Big Dog's new boots

Back when I bought my current four wheel drive, the Big Dog, I thought I'd do the responsible thing and retain the existing factory-fitted tyres until they wore out rather than changing them right away like I would normally. Changing them right away would have meant losing their value as they're pretty much worthless to resell, even when new, plus the $2,000+ hit for the new set. I thought I was being responsible.

Each year I'd look at those tyres and think, replace them now? But each time there was life left in them and I decided to keep them for a little while longer.

The problem with the factory tyres is that they're not as capable as what I'd eventually put on the vehicle and are on-road tyres. On tarmac they're great, comfortable, quiet and grippy, but in off-road situations they're simply inadequate so I had to think twice before getting into the rough stuff and drive accordingly when I did. I figured it was worth that compromise to get some value out of the tyres though, what's a few years of putting up with that huh?

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Five fucken years later and I still had those factory (shit on-road) tyres fitted.

With the 2020 shenanigans I didn't do the trips I had planned and so the tyres simply haven't had the running time. Besides, I bought the vehicle brand new in April 2018 just for doing trips not daily driving, and it's still only got 36,000 kilometres on the odometer (22,300 miles). I've been itching to get the new tyres fitted but the responsible side of me kept winning the argument. Yes, I argue with myself sometimes, doesn't everyone?

Anyway, today my responsible self finally lost the argument and the big dog got rubbered up, the original tyres were looking pretty bad and I figured I'd wrung the value out of them.

As always, I fitted BF Goodrich off-road tyres, the K02 in particular in the 285/60R18 size suitable for my vehicle of course. That's the width (285), tyre-wall aspect ratio (60) and rim diameter (R18). Above you can see the factory fitted tyres and to the right the new BFG's.

They're not a full mud tyre, muddy's are very noisy on the road and I hate them, but the tread-block pattern on the K02 is way more aggressive than a normal on-road tyre which is what provides the off-road capabilities in mud, sand, snow, rocks and other such terrain. They have an extremely tough construction on the face and sidewalls to prevent staking and the sidewalls are designed with a staggered tread block to provide better grip and manoeuvrability in soft sand, dirt and snow. The tread pattern is also designed to throw out mud, snow and sand from the tyre tread so the tread blocks can bite into the terrain which provides the traction.

They can also be aired-down to low pressures as needed, something I do a lot. It increases the footprint of the tyres on soft surfaces for more traction and also provides a better ride in tough terrains, like rocky surfaces in creek beds. On tarmac roads they run reasonably quiet due to the sipes cut into the tread-blocks which prevent them slapping on the road as the tyre rotates which reduces the noise of course; these are the thin lines cut through the tread blocks shown close up in the collage above, top right.

Overall, they're the best off road tyre I've used, and I've used a lot, and are well worth the exorbitant price one needs to pay for them.

When I purchased the vehicle, I began to squirrel cash away in an envelope now and then knowing the tyres would need replacing eventually and what they'd cost me so I've had the money sitting there ready to pay for them for a few years now.

I've always done this as it makes sense to plan and save for known costs ahead of time. (Unknown too). At $440 per tyre, (I get five because I replace the spare also), plus the wheel alignment at $70 my pocket was a lot lighter today. I know that $2,270AUD ($1,512USD) is a lot to fork out for five rings of rubber, but for where I go in my vehicle and what I ask it to do, there can be no compromise. Getting into trouble in remote areas of Australia can be deadly and the right equipment is critical to safety.

Despite my pocket hurting a bit now, and certainly being much emptier, I'm happy that I've got Big Dog's new rubber on. It means I can get out on some tougher tracks and terrain with confidence knowing the big fella will be more sure-footed with his new boots on. I'm looking forward to pulling on my own boots and hitting the trails in the wilderness, it's where I feel most alive, and know I'll get a few years of use from today's costly tyre-event.