LT265/75R-16 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO on 2012 144WB Sprinter

townado

Member
I was due for new tires and having read about people putting LT265/75R-16 BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO tires on their Sprinters and after having seen my first Outside Van Sprinter with the same tires, last week in Sedona, Arizona....I pulled the trigger.

I ordered the tires from Tire Rack, I got the black wall version, which is on a closeout special for $156 ea. I ordered five tires as I did not want to have problems with the ABS/Traction control if I had to use the spare tire. The total with shipping for 5 tires was $940.45. I ordered them Monday afternoon and 4 tires showed up on Tuesday afternoon and the fifth showed up this Morning...just in time to make my appointment at a local Firestone dealer. This dealer was one of the Tire Rack recommended installers. They installed all five tires for $101.53. That included TPMS sensors.

When I got the tires I was a little surprised just how much bigger they were next to my old tires. I was little worried about possible rubbing and if the new spare would fit back in it's holder. I am happy to report no rubbing and the spare does fit but it is very tight!

Just for the record my wheels are OEM MB alloys that I had blasted and powder coated flat black. The spare is on an original steel wheel. I keep a set of lug bolts for the spare, as they are a different length than those needed for the alloys.

Pete
 

CheckMax

Member
Pete
Would you be able to post a photo please of your van with the new rubber? I wonder what the impact to mpg will be.

I have a Dodge Ram 1 ton with the same tires. When I switched over from the factory Michelins to the BFG. I experienced a noticeable decrease in mpg. I was averaging 20-21 and it dropped to 18-19. My all weather traction definitely improved. The tires were louder as well. What did you switch from?

I'm debating also switching when my 4x4 arrives (finally).
 

townado

Member
You opted to not try their new KO2?
Must be why these are on sale. The KO2 are $199 ea.
I saved almost $200 when buying five...was one reason, the other reasons are I never buy anything that is "new" model, when they first come out (no customer rating on tire rack), I wait till they are proven LOL

Also I wanted black walls and I saw no option on tire racks website to get the new version in anything but raised white letters.

Pete
 

townado

Member
Pete
Would you be able to post a photo please of your van with the new rubber? I wonder what the impact to mpg will be.
I have no pics yet...but will post some. Not sure if there will be much of a change in MPG. The larger diameter tires would indicate higher MPG on the hwy, but the wider tread may negate that:hmmm:
 

jostalli

Member
I have no pics yet...but will post some. Not sure if there will be much of a change in MPG. The larger diameter tires would indicate higher MPG on the hwy, but the wider tread may negate that:hmmm:
There will be a hit to MPG due to the rolling resistance as well as the greater surface area of the new tires.
 

townado

Member
Like the look ........... how much is the speedometer out by?
I thought I read on here and correct me if I'm wrong, that it actually makes the speedo more accurate, but the odometer is affected:thinking:

I plan to run with my GPS tomorrow to see how the readings compare.
 

sailquik

Well-known member
townado,
You wrote:
"I thought I read on here and correct me if I'm wrong, that it actually makes the speedo more accurate, but the odometer is affected"
That applies mostly to the T1N Series (2002-2006) Sprinters.
The NCV3's are much closer to accurate (according to 3 different GPS devices and a Scan Gauge II) .

"I plan to run with my GPS tomorrow to see how the readings compare."
Tomorrow you will know that the speedo and odo are quite accurate on NCV3's with the stock tire size.
Now that you've changed the tire size with the 17" rims and larger aggressive tires, it will depend on how much you
increased the actual rolling radius of the tire.
I run the stock steel wheels (it's a 516 series (5 tonner/160 hp) 3500 with DRW) and the stock tire sizes and everything
is pretty darn accurate, but I rarely look at the analog speedometer any more. The Scan Gauge II and GPS are digital and
much easier to read.....GPS reads to 1/10 mph at speeds > 10 mph so I can set the Tempomat (Cruise Control) to
make my speed 62.5 MPH exactly. Speeding tickets usually start @ 63 mph in a 55 MPG zone in many jurisdictions.
Hope this helps,
Roger
 
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townado

Member
townado,
You wrote:
"I thought I read on here and correct me if I'm wrong, that it actually makes the speedo more accurate, but the odometer is affected"
That applies mostly to the T1N Series (2002-2006) Sprinters.
The NCV3's are much closer to accurate (according to 3 different GPS devices and a Scan Gauge II) .

