What truck will BigFin purchase?

[LCH]

When the hell did a 98 Chvey become an old truck.

Lol, considering it would be about the same age as most of its passengers..

 

[tzone]

So, we will have an almost-new Raptor showing up here in a week or so. Then, get a topper shell and seat covers and I should be set. I am considering swapping out the KO2 tires right away. They might be badass on rock and sand, but on packed snow/ice I was not impressed. Or, I just run them for a couple years and switch to something with a composite material that is better for packed snow and ice.

I fully agree with you that the BFG KO2 tires suck in everything but sand. We've gone away from them as well.

Congrats on the truck. It's bad ass.

 

[tzone]

In 2013 when it was 15 years old.

Just getting broke in. And the payment would be juuuuust right.

 

[tzone]

Tear them sleeves off and let your hair grow long in the back. That truck was meant for cutoff and a good mullet.

You think it ain't.

 

[tzone]

The BFG tires IMHO are great snow and tires.

JUNK!!

 

[pre6422hornet]

I have been driving my own trucks since 96 and my first one was a regular cab Dodge Dakota with the V6. In 2002 I purchased a 7.3 F250 and have owned Fords ever since. My current rig is a 2014 F250 with the 6.2 liter gas and 4.30 rear end. It has pulled our 13,000 pound fiver all over this country, up and down the Rockies, 5 miles off pavement on a ranch in WY for antelope, etc... I think I have owned 6 or 7 brand new F150's and 250's since my first. Can't say anything bad about any of them.

Now that being said, I also was a Factory Rep for Nissan from 2014-2107 and had the privilege of demoing a few of the new back then Titans, both gas and diesel. They did a good job on those trucks. Front tire chains would be a little tight and I remember talking to Randy on the phone and sending him pics with the caption " a grinder and a black marker and no one will ever know you notched the lower spring cup to fit em".... I was really happy when he told me about the 2 year contract.

Randy I hope the Raptor treats you well. Nissan is going through some major changes at the moment as my friends who are still there have reached out to me. They closed the Mountain Region a few weeks ago, alot of people are getting severance packages, losing jobs, etc... While I was surprised at your entertaining a new truck, I am not surprised just the same.

Congrats on the new truck Randy!

 

[tzone]

I know opinions are like assholes, but I've driven a heck of a lot of miles on very snowy and icy roads on KO2 tires, and am in disbelief anyone would find them inferior to the Cooper AT3s you've been using, and I've used both.

I've had 180 degree opposite opinion of them on the last 2 truck's ive had. They are flat out crap on ice and not a lot better on snow IMO. For the money, they should float your truck across a pond. Other tire manufactures have passed them up and at lower prices.

 

[JLS]

I've had 180 degree opposite opinion of them on the last 2 truck's ive had. They are flat out crap on ice and not a lot better on snow IMO. For the money, they should float your truck across a pond. Other tire manufactures have passed them up and at lower prices.

Not discounting your experience, but a number of my coworkers also use the KO2 (which is different than the KO), and they all hold them in the same high esteem i do. As far as price, I find BFG to be relatively competitive with many other competing tires. YMMV

 

[JohnCushman]

When the hell did a 98 Chvey become an old truck.

My hunting truck is a 92 lol

 

[tzone]

My hunting truck is a 92 lol

Until a few years ago my "hunting truck" was a 78!

 

[tzone]

Not discounting your experience, but a number of my coworkers also use the KO2 (which is different than the KO), and they all hold them in the same high esteem i do. As far as price, I find BFG to be relatively competitive with many other competing tires. YMMV

Yep, I know the KO2's are different. They don't clean out well with packed snow or mud. When my last set got 30k they were downright dangerous on wet roads. They're great in sand, and they last quite a while, there is no question about that. But compared to a lot of other options they're out dated, loud, have a much shorter stopping distance and really, really expensive. If you go on Discount Tire's website you can play around with the charts they have on there. It's a bit of a wake up call to me. Talking to the salesman at DT, he said it's their #2 selling tire because they have good advertising and "they look sick." Goodyear Duratrac's were the #1 seller btw...for the same reasons.

