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Noobie adventure - BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 315/70R17 load range C

9K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Mattman 
#1 ·
Short story: Drove BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 315/70R17 load range E tires for 400 miles, had same tire installed as load range C. C is better riding and better MPG. Perfect for me. Discount Tire has made me a customer for life with exceptional customer service. 35 inch tire lessons listed below.

Long Story
I have a 2010 Rubicon and have wanted a lift and tires for years. The tread was well worn at 69,000 miles. I had a 2.5 inch lift installed and BFG KO2 315/70R17 load range E installed on the factory Rubicon wheels. I had seen references to the same tire designed for the Ford Raptor in load range C but the tire installer said that they only came in E. We turned the steering wheel lock to lock and they just barley cleared on the driver's side chassis components. We didn't review the clearance on the passenger's side. They installed four tires and ordered the spare. A few hours later I discover that they did rub while turning on the passenger's side control arm. So this size tire on the stock Rubicon wheel rubs on the passenger side on the road and the driver's side turning probably would rub off road. I also discovered that the stock rock rails rubbed on the center tread on both sides of the vehicle on the rear tires on a bumpy trail.

I removed the heavy rock rails to give me about 5mm more clearance between the rock rails and tread.
I thought about spacers but knew that Discount Tire would not rotate my tires with spacers.

I sent a private message to a guy named Matt on this forum who works for Discount Tire. Twice he replied with answers to my questions. He also said that many people don't know that there is a load range C and that is why the installer said so. It cannot be found in Discount Tire's order system. Getting someone knowledgable to private message me so quickly was thrilling and he actually copied each question and provided his response under it.

I called a Discount Tire that was 20 miles closer to home and ordered a set of Pro Comp 7069 17x9" black matte wheels. They said that they would have the spare shipped store to store to save me a drive. That was nice. I also mentioned the C load range tires and they said they didn't see them in the system. I told him that JK Owner's forum Discount Tire Matt had messaged me that "To order the LR-C version all the store has to do is create a misc. purchase order for the tire which will include the manufactureres part number (MP/N 58424) and submit it thru the appropriate channels." They said they would investigate.

I was called and told that the wheels and spare were ready to install. I popped in and spoke to the manager and mentioned the C load range again. I showed him Matt's messages. I apologized for being a C load range pest. He told me not to worry, was cheerful, positive, and wanted to solve this riddle. He could not find any info and began calling around. He said we could at least see if the wheels would push the E load range tires away from the chassis. He took my key and I sat down. The store was now closed. After a few minutes the manager sat down and informed me that I was at the wrong store. I mistakenly stopped in to an even closer Discount Tire thinking that it was the one that I setup the wheel deal with. It wasn't. I just moved from Des Moines, Iowa, to Phoenix, and don't know my way around. Just at that same moment, an employee of the correct Tire Discount called my cell phone. I could drive a few miles down the road to where the wheels and spare were or they could send them to my stupid ass. I drove to the correct store which was also closed.

They put a wheel on one of the E Tires. There was plenty of clearance. No more rubbing on the chassis. Great. Awesome looking matte finish that goes great with the matte tire look. They asked what I wanted to do. They could order the C load range but it would be several days before they would arrive and they would have to unmount one tire. I had them mount the other four wheels and asked them to put the old wheels in the Pro Comp boxes because I thought I might be able to sell them. I now had a some slight rubbing on the plastic wind shield that rests under the bumper. This is not a concern and I may trim it a bit.

They looked great but the ride was rough and the mileage I was getting on my uncalibrated computer chip was now 14.7 or 14.8. Every mile I drove I worried about the harsh ride and the thousands of miles and years I would have to endure it. I called Discount Tire again and they had the tires shipped from the East coast. They installed them after 400 miles of wear on the E tires. They didn't charge me a dime. I also had them dispose of the old rims that no one wanted to buy.

I love the C load range. The ride is much nicer for me, someone who doesn't tow and doesn't rock crawl. Most of my miles will be on pavement. My four wheeling will be confined to trails that don't break anything and I don't want harsh riding E load range on bumpy trails though I understand if you are a real Jeeper that you might want the toughest tire possible. My mileage per gallon has also gone up a bit.

I am not a person who likes to return items and was embarrassed but Discount Tire was always positive and never hesitated to help me. There is still one American company that believes in customer service. I hope their employees are all well paid. I will get all my tires from them and direct anyone I can to their shops.

Today I trimmed the corners of the pinch seams to give me more clearance near the rear wheels. I began cutting with a grinding wheel. But it was too wide, cut slowly, and jumped and scraped some paint. I got out the sawzall and it worked much better.

I hope this info is of use to someone. I am ready for the bunny Arizona trails now.
 

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#4 ·
You are ready for more than Bunny trails. I've done some pretty tough AZ trails with your set-up minus lockers. With the rubicon and 35ish tires you have a very capable rig, go enjoy it. BTW I removed my rock rails, popped out the caps and trimmed them with the sawzall, then reinstalled them. No more rub and I'm still protected.
 
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