General grabber any better than Goodrich? Pretty disappointed with bf Goodrich

[Bunty]

Hey guys,

I have just put on some bf Goodrich tyres on my 6.1 and I’m not particularly impressed. They seem incredibly noisy, about 8 mpg less than continental tyres. It annoyed me so much I have put my standard wheels back on. Are general grabbers any better for noise / wet tarmac / mpg than the bf Goodrich ?
for me it does not seem like it’s worth all the negative to justify for the looks and the odd trips to the alpes etc ( which I recon the continental 4 season will prob be better than the bf Goodrich in the snow anyway!)
So do I keep the claytons on with continentals, or swap the bf Goodrich for grabbers and put the other wheels on!?

 

[Loz]

I have had both in the past, I found the BFG's noisy as well. I had grabbers but found them weak and had a couple of punctures off-road.
I had Michelin Latitude Cross last time and they were great but not as aggressive tread.
I am now running, and extremely pleased with, Pirelli Scorpion AT plus

 

[Bunty]

Oh that’s very interesting, thank you. I have black rhino Arsenal wheels and the tyres are 225/65/17. Think they would work ok ?

 

[Loz]

PS At+ was not available on 225/65/17 so I wnt for 235/65/17 and the size suits the van and also the speedo is now correct.

 

[Bunty]

Oh fab, is the mpg much better? They do look great, and the noise?

 

[DXX]

Hey guys,

I have just put on some bf Goodrich tyres on my 6.1 and I’m not particularly impressed. They seem incredibly noisy, about 8 mpg less than continental tyres. It annoyed me so much I have put my standard wheels back on. Are general grabbers any better for noise / wet tarmac / mpg than the bf Goodrich ?
for me it does not seem like it’s worth all the negative to justify for the looks and the odd trips to the alpes etc ( which I recon the continental 4 season will prob be better than the bf Goodrich in the snow anyway!)
So do I keep the claytons on with continentals, or swap the bf Goodrich for grabbers and put the other wheels on!?

It’s physics, no surprise.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Back in the dim & distant past, I put a set of Grabbers on a Discovery, they were terrible. Any sign of rain & they were all over the place.

 

[Bunty]

It’s physics, no surprise.

How come more and more people seem to be putting them on then ? I can’t think I have read that many threads of people not being happy with them? Seems strange how people would rather the looks and sacrifice wet braking, noise, and a good chinknof mpg

 

[DXX]

How come more and more people seem to be putting them on then ? I can’t think I have read that many threads of people not being happy with them? Seems strange how people would rather the looks and sacrifice wet braking, noise, and a good chinknof mpg

There are people making all kinds of running gear mod’s and creating some serious issues with suspension, tracking, tyre wear. It’s always been that way and isn’t about to stop anytime soon. Looks over functionality.

 

[t0mb0]

How come more and more people seem to be putting them on then ? I can’t think I have read that many threads of people not being happy with them? Seems strange how people would rather the looks and sacrifice wet braking, noise, and a good chinknof mpg

Same reason some people lower their vans to point they’re virtually unusable - fashion.

To be fair, there are a minority that genuinely need the off-road ability but these must be a tiny proportion overall.

 

[t0mb0]

Back in the dim & distant past, I put a set of Grabbers on a Discovery, they were terrible. Any sign of rain & they were all over the place.

Not surprised, in a tyre test article I’ve posted before, it was wet braking where they were pretty shocking compared to more road focussed tyres.

 

[BikerPa]

I’ve had BFG AT KO2 on my defenders, they are noisy on them above 40mph, handle ok on one due to the limitations of the vehicle & last very well, but I’d never put them on a 95% road van.

My 4m came on 20” rims & with std Devonports which I’ve had Michelin Lat X on for the last couple of months. They are good enough for the gravel roads I use regularly. They are comfy on road, handle ok on road if a bit understeery C/W 20” low profiles (or the std 17” Contis) but suit my needs.
(P.S. the 20”s got sold very quickly)

I went with the Michelin’s as my tyre place is a main Mich agent & they were a lot cheaper than the Pirelli.

 

[Bunty]

I have ordered some Pirelli scorpion plus so fingers crossed!

 

[Bunty]

Just wanted to triple check with you guys that 235 65 17 is ok? Or would you go 225 65 17? I’ll get the old bf Goodrich ones on eBay.

 

[BikerPa]

My Mich Lat X are 235/55/17 103 as it’s a std size from factory

 

[BigDean]

Interesting. I wonder if some of it is driving style as well. I am new to VW’s and only drove about 500 miles after delivery of my T6.1 before I changed to the black rhino + BFG setup. I didn’t notice a discernible difference on road noise and have had no problems in the wet.

Can’t comment on MPG.

I do tend to drive like an old fart these days due to too many years with too many points on my licence……

I like the BFG so much I have just put them on my motorhome. Again, no difference in noise or handling.

I am worried now that I am missing something .

 

[Bunty]

For me they slipped more than stock while pulling away and luckily I have not put the braking performance to the test in the wet !
the noise at 40 mph though was pretty annoying and I could feel them on certain road surfaces through the van . ( at about 40 - 45 psi )
They look great though but just niggled away at me too much to keep when everything else on the van is so good

 

[BigDean]

For me they slipped more than stock while pulling away and luckily I have not put the braking performance to the test in the wet !
the noise at 40 mph though was pretty annoying and I could feel them on certain road surfaces through the van . ( at about 40 - 45 psi )
They look great though but just niggled away at me too much to keep when everything else on the van is so good

Mine are set at 50psi as recommended by the supplier and all seems well, so far

 

[Dannyb6467]

Hey guys,

I have just put on some bf Goodrich tyres on my 6.1 and I’m not particularly impressed. They seem incredibly noisy, about 8 mpg less than continental tyres. It annoyed me so much I have put my standard wheels back on. Are general grabbers any better for noise / wet tarmac / mpg than the bf Goodrich ?
for me it does not seem like it’s worth all the negative to justify for the looks and the odd trips to the alpes etc ( which I recon the continental 4 season will prob be better than the bf Goodrich in the snow anyway!)
So do I keep the claytons on with continentals, or swap the bf Goodrich for grabbers and put the other wheels on!?

I'm on my 5th set of General Grabber AT3s on 2 Discovery's 2 Transporters. I wouldn't use any other tyre. No noticeable drop in MPG, no noise issues and grip perfectly well, especially off road.
Tried BFG on the Discovery's and my god was they noisy....
I'd agree with Loz about being a bit weak...I've had 2 side walls ripped off road in the last 12 months but saying that my last set run for 47k on my last Transporter and was sold with 3mm left on.

 

[DXX]

From Blackcircles for BF General Grabber AT3: all 72dB, low ratings in rain and fuel economy.
Whatever your preference or beliefs these are the ratings.