Get Heavy Work Done on All Terrains: BFG HD-Terrain T/A KT Tire Review

As a tradesman, I struggle when it comes to tires for my truck. Being able to handle heavy loads, rough terrain, big highway miles, and having complete confidence in my tires are all critical to my lifestyle.

I need something that’s load-rated. When I’m filling my truck bed with gravel, or pulling a trailer fully loaded down with my skid steer, I need good handling and to trust that I won’t blow a tire. I also need something comfortable and confidence-inspiring when highway towing. But, at the same time, a tire that can handle the mud and muck of the jobsite and the off-road trails on the way to the hunting cabin on the weekends.

Traditionally, tradespeople have had to rely on on-road-oriented HD tires and give up off-road performance. Most mud and off-road tires simply aren’t rated for heavy-duty trucks and heavy loads. Yet, you still see them on work trucks because tradespeople are sick of getting stuck in the mud and snow or need the more aggressive tires for their weekend adventures.

In short: The BFG HD-Terrain T/A KT is a tire that’s more rugged than many all-terrain tires while at the same time offering impressive on-road and load-carry capability. While this tire is designed for commercial applications, it’s really good for anyone who uses their truck to work hard during the week and adventure just as hard on the weekends.

BFG HD-Terrain T/A KT Tire Review

BFGoodrich recently sent me a set of HD-Terrain T/A KT tires. These are BFGoodrich’s answer to the call for more aggressive tires for work trucks.

The HD Terrain T/A KT sits in the middle between BFGoodrich’s less aggressive A/T K02 and the aggressive M/T KM3. These tires have a tread design much closer to the KM3 and are designed and rated for commercial use. The K02 and KM3 are not.

The BFG HD Terrain’s have great performance off-road, and have definitely filled the need for more traction for me. BFG designed these to not just be able to handle well off-road, but to also perform well on the highway while pulling heavy loads.

They are ridiculously grippy compared to the Michelin LTX A/T 2 all-terrain tires I was running, a much more pavement-oriented tire.

Let’s dive into how the BFG HD-Terrain T/A KT tires perform.

Handling

When fully loaded, or pulling 14,000 pounds on pavement, they feel solid and handle just like I want them to. There is no squishy washed-out feeling, and the traction and ride just get better as you weigh them down.

I haven’t had any issues on job sites conquering mud, snow, or ice since I switched to these tires. On gravel and dirt roads, they give that same stable feeling, even loaded down.

These tires are not 3PMSF-rated, however, I found they handled quite well in the many snowstorms we had this winter.

When my truck is not fully loaded, these handle like a normal A/T tire — nice and stable, with tons of grip, and feel ready to go anywhere.

Ride

Beyond feeling like nothing can stop me, the BFG HD-Terrain tires handle very well on the road and even better off-road. On and off the road, I noticed a big change over my last set of A/T tires.

While my truck feels more rigid and stable, these tires don’t absorb bumps all that well. When fully inflated, they are extremely rigid, to the point that when I’m not loaded down, I feel more bumps compared to the A/T tires I have run in the past. Once loaded down, the added weight seems to fix this issue, as those bumps and vibrations go away.

When I decreased the psi from 80 to 50 psi for some unloaded fun, the ride became much smoother. Most of the little bumps began to get absorbed, and I got the off-road ride I was looking for.

Noise

The low noise levels of these aggressive and heavy A/T tires were a happy surprise. The BFG HD-Terrain T/A KT tires are barely louder than my old pavement-oriented all-terrains, even though the tread pattern and size are way more aggressive. I listened closely for the first few days on these new tires and did notice the added noise a bit, but now I can’t tell the difference.

Fuel Economy

This is the big one! With high fuel costs, and big trucks that aren’t the most efficient, how will these affect your fuel economy?

After about 4,000 miles of testing, my range went from 14.9 mpg on my road-centric all-terrain tires to 13.9 mpg on the BFG HD Terrain T/A KTs.That’s about a 7% decrease in fuel economy overall.

Mud & Rock Retention

When I pull off a muddy job site and onto the road, I definitely leave two tracks of mud as the tires start to shed what I picked up. The mud comes off quickly, and within about 50-100 feet, they are mostly clean.

These tires are built with “Mud Phobic” bars to help decrease pickup and help with shedding as you drive. They seem to work well. I haven’t yet experienced any extreme mud build-up.

As for rock retention, I haven’t noticed any significant increase in pickup while driving compared to my old tires. However, a road made of just the right size of loose gravel can be a problem for any tire.

Wear & Cut Resistance

BFGoodrich built the HD-Terrain T/A KT tires with a new tread compound that’s supposed to be able to handle the rigors of towing and heavy loads, battling the abuse that can put on your tires. This new formula is supposed to resist tearing and chips in the tread. They are a 10-ply, load range “E” tire. They also have BFGoodrich’s Coreguard technology which is supposed to protect against sidewall cuts and splits.

After 4,000 miles of real-world use, my tread is down from 18/32 inches to 16/32 inches. I don’t see any tears, chips, or abnormal wear. We will have to see if these really hold up as the miles go by, but they are definitely off to a good start.

To Note

I drive a 2007 GMC Sierra 2500 HD to the job site. It’s not lifted and it’s definitely a workhorse. With these LT265/75/R16 tires (the same size as my previous all-terrains) I now experience tire rub in the wheel well when the wheel is fully turned to either side.

The tread on this tire is almost an inch wider (8.625” versus 7.7”) than my previous Michelin LTX A/T 2 tires. This causes the tire to sit inside the wheel well a bit further and the edge of the tread rubs on the fender wells during full-lock turns.

BFG HD-Terrain T/A KT Review Conclusion

Would I go with these tires again? Absolutely. Though the price is pretty high per tire — check Tire Rack for Pricing — you definitely get what you pay for.

The performance and capability of these tires so far, compared to a standard all-terrain tire, is incredible. I have peace of mind knowing I can easily pull my trailer out of a muddy ditch if needed.