Tire question BF Goodrich KM2's ...

[ehaser]

Can anyone tell me the difference between these two tires? I'm probably going with a 22x12 wheel and would like these since they come in a 335/55/22.. My question is that the pic of the KM2 on their site shows more siping ... I've included a few pics from other hummer owners and their KM2's look different?? Can anyone explain? Also, I'm trying to figure out if this setup will fit without a lift? The overall diameter is 36.5 but the width is 13.2
I'm concerned that I may have to go with a 20 inch wheel setup since they make an actual 37x12.5x20 inch tire. I wonder if the decrease in tire height will allow for the increased width.

[chizel]

I just got 5 37x12.50 17 and they do not have the siping in the middle 2 blocks of tread. I do think they are great tires though just not for ice. Very low increase in hum over the stock T/A's.

I went to Discount TIre for a quote and they said it would cost 2900.00 plus an unknown shipping amount to get 5 of them installed. Ended up going to tirerack.com and had 5 shipped to me for 1700.00. Installed at the locak Farm Bureau for 115.00.

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by chizel

I do think they are great tires though just not for ice. .

OMG, I bet those tires suck on icy roads.... however, most do...lol.

I guess if you live somewhere that doesn't get a lot of ice, it's not a problem.


Mark

[ehaser]

Obviously that was another one of my concerns. Being that I live in the North East I doubt that these will be an option due to the snow. Any recommendations for this application? I'm being told that the Kuhmos' won't rub on a 22x11 with a 37x12.5 tire setup. I've heard good and bad about them.

[H2 Bill]

I have the KM2's and they don't look anything like the last picture!

[timgco]

not to discourage what your're after...your truck.

But I think you'll be happier in the long run on going to a 20" wheel. There are more choices out there for wheel and tire setups in the 20" size. Keep in mind, your brakes with these heavier wheels/ tires, the offset of the wheel and thier wideth. A couple guys here added the 6K brake upgrade kits due to the extra weight of those heavy wheels. ...you'll need them with that bigger setup. Steering compoenents will need an upgrade as well. stabilizer, idler/ pitman support kit, tierods not a bad idea either. Even if you don;t off road, you will find the front end getting worked out fast vs the stock setup. ...just a thought before you spend the money on your setup.

I would consider a tire with siping only for where you live...unless you are going to run two different sets for the seasons. If only one set, I would look into a couple brands. There are a couple MT tires that will have some siping and there are also options for a aggressive AT tire I wouldn;t rule out. Since you're after the big wheel size/ aggressive tire setup, here's a couple choice that came to mind:


The one thing you have to worry about is the width of these wheels you are going to run with a 37" tire! The wider you go with the wheel, the more chance you will have to lift the front end of the truck up to prevent rubbing. ...easy enough to do with the Chevy green keys or Truxx kit.

The Toyo MT offers a 13.50 wide in 37 x 13.50 22. Some siping, but wide...esp. if you are going to run a 12" wide wheel. I ran this in a 35 12.50 on an H2 and they sucked in the winter.

The Procomp Tire offers a Extreme AT tire that looks aggressive and has quite a bit of siping. I have run this tire on a couple H2's and an H3 with great luck in the snow/ ice and off road. You can get them in a 20" size and go with a 12.50 or 13.50 37" tire. one of my choices, but still not the 22" tire you're after.

Procomp Extreme MT come in a 12.50 x 20 tire. A nice MT tire that has some siping. I am running these on my H3 now and they have been OK in teh snow ice...still not a sgood as the extreme AT I ran though. ...but better than the Toyo in snow/ice.

BFG MT is one of the most aggressive tires out there, but no siping. That's not to say that you don;t get the center lugs siped though. Just don;t get them siped too deep or you'll get chucking tires in no time. 18" and 1/4" depths are the common two siping depths I've seen added and that work great on teh cetner lugs only. If you do the outter lugs you risk chunking greatly while off road or curbing it hard enough could do the same. That BFG tire has more sizes and more importantly the look you are after, but DAMNNNNNN, they aren;t cheap.

If you're after the BFG MT tire, I would get them siped before you even put them on. The older MT was like having almost zero control on ice until I had them siped. I have the center lugs siped only and had 1/4" done. I will tell you they chunked pretty bad after my second wheeling trip that next Summer. Went to toyo MT's on a different truck. the 35" toyo was almost the same height as the 37" bfg mt. fwiw.



good luck, I would post up the wheel you're after and see if anyone else is running it and can give feedback on fit.

also not sure what budgett you set (if any) for this set, but the 20" vs 22" were $65 difference between the two sizes in the bfg mt.

[Hellz]

i run these BF 37x12.50 on 20 inch rims
they are louder than the stock BFG's. dont have any other tires to compare them to so far.

they do suck on ice. on snow, its not too bad.. still a weird feeling having a 8k lbs vehicle fishtail.........

anyways, there are 2 versions of these tires from what i understand.
the first version, and the KM2.. they might both be KM2 actually, but still there are 2 versions. one is old, and the other is new.

i run the new version which looks like the ones in your last pic.

im running stock suspension. only T bars cranked a little.
even with the 12.5 width, there will be some rubbing on the front end on the rear of the wheel well. just trim the plastic molding, and all is good.

if you go with 13.5 width tires, and you have air bags in the rear, you NEED to modify the leveling arm on the drivers side, rear wheel well.

this is a easy mod, and if you have problems searching for it, let me know.

yes these tires are not cheap.. expect to pay about $500 to $650 for each tire for 20 inch rims. not sure on prices for 22's. i got a deal on mine from a member here i paid $1200 for 5 tires. 4 of them with 4k miles on the.. the 5th was/is still new.





also, if you look at my first pic and the last one, you will see the difference at the very bottom where i trimed down the plastic on the rear of the fender well.