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More Than Just Rubber & Dirt, Learn BFG’s Long & Successful Story About Blazing Trails For Outdoorsmen & Adventure Seekers
On the back deck of a lodge in Talkeetna, Alaska, I stood amongst automotive industry professionals, professional off-road racers, and social media influencers. Flat brims, hoodies, and general West Coast style were on full display, except for one guy—me. There I stood, humbled to be invited, in head-to-toe Stone Glacier. This wasn’t a typical media trip for me. Instead, I felt completely out of my element.
I was there to drive, not hunt. And as I have learned throughout my life, driving is, well, different for me. This crew could nimbly crawl over rocks, hug the turns, and maintain traction control. I, on the other hand, tend to kick up mud, spin the tires, grind-em-til-I-find-em and, on the rare occasion, roll it. Fish out of water? More like Donald Trump at a Taylor Swift concert.
That was until Harold Phillips (above right), general manager of BFGoodrich Global, said something that caught my ear. “One of our earliest publicity photos from 1903 pictured two outdoorsmen driving off-road, cross country with a dog in a Winton motor carriage,” Phillips said. “And those first tires were actually an effort to diversify from BFG’s first product, fire hoses.”
“Aha,” I said to myself, “I fit in more than I thought.”
BFG’s roots run deep in the outdoors, originally designed to be the toughest tires on the market to get outdoorsmen to their destinations. Now, that’s something I can relate to.
The week consisted of incredibly and meticulously planned events, such as the premier event: test-driving the new, highly capable KO3 tire in Alaska’s roughest backcountry terrain. Other activities included wildlife tours, flyfishing, panning for gold, and even a sight-seeing flight along the Alaska Range, culminating in a landing on a glacier near Denali.
What stuck with me the most was my dinner with Phillips later that week. He is an avid hunter, conservationist, and generally good dude. It was his retirement dinner—a celebration of his 30-plus-year career, but what did he want to talk about? Hunting and fishing, of course. “I can talk tires any time, let’s talk about deer season,” he said.
We swapped deer cam pictures and talked about the grayling he caught earlier in the week. Throughout our conversation, he made me realize that BFG is not only a great tire company but also one that aligns with the values of true outdoorsmen.
I want to share a bit of BFG lore with you so that the next time you’re shopping tires by price, you will remember who has your back.
A Little BFGoodrich History
It might surprise many readers to learn that BFGoodrich will celebrate 155 years in business this year. It was way back in 1870 when Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich founded the first tire factory in North America, setting up shop in Akron, Ohio. Later, his son, Charles Cross Goodrich, established the very first tire research center in the United States. The company quickly began to stand out for the quality of its tires. By 1903, BFGoodrich provided tires for the Winton Touring Car, the first car to cross the North American continent from east to west.
Not content to make quality tires for ground-traversing vehicles, the company soon set its sights on the skies. In 1901, the brand was used in the 47 mph speed record on a Curtiss Aeroplane Corporation plane at the first international air race held in Reims, France. Later, in 1927, BFGoodrich provided the tires for Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis for the first nonstop transatlantic flight in history.
The next nearly 100 years have seen a plethora of other equally impressive accomplishments, including producing the first tubeless tire, the first radial tire, the first run-flat tire, and the world’s first all-terrain tire in 1976. Additionally, when the Space Shuttle Columbia launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of the first human space flight, it was fitted with BFGoodrich tires for that historic mission. After orbiting the Earth 36 times, the shuttle landed safely on the dry lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
BFG’s Outdoors DNA
The fact that BFG has been an outdoorsman-oriented brand from the very start is likely more interesting to Hook & Barrel readers than the company’s history. Many outdoor/travel enthusiasts today are unaware of this aspect. Few people know that important story better than Harold Phillips, mentioned earlier, who recently retired as global general manager of the Goodrich brand.
Having worked with Michelin, a subsidiary of BFGoodrich, for 37 years starting out as a district manager, Phillips served as BFG’s global general manager for the past seven years. Along the way, he has become known as the brand’s unofficial “historian,” and even now retired still loves to talk about the company’s outdoor legacy.
“What makes BFG so cool is if you look at the historical line, we’ve always set ourselves apart by making audacious and bold moves—doing things that others haven’t done,” Phillips said in an exclusive interview with Hook & Barrel. “Like the 1903 cross-country trip. Not only did we have innovation happening in a period of time when long-distance mobility was not really seen as a good option, but we had a great opportunity to talk about the brand and why we were different.”
