Re: BFG MT\'s or AT\'s??
We run both tires on the TJ, but they're 31's. In the winter I prefer the AT's, they handle great in the slush, ice, and wet pavement. The MT's will perform well in the same conditions when new, but aren't nearly as good with a few miles on them. They go OK in the deep snow as well. I have run AT's in sizes 215/15, 235/15, 31x10.5 and 265/16 on various vehicles. I routinely get over 60K on them for wear, and one set I have rotated from Scout to Jeep to Jeep for over 7 years, still no cracks or problems. Cjjeepercreeper is right about the mud though, even aired down they're not that great. If you're going to wheel in the sand or rocks, they're OK, but mud is out. They're also very quiet, not that the MT's are loud, they're just louder than the AT's. Traction on pavement is awesome though, whether it's wet or dry.
We wheel frequently with the TJ, so we run BFG MT's in the summer. We tried running them in the winter and found it to be a mistake, so we switched. When the pavement is cold and a little wet, forget about traction unless you're light on the gas. We have had, on more than one occasion, the TJ come around on us during acceleration. We have the 6cyl, 5spd, 3.55's with Trac-Lok, so that probably didn't help, but we were surprised at the difference in tires. They were OK on wet pavement in the summer, don't get me wrong, there's no safety problem with traction overall. The wearability is the same, we got over 55K on the MT's and they'd still take a sticker. The noise is increased a little with the MT's, but with a soft top (or no top), you won't notice a difference, they're not Super-Swamper loud. Off road is where you notice a huge difference. Sand, mud, rocks, whatever, these tires grip, and do it well. They clear well, which is the main problem with the AT's.
I hope the pros and cons I have listed help in your decision. If I had to buy 1 tire based on your description, which would it be? I don't know, really. We wheel with our TJ once a month, pretty hard, so we like the MT's overall, and I'll be buying a new set in the spring. For my Trooper, which only occasionally sees the dirt (camp, hunting, skiiing, etc), I prefer the AT's all the way. Good luck in your decision.
JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205/7" Lift/33" Swampers/D44's F&R 4.10's & Lockrights
. If you do any off-roading, you'll wish you had the MT's. I've had mine for about a year now, and they're wearing great and ride good. They are scary on ice tho! and if it's really wet, you gotta watch it.
