Tyres BFG? Coopers? or Mickey Thompsons?

Hado,

This is one of the most asked questions on the forum. Click on the article link at the top of your post. You’ll find over 5000 posts on BFGs, Coopers and Micky Thomsons. You can select each tyre brand individually. There is a post on Micky T’s just down the page a bit (Post 83019).

If you’re after the best (in my opinion) for rough work and off track work, Toyo Open Country MT’s. There are no substitutes in my book. Their sidewall construction is the strongest and most stake resistant I’ve come across yet.

Mick

All good tyres.
I have used many brands and BFG's are the only tyre I have bought a second time and would buy again.
PS. Don't let the search police put you off asking as it's always good to hear up to date reports. If people stopped asking questions, new or old the forum would cease to exist.
Outback Bob

We have done 80,000klms in 3 years on our first set of Mickey Ts 285/75/16 ATZ 5 ribs. Four laps of Tasi one lap of Oz, Strez track, Birdsville track, Old Telegraph track at the cape, The Great central Higway and up to Mitchel Falls in the Kimberly. No puntures, not a single tyre related problem and we have eight of them (camper trailer plus two spares).

Rotate them regularly and drop 10lbs out for gravel roads.
they will get a little noisey when they are getting old (in our case after 50,000klms).

Just put a new set on for the next 100,000klms and were pleasantly surprised at the cost.

Steve and Carol

This is just another classic reason as to why the topics need to be categorised.

What type Hado ? - there are many answers to such an open question
usually most know there approximate size , and type of tyre.

e.g. Muddies , AT or an AT with LT construction

I look for the tyre that will get me their and back most saftely and choose its characteristics accordingly.

Hence BFG AT (LT construction) for me as they handle the most dangerous situations the best (loose dirt roads ).

Horses for courses mate, I have a set of mtz's on the Nissan GQ, when travelling always up on weight, as above just drop a bit of preasure on the rough stuff, drive to the conditions and read the road, should be good.
Haven't used the others so can't comment on them.

cheers

When I travelled around the top end the tyre that seems to cause the most problems were Coopers. I saw a tyre that blew out, causing a fair bit of damage to the side of the vehicle. They had been travelling on the black stuff for some time when it happened. The tyre had plenty of tread on it, but Coopers where not going to stand by their warranty. I know there might be other factors that caused this to happen.

Hado,

I tow a 3500kg, 20ft, Bushtracker behind my 200 series.

I have fitted Hankook ATM (RF10) in 285/70X17.

Huge 1700kg Load Rating and the larger size cures the 4% speedo error in the OEM size tyres.

Fitted and balanced at my local dealer in town for $340 each.

They are very quiet and don't seem to wear very fast. I'm happy.

Hi Hado,

Its horses for courses. If your after a set of tough as nails off road tyres buy the BFG's If you after tyres that are suitable for the black top only and should be trusted off road , get the others.

Flak jacket on, Helmet on, Head down, incoming artillery.

Cheers Wilko

BFG MT's & now MT2's for my Prado - long life (100k) & I don't need to be concerned too much about the weather when I'm out!

Excellent in sand too...just go easy on wet hotmix mainly roundabouts when wet after being dry for a long time....

G'day Hado

Simply put and from my personal experience.


Mickey Thompson MTZ = popular, long lasting BUT they have had carcase failures, with no product back up from the manufacturer or the on seller of the product.

BFG KM2 = popular, long lasting stable tread blocks, all these tyres are the Mud Terrain tread pattern.

I can not say anything about the Cooper brand of tyres apart from seeing more "Killed" Cooper tyres than the others.

I don't drive in the snowfields, or rain forrests or the sandy deserts of central Australia. I live in and drive throughout the Pilbara, all my tyres have sustained a puncture or two ~ thats life on and off road.

Good luck with your personal choice.

Just a little story
On one of our trips we went to a 4x4 park and took the "18" pop top. It was easy getting the van in but it poured most of our time there and I was a bit worried about getting out. It seems the blokes were too as I over herd a conversation about the plan to get out. I wasn't too impressed to say the least but we headed off. It surprised us all how the tyres dug in and got us out without any troubles at all. We are convinced it was the Micky T's atz. The same set have taken us to all sorts of places from Cape York to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road, Vic High country and Blue Mountains over a 18 month period. Still going strong.

Going by this and many similar threads I think you can easily it is the Holden V Ford style debate.
What doesn't get qualified enough with various opinions is the type of conditions that you are using a particular tyre in.

