Time for tires

My experience with the Cooper STT:

Less expensive than BFG
Last longer than BFG (45,000 miles on full-size & more on downsize)
Better warranty than anyone (Cooper's have an Off-Road warranty. I once mangled a sidewall on a rocky trail & a bubble resulted. The tires were gauged to be at 1/2 tread at 26,000 miles on my full-time '78 Jimmy. With 50% tread gone, I paid 50% of dealer cost for a new tire - no labor or tax charge).
Louder than BFG
Handle real well on-road

I've owned this tire in 31x10.50 (3 sets), 255/85R16, & 265/75R16. Only ones I would never buy again are the 255/85's. That size & the 235/85R16 come with a raised center bar that creates a single treadblock in the center once the tire wears to 1/2 tread. At 32,000 miles, mine still had nice outer lugs, but a slick center & they had to be replaced. I know guys who have gotten 60,000 miles or more out of STT's in 30x9.50 & 31x10.50 on CJ's. If you can handle the additional noise (especially once they get below 1/2 tread), I can't see any reason to choose the BFG over the Coopers.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

What kind of driving do you do?
1) 95% hwy - 5% off road = AT's
2) Lots of hwy - mostly rock and and little mud off road = AT's
3) Lots of hwy - mostly mud off road = MT's or AT's and a winch
4) Mostly off road with little mud = AT's or other more agressive tread.
5) Mostly off road of all kinds = Something more agressive than MT's with even heavier sidewalls.
6) Mostly interested in looking bad and don't do any off roading = MT's (not being a smart alec. Looks are important to lots of people. Nothing wrong with that. MT's look bad and still wear well on the hwy)

If it looks like I'm putting MT's down, I am really not. Kind of a stupid example: If you went to a store to buy a $10 item would you rather have $12 or $13 in your pocket? Both will work. Both MT's and AT's will work. MT's are better in certain circumstances and AT's in others. (sometimes the MT's are $13, sometimes the AT's are the $13 - both are able to handle the $10 obsticle)

1) Hwy driving particularly in the rain AT's are better
2) Slick rock, AT's are better.
3) Mud, MT's are better.
4) Loose dirt, depends. Sometimes MT's, sometimes AT's. Depends on the foundation.
5) Sand, AT's. MT's tend to dig in and sink.

Since I do not like mud, use my TJ for daily driving (only vehicle), drive it on long trips to go wheeling, am unable to store or carry extra tires, don't particularly like the road noise although it isn't that much of an annoyance and am well equipped to get myself out of most any off road situation (fully locked, winch, straps, shovel, hi lift and lots of friends), my first and only choice is BFG AT's.

Have not had experience with the other tires you mention, but can broadly say that the more agressive the tread pattern the less well it works on the highway, and different styles of agressive tread work better in specific situations off road than other styles and visa versa. Can also say there is NO tire that is perfect for all conditions. You need to determine what your tires will be called on to do MOST of the time and buy with that in mind. If you are a "looks" person, figure out how much usability you want to give up to satisfy your desire to look a certain way. If you are able to replace swampers every 8 thousand miles or so, and looks are that important (no off roading), then go for it.

If looks are not important and you do little or no off roading, there are lots of good tires on the market that cost much less than any of the ones mentioned here, perform very well and will last many many miles.

Doug '97 TJ
My Web Site

Can't argue with any of the above, but I was making the assumption (correctly or otherwise) that FNG had sold himself completely on getting a more aggressive tread. That's neither here nor there, so on with the reason for this post.

One tire you did not mention was the Uniroyal Laredo M/T. I'd like to share my one-time experience with these. When the 255/85 STT's wore out, Cooper still did not have that tread design available in 265/75R16 (they do now). Not wanting to spend that kind of money on tires that would only be useful for such a short time, I purchased a set of Uniroyal Laredo M/T's in LT265/75R16. These tires were quieter than the Coopers & performed well in mud & snow. But, they're squirrelly as can be on pavement - dry or wet. They squirm while cornering & follow cracks in the pavement more than I like. I've talked to others who've had this same tire in other sizes & they too felt that the tread squirms too much for aggressive driving. And my one set wore out quicker than the Coopers. I would not recommend this tire.

BTW, I've also owned Swamper TSL's in several sizes & would definitely NOT recommend them for anything but off-road or the occasional dash to the store. My Swampers have logged a lot more miles perched above the road on my trailer than they have in actual contact with pavement. I know this wasn't one of your options, but thought I'd throw that out there in case it comes up in this thread.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

Okay, more info...................
Daily driver in LA traffic. Get's to see rocks and dirt and rocks on the weekend. AT's don't bite as well as MT's on the terrain I'm running on.
As for noise, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE LOUDER PLEASE? I'm not too worried about this, I like the sound of tires on pavement /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif.
As for buying anything for the Jeep for looks..... My only concern is traction on the rocks....... by the way Doug, you didn't mention big nasty sharp edged rocks in your post.

_____________________
John
95.5 YJ with "stuff"
http://SonsofThunder4x4.com

Well, nasty sharp edged rocks and I have met on more than one occasion. They usually win. Sidewalls on both MT and AT are the same. Both will suffer from sharp rocks. Get the road hazzard. I have yet to replace a BFG from wear. The sidewall gets cut first.
A lot of the traction of the AT, or MT for that matter, has to do with the air pressure you run off road. I'm of the low pressure clan. Run about 6 to 7 psi with 35x12.5 ATs, and the "bite" you are talking about is sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes not there depending on the terrain. The "bite" is good in mud and where the edges of the cleats or lugs can actually grab something, like a ledge. The "bite" is bad in the sand where it tends to dig a hole and bury the tire instead of grabbing anything. The "bite" is non existant on slick rock or concrete. That's why the ATs are a better highway rain tire. The next criteria is that the AT actually puts 12% more rubber on the ground than the MT so that in cases where tread is less important (the "bite" factor isn't working) the AT produces more traction.
I have run both. The type of off roading I do, mostly DRY 4 & 4 plus trails on a 1 to 4 rating system (as little mud as possible), along with all the highway driving I do puts the AT at the top of my list. Not trying to sell you on ATs, just passing along my experience, preferences and reasons for the preferences in an effort to help you make a decision, and I promise you, I winch people and strap people with more agressive tires than mine much more often than they do the same for me.

Doug '97 TJ
My Web Site