Both the Milestar Patagonia MT and the BF Goodrich KM3 place an emphasis on a “do it all” style of off-road tires, as they’re specifically designed for all kinds of rugged terrains. Though they still deliver smooth enough traction on pavements as well.
Being a tire engineer, I explained here why the Milestar Patagonia MT does a better job when it comes to comfort and wet traction. Whereas the BFG KM3 is the one to opt for in case of fuel economy, noise and dry traction. Moreover, although its only by a margin, it also presents a more appreciable traction off-road.
Review BF Goodrich KM3 in detail.
Table of Contents
Sizes Facts
The Milestar Patagonia MT provides you with 15 to 22 inches rim diameters with following specs:
- Speed ratings: Q on all.
- Load ratings: C to F.
- Weight range: 50 to 88 lbs
- Tread depth: 18 and 19/32″.
- Ratings: No 3PSMF.
- Warranty: None.
(These also include 3 “black labelled” sizes as well, and these include, 37X12.50R17LT, 38X13.50R17LT and 40X13.50R17).
On the other hand, the BF Goodrich KM3, comes with following specs.
- Sizes: 56 (14 to 22″ rims).
- With speed ratings of Q.
- Load Ratings: C to F.
- Weight Range: 37 to 83 lbs.
- They have tread depth of 18/32″.
Note: Both these tires meet the mud-terrain toughness standard, delivering 3 ply polyester casings, with 2 wide steel belts on top
Tread Differences
Starting with Milestar Patagonia MT, the tire makes a pretty unique structure.
Let me discuss the middle pattern on this tire first.
So here you only see a single rib containing U shaped lugs with chamfered edges, and interlocking sipes.
These lugs are structured in a way to provide both directional and lateral grip. With there closed up design (having smaller gaps between them), they are able to provide a consistent rubber to road meet up providing directional traction.
And at the same time as these lugs also wrap up around the shoulders, they provide stability to the tire while cornering.
Moving on to shoulders, these lugs are staggered, have notches at the outer edges, and full depth connecting sipes.
These lugs join on sidewalls providing stability to them (despite having a lot of tread depth), and yes of course, you also get sidewall biters.
On the other side, the BF Goodrich KM3 is a totally different tire.
Let me start form its shoulder lugs first, and then I’ll talk about it’s middle section.
So it’s shoulders are very minimalist. They don’t have any tread features, and only seen with small notches (on every other block).
Though these lugs make widest of all lateral tread voids, and have bold stone ejectors there.
Moreover they also join together towards the sidewalls, and make thick enough sidewall lugs which provide amazing off-road grip with lowered air pressure.
The middle section of the tire looks like part of the shoulder lugs, only divided by longitudinal grooves. This basically allows for lateral evacuation of dirt and mud off-road.
These lugs have thick slits in them, which further adds to off-road bite and their tread voids with triangular stone ejectors further enhance it’s self cleaning capability.
Wet Traction
Wet grip is highly dependent on the tire’s capability to clear off water form it’s tread. And this is done with help of sipes and grooves.
While there’s no deficiency of tread voids on both tires (offering multiple channels for water to escape out), the BF Goodrich KM3 lacks in offering efficient siping.
It’s central lugs have very thick slits in them, which barely qualify as “sipes” (they are actually better optimized for snow), and it’s shoulder lugs are missing with them altogether.
That’s why the Milestar MT shows you with better water wiping abilities on a micro level.
For Your Info: Sipes basically work by sucking water in their slits, so this also further aids traction on Milestar, as the tire comes with a spongier rubber.
Dry Traction
Mud tires really lack on pavements, mostly due to their in-ability to offer ample grip, handling as well as steering sensitivity. Let’s explore all these elements one by one.
Dry Grip
The Milestar Patagonia MT features a better dedicated central rib, where most of the grip is dependent upon.
Actually, this grip has to do with the tire moving straight (that’s why it gets measured with braking distances, and also called directional traction).
During rolling straight, the tire’s weigh focuses a lot more in the middle area of the tread, and with Milestar MT featuring a more closed up lugs there, provides shorter stopping capabilities in comparison.
The BF Goodrich KM3 on the other side, comes with greater tread voids, and it’s lateral orientation of lugs don’t allow the tire to have as much connection with the ground, relatively.
Though things are slightly different in the handling department.
Lateral Traction
Lateral performance has two parts, sideways grip and steering response. And in this case, the BF Goodrich KM3 is up for the win.
The tire comes with a lighter construction, and it’s laterally arranged lugs account for better weight distribution when the tire turns.
