After about 4 months of waiting, I was finally able to get rid of the Milestar Patagonia MTs and throw-on a nice set of tires. I've always cared a lot about tire performance, so I've got plenty to share. Here's my take, thus far:
Road Noise
First of all, no tire this large is silent, and I expected that. These BBMTs are far from a typical "wom wom" sound you often hear with mud terrains. That was something I feared, especially when you hear beloved tires like Cooper Discoverer STT Pros. Those would seem to be embarrassingly loud on the highway, and I certainly didn't want that.
One thing is for sure; these BBMTs at low pressure are far quieter than my Patagonias had become after 10k miles, inflated to 40psi or higher. To be clear: in a Jeep (with all kinds of wind noise), the sound of these tires is below the threshold of noticing.
Handling
No secret that my Patagonias were so badly cupped that they would bounce all over the highway. I had to set my suspension to Firm, keep the tires aired to 40psi+, keep lots of weight in the bed, and even then, it would still bounce.
The single greatest flaw of the Patagonias was the crown design. They wore unevenly and bounced, of course, but they also rolled on edge and increased body roll. Think of it like skis; you tip the ski on edge and they go in a new direction. The Patagonias would be thrown in different directions and roll the body in regular driving conditions. They just never felt stable and required constant corrections.
The BBMTs feel totally planted. They look and feel more "square" and they track reliably. No reactions to variations in the road, no unusual steering input. Perhaps most importantly, no highway bouncing. The handling is night and day different from the Patagonias. Couldn't be happier.
Design
The Patagonia's horrible crown design, mixed with questionable quality control, made for a pretty bad tire. The guidance was to rotate those tires every 3,500 miles. While it's a good idea to rotate MTs frequently, I found that 3,500 was too long to wait with the Patagonias, and that just doesn't pass the smell test. It's less like treating them right, and more like trying to stave off an impending issue that's guaranteed to happen because of a crappy design or quality.
The tread design on the BBMTs are really interesting. At first, they looked a bit like Wrangler MTRs, which are pretty widely considered one of the worst tires you can buy. Unlike the MTRs, the BBMTs aren't directional, but they have some unique tread patterns that don't leave a ton of spacing between the blocks. I like that, because it means 1) quieter, and 2) potentially better in snow. In my mind, the less space, the better. I feel really confident that these tires will be much more predictable.
Weight
Acceleration is noticeably slower with the new weight in each corner. The BBMTs are about 10lbs heavier than the Patagonias. From a % standpoint, that's pretty substantial. This slower acceleration isn't a huge problem, and thanks to chromoly shafts all around, I don't feel like I'm pushing the limit by being a little heavier on the accelerator, but it has made me wonder if 5.38s would feel a little better than the 5.13s I've got.
Definitely not re-regearing, just a thought. I may adjust the pedal commander up a couple of notches.
Tire Pressure and Shocks
When I picked the truck up from 4WP, they were inflated to 44psi (OUCH). I tried some different pressures and, thus far, have found that 32psi offers a really comfy ride. That's a huge change from the 40psi+ I had to run in the Patagonias, just to keep them stable enough to drive.
Additionally, with the Patagonias, I had to run my Falcon shocks on Firm (3). Now I've adjusted the shocks to Medium (2), which is my preferred setting for normal driving. So, more predictable tires + lower tire pressure + softer shocks = a way, way better ride.
Appearance
The BBMTs are super aggressive-looking. The tread blocks are so sharp, they just about look like they could cut your finger. This category of assessment doesn't matter to me much at all, but it's nice that they aren't as dorky looking at the Patagonias (dumb sidewall logo, unusual "donut-like" tread pattern).
The one thing I'll call out is that they seem a tiny bit smaller than the Patagonias. I think it might be the taller tread blocks (as a share of the 40 inches that makes up the tire) that make me think that. It was just the first reaction I had when I saw them. I walked over to the truck and thought "hmm, did this thing get a little smaller?"
Variable Conditions
Writing this in May 2022, it will be a long while before I can drive these in snow, but I'm really interested in how they will handle. That's one of the most important factors for me in Colorado. If they aren't great, I will sipe them (at the cost of their longevity). That was one area where the Patagonias were great.
So, TBD on this one.
Issues To Resolve
Upon picking up the truck, I had some wobble in the steering at certain speeds. Nothing too substantial, but it's noticeable. Like 5-10% the feeling of death wobble. A day later, I swapped my tie rod out for a Synergy one, and did an at-home alignment, but the wobble is still there.
Not sure what's causing it, so I may head back to 4WP and see if they can re-check for balance and possibly do a better alignment. I could live with it if I had to, but certainly don't want to prematurely wear the tires or cause cupping because of a balance or alignment issue this early.
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