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]

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.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn293/detherow_photo/IMG00036-20091027-1203.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn293/detherow_photo/DSC02523.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn293/detherow_photo/DSC02524.jpg

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.

[splne1]

I like the way that H3 looks though!!! Sick!!

[ehaser]

Guys,

Thanks for the info.

Hellz- I love the truck. I'm still a rockstar lover.. I wish I could put the 22x12 on with your setup.

Spine- Yours is one of my favorites!

Timgco- You information and time are greatly appreciated.

Id like the KMC Diesels, Rockstars, or Revolver. I'm just stuck trying to decide which tires (37's or 35's .. Due to all the potential issues with running a larger tire. eg. gearing, braking, etc..) I'd like 22's if I'm going with the 37's and 20's if I'm going with 35's.. Just my personal preference.
I've been procrastinating for months! On vacation now so I'll probably do something when I get back. I still need Roush to build me my brush guard! I'm hoping to get everything at the same time so I can take it to my shop once..

[OrangeCrush]

Tim is right on the money about 22's. The tires are more expensive. The selection is less. The ride quality goes down, blah, blah, blah...

(and to be honest, there isn't enough "meat" on a set of 22's to keep the rugged 4WD look) IMO.

Becareful on one point. Not all tires measure out the same. For example, a stock set of 35's really are 33" tall.

My 37" Toyo's are actually 36" tall.

Point is, pay attention to the actual tire diameter, don't base your order on just number size!!!

Mark



Guys,

Thanks for the info.

Hellz- I love the truck. I'm still a rockstar lover.. I wish I could put the 22x12 on with your setup.

Spine- Yours is one of my favorites!

Timgco- You information and time are greatly appreciated.

Id like the KMC Diesels, Rockstars, or Revolver. I'm just stuck trying to decide which tires (37's or 35's .. Due to all the potential issues with running a larger tire. eg. gearing, braking, etc..) I'd like 22's if I'm going with the 37's and 20's if I'm going with 35's.. Just my personal preference.
I've been procrastinating for months! On vacation now so I'll probably do something when I get back. I still need Roush to build me my brush guard! I'm hoping to get everything at the same time so I can take it to my shop once..

[timgco]

Tim is right on the money about 22's. The tires are more expensive. The selection is less. The ride quality goes down, blah, blah, blah...

(and to be honest, there isn't enough "meat" on a set of 22's to keep the rugged 4WD look) IMO.

Becareful on one point. Not all tires measure out the same. For example, a stock set of 35's really are 33" tall.

My 37" Toyo's are actually 36" tall.

Point is, pay attention to the actual tire diameter, don't base your order on just number size!!!

Mark

Very good point Mark. "like when you tell her it's 10" and really it's only about 3".:D

[timgco]

Guys,

Thanks for the info.

Hellz- I love the truck. I'm still a rockstar lover.. I wish I could put the 22x12 on with your setup.

Spine- Yours is one of my favorites!

Timgco- You information and time are greatly appreciated.

Id like the KMC Diesels, Rockstars, or Revolver. I'm just stuck trying to decide which tires (37's or 35's .. Due to all the potential issues with running a larger tire. eg. gearing, braking, etc..) I'd like 22's if I'm going with the 37's and 20's if I'm going with 35's.. Just my personal preference.
I've been procrastinating for months! On vacation now so I'll probably do something when I get back. I still need Roush to build me my brush guard! I'm hoping to get everything at the same time so I can take it to my shop once..

20's on 35's look great and won;t way a ton! Than you have quite a bit more options and less chance rubbing badly.

In the photos section there is a black SUT with the Deisels in 20" with a 37 13.50 tire. He has the truxx leveling kit. add a rancho steering stabilizer and a programmer to dial in the 37's and your good to go. But if you stay with 35 on 20's, you keep to a 12.50 wide tire and save a bunch of rubbing, and front end stress. That will save a tone of money too.
rimzone.com has some cheaper packages with the toyo mt and rock stars, deisels and a bunch of others/ mostly 35's. btw- if you're going to wheel 9not sure if you are ot not) 37's on 20's or 35 on 18's work well also and still give you that bigger wheel look. I ran the 35 on 18's on my last h2 and my buddy ran the 37 on 20's/ worked well...just enough sidewall for moderate wheeling.

[OrangeCrush]

Very good point Mark. "like when you tell her it's 10" and really it's only about 3".:D

Thus the reason why there are no tape measures in my house... You really think I want my wife to know how long 6" really is????

Mark

[timgco]

i run these BF 37x12.50 on 20 inch rims


http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn293/detherow_photo/IMG00036-20091027-1203.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn293/detherow_photo/DSC02523.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn293/detherow_photo/DSC02524.jpg

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.

Damn good lookin truck.

[timgco]

20's on 37 13.50/ truxx leveling kit front and rear
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg437/Timgco/truxxfrontandrear20x10on37s1.jpg

20's on 35 12.50/ not sure if there is a front leveling kit or not. It seems to sit a little higher in front than stock. ...maybe just a slight tbar crank?

http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg437/Timgco/yhst-66365157547983_2031_4205739-2.jpg

http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg437/Timgco/yhst-66365157547983_2030_2720768-2.jpg

[ehaser]

Are the bottom two pics your truck?? Are you sure that those are 20's on 35in tires?? They look like 22's. Seem very low pro. I actually wouldn't mind going with the set up on the bottom since I'd be able to fit into the garage.

