Tire wear question?

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DK450LX

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I have 5k mile old 33" BFG K02 All terrain tires on my 97 80 series. I have not rotated them yet. I noticed that the back two tires had a lot less tread than the front. Also significantly less tread than the brand new spare. I thought this was odd as they only have 5k miles. Also why just the two back ones? I figured if any it would be the front. Can anyone chime in on this? What's the issue or is this common? I run them at 35 PSI cold and they go to around 42 when hot.

Pic of the rear


Pic of the front


See the big difference?
 

MOAK

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I've had extremely good fortune with BFG KOs and KMs since the late 1980s. I'm currently running a set of old school KOs with about 20k miles on them, and once again, they are wearing like iron. I'll easily get 45 or 50k miles out of this set, before I sell them, just as I have out of all my previous sets. Here are my rules of thumb with BFGs that I have been using for decades.

#1, buy all five tires brand new, #2 rotate all five tires at least every 6k miles, #3 do not over-inflate, 32 lbs is plenty of pressure for normal use. If it is really hot, 90 degrees plus, I'll drop em down to 28 psi, #4, on long roadtrips when completely loaded with expo gear and towing our trailer, I'll bump up the rears to 35 lbs, and last but certainly not least, get a four wheel alignment every couple of years.

In your case, the first thing I would do is get em rotated asap. get em down to 32 psi, and take your rig in for an all four wheel alignment. Are those rear tires scrubbing off directionally? Are they wearing off crooked and/or rough? If your answer is yes to either then you have bad bushings and an alignment shop won't be able to align it until you replace the suspension bushings. If all is good then I'd be contacting BFG about your premature wear issue.
 
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Saints&Sailors

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I always hear everyone rave about the BFGs and I never really understood it. I had a set several years ago and they only lasted about 20k miles on my Jeep before they were toast. My Dad had a set on a Chevy Avalanche that we used a lot for towing and after 10k miles they were already half-gone. In the case of my Jeep, SWB + full-time rear locker probably contributed but my current set of tires (Hankook Dynapro AT-M) have 20k miles on them and still have ~70-80% left. I didn't change anything - same type of driving, etc. My Goodyear MTRs lasted a bit longer (around 35k miles) without any changes too. Softer rubber compounds won't last as long as harder ones (e.g. BFGs and MTRs versus my current set of Hankooks).

I'd follow Oldfooladventures Moak's advice and check your alignment front and rear. Do you tow a lot or carry disproportionately more weight in the rear? Full-time rear locker?

Lastly, where do you live? I've heard (can't speak from personal experience) that some areas use different materials for gravel in their roads which can cause tires to wear out sooner. For example, I've heard that in Florida they mix in seashells when making gravel which eats up tires quicker (again, this is hearsay, no personal experience).
 

SLO Rob

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Is you alignment alright? My rear tires (k02) got chewed because my axle was bent and I didn't know it.
 

The other Sean

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Just for conversation sake, you bought the tires new 5K miles ago? Not used 5k miles ago or bought the truck 5k miles ago?

Have you done the chalk test across the tread to verify you are at a good PSI?

what are the date codes on all 4 tires?

Does the tread measure the same across the tread? a tire depth gauge is cheap and gives you a definite measurement.
 

offroadohio

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By the photo it looks like even wear so that eliminates alignment or air pressure (Unless the photos are inaccurate)

just look like normal wear to be, but it does look excessive compared to the front.

I'd rotate them and see if the current fronts wear the same.
 
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The other Sean

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A lot of guys do the chalk test thing.. I don't , I never have, and never will.. The builders plate on an 80 series says 32 front and 32 rear. That's a great starting point.. Get up close to the GVW and you might want to add 2 psi..
Not always. I'm running 1 size larger and E load range on my Frontier, so neither the door sticker or the sidewall pressures are right. Chalk test put me right on.
 

Lifestyle Overland

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I would get an alignment ASAP. And make sure they can provide you with a printed report showing what the starting tolerances were vs. the post-alignment.
This will do two things for you 1) Tell you if your vehicle is the issue, and fix it. 2) Give you a leg to stand on if you find out that your vehicle is within tolerance and you need to file a warranty claim on the tires.
 
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MOAK

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Not always. I'm running 1 size larger and E load range on my Frontier, so neither the door sticker or the sidewall pressures are right. Chalk test put me right on.
E on a frontier, thats a heavy truck, about the same weight as my 80 with 285 ( two sizes larger ) Es. I'm going to wild guess here, 30 psi +/- 2psi.. :)
 

The other Sean

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E on a frontier, thats a heavy truck, about the same weight as my 80 with 285 ( two sizes larger ) Es. I'm going to wild guess here, 30 psi +/- 2psi.. :)
I run Goodyear Duratracs so the sidewalls are a little softer than others. 34-35Psi is what I run on the street. But, that's more to maybe squeeze that last bit of gas mileage out of the truck.
 

MOAK

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Running 40 PSI on my 4Runner 275/70's Load Range E. I lose about 1.5 - 2 MPG at 32 PSI.
Yikes string twelve,, when the shop put my brand new tires on they had them aired up to 40 lbs, rode hard as a rock, but I have been know to air em up to 38 for long road trips with all our gear and trailer..
 
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