Agustin Jimenez | Associate Online Editor
Posted December 12, 2013
Photographers: Tony Rojo
Top Secret Tire Spotted in Baja
We normally aren’t into spy shots since it’s just not our cup of whisky but when our good friend Tony Rojo told us he had some highly classified photos from Baja, we knew we had to take a look. Surprisingly, we didn’t find any close ups of the mythical and elusive Chupacabra chasing Class 11 bugs around the race course. What we did see was some cool spy shots of BFGoodrich’s latest rendition of the All-Terrain T/A KO at contingency during the 2013 Baja 1000. Naturally we were pretty curious to learn more about this new design that has obviously been kept under wraps for quite some time.
We contacted BFGoodrich to try to get the full scoop on this cool new All-Terrain but they are keeping quiet on this one for the time being. All we can do right now is speculate on how this new All-Terrain will do. You’ll notice they’ve done away with the clean and simple sidewall tread that many have come to love and have gone the way of the thick sidewall tread which seems to be more about looks rather than actual performance on the trail. That being said, we’re guessing this tire might have a slightly thicker carcass than the All-Terrain we all know and love. Furthermore, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the tire already has a DOT number on them so the odds are it might be coming real soon. The tread face looks really similar to the current All-Terrain T/A KO, mainly the center three diagonal lugs that have proven to be a great design for many years.
We think it’s safe to assume that the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 will more than likely hit the market sometime next year since it’s currently being tested and proven in the deserts of Baja but since we know you want to know more about this skunk-works tire; we decided to ask the Big Cheese, our Editor-In-Chief John Cappa about his thoughts on this latest tire to roll out of BFG. Here's what he had to say!
John Cappa:
The All-Terrain spotted at the 2013 Baja 1000 looks like a full production tire, meaning all of the numbers are on the sidewall, including what appears to be a DOT number. So what’s different? While the tread looks the same, it’s not. There are fewer sipes across the lugs and the lugs themselves appear to be shaped slightly different. A big change is the extra rubber and tread protecting the sidewall. We have no idea if the rubber compound or carcass construction is different than the previous generation BFG All Terrain, and the boys and girls at BFG have been pretty tight lipped and not returning our calls.
Showing new product can reduce sales on the current product because consumers will want to wait for the new stuff. They better hurry up with the new stuff.
Lots of posts online complain how BFG has milked the design for the AT for too long. It is out dated. The larger sizes also garner many complains about how they come out of the mold 5 pounds heavy on one side. Look at the crude injection/casting ridges left on the proto type.
The side bling will probably sell lots of tires to FJ and stock jeep owners...
I found it interesting that Cooper now has a "tri" guard sidewall option in their AT/MT.
Steve Arndt wrote:Lots of posts online complain how BFG has milked the design for the AT for too long. It is out dated.
As long as the new version works as good as the old, I will be happy and could care less what it looks like. I have always wished they were a little more aggressive looking on my trucks but have run them because of their performance, especially in the snow, not because of what they look like.
Now with that said...I kinda like the looks of the new sidewall. However I do hope that that outer tread does not hook and grab the ruts in the pavement. That is something I fight when I run a more aggressive mud tire in the summer months.
It is not Mickey Moused.....It's Desert Engineered!
I'm not a huge fan of the sidewalls. I imagine they will work just like the old ones. My KO's are about 7 years old and starting to show their age, they have started chunking in the last year or so. I have been trying to decide to buy another pair or go with something like the Grabbers that seem very popular. I agree that the KO's have an outdated tread design, but you can't argue with how well they work.
Lotrat wrote:It's gotta hurt them to see all the red letter General tires popping up all over.
Lotrat wrote:It's gotta hurt them to see all the red letter General tires popping up all over.
General Grabbers are half the price of a Baja TA. Our price on BFG's are around $400.00 for a 33x10.5 Baja TA and the Red letters are $155.00. That is if you buy 12 at a time.
I like the new ones.
I never liked how squared off they were at the shoulder. It also left the sidewall unprotected since it was so much wider than the tread. I've seen a few sidewall punctures from rocks that other tires went right over. Especially bad when aired down.
I don't always show my signature. But when I do, it's in this area.
Steve Arndt wrote:The side bling will probably sell lots of tires to FJ and stock jeep owners...
You may be on to something. The Jeep guys seem to favor the Goodyear Duratracks. Maybe BFG finally noticed the other choices out there. I put the Cooper ATs on my Cherokee and Suburban. Been a good tire, but not very exciting to look at.
I have run the BFG AT's on my rock crawler in the past. They worked well, were quiet and wore well. If run on the right size wheels, the sidewalls are not an issue. However, they were not aggressive enough and I now run Goodyear MTR Kevlars and love them.
My Tundra runs BFG AT's and I really enjoy them. They are load rated E, smooth and work well in the sand. It is about time for another set and while I looked at the Generals for something different, they dont make them in my size. I will be buying another set of BFG AT's in the near future, new style or old...
Until some experience shows how well they perform, the vote will be out. But they LOOK zoomy.
People who complain that the original KO tread design is "outdated" are buying the trend, not the performance. One COULD postulate that since Mickey Thompson Tires introduced the Baja Claw with side wall tread in 1972, so if ya wanna talk about an outdated style...
There are some other tire designs which worked great back 40 years ago and the same tread design now on modern casings with some computer adjustments to tread spacing for quietness are excellent designs now. Like the Armstrong "Norseman" (which IS made now under the "Dick Cepek" brand - Dick Cepek was a Baja racer in the early days and the biggest dealer of Armstrong tires), or the Gates "XT Commando" (made now by Mickey Thompson tires sized for front use on buggies as the "Mini Mag") or the later Gates "Sand Command" (later known as the Western Auto "Sand Blaster" and now made by Mickey Thompson as the "Baja Pro").
I agree with the statement above that the BFG KO could use a rounder shoulder for less digging in soft dirt/sand/snow. Same for the old Gates XT Commando. Somewhere between an XT Commando and a Sand Blaster would be great.
Richard
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting
PS...I didn't vote for the reason specified in the 1st sentence of my previous post.
Richard
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting
