BFGoodrich All Terrains?
 

Hi,
My factory Pirelli Scorpio Verde's are clearly not made for offroad use. I have an impact failure every time I take my GL450 offroad (but even see Subaru's so nothing too crazy). I have the 19'' wheels for which ever Discount Tire does not stock any options. I'm considering switching from 19'' wheels to 20'' wheels which will give me way more tire choices. Lots of factory 20''wheels on eBay. Has anybody run their GL with BFGoodrich All Terrain TA's? They are available in 275/55 R20. I've had them before on my Landcruiser and Tundra and loved the traction.
Thank you!

I don't think it should be a surprise that the Scorpion's aren't designed for off road use. Whether it's from the manufacturer's description or just looking at the tread, it's pretty obvious that they are designed primarily for on-road use. I have them on a 3/4 Ton diesel Suburban and would never think that they were designed for off-roading. But, do you air down before hitting the trails? Especially trails with rocks? You mentioned in another thread that you are bottoming out the suspension - that's not "mild" off-roading.

I've had those BFG's before and was happy with them - for what I wanted to get out of them. A good cross between on-road and off-road use. Better off-road traction, but you lose a little on-road and they're a bit noisy (not bad, though). But then, that's what one would expect from a tire like that.

Yeah...kinda a silly question posted by myself. I have just never seen a GL with All Terrain TA's.
I do not air down in fear of hurting the wheel/rims, the sidewall is already very narrow with 55's. By bottoming out, I was referring to the front shocks making a banging sound on top of the wheel well when going over bumps/rocks, not the vehicle frame hitting anything. Either way, I'm searching eBay for 20" Mercedes GL wheels and will be buying the 275/55 R20 BFGoodrich's soon in hopes of not having to replace the tires from impact failures every time I hit the trail here in AZ. I'll take a pic and post once I have the tires on. Thank s for your response Dennis!














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I am planning to replace my existing tires from 275/50/20 to 275/55/20 since i get better deal with 55.

Please let us know if you see any issues with 275/55/20

Thanks

I did know what you meant by bottoming out - that you were referring to the front shocks. But maybe something else is going on there? Especially since you mentioned you were going through shocks quickly? The top of the air shock doesn't move - it's bolted solid. The control arm moves, though. But, man, I can't imagine that contacting anything unless something is out of whack. Unless there's something internal in the shock that is making that noise, I'd give the whole setup a good goings over, just to be sure. Or... take it a little easier going over larger bumps? ;)

I've seen pics of GL's from other countries with more aggressive tires (Australia rings a bell) where they're doing more trail and off-road stuff on a regular basis. A little "out of the norm", but it brought a whole new look to the vehicle that, I thought anyways, was good looking. Google? Some tire websites allow you to pick your car and then show it with different tires - a little cartooning usually, but it's a start.

I hear what you're saying about lower PSI and worrying about the rims. But definitely air down - it will absolutely help. Full pressure makes it way to easy to damage a tire on a sharp edge/rock. Experiment a little - try about 10 - 15 lbs to start with - you can do it in a controlled area (around home) and see what it feels like - crawl over a curb, for example. If you go slower over the big bumps there shouldn't be any problem... the key is, again, go slow.

Just a thought here... maybe you would do best to have two sets of rims & tires? Find the smallest rim that will clear the brakes and stuff, and then you can go with a higher sidewall tire and you can be as aggressive as you want with the tread.

I'd love to see how this thread develops and more pics of Oz GLs with knobby tires - nothing much found on the internets.
I've got the stock 18" wheels with many options in real off road capable tires and am planning to change my goodyear wranglers out with something even more knobbier once they wear out.
Options are very limited in 19 and 20 sizes.