I am on my second set of MT MTZ's as I have been happy with them in all conditions, they have performed well for me in Cape York, Simpson desert and the Vic high country. For a muddie they also behave quite well on the black top as a daily driver.
I don't doubt that there are other tyres that will out perform them in a particular area but I think in general they tick all of the boxes well.

I did consider trying the BFG's second time round out of curiosity but thought I would stick with what I was already happy with.

BTW
I don't know why but the same size tyre, the BFG M2 is nearly 25mm narrower than the same size MTZ, I don't know why ????

Hi Hado
I run Cooper ST,s on my Ranger when on a trip,have
just done over 10,000 ks (GCR,Oodnadatta track Strezleky track
Cameron corner included ) a lot of dirt and corrugation's as well as tar
One puncher for the whole trip.I take them off when running around town
Norm

I have the MT ATZ 285/70-17 4 rib on my 200 and have done now 35,000km towing a 2800kg van around Oz, nearly home, currently in Bendigo.

My opinions ..., well they have performed well in all conditions, really good in sand, gravel and bitumen. Haven't done much mud. Dropped them to 25psi in gravel but still got a puncture on the Tom Price mine road. A sharp stone right through the tread on the front left.

Downside is that they are way too noisy for me and even more so for SWMBO. And, even though I have been rotating every 10000km, I doubt they will reach their 'guaranteed ' life of 80000km. They are over half worn out now and are even noisier than when new, sounds like all my wheel bearings are shot when on bitumen. (maybe they are!!).

I have never had either BFG or Cooper so can't compare but, based on this trip, I will be going for a much quieter tyre when these are worn. For the work I do, as long as it is AT tread and LT construction, then that will do. Now that Bridgestone do the 694 in 285/65-17, same size as OEM AND, now in LT, they will be the tyre I will probably go for. At the moment, it is the ONLY tyre that is LT and the same size as OEM.

The MT's are 833mm diam against the OEM at 809mm which strictly, makes them illegal and HUGE. The bloody truck is high enough anyway but it seems to look much higher with the MT's.

Hado,

I have run BFG's and Coopers on my GU.

Over the years I ran 5 sets of BFG's, I loved them and could see no reason to change. Most people who run them are happy to keep buying them, and for good reason. They are a very good tyre.

I am currently running Cooper ST/C's. This is the third set on the GU and I got around 80,000km out of each of the first two sets and expect the same from this set.

The reason for the switch was simple. I was a happy BFG customer until the first set I put on the GU. I was concerned about the tyre wear so went in to see the local distributor. He set about accusing me of abusing the tyres, he got angry and was swearing at me and calling me all sorts of names that I will not repeat. And I had not asked him for anything. All I wanted to do was let him see the tyres so that he could give feedback to the manufacturer. Needless to say I walked out of the shop and started looking for tyres somewhere else.

I was reluctant to get the Cooper's but I had a professional relationship with the Cooper dealer and he convinced me to give the ST/C's a go. 170,000km's later and I am happy to keep fitting the ST/C's.

Tyre dealers are like doctors. Find a good one and cultivate a relationship. If he knows you will come back again he is more likely to think about what he recommends and not just sell you the tyre he makes the most money on. If Stubbsie from Bridgestone in Broken Hill recommends a tyre I will be happy to give it a go. Pity I now have to drive 1200km to see him.

I suspect any of the tyres you are looking at will provide good performance across a wide range of terrain. Similarly it is possible to get a bad batch and have problems with any of them. Once again that is when the relationship with the dealer pays dividends.

Duncs

Ive had the Bridgestone D694 L/T for 18 months and are very happy with them especially in beach sand .

Original factory tyres on my RA Rodeo did 23k

A set of Cooper Sts did 31k

My Maxi Bravo 753s have done 36k and have another 10k in them

The Maxi Bravo are a better priced tyre then most, have been great Off and On road - They are worth a go

I am over Coopers tyres, they did chip on the rocks, the Maxis have not.

Cheers Tony

I put a new set of BFG's on my 100 to do a lap they have done 65,000k now and havent even had a puncture yet.

They are A/T's as I thought the muddies too noisy and not so good in the wet on tarmac.

Have found mine excellent, not noisy and gripped ok in offroad sand and the minor mud I got into.

Was towing a 2850kg van 75% of the time and they will still do a trip of Queensland later next year.

Would buy another set except will be selling the vehicle when trip finishes.