I'm hard on tires for some reason and drive a lot of miles. 30-40K a year on paved, gravel, sand, snow, rock, mud, grass, clay....for my money the BFG's don't hold up anymore. I bought my last set of Goodyears about 15 years ago after 3 flats in one day from a gravel road. Thank God they were on my company work truck at the time or I would have been livid.

The tires I have now have been so far one of the best I've ever had. Pathfinder AT's. Made for DT by Hankook. The best I can remember in recent times were Yokohama Geolander AT's. They were GREAT at performing as an AT tire. They kind of got pricey too in the goofy ass 17" tires that Ford still uses.

Lots of different driving needs or they wouldn't make so many styles. If you like BFG's....keep rockin em.

 

[JLS]

FWIW I put about 45-50k miles per year on between two vehicles. If they were that bad they wouldn't be snow rated. I don't care what anyone buys, its your money. As I said, YMMV.

 

[88man]

650,000 miles on BF AT last 25 years
Current set of Toyos, I don't love them even though I have 55,000 on them.

 

[Dave N]

Until a few years ago my "hunting truck" was a 78!

Mine is a 2010!

 

[tzone]

that's not even close to old! lol

 

[MO Betta]

Until a few years ago my "hunting truck" was a 78!

Current hunting truck is an 02 sierra, the one I'm building is a 70 k20

 

[Dave N]

that's not even close to old! lol

Yeah, but it's all I got! 264,000 on the clock.

 

[tzone]

Current hunting truck is an 02 sierra, the one I'm building is a 70 k20

Sweet!!

 

[Gr8bawana]

I've had 180 degree opposite opinion of them on the last 2 truck's ive had. They are flat out crap on ice and not a lot better on snow IMO. For the money, they should float your truck across a pond. Other tire manufactures have passed them up and at lower prices.

I hate to tell you guys but there is no tire that will have traction on ice unless it it studded. Opinions on truck tires are like opinions on the best bullet for hunting. There will never be much agreement.
I've had BFG A/T's and mudders, Big-O A/T's, Nitto Terra Grappler A/T's on my last 4 trucks and none of them were disappointing. All of them did the job of an All-Terrain tire without fail. The mudders of course were best in deep mud.

 

[2rocky]

True. Very true. Found one that would work for us, with 6,400 miles. They would take $38,700. Loyalty and being a pocketbook voter, this was my vote. And, given I hold all the electoral votes, I have final say, regardless of the crew's popular vote.




This was the vote of the crew, unanimously. Which, given how much they like to spend the boss' money when it comes to camera gear and lenses, that is not a surprise. Found one that meets my specs, with only 900 miles for $52,800.

Summary:

Being the 2019 is the last model year of the existing Titan drivetrain before upgrades in 2020, I do worry about the resale value of that rig once the new models start rolling out. Also, for some hard to explain reason, the new model (2016+) Titan has the shift level on the steering column, something that annoys me when I am bouncing around on rough roads and need to be downshifting. Their engineers have heard that comment from me.

Power Wagon has a very strong case. The ride stiffness is just not a good option for the crew. If I bought one, I was going to name it "Beast Mode." That is what this truck represents. I found a couple with 16-19K miles and could have got in to them for about $45,000.

The guy selling the Raptor wouldn't take my $51,000 offer, as expected. We settled at $52,800, which for a truck that sells for $68,000, seems to be a good deal with only 900 miles. So, the crew wins the electoral and popular vote. Good part, it has none of those obscene Raptor decals and no sun/moon roof (much to Michael's displeasure). It is gray and will hide scratches better than the shiny paint versions. The only changes in 2020 models over 2019 is some different color and interior options.

Given what these sell for, the CPA in me has rationalized that the total depreciation over the life of the vehicle will not be as much as the other options, given the discount the seller is willing to take to get it off their hands. I say "rationalize," as I feel that I could do just fine with the Titan. The Raptor is surely a top notch solution in most all respects, yet it is mostly the crew who feels it is "$14,000" better.

So, we will have an almost-new Raptor showing up here in a week or so. Then, get a topper shell and seat covers and I should be set. I am considering swapping out the KO2 tires right away. They might be badass on rock and sand, but on packed snow/ice I was not impressed. Or, I just run them for a couple years and switch to something with a composite material that is better for packed snow and ice.

Randy, sounds like you been scouting out the oilfield used truck market? Did it come with one of these custom stickers?