BFG AT's Maintenance

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VenezuelanPath
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BFG AT's Maintenance

Postby VenezuelanPath » Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:55 pm

Hello people,

I got my BF's 2k ago, I got the BFG All Terrain 265/75 R16 KO.

So well the tires say to put 65psi, but the car says 35psi. I took the question to 3 tire places and to 2 different Nissan Dealers, and well nobody said the same thing. Every place had their own opinion.

I want to know how the owners should maintain this tires for a long time?

Thanks


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myriad46
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Postby myriad46 » Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:11 pm

Unless there is something I am missing...I would never put that much air in your tire. There is usually a max psi rating (typically between 50 and 60), but recommended pressures are far lower. 35 sounds right.

Chio
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Postby Chio » Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:53 pm

OMG do not put 65 PSI that is way to high... 35 is just fine

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RacerZX
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Postby RacerZX » Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:29 pm

BFG ATs are not normal passenger tires, they need the air to maintain their proper shape, pending on load and such. I run 50psi cold, any less than that and they're super squishy and the truck wallows badly. I run 30 hot when doing general off-roading.

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Captain
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Postby Captain » Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:36 pm

I've had 3 sets of BFG A/t ko's. I ran them at 35psi. I got about 50k were on them.

LT265/75R16/E 123Q BSW 71887 7 - 8 10.5 on 7.5 31.8 15 654 3415@80 3085@80psi


LT265/75R16/E 123S RWL 20679 7 - 8 10.51 on 7.5 31.65 16 657 3415@80 3085@80psi

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/specs/al ... ko/44.html

If you are carrying lots of heavy loads then yes 50+ is good but for light weight (PF) I would stay at 35.

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08Datsun
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Postby 08Datsun » Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:58 pm

The max tire pressure is 65psi for the load range D LT265/75/16. Of course at that psi each tire has a load capacity of 3,000lbs., a bit much for our needs. I run 35psi in the rears(1,910lbs. capacity at this pressure) at which it can carry all the way up to max rear axle capacity of the PF. I run the fronts at 32psi just to reduce a bit of the kickback through the steering these tires produce.

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VenezuelanPath
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Postby VenezuelanPath » Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:29 pm

Thanks for all the comments
I have used them with 45psi just because 50+ is too much and 40- makes the truck kinda different to drive.

My main concern is what PSI level to use so I can get the most out of my tires

KEVSTER
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Postby KEVSTER » Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:54 pm

35-40PSI will work just right, 40 in front for the engine weight.. and 35 in rear.

Suliman
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Postby Suliman » Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:06 am

Just an FYI for everyone on Tire PSI.

Under normal load conditions, run the max or close to the max PSI rating for your tire. This will allow the tire to do what the manufacturer intended and also allow the greatest wear and MPG out of the tires. The tires were designed to run at that PSI. Some PSIs seem crazy, but the tire manufacturer designed it that way.

Vehicle manufacturers use much lower PSI ratings to simply supplement the suspension components of a vehicle, since tires are indeed part of the suspension. (This was direct from a company engineer.) Lower tire pressure means softer ride, regardless of performance. They also do this for some of the lowest common denominator situations. Example, max PSI for one tire may be 38, where the next tire, same size, is 42.

Obviously tire psi will need to be adjusted for situations. Off-road: of course you would not run the KOs at 75psi there, you need some of the flex, give, and other characteristics of lowering the PSI for that. Towing: generally max psi. Around Town: Max to slighty backed off from max. etc etc.


(This is from experience of being a tire monkey, close friends in the auto industry, and many performance driving schools attended that also teach PSI characteristics)

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fat_frog
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Postby fat_frog » Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:57 am

Suliman wrote:Just an FYI for everyone on Tire PSI.
Under normal load conditions, run the max or close to the max PSI rating for your tire....
I'm a bit confused. Are you suggesting that the OP should keep his tires @ 65 PSI?

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VenezuelanPath
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Postby VenezuelanPath » Wed Nov 25, 2009 12:38 pm

I agree with Suliman

Suliman
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Postby Suliman » Wed Nov 25, 2009 2:55 pm

I'm a bit confused. Are you suggesting that the OP should keep his tires @ 65 PSI?
If that is what BFG is saying for that tire, I would (or only a smidge less). That's for general street use and roads in decent shape. The only reason I back off on the max a little is because some roads I take are a little rough (potholes).

G35TR
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Postby G35TR » Thu Nov 26, 2009 3:32 am

Well, look at it this way; you should get good MPGs @ 65psi, of course it may feel like your riding on Flintstone wheels :lol:

I'm running mine @ 40-45psi btw.

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fat_frog
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Re: BFG AT's Maintenance

Postby fat_frog » Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:53 pm

VenezuelanPath wrote:Hello people,

I got my BF's 2k ago, I got the BFG All Terrain 265/75 R16 KO.

So well the tires say to put 65psi, but the car says 35psi. I took the question to 3 tire places and to 2 different Nissan Dealers, and well nobody said the same thing. Every place had their own opinion.

I want to know how the owners should maintain this tires for a long time?
I have had BFG ATs in the past, and I wondered about the same thing at that time. In the end, I always kept my tires PSI between 33 to 35. The tires appeared to have the best contact to the ground in that range. I basically observed, and determined proper PSI for them...just as shown in the diagram in the middle of this page. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/self-inflating-tire.htm

Aslo, take a look at what's said from BFGoodrich web site. http://www.crdhna.com/contact/en_us_bfg/more_faqs.htm It's about half way down, "What is the correct air pressure for my tires?"

Based upon information provided from even just those two pages, you could probably determine what proper PSI for your application should be. I would think that your tires look like "overinflated" when you set the PSI to be 35 or higher (35 might look too high, too...depending upon the temperature....and nothing in your Pathy.) So, spend a min. to walk around your car before you start driving (before the tires get warmer) to see how your tires look. Let us know what PSI you find appropriate to your application.

Suliman
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Postby Suliman » Sat Nov 28, 2009 2:08 pm

** GENERAL TIP, MAX PSI SIDEWALL RATING IS COLD RATING ** This is important because you can fill your tires at your max PSI cold, and there's still room for expansion when the tire heats.

Here's a good example of where the spec on the inflation placards on your car are never correct...

Take my 03 Mazda Protege 5 that came with 195/50-16s, Dunlops. The rec tire pressure was like 32 or 35 (don't recall exactly). They rode like crap. I checked the sidewall, which had a way higher max PSI of 47. I filled to 42, and the tires took on a whole new life and the "crappy OEM" tires everyone complained about were actually a decent tire. Tread wear was normal, I got better handling/performance, MPG improved, as did their lifespan.

Take the Kuhmos ATs I have on the Path now. They state 51 max PSI. When I first got the Path, they were set at 35. I thought these were crappy tires and rode like junk. Pumped them up to 45 PSI, again, new tire. These cheapy Kuhmos are actually pretty decent. When I off-road, I go to 38-32 (depending on terrain), and 32-28 for the beach.

That link from BFG/CRDHNA just reinforces that the placard is spec by the vehicle manufacturer, not the tire manufacturer.

The howstuffworks link is a little misleading, because different types of tires have a different inflation profile. NEVER trust your tires PSI to your eyeball, take a minute and check with a tire gauge.

Oh, another organization besides the high perf driving schools that tell you to use max PSI... check your local and state police carpool divisions. I have not found one yet that does not run MAX psi in their cruisers.


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