The Milestar M/T on the other side, features a relatively softer tread compound, and has more tread depth. Both of these features basically enforces its tread blocks to bend (slightly) more, which causes a delay between steering input and the tire’s feedback, resulting slower handling times.
Though since the difference is low, both tires have similar speed ratings on Q (on all sizes).
Fuel Consumption
Out of the two tires, the BF Goodrich KM3 performs relatively better in terms of fuel efficiency, with it’s slightly lighter structure and stable lugs formation.
It’s dual tread compound, supply reinforced foundations to the blocks, and so they are less susceptible to bending/flexing overall with the weight pressure.
The Milestar M/T on the other hand, wastes more energy, with as it’s tread blocks carry more pressure on them. And this combined with its relatively softer tread compound, you get greater rolling resistance values.
Comfort Differences
Although its weird using comfort and mud terrain tires in a same sentence, relatively speaking, one does offer slightly better results than the other.
The good thing about Milestar Patagonia MT is that, its very spongy, meaning bumps get easily soaked in it’s tread. And with it’s comparatively deeper tread voids, it delivers more rubber between you and the roads, dampening down bumps before they reach you.
Though the tire isn’t quieter, comparing both, as its tread render greater in-groove resonance (tread echoing).
Whereas the BFG KM3 does better with its lateral orientation of lugs. These are more streamlined for air particles coming in (they do mostly through the shoulder grooves).
That air basically leaves the other end of the tread without hitting the walls of the tread as much, comparatively.
For Your Info: Best tire for tread noise in M/Ts is Falken Wildpeak M/T (review).
Winter Traction
On snow, traction is majorly calculated by the tire’s ability to stop, maintain control and accelerate. And in case of mud tires, it’s mostly judged on deeper terrains, as they are terrible on packed up snow and ice.
That’s why both tires even without 3 peak mountain snowflake ratings do okay there. And I have rated them both equally.
The BF Goodrich KM3 features a more efficient siping. With their full depth structure, they split open the tread blocks to provide chewing on snow.
Whereas the softer tread compound of Milestar offers superior thermal adaptability, meaning with freezing temperatures, it’s biters don’t go too stiff.
Traction Off-Road
Off road is where these tires shine. But there are a lot of terrains here to consider. So lets talk about them all.
Sand
Sand is pretty challenging, especially when it comes to mud tires, that’s because on this terrain, digging is your worst enemy, and these tires are very heavy.
But out of both, the BF Goodrich KM3 is less susceptible of sinking, still.
With laterally arranged lugs, the tire offers paddling on this terrain, which allows it to move forward much more easily, instead of digging. And it’s bigger sidewall lugs spread out (with lowered air pressure), and supply you with greater contact patch meet up with the sand.
The Milestar Patagonia MT on the other hand, is more biting towards the edges, so keeping this tire floating, is slightly more challenging in comparison.
Muddy Terrains
Mud is the most challenging of all, that’s why these tires are named after it. With other less aggressive off-road options, you can’t have as much self cleaning efficiency, nor paddling abilities as you do with mud-terrain tires.
That’s why both of these tires do great here. Though, out of them, you still get a relatively better traction on BF Goodrich KM3.
The tire actually offers slightly greater mud evacuation capabilities, and it’s lateral tread voids deliver better paddling along with that as well.
The Milestar Patagonia MT on the other side lacks mainly with it’s closed up central rib, not allowing as much to leave out sideways.
On Rocks
On this terrain, again it was a hard decision to make, but after testing both, in the end, me and my team picked out BFG KM3.
I mean, the Milestar M/T is a good tire for gripping on rocks, no doubt, it’s interlocking lugs offers a good efficacy overall, but still you are going to see a better climbing capability on its counterpart.
BF Goodrich KM3 basically sticks better, it’s although heavier, it’s lugs are more haphazardly placed and they grip in all directions. Moreover, these lugs are infused with lateral and longitudinal siping slits, and they further enhance that biting efficacy.
The tire also features thicker sidewall lugs with deep biters in them, and they supply with superior grabbing abilities with lowered air pressure.
On the other hand, although Milestar Patagonia MT offer decent grip form its sidewall lugs too, it’s packed up central blocks don’t offer as much bite.
To Summarize
Although I don’t recommend missing out any of the above, let me still conclude for folks who are in a hurry.
The BFG KM3 is a better tire when it comes to fuel, noise, dry traction, and off-road on mud, sand and even rocks.
Whereas on it’s counterpart, the Milestar M/T, you’d get a relatively better comfort and wet grip.
