My retreads have held up fine both on road and off road during Maine Winter Romp. But as the tread wears down and thoughts are directed towards a much anticipated road trip, I need to consider a new tire that offers peace of mind and confidence when far from help... Sure I can continue using retreads and try out the Guard Dogs. but now as I learn more about tires my main concern is capability and sidewall thickness. The problem with retreads and that they use random second hand casings and its quite possible that over time the strength of the sidewalls decreases. Plus you cant very well request a thicker sidewall when buying retread tires. I've narrowed down my options to BFG KO2's, General Grabber AT2's and Retread Guard Dogs with Kedge Grip. Not interested in Goodyear, Cooper or any Chinese tires.

I visited the BFGoodrich and General Tire websites to learn more about the top competitors but they do not list the sidewall ply thickness. One Jeep forum member said the General AT2's are 2 ply on the sidewall while the BFG's are 3 ply sidewall. Can anyone here confirm the sidewall thickness as well as your honest review of these two tires?

 

Interestingly the General Grabber AT2 tires are backed by the team of Expedition Overland:



While the BFGoodRich T/A KO'2's are backed by Andrew St Pierre White of 4XOverland:

 

I haven't owned the General Grabber AT2's but I've had other Grabbers. The problem I had were when the tire got down to about 5/32nds of tread I always got flat tires from rocks going right through the tread. It kind of turned me away from Generals.

 

I've never had a set of BFG's disappoint me. I've had general tires on some of my company vehicles and they were not so hot. I was interested in the red sidewall lettered general's when I had a Jeep, but they weighed a lot more per tire so I skipped em and went with some Goodyear Duratracs.

 

Same here! Went off-roading and put rocks through 2 tires when they were 3 years old. Had lots of tread left too.

 

I dunno why but I always like to answer this question on here and Dweb when it comes up. Must be 3 or 4 threads w me praising the BFG's. I've had both. On multiple trucks. So I hope I'm the one to answer your questions.

First the AT2 is a freaking great tire. It really is. I've had them on a few trucks in a few different sizes. Ranging from a 33x12.50x15 to a 245/75/16. I had both English load rated and C/D load ratings. They aren't bad all around. I had them mud snow desert and bare rocks. Not just on a Rover. But on a big *** Suburban, a CJ7 and an XJ jeep. Couple pics below. I liked them. Reasonably quiet on road two. The have a 55k mile warranty as a nice bonus. Plus the price point is really nice. I never wanted a different tire...until I went to go buy the next set for my blue classic. The salesman suggested the KO2's and I never looked back.

The AT2 245/75 on my D1



79 CJ 33x12.50x16


The Burb 33x12.50x16


Finally the stock XJ. 245/75/16 I think...

I bought my first set of KO2'S to replace the aging Yokohama MT's that I hated. I had a few sets of the original KO tires (who hasn't) they were always decent but never outstanding. They sucked in the rain. So under a little sales pressure( having already ordered the AT2) I tried the new generation when fitting my classic. They were 265/75/16. 10 ply. They where outstanding. I couldn't believe how much better they were not only from the Yokohama but the previous generation of BFG and the AT2. Much much better wet on road traction. Far quieter. And surprisingly good in mud. I sold that truck and bought a D1. That had a decent set of Hankook ATM on it. They sucked. Bad. So I installed a set of 235/85/16. They were as expected awesome. I immediately took a 1300 mile road trip and they were put through some real torture. Fully loaded with dogs and gear and a wife I got myself stuck in a washed out sand trail. I was sure I was screwed. I aired down and it pulled right out. I was seriously impressed. That trip saw a ton of mud and sand. Plus the highway driving on the way back. That truck saw a lot more miles of hard off road and on road road trips. The tires never failed me.

Then I sold that truck and bought my D2. That had a crap set of Falken street tires. That I replaced with a set of the original KO's that a friend had in his garage...that I hated. So I bit the bullet and bought a set of the most expensive tires I've bought. 275/65/18 10ply. Holy hell they are proud of their product. I bought the replacement certificates too. Damn...
But they are worth it. I've done the hardest off road driving I've ever done in this truck. They are awesome for a dual purpose vehicle. I've even nailed a hidden rock edge going way to fast and ripped holes in two of them. Neither lost any air. I drove home off road and then around town for over a week with the gouges in there. Never had an issue. I finally had them changed out under warranty. The only way I'll ever change is if I build a more dedicated off road truck. Then that will get the KM2's.The only you downside been is the price. Pics below tell the story.

 

What a great set of pics. If nothing else, thanks for posting those!

 

Thank you Shiftonthefly for taking the time to review the tires in question and thanks for sharing the pics of your vehicles! Awesome. Your review has weighed heavily on my upcoming decision. For the most part I've really never heard anything bad about General Grabber AT2's or the brand itself, and many people world wide stand behind the General. The same can clearly be said for BFGoodrich T/A K02's, the original K0's and the brand in general.

But one thing that makes the K02 stand out is the countless claims of its build quality, ruggedness and endurance. Its ability to take the abuse. Its reliability. Despite all the positive claims Ive heard/read about the AT2's, reliability and endurance were never among theme.

I think Andrew St Pierre White has been the most convincing of all though. One of his overland treks involved a solo expedition across the Kalahari in his Land Cruiser. During his trek he was using Bridgestone D964 tires. Unfortunately one of his tires failed and he had to cut his expedition short, despite having a full size spare. The question of reliability. "What if his spare also failed?". On his way back from the failed expedition he found a Land Rover Discovery tipped over on its roof, as a result of a blown tire - just so happen to be a Bridgestone 964 tire... The occupants were unharmed despite the accident.

Fast forward to the post credits Conclusion for details on rhw failed Bridgestone tires and the rolled over Discovery:

A year or later Andrew White returned to the Kalahari with a different year Land Cruiser, different "hat" and the new BFGoodrich T/A K02's. He was amazed at how well they not only out performed the Bridgestone tires, but even how much better they performed than the original K0's. He drove over 6,000 miles on them and found not a single crack in the tires despite the rough conditions of the Kalahari. He stressed the importance of a reliable strong tire as well as the importance of maintaining proper tire pressures. When to air down, when to air back up and what not to do while your tires are aired down kinda stuff etc.

Amazon sells the 235/85/R16 BFGoodrich T/A K02's for around $179 per tire so I cant complain to much considering how much the same tire cost of larger wheels...



So thanks again so much for all your reviews and opinions on the subject. I was looking forward to trying out my first set of General Grabber tires, but the BFGoodrich tires must be the better choice.

 

I have the BFG's on both my Disco II and my F 250. I just put the third set on my 250. Last set went just over 70,000 miles. The D2 is a completely different truck with the BFG's on it. I cannot speak more highly of them. I will not put another tire on any on/off road vehicle I ever own. I have had them on two different 250's, a 150, an Escape and a Discovery. I have never, not once had a flat tire. I have been so impressed wit them I will simply not waste met money trying a different tire when I know the BFG's work so incredible well.

 

No problem. Sorry for the long post. I had a few drinks in me. Haha.

One more thing I forgot to mention...the AT2 is studable. That's something it has over the BFG. Although the BFG is is outstanding in the snow with out the studs.