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Tires, Tires, Tires

70K views 201 replies 41 participants last post by  Dew 
#1 · (Edited)
This thread has kind of evolved into a thread about many different tires, so I will sticky it for easy access.

You can buy these BFG KM3 tires from our forum vendor Pro UTV Parts. I bought mine from Craig.
BFGoodrich KM3 Tires from Pro UTV Parts
BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3


Stumbled across a deal I couldn't pass up yesterday. 4WheelParts has a sale on their BFG KM3 UTV tires. $180 off a set of four. Not a lot of info out on these tires, but what little I have found has been all good. Figured that since I was going to go to a 32" tire when I replaced the OEM 31" Carnivore (only available through Kawasaki at a HUGE price tag) I would jump at this sale and give them a try. I've never seen one in person, and have no clue if I will like them or not. Only one way to find out... 🤣🤣🤣 Don't need tires yet with only about 135 miles on the Carnivores, but they keep well in the basement. LOL

BFgoodrich introduces KM3 UTV Tires :: BFGoodrich North America Newsroom


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Discussion starter · #3 ·
Good tires. Only concern would be what is the weight? LBS are a big thing for me when I decide to shop.
Agree. From what I've been able to find, the 32 x 15 BFG is about 43 lbs. The Carnivore is around 38 lbs. The extra 5 lbs should be fine. Guys are putting 50 lb 35" tires on these things and seem to be okay.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
I was looking at the QuadBoss tires as a possible future replacement, and then I stumbled across this deal. The price per tire worked out to be very close to the QB so I figured why not try something totally different from anything I had ever run before. If for some reason I'm not happy with them I will try something else. The Maxxis Rampage was also high on my list of possibilities, but it's load rating is pretty well maxed out on the KRX. The load rating for the BFG is double that of the Maxxis. Something to consider with these big, heavy KRX's.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Nice tires but for me in the wet NW I need more open tread. It is wet n soft up here with random clay, mud, rocks etc. Carnivore is proving a good overall tire. Honestly the Bighorns are really good as well except for clay and gumbo.
I was a huge fan of Bighorns on my atv's until I discovered the Kenda Bearclaw HTR. That pushed BH's to number two on my list. They just lack lateral grip in slippery, snowy conditions. I don't think that a 6 ply tire is enough for today's bigger, heavier side by sides, and the 8 ply HTR's don't come in big enough sizes. I have been very impressed with the Carnivores. Great traction, but very hard to find in stock anywhere. Seems everyone wants 32" Carnivores these days. I don't understand why Kawasaki put the 31" size on these machines.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
So I got home from work Friday to find this nice set of BFG's waiting for me. Pretty good looking tire and I think they should perform pretty good here in the rocky mountains.
However, there is one major problem with them and they must go back. They sent me the wrong damn set. LOL Rolled one up next to the KRX and was disappointed that they were barely as tall as the 31" Carnivores. That led to a closer examination of the new tires. :unsure: Ordered 32x10x15. They got the 10 part of the order right, and had the correct size listed on the receipt. 30x10x14 just aint gonna work. :LOL: Called them right away and told them what had happened. They said they would try and locate the right tires and will get back to me. I still haven't heard anything back. I hope this doesn't escalate into a much larger problem. Good thing these are a "want", and not a "need".
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Discussion starter · #11 ·
So my good deal is being returned for a refund. Apparently the 32-10-15's are on back order, with no time table for them to become available. Their best "guess" was late June. Thanks but no thanks. They already took my money for a product they didn't have, and now want to just hold onto my money indefinitely. I don't play that game. Guess my search will continue for my next "best" tire. LOL
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
I did really like the looks of the KM3's. The one thing I wasn't wild about was the actual tread (contact patch) measured 9" across, not 10 like you would expect from a 10" tire. Other than that I was really looking forward to trying them out. Not a big deal since they were an impulse buy when I stumbled across the sale, and I only have 209 miles on my Carnivores. I will probably start looking again so if something happens to one of these rare, stupidly expensive 31" Canivores I will have a replacement set of 32's on stand by. :)
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
That was a short hunt. Got a tip from the RZR forum on where to possibly locate my 32" KM3's. Called 'em up and found them for just $11 more per tire than my previous deal. We'll see if I actually get the right size delivered this time. 😄
ProUTVParts.com
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
SxSblog loved those tires and were amazed at the traction they got from them. I installed a set of 32x10r15 Quadboss tires on my KRX View attachment 159
How do they measure up compared to the Carnivores? So many tires fall short of their advertised height. The KM3 is "supposed to" measure in at 31-1/2". I believe that is with the weight of the machine on them. Not sure. Now I'm going to have to go back and see if I can find where I read that. :)
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Okay, confirmed. That measurement was from the floor to the top of the tire @ 13 psi, with the weight of the RZR sitting on them.
 
