is prob a more common size therefore cheaper.

Dont like Geolander AT-S?

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Humm, haven't been able to find an AT or XT tired in 205/70R16. Maybe try a different diameter?

The Geolander AT-S is nice, but the tread depth isn't as deep which is why I like the BFG AT-KO. I did just find a 205/70R15 in it though.

TireRack.com has the Geolandar in sizes that should work. Adding these to the mix of possibilities

More Tires

• Geolandar A/T-S 215/60R16 95H SL Overall Tire Diameter: 26.1 Approved Rim Width: 6-7.5
• Geolandar A/T-S 215/65R16 98H SL Overall Tire Diameter: 27 Approved Rim Width: 6-7.5

For offroading, i like the black steelies at the bottom. It'll look good & match your forry. Have you looked at the General Grabber AT2? It has a pattern alot like the BFG A/T, but costs about $40 less a tire. Unlike the Geolanders, the Grabber has a 60,000 mile tread life too.

You wanna hear something funny?

I dont want long tread life!

thats right, i want the tyre to wear out!!!

the only way you get long tread life is by having a hard compound...there is no other way despite what i sometimes read. Simple physics, soft tread compounds grip more & wears more. Hard compounds dont. As the ONLY thing that keeps you on the road & not in an accident, I want a soft grippy compound, even if it means i have to replace the tyres every 2-3 years instead of 5.
As an expense per year, its not that much more anyway

I'll have to agree & disagree with ya there. While 60k miles is a good life, it's def. not that high. While what you say is true about the soft/hardness, it's not going to make too big of a difference off road. Tread pattern matters more there. That's why when you read the reviews for people who own those tires, they love them for offroading. I have an 80,000 mile tire on mine right now & i don't consider them hard at all compared to lower life tires, especially with how well they grip on slick roads. The tread depth makes a big play in that too, as they are cut pretty deep. I was getting a tire replaced yesterday under warranty because of a nail penetrating where i already had a plug at & was checking out other tires. Mine were certainly softer than some of the cheaper competitors. I imagine the compounds used in the also can attribute to that.

The new tyres with silica are said to last longer. I rarely get more than 15,000km's out of tyres with the Impreza, the Forrie has the silica in its tyres and they seem to be wearing quite well with good grip and at times spirited driving. But yes- really long wearing tyres is at the expense of grip all else being equal. As tyres age they become harder with even less grip.

Rally said:

My rule of thumb is to have tyres that will suit the vast majority of the driving you do- or have 2 sets.

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I'm of the same thinking as you Rally, 2x sets is the way to go
But at the moment, I can't justify having 2x sets for myself, as most of my driving is on tar :iconwink:

Saguache said:

The Geolander AT-S is nice, but the tread depth isn't as deep which is why I like the BFG AT-KO. I did just find a 205/70R15 in it though.

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With the 15's (if you do go that way) just check that the rims clear the brake calipers. Depending on which rims you decide on, some will fit / clear & some won't

dirtyRU said:

Have you looked at the General Grabber AT2? It has a pattern alot like the BFG A/T, but costs about $40 less a tire. Unlike the Geolanders, the Grabber has a 60,000 mile tread life too.

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Nachaluva said:

I want a soft grippy compound, even if it means i have to replace the tyres every 2-3 years instead of 5.
As an expense per year, its not that much more anyway

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Thats why I ended up going for the Geo's instead of the Grabber's.
I know they won't last as long, but since the majority of my driving is on the tar, I opted for them instead.
It just made more sense to me for the type of driving I do

Regards
Mr Turbo

So, I am looking at General Tire's Grabber and I like the tread pattern and depth. They even make this tire in a size I can use. There is a minor problem.

