Big O X/T:
Not a compromise! by
Keith Daly
It was becoming
evident that I was going to have to replace the tires on my '82 Toyota.
I had been running Yokohama's Mud Diggers, in a 33x12.5x15, for nearly
3 years. They were a fantastic tire, and I would have bought them again,
if they were still available.
Ok, so now
what??
Research:
 Posting
inquiries on many different online forums, including Island4x4.com and
www.bc4x4.com, gave me a bit of direction.
The most popular for hard-core ruggedness was the Interco Swamper. For
me, these wouldn't do. Expensive, and poor road capabilities can't be
in a student's vocabulary. Next in line was the BFG M/T T/A. I kind of
like to be different, and didn't want to get what everyone else has. The
BFG definitely wins the people's choice award.
Goodyear's
MT/R was my next avenue. Not everyone has them and I've heard they were
a great tire off-road. Jonathan Yim wrote an article for www.bc4x4.com
on the MT/R's and was quite happy with them. I went to my local Fountain
Tire shop to enquire about some prices. At $329 before tax for 33x12.5x15's,
that was totally out of my budget.
 Another
choice that had been recommended to me was the Big O M/T or XT. The show
room model of the XT sold me. The tread design was quite aggressive. Not
quite like your run of the mill M/T, but definitely more M/T than A/T.
These looked like exactly what I wanted. Very LARGE shoulder lugs line
the outer edges, in an "X"-shape, which would give great traction
when aired down. The center lugs are spaced apart to allow for fast self-cleaning
in snow and thick mud. Every lug is pre-designed with 2-4 siping strips
for added traction. The tread depth new is measured at a "chasming"
20/32". In the design, there are also 2 water channels for re-direction
of rain and slush. With snow stud capability, these tires are ready to
go anywhere! Can you believe they come with a WARRANTY! If the tire fails
before reaching a wear limit of 2/32", they'll replace them! How
can ya beat that? With a price tag of $199 Cdn, that's how! (Price on
33x12.5x15)
Test: Street
 Off
the lot, they are very quiet. Town driving has now become very pleasant;
I can actually hear my stereo. Highway travel does give a deep moaning
roar from the XTs, but is very livable. Handling characteristics are great
on the tarmac; I had to perform a serious panic stop from about 60-65Km/h
on slick-wet roads, and held a straight line without ever locking up.
I am currently running them at 28psi on the street, after performing the
"chalk test"
TEST: OFF
ROAD
Traveling
gravel/dirt roads is great on the XT's. At low tire pressures (running
about 15psi), the smaller bumps and rocks are absorbed nicely. In corners,
at moderate speeds, I noticed no tendency for the vehicle to drift, even
on loose gravel.
 Now
for the fun part. Traveling actual trails has proved the XTs very capable.
They do indeed self clean from sloppy mud very well, with minimal tire
spin. On bed rock the tires are glue-like; even on steep incline, wet
rock with wet tires I was unhindered. The XTs conform their shape to most
any surface encountered, without a scary amount of sidewall bulge. This
was at 10psi in front and 8psi in the rear.
There is
one characteristic that I was not too fond of, however. Crawling up creek
beds, with volleyball sized river stones is not a treat. I've found that
it is very tough to keep a true (straight) line; I constantly had to fight
the steering wheel. Comparatively, the Yoko's were able to travel the
exact same trails with little or no effort on my part. Just point them
in the direction I wanted to go, and crawl. I guess it's just something
I'll have to get used to.
Overview:
 For
the hardcore wheeler, these would probably not be the tire of choice:
look for the Interco symbol.
For the rest
of us, there's a hundred and one choices of tire make/model/size out there,
with a few stars that standout from the crowd. If your looking for a great
daily driver tire, that won't be a hindrance on the trail, then have a
look at Big O; you won't be sorry you did.
Editor's
note: Tires bought by Keith Daly, with no discount being offered by the
Big-O franchise that sold him the tires in consideration for this article.
:(
Thanks
Keith for the effort...hope your tires do you well!
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