Results of Road Force Balancing Hunter 9700 on my new BFG KM2's Muds

DonsBolt · Sep 16, 2008

I decided to start a new thread about the vibration I have been havig with the New BFG Mud Terrain KM's 35x12.5x15's

I took them to a different shop which has the top of the line Hunter GSP9700 Road Force machine.

Well not my surprise the BFG's didn't show very well. Two of the tires failed bad, and the other two passed but just bairlly. And one of the ones that did pass still had a visible hop to it.

I called BFG and had to fight with them to get them to agree to send me two new tires. They wanted to send me just one, saying you can't go by what the Hunter machine tells you.

They guy who tested these 4 tires said he wasn't happy with any of them, but the two that failed we about the worst he has seen in a long time. So if thats how BFG is making tires these days I would stay far away from them

Here are the two that failed

trlblazr · Sep 16, 2008

Why the big assembly weight difference?

73bronco · Sep 16, 2008

WOW that really sucks! Sorry to hear you are having problems. Those tires are really bad! I know what tires I won't ever buy! Thanks for keeping us all updated! Good luck!

tasker · Sep 16, 2008

I know where you can get some at's.....say the word and i'll dismount them so you can use or do what ever....

ep67bro · Sep 16, 2008

Wow that sucks! I have always been a fan of BFG tires I have had them on my last three daliy driver trucks and love them. I have a set of 315 70 R16 AT KM on my superduty that have 45,000 miles on them and they have been great. Also have a set of 33" BFG MT on my 67 bronco and they ride really nice. They are the old KMs not the KM2s. I hope this is just something with the new tread design not accross the product line.

DonsBolt · Sep 16, 2008

tasker said:
I know where you can get some at's.....say the word and i'll dismount them so you can use or do what ever....

Randy they are yours, so just enjoy them.
Though maybee I might ask to borrow the tires you just took off, if I need to drive for a few days without these BFG's

hehe what a dumbass I was giving those away, as they ride so smooooth

tasker · Sep 16, 2008

I'm not done polishing, and they are not balanced. But you could take them mounted on the slots and run them until you're ready...

00gyrhed · Sep 16, 2008

Ive got a set of p255/85 16s that balanced up pretty well but started hopping about 75 MPH.

I have been fighting tall tires and balancing my entire life. Heck I even took a set to get them shaved one time. Big waste of money on tall tires.

I thought that any one that had a hunter machine also had the glue in tire weights that they cement to the tire out at the backside of the tread. Not sure how ell that works on a tire that will eb run offroad but I have seen them turn absolutely terrible tires into smooth runners.

Throw some airsft pellets in the the tire and save yourself a lot of greif. Just let them get them as close as possible on the machine first.

I used to go back and forth between all the local tire shops until I found someone that actually knew how to run the machine and balance the tire. A few years ago I just decided life was too short. I now let them do their thing and watch them to see that thewy do it right. Then I take the tires home break them open and throw 5-10 oz (depending on tire size) of the high density airsoft BBs in every tire and put them back together leaving the weights where they were.

I am a lot happier person now too.

trlblazr · Sep 16, 2008

Damn, I learn a lot from this site:

There are a couple of commercially available products designed just for balancing tires. One company in particular, Innovative Balancing, has developed a product that works very well. They call them Dyna Beads. They are small ceramic balls that can be inserted through the valve stem. Since they are perfectly round, they quickly roll into position and adapt to balancing changes. They will not clump from moisture inside the tire. Since the media is small, they recommend a filtered valve stem so you don’t loose any of the media when air is released.

Compared to other media and bolt on balancers, the Dyna Beads are a bargain. On average, to buy the media, filtered valve cores and the removal tool for four tires, you’re looking at about $60. They claim their beads reduce the operating temperature of the tire and can extend tread life 35%. They have also developed a great chart which you can use to determine how much balancing media you need. Use it here, http://www.innovativebalancing.com/BigTirechart.htm.