General Tire

• General Tire Grabber AT2 215/75R15 97T SL Overall Tire Diameter: 26.8 Approved Rim Width: 5.5-7
• General Tire Grabber AT2 215/65R16 98T SL Overall Tire Diameter: 27 Approved Tim Width: 6-7.5*

The tire I'm most interested comes with a caveat (see the '*') which reads "Not Rated For Severe Snow". More worrying to me than the caveat is that it only appears on some of their tire sizes. Leaves me scratching my head and wondering why some sizes would be and some would not; especially since I live at about 2400m elevation and we can see what in anyone's evaluation might be considered "severe" snow conditions. Both the Geolandar and the BFG ATs don't come with the caveat or explicitly say that they'll work well in snow. Suppose I should stop poking this one with a stick and call General.

As far as tire rubber compounds are concerned I've got to stick to a happy medium. I've used tires that were very soft before, anticipating that I'd need to replace them sooner than later. The problem with this is that while you gain traction in many conditions you also gain increased risk to puncture or blow out. Blackberry needs to be able to handle some additional weight while off road and still be able to make the many highway miles we'll need to cover. ATs tend to be harder than snow tires or true off-road tires, but functionally I think this is the best compromise for the application I intend.

Also, I've heard one vote for the steelies (which I too like a lot). Any other rim suggestions?

Finally, thanks for everyone's help. I'm swimming in deep water here try to get exactly what I need while still hoping to make my Foz look super cool.

I love how everyone has their own opinions. What a dull world it would be if we all liked the same thing! yay for variety :biggrin:

Saguache, can you call them? Remember though i'm sure they'll say "yeah OUR tyres are great" lol

While i agree its nice to have tyres that look good, its most important to choose tyres that suit your purpose. If you experience severe snow would it be better to have 1 set of dedicated snow tyres & another set for onroad/offroad?

We're lucky here, we dont have to worry bout severe snow so our choices are easy. Most people here seem to go for Geolander AT-S (S is for silica) or BFG AT.

Steel wheels are much stronger but dont look as good...you'll have to choose which is more suitable FOR YOU.

Take your time so you make the right choice & talk to as many people as you can...

Yeah, but i don't think you will find any a/t that says they will be rated for severe snow. In those conditions, they will tell you to go straight to the snow/ice tires, probably mostly for liability reasons. From this point, you should check out discount tire and read the reviews posted about them. I've read several before from people saying how well they do in snow, but not great on ice (as any a/t). The cool thing is that they are studdable.

dirtyRU said:

Yeah, but i don't think you will find any a/t that says they will be rated for severe snow.

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Yeah I agree, but the BFGs seem to be highly rated for snow use. Anything severe falls and clearance becomes more of an issue than tire type. Studdes help on ice in particular but aren't much help in soft pack or anywhere a chain might prove it value.

I like this review from BLue Fox too.

Blue Fox said:

What Tyre Brand are you on? BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO's
What Size are they? 215/70/16 (oversized)
What type are they - All-Terrain (Winter Rated)
Are they grippy or not? Great all-round traction regardless of snow, ice, dirt, sand or mud.
they noisy or quiet? Semi-quiet. They add road noise, but nothing bad.
they good for offroad or just onroad use? Great on both.
What Life span are you getting out of them? Some people are getting 50,000+ miles. I'm extremely hard on mine, I have worn them down about 1/3 and I've had them or a mere 10,000 miles.
Do you like them or not really? Yep, would by them again.

I bought these tires for added off-road traction, larger size and snow use. They work absolutely amazing in the snow and slick conditions. They wear very well, on-road handling is actually very good, and I throw the car through corners like they're regular tires and they take the abuse just fine. Haven't been stuck in them yet.

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The bit that concerns me most is that they're "oversized" by about 1/2" (28" > 27.5"). Right now I'm seeking feedback to see if I can run this tire without lift on an 06 Foz.

Yeah, then you are back down to the price & bang for your buck. I think Blue Fox is about the only guy in here runnin the BFG's without expensive strut mods. I think from some of his other posts, he gets a minor rubbing if any & the guy loves those tires! You can see his great offroading vids on youtube. Smash lives in the Denver area i think, so i'm sure he's used them in snow.