Since its early years, the company has focused on catering to outdoorsmen and recreational travelers. This can be seen in its decades-long advertisements featuring outdoorsmen and scenes showcasing outdoor adventures.
In fact, according to Phillips, the outdoors is in the DNA of many working for the company.
“On my former team, we kind of all laughed because we all had passions that are outdoor-related, whether hunting, fishing, or some other outdoor activity,” he said. “Everybody on the team lives the lifestyle. That makes us unique too. That’s kind of what permeates a spirit amongst us.”
Since they are avid outdoorsmen and women themselves, the folks at BFG understand that those in the hunting community are very focused on their vehicles.
“Everybody wants to make their rig stand out, look cooler than the others, and make sure it’s legit and has the performance they need no matter where they are going,” Phillips said. “The hunting community has always been a strong advocate for the brand.”
Of course, not every outdoor activity involves hunting and fishing. BFG’s relationship with off-road racing has enabled the company to build a fantastic community and design some of its best tires.
“Our goal now in the offroad racing side, our perfect race is no flats,” Phillips said. “Can we get through the race with no flats? That’s what makes the difference.
“The other thing about offroad racing is it has really been our R&D think tank, the place where we have always tested new technology because we knew the races were extremely tough on tires. Every new idea we tried, we tested it in the desert. That’s been a cool relationship for us and gives us an authentic legitimacy for everything we do.”
BFG Partnerships In The Great Outdoors
In recent years, BFG has continued to partner with and meet the needs of many segments of the outdoor community. In 2021, BFG launched its Trails and Tails initiative, a campaign focused on pet safety on outdoor road trips.
Additionally, the company provides not only tires for racers but also pit crew support for all racers, whether they’re driving on BFGs or a competitor’s tires. On race day, the BFG crew helps drivers get out of binds, welding chassis, and fixing other broken parts.
The company also has a very useful trail app—BFGoodrich OnTrail—with maps of thousands of trails that users can download for free. On the app, the company also shares offroad driving tips and techniques.
BFG also partners with several organizations dedicated to ensuring the future of the outdoor and trail lifestyle. One of those organizations, Tread Lightly, leads a national initiative to promote the responsible use of motorized vehicles when recreating outdoors. The group’s goal is to balance the need for adventure among off-road and off-highway vehicle users and the need to conserve the places where they ride and explore.
Another such organization is the Ladies Offroad Network. This group is dedicated to supporting all off-road women by guiding, educating, and motivating them to achieve their goals. The company is also passionate about helping America’s veterans. It partners with Warfighter Made, an organization on which Phillips is a member of the board of directors. The group is committed to improving the mental health of military service members, veterans, and their families through recreational therapy, camaraderie therapy, S.T.E.M. educational youth programs, and family-oriented events that promote connection and healing. Of course, off-road adventuring plays a big part in that mental health effort.
Down The Road For BFG
To folks at BFGoodrich, catering to outdoorsmen comes naturally. And, of course, the different kinds of outdoor activities all need different kinds of vehicles. And that means tires for every purpose.
“We’ve started having this conversation with our consumers: ‘What are you building for?’” Phillips said. “It ended up being one of our taglines. Every single rig has a different application. Your rig is an extension of your personality and what you do. Whether building a truck to haul a big trailer or just one to haul the UTVs and kids to the hunting cabin, the energy is absolutely contagious. You’ll not meet a bunch of more passionate people about what they do.”
In the end, BFG’s future looks bright within the outdoor, racing, and adventure travel communities.
“As outdoor lovers, we’re super engaged with our vehicles because we put them to use getting where you want to hunt or fish, or bringing an elk out of the woods,” Phillips said. “That community expects high quality and durability, so whatever tire we make has to optimize their vehicle.
“Those demands, while they may be a little less than a racing team, are also quite challenging in the sense that if you’re out in the middle of Montana on an elk hunt, you certainly don’t want a flat. I think those people who understand performance will continue to align with us.”
Here’s a parting thought to H&B readers. Before your next on- or off-road adventure, consider upping your travel game while riding on BFG tires. BFGoodrich is a company that has your back and wants nothing but good and safe times for you on the road and in the backcountry ahead.
Hot Off The Line: The New BFG All-Terrain T/A KO3 Tires
BFGoodrich Tires invented and revolutionized the all-terrain tire. The revolution continues with the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire.
Building on the outstanding performance of the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire, BFGoodrich developed the KO