[timgco]

Are the bottom two pics your truck?? Are you sure that those are 20's on 35in tires?? They look like 22's. Seem very low pro. I actually wouldn't mind going with the set up on the bottom since I'd be able to fit into the garage.

not my trucks.

[ehaser]

not my trucks.


They really look bigger than 20's no? I kinda like them.

[OrangeCrush]

Are the bottom two pics your truck?? Are you sure that those are 20's on 35in tires?? They look like 22's. Seem very low pro. I actually wouldn't mind going with the set up on the bottom since I'd be able to fit into the garage.

Just remember that there's not a 2" difference between the height of the tire.... meaning your truck will only sit 1" lower when dropping to 35's as opposed to 37's.

May or not make a difference between getting in your garage.


Mark

[ehaser]

Just remember that there's not a 2" difference between the height of the tire.... meaning your truck will only sit 1" lower when dropping to 35's as opposed to 37's.

May or not make a difference between getting in your garage.


Mark


I completely understand... My only question is this. I have 3 inches of clearance to be conservative.. I'm thinking a torsion lift and 37's may actually lift my truck more than 3 inches overall... Ive already removed the roof racks so I'm going to be screwed. Actually, the only reason that I can fit into my garage now is that I've got an SUT.. My rear lights clear just before my rear tires hit the lip of my garage.. If I had a wagon I'd be screwed.. Believe me, I've already thought about removing a set of bricks but I'd have to do all 3 of my doors to keep them the same height. Would look silly if one of my garages was higher than the other 3..

[OrangeCrush]

I completely understand... My only question is this. I have 3 inches of clearance to be conservative.. I'm thinking a torsion lift and 37's may actually lift my truck more than 3 inches overall... Ive already removed the roof racks so I'm going to be screwed. Actually, the only reason that I can fit into my garage now is that I've got an SUT.. My rear lights clear just before my rear tires hit the lip of my garage.. If I had a wagon I'd be screwed.. Believe me, I've already thought about removing a set of bricks but I'd have to do all 3 of my doors to keep them the same height. Would look silly if one of my garages was higher than the other 3..

I'm lost... why would an SUV be any higher than an SUT? Assuming your truck sits level, they should be the same height.

Moot point, just wondering.

Here's the deal....

Using torsion keys will get you 1.5-2.0 inches of lift. Anything more than that and your truck typically rides like crap. (not saying it can't be done, just not normally done)

Assuming your 37's are really 36" tall, the stock 35's are 33" tall.

So you've gained 1.5" of height just from the tires and you've gained 1.5" from the lift.

If 3" is all you've got, then you're screwed if you crank up the torsion bars any more than 1.5".

Mark

[MarineHawk]

Am I the only one whose KM2s work great on snow and ice?

I've only had them for two snow storms, but the recent one dropped 24" on us, and purposely driving around through snow banks, plowed snow, and packed snow/ice, I could barely ever get my "traction active" light to come on, when other urbanized 4x4s were having a lot of trouble.

[ehaser]

Am I the only one whose KM2s work great on snow and ice?

I've only had them for two snow storms, but the recent one dropped 24" on us, and purposely driving around through snow banks, plowed snow, and packed snow/ice, I could barely ever get my "traction active" light to come on, when other urbanized 4x4s were having a lot of trouble.
What size are yours... That probably has a lot to do with it.

[ehaser]

I'm lost... why would an SUV be any higher than an SUT? Assuming your truck sits level, they should be the same height.

Moot point, just wondering.

Here's the deal....

Using torsion keys will get you 1.5-2.0 inches of lift. Anything more than that and your truck typically rides like crap. (not saying it can't be done, just not normally done)

Assuming your 37's are really 36" tall, the stock 35's are 33" tall.

So you've gained 1.5" of height just from the tires and you've gained 1.5" from the lift.

If 3" is all you've got, then you're screwed if you crank up the torsion bars any more than 1.5".

Mark

Mark,

Sorry I didn't explain it better.. It was late when I was typing. The sut and Suv are the same height.. What I'm trying to explain is that my entire roof line is through the threshold of the door before the rear tires hit the lip.. Once I'm passed the brick I have plenty of room inside my garage. My doors are about 4 inches higher than the height of my exterior opening for each door. If I had the SUV my back end of the roof would hit as soon as my rear tires hit the lip (thus raising the vehicle before the entire roof passed the brick opening) as I enter my garage..That's the best way I can explain it.

I'll take a small vid when I return from vacation on Tuesday to show you what I mean. Here are some pics. As you can see, I have a lot of room once I get under the exterior height.. So, when I'm pulling into my garage my sut gets passed that before my rear wheels hit the lip and raise the truck .. To make things even more confusing.. I can pull in but cannot back into my garage or it will hit. LOL
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/ehaser1/DSC_0057.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/ehaser1/DSC_0058.jpg

[OrangeCrush]

Ahhhhhh, makes perfect sense now.

[MarineHawk]

What size are yours... That probably has a lot to do with it.

37x1.2.5