Always one to save a buck or two at the expense of some effort, I found Airsoft pellets to be an excellent alternative that has most of the benefits of Dyna Beads and none of the drawbacks of the alternatives. Airsoft pellets are too large to fill through the valve stem and they are less massive per unit, so they’re not as efficient as Dyna Beads, but still very good. They are perfectly round balls of high density plastic which will not clump from moisture or breakdown over time. I ordered 2 KG of pellets online for $26 shipped to my door.

00gyrhed · Sep 16, 2008

walmart has them for like $19. I get 25-30% longer tire life on the 96 F250.

OX1 · Sep 16, 2008

I know a guy who claims he used to take brand new TSL's to a big truck shop and have the outer edge ground/cut until they were round. Lost a little tread, but barely needed to be balanced after that (so he claims). I have no other info and am not sure if it's even possible, but thats the story I was told. Maybe some truckers can chime in and verify this story (or not).

br0nc0xrapt0r · Sep 16, 2008

This seems like a classic case of a manufacturer rushing out a new product before all the kinks have been ironed out, I would have expected more from BFG

72_EB · Sep 16, 2008

Bummer news. I've been getting close to making the KM2 my next tire...maybe I'll stick to regular Mud Terrains.

DB,
How much oz. did you end up on the wheels (inside/outside) that did work?

Did you try a test ride with the bad ones anyway, unbalanced? Results?

To the bead users-
Still not sure about putting anything inside my tires for balancing. How does airing down effect that stuff? I drive to and from the trail. Experience?

DonsBolt · Sep 16, 2008

br0nc0xrapt0r said:
This seems like a classic case of a manufacturer rushing out a new product before all the kinks have been ironed out, I would have expected more from BFG

Thats what I am thinking

72_EB said:
Bummer news. I've been getting close to making the KM2 my next tire...maybe I'll stick to regular Mud Terrains.

DB,
How much oz. did you end up on the wheels (inside/outside) that did work?

Did you try a test ride with the bad ones anyway, unbalanced? Results?

They have a pretty good amout of weight approx 2-2.5 oz per side per wheel
The bad ones are still on the truck right now, I am sure it will take a while to get some new ones. I didn't try to run them with no weights

Actually I am trying to get the tire company to return these, and replace them with Goodyear mtr's

HoosierDaddy · Sep 16, 2008

Not to bust anyones ballons , but Tirerack.com has a research link on a lot of tires. BFG has been doing very poorly as of recent , in customer surveys. At least they were when I bought my Firestone's for the tow rig.
So , yup , no suprise here about them making poor tires. We ought to send them this thread and the other Donsbolt started. Once they realize sales are about to plummet , things will change. They used to be bada$$ tires , grip like hell , wear like iron.

sprdv1 · Sep 17, 2008

We'll just hope the new ones they get for ya are better..

roundhouse · Sep 17, 2008

Y'all are missing the point here.

The balance is not the issue, its the uneven sidewall strength.

Certain Parts of the sidewall are soft, and deform under load, it doesnt matter how perfectlly its balanced, when you put weight on it, it will no longer be a round tire, it will be an egg shape when it rolls.

If you buy new tires, only buy them at a shop that has the force machine, and have em tested, and observe the test.

My brother had 33'' BFG Ats installed on his big bronco and the shop had to try 7 tires before they found 4 that would pass the force test.

I doubt they sent the defective ones back, they just sold them to the next unsuspecting customer, who will never understand why their truck bounces, even after they have the tires balanced 10 times.

KyleQ · Sep 17, 2008

Never had an issues with my BFG's - I did get them over 4 years ago though...

mtfit · Sep 17, 2008

funny, I just replaced my 285-70-17's BFG AT"S on my 07 Dodge, 25k and truck started a horrible "death wobble" at highway speeds.
after the dealer checking and re-checking, alignment and much aggravation found some guys with the same problem, replaced with Toyo AT's.

phred · Sep 17, 2008

Just bought a set of MTR's and they balanced out very well. Not too much weight was added and I've had the truck upt to 90 and still smooth. Almost bought some bfg's for the other truck glad I waited.

Results of Road Force Balancing Hunter 9700 on my new BFG KM2's Muds

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