Discussion starter · #29 ·
I've heard all different sizes for the OEM wheels. I believe they are a 6+2 offset, but honestly don't know. They definitely are NOT 4+3. lol The new wheels are 5+2, so it should be close to factory width, but I bet it's a bit wider. Aftermarket wheels seem to always measure a little different, even with the same claimed offsets.
Tusk recommends rechecking the torque every 50 miles for the first 200 miles. Torque is low at only 20 lbs, so I will likely check them even more often at first. I have to stop and pick up some anti-seize on my way home from work before I can torque anything down. Everything is just finger tight for now.
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
I have those wheels on my T4. I have swapped tire 3 times. Never had an issue with beads or wheels. I use a Log splitter to break inside bead easy and mount my tires. Tip alert!! I do torque em properly in 3 stages with tq wrench. Curious what the weight is compared to the stock combo???
So am I. I will weigh each when I switch them out.
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
Finished mounting the tires last night. Not a job I would like to do full time.... Took about 45 minutes each to lube the bolts (anti seize), get them properly torqued down and up to the garage to air them up and seat the rear bead. I've heard the bead area on these BFG's is a little thicker than most tires, so maybe that contributed to the amount of time it took to torque them down. PITA! However, they're done!
I don't know yet what the OEM tire/wheel combo weighs, but my new tire/wheel weighs 64 lbs each, according to my bathroom scale. Seems a little off since the tire weight is 43 lbs, and the wheels are listed at 17 lbs. That would total 60 lbs. Regardless, the weight difference is what I'm looking for, and I will know that when I start swapping them out. Maybe tonight...

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Discussion starter · #35 ·
So here it is. The new tire and wheel combo added more weight than I expected. I'm not concerned by it, it's just about 2-3 lbs more per wheel more than I expected. Each is 9 lbs heavier than the OEM tire/wheel. I knew the tires were 6-7 lbs heavier, just didn't expect the wheels to be as heavy as they are. Just passing this on since I know some people get all bound up over weights. The BFG's have a totally different profile. The actual tread section is more narrow, but still puts more rubber on the ground with the tighter tread pattern. That should make it steer and track even better than it did with the Carnivores. Sitting on the ground, the tires measure about 31-5/8" from the floor to top of tire @ 14 psi. My Carnivores measured about 30-1/8" @ 14 psi. Gained almost 1" of ground clearance. Only had time to ride it around the block, so can't say a whole lot about the ride. They did "seem" to feel a little softer, for lack of a better term, but again, it was just a ride around the block and up into the drive. :)
I think it looks pretty good. It will take a little getting used to with the totally different tread profile, but once I get some dirt on them it will probably help. Fortunately I'm more about performance than looks, so hopefully I have gained there, or at least not lost anything. The biggest thing was putting a 32" tire on so now it has a common size, and can be replaced easily if I ever destroy one. It happens....:cautious: If the OEM Carnivores were 32's instead of the oddball 31's, I would have just ordered a spare and run them. The rocks around here do take a toll on the soft, open tread of the Carnivores though. Think they are going to be my winter/snow tires.

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Discussion starter · #39 ·
That is a nice looking set up. One question, as this is all new to me.....can those tires be mounted on the factory wheel? So new to this I didn't realize the 31's were an odd size. Thanks for the post and pics....great info.
The could absolutely be mounted on the factory wheels.
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
Looks great. The carnivore does looks bigger in the last pic.
That's just an illusion because it's closer to the camera. The second to last picture with them side by side shows the actual size comparison.
 
Discussion starter · #43 ·
What did the overall width end up being?
I haven't measured that. Don't know if it increased or not. Guess I wasn't worried about it since it doesn't matter to me. Anywhere 68" fits, another couple of inch's wouldn't make any difference. I will have to see if I can put a tape on it one of these days and check it out.
 
Discussion starter · #46 ·
Still have my OEM's that would likely go on in case of a warranty issue, just in case. ;)
As for the tread depth, they are not a mud tire, regardless of the name. LOL Just going by reviews, I think they are the right choice for hard, rocky trails. No need for macho looking, deep tread. (although that does look better) We will see once I'm able to get out and put some miles on them.
 
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