BFG KM2 or GY MTR Kevlar for PNW

Living in Portland and my truck is my DD. Small amounts of offroading and large amounts of commuting. Looking for the better tire for rainy conditions as my BFG MT's handle like crap on rainy roads and not so great on wet rocks. Any advice for this area?

Thanks, Munk

 

This

But if you're set on the MT's i've personally owned both of them (and a set of Duratracs right now too ) and would recommend the MT-R Kevlars over the KM2s.
KM2s were terrible in wet and snowy conditions, and the MTR's offer much better steering control in the snow and any other conditions as well. They're slightly louder than the KM2's though, and a bit heavier which will dock a slight bit of MPG's

 

Thanks guys!

 

another vote for duratracs here! especially as a DD, the duratracs have pretty decent handling and performance on wet pavement while being aggressive enough to take you most places offroad. excellent snow performance as well!

 

Well I've got 65k of KM2 experience, and 5k on BFG AT/KO (on my VW Syncro).

KM2's require some driver thought during slick conditions. Rain, slushy snow, fresh snow and sand aren't a big deal. When you get into icey conditions they need to be siped...expect bad lateral traction (think like off camber sliding...even parking scenarios) and you'll be looking for a spot on the road to get a fresh track. Honestly, they are a decent tire but I don't think I'd go for a third set at this point. Being a good tire in fresh snow isn't a strong point considering fresh snow is the easiest to drive in. They work in most conditions, just you will have to work as the driver and be mindful. I think the second set I got wander a bit more than the first set. I've heard similar complaints as well. Long story short they leave a lot on the table in favor of excellent traction on rock and mud.

I'm not sure if the GY MTR Kevlar is much better. I ran the old MT/R on my '90 Yota and loved them. Just never bought the new version for the Tacoma due to getting KM2 for cheap usually. GY MT/R seems more popular now days, probably for a good reason.

BFG AT great all around tire, dated look, picks up rocks and lets you know about it the moment you hit pavement.

Duratracs seem like a good option...I'd probably run those in place of BFG AT if I would have been the one to purchase them.

 

good info here! having never run KM2s i can't speak to them, but i have put about 60k miles on two sets of BFG ATs on my previous two trucks (a 2000 tacoma and 2007 tundra) and they are also an excellent tire. i have about a year and 18k miles on the duratracs now and i gotta say, i much prefer them to the BFG ATs. a bit more aggressive look, same loudness, easily balanced, better snow and wet traction.

 

THIS. I'm glad I read this response before posting, because it's exactly what I intended to say.

I'll also add that I usually hate it when people offer suggestions that weren't asked about in the first place, but this is an exception. If you were set on one the two you listed, definitely MTR. However, since you referenced the fact that you live in the true NW, and mostly commute with it, Duratrac's would be so much much better than either.

 

MTR Dura Trac comparison. Mtrs that much louder than Dura Tracks? Mtrs are like a really aggressive all terrain tire to me. Boggers are mud tires. Torn between the two. Daily driver, off road often, sand and mud main obstacles. Have Silent Armors with 45k miles on then, and are only about half worn out. So I'll get another set of Goodyears.

 

I'm definitely getting my money's worth and more from this, thinking seriously about Duratracs now..... Thanks all, much appreciated.

 

I wish they made Duratracs in 255/80/17

 

MT stands for Maximum Traction, not Mud Terrain. Duratrac's are an aggressive All-Terrain, MT/R's are definitely much more off-road oriented and are not an All-Terrain.

Boggers? You're correct, they have one main purpose: mud.

 

I'm concerned with the apparent weak sidewalls. When I'm running off road I expect my tires to perform like they can get me back out. Even if the MTRs are more aggressive, they look very streetable to me. To many stories about Dura Trac failures to be confident slogging through the swamp and stumps and roots.
Plus, I am a size shopper. 305/70r-17 in MTR is just right.

 

To me it seems weak sidewalls are relative. If you spin tires in sharp rocks/shale, pretty much any tire will slit a sidewall or chunk apart. So far we've only run the duratracs on road and a few fire roads to access mountain lake trails, but they seem pretty durable. And my MTR's have held up fine too, even in a few sharp rock areas i've wheeled. I believe it's about being smart and not expecting tires to be invincible. Be smart with your lines and smart on the gas/brakes in sharp rock crawling areas and you'll most likely be fine with any decent offroad aimed tire.
My thoughts about guys with the MTR kevlars cutting sidewalls is that they hear they're kevlar and expect them to be invincible so they get a little stupid with throttle and steering, and the next thing you know they've got a slashed tire. My theory on why the MTR sidewalls slash 'easily' is also the fact that kevlar is very strong, though not flexible like rubber. So rather than flex and yield like rubber, they tend to maintain their shape and then fail spectacularly all of a sudden.

 

I'm agreeing with the KM2 consensus.

I'm interested in the new tires that are coming out that are similar to the Duratrac. There's the Cooper ST Maxx and Mickey Thompson Baja ATZP3 that look like possible options

 

Thanks Eric, seeing that you have had both MTR's and Dura Tracks, are the Dura Tracs way more road friendly then the MTRs? This is after all my daily driver.
Living in Florida, my main obstacles are mud and sand, roots and stumps under water, not many rocks down here. Dura Tracs are lighter and would make a better street tire for sure. Torn.

 

Kevlar is used in its fabric stage in tires. Therefore, it's actually just as if not more flexible than rubber. Kevlar becomes stronger and less pliable as its infused with epoxy. The mtr sidewalls are weak and prone to cutting. If you compare the thickness of the mtr sidewall to any other tire you'll notice that its thinner and more pliable/softer. Kevlar adds strength to the sidewall but I think the problem is that Goodyear just used less and softer rubber. I've had three sidewall puntures. One from shipping, one on a gravel road, and one on a mild trail with loose rock. I was aired down to 15 psi on the last two. They are great tires but any time I aired them down I was worried I'd puncture a sidewall. I've had multiple friends with the same issue.