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At
the time of this photo shoot, I had had the tires installed
for nearly 4,000 miles. Within that time, I had used
them for two trail runs, one of which, was dirt terrain
with some mud and the other was mostly loose, jagged
shale rocks.
As
you can see, there is a noticeable cut in the picture
to the left next to the "G" in "BFGoodrich."
This did not happen during our test on the rock pile,
but it happened nonetheless. In my opinion, the scar
is a bit premature for only having been off-pavement
twice, although, a scar like this is generally not a
problem, structurally.
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You
can see the circular abrasions that were caused by running
across the rock pile during our photo shoot. These are
light scuffs, and they reveal that the sidewalls are
at least somewhat resistant to damage.
The
"DiggerLugz" nicely deflected the rocks that
they came in contact with, and they also showed their
use when I accidentally clipped a curb at the local
Ikea furniture store.
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A
rock protrudes threateningly from the underside of the
vehicle.
In
retrospect, I could have used a spotter for this photo
shoot.
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Like
most similarly classed tires, I've found the BFGoodrich
Mud Terrain T/A KM to be a very malleable tire. It contours
to the terrain, but it really retains its shape very
well when it is under a lot of stress. You can see the
stress ripples in the adjacent photo.
On
the highway, I've found the Mud-Terrain KM's to be a
pleasure to ride on. They are both smooth and quiet.
I don't feel there is a noticeable difference on-pavement
between the old MT and the new MT KM's.
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The
limited driving I've done on wet roads with these new
tires revealed that they handled much better than my
prior set of tires, which were Super Swamper TSL Radials.
(32x10.5R15, SAM44R) The BFGoodrich MT KM's seem much
less prone to sliding.
The
KM features the same TriGard 3-ply sidewall that is
used on the BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO. Many similarly-classed
Light Truck tires only feature 2-ply sidewalls, but
it is good to keep in mind that sidewalls vary in strength
and overall thickness per manufacturer, so comparing
2 to 3 plies is not always comparing apples to apples.
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After
4,000 miles and two off-pavement excursions, the wear
and tear was readily visible.
The
rubber that composes these tires seems soft.
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Tellico
Bound
More
r ecently, I enjoyed the chance to run these tires down
in North Carolina's Upper Tellico ORV Recreation Area.
Tellico is a popular four-wheeling spot on the east
coast. The park is located near Murphy and rests on
the North Carolina / Tennessee border.
The
ten hour drive down Interstate 81 and the backroads
over the mountains were more than pleasant with these
tires. They were very quiet and very comfortable for
myself and my wife.
The
conditions in Tellico were dry so very little mud was
encountered. The group I was with, Jeeps-R-Us out of
central Pennsylvania, ran many of the popular Tellico
obstacles, such as Guardrail, Helicopter Pad, School
Bus, Slick Rock, and the Peckerwood Connector. The tires,
in addition to the suspension and Powertrax
lockers, performed exceptionally well on all of
these obstacles.
In
many situations, I could feel the tires sticking to
the terrain. One such instance was during my descent
down the Peckerwood Connector, after having climbed
it. Many drivers before me were prone to sliding into
the hole pictured below my Jeep, which would put them
in a very tipsy situation.
I was not about to let gravity have its way with me.
During my descent, the tires seemed very cat-like in
their surefootedness, and they held my Jeep true to
its path. This allowed me to successful straddle the
hole and complete the descent without much drama.
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The
tires also showed their off-pavement prowess coming
up Helicopter Pad. Not wanting to have anything to do
with the rock on the far right side of this picture
(aptly named "Rainbow Rock"), I picked a line
further to the right of the Jeep. It was a clean line,
but a bit steeper. The tires quickly found traction
and the Jeep walked up.
See
the tires in action:
Check out the MPEG video of the
ascent up Helicopter Pad.
In
Tellico, the dry performance of the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain
T/A KM was very good. Tellico proved to be a very useful
testing ground for bringing out the true colors of these
champions of the trail.
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In
Conclusion
The
BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM tire has many great qualities
for the avid off-pavement hobbyist who needs a tire
that feels as much at home on the highway as it does
the rocks.
Strengths
include great all-around traction and quality, contained
in a very malleable, yet surefooted tire.
The
main weakness of this tire seems to be that it is very
prone to cosmetic damage, such as unsightly cuts and
abrasions.
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If
your vehicle is not a daily driver, and it is a dedicated
trail rig, you may be better off seeking out a more
durable and aggressively treaded alternative, but the
off-pavement adventurer with only one vehicle will welcome
the refined manners of the MT KM during the daily commute.
By
retaining a traditional design, BFGoodrich reminds us
that change doesn't always have to be radical to be
good. The BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM provides traction
that does not disappoint and the tire is sure to continue
to be a popular choice in the off-pavement tire market.
<Photo
- 32x11.50r15 on 8" rims at 10 psi - Very steep,
rocky descent, that involved turning to avoid trees.
In that situation, it was no surprise that the bead
could not withstand the stress. The tire re-mounted
fine, with no damage.>
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Chris
Shontz is a staff-writer for ROCKCRAWLER.com and
has proven that he can blow off even the best of
tire beads. Chris hails from the land of the horse
and buggy - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. |
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