"I plan to run with my GPS tomorrow to see how the readings compare."
Tomorrow you will know that the speedo and odo are quite accurate on NCV3's with the stock tire size.
Now that you've changed the tire size with the 17" rims and larger aggressive tires, it will depend on how much you
increased the actual rolling radius of the tire.
I run the stock steel wheels (it's a 516 series (5 tonner/160 hp) 3500 with DRW) and the stock tire sizes and everything
is pretty darn accurate, but I rarely look at the analog speedometer any more. The Scan Gauge II and GPS are digital and
much easier to read.....GPS reads to 1/10 mph at speeds > 10 mph so I can set the Tempomat (Cruise Control) to
make my speed 62.5 MPH exactly. Speeding tickets usually start @ 63 mph in a 55 MPG zone in many jurisdictions.
Hope this helps,
Roger
Thanks Roger!
Funny...as I usually use my GPS for my speedo most of the time anyway. It's easier for me to read. Oh....say...I did not get 17" rims.....just slightly larger diameter tires on the original 16 inchers.
Pete
 

townado

Member
So far it looks like you drop about 1 mile for every 20 on the speedo and odometer. The GPS mileage says 20 miles while the dash odometer says 19. Same thing goes for the speedo. My GPS says 60MPH while the dash speedo says 57MPH.

I wonder if there is an electronic adjustment that the dealer can do? Anyone ever asked them?
 
Just for the record my wheels are OEM MB alloys that I had blasted and powder coated flat black.

Pete

I am interested in doing same (sand blasting then painting OEM Alloys Black) - Where/who would do this for what cost?

Can you report on Winter (snow/ice) traction with these new tires

Also, any rubbing with larger rubber?

Thanks!
 

townado

Member
I am interested in doing same (sand blasting then painting OEM Alloys Black) - Where/who would do this for what cost?

Can you report on Winter (snow/ice) traction with these new tires

Also, any rubbing with larger rubber?

Thanks!
I can't remember the exact figure, but I don't think I spent more than $500 getting the wheels blasted and powder coated. Google places that do powder coating near you. If they do not also do the necessary blasting, they usually know who will.

I can't report on Winter traction as Winter has gone away here :)

...and no rubbing :thumbup:
 

namtra

New member
Those tires look awesome! Do you know if that size will fit on my 2005 T1N with the stock steelies?
 

Gessippi

Member
I picked up some Moto-X 17" wheels and Michelin LXT AS 245/70 r17" tires, the tire chart said they would match up as a replacement but they seem quite a bit taller. haven't mounted them yet but I'm guessing if yours didn't rub mine shouldn't.:idunno:
 
Just put on the BFG KO2 265/75/16 on steel rims yesterday.
+ road noise better than conti tires.
I'm 3-4mph faster than speedometer increasing as I go faster.
It's a little more yaw at high speed but a better feeling ride in every other way.

Now the bad part. 3 starts after install and I have 3 warning lights on related to abs esp and brakes (I think)
tite shops are closed a soonest to get in will be next weekfor me so Ill post results after trip to tire shop.
In the meantime, any suggestions on how to reset the lights?

Cheers,
Ryan

EDIT: couple hundred miles later and I stopped at an autozone to borrow a code reader. It read "HCC and EGS" and "no powertrain DTCS" whatever those mean... The guy said he couldnt clear anything that didnt have an engine fault code and off I went.
Then another 50miles later and all warning lights are off! So good news but if i could reproduce it may be helpful for those trying to offroad these and not loose power from te ESP activation.
 
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Adding to edit #3 in my above post

Fast forward 3 hours and...

Now abs esp and brake lights on again. Pedal shudder abs happened for 2 times lasting about 5 seconds each when driving -5mph out of a campsite today and not on the brake at all.

crap! :bash:

I thought these tires were going to be amazing and not have sprinter computer hassle after at least 4 reports of this tire and size working on newer sprinter vans!

-Ryan
 

sailquik

Well-known member
Ryan,
Are you sure that all the tires are the same size?
You don't have to do anything with the brakes to activate the ASR/traction control.
If one rear wheel slips, or if there is a difference in tire size side to side or front to back,
the wheel speed sensors will detect the difference and try to correct the difference in wheel speed
by applying the brakes on the wheel that's spinning faster.
Hope this helps,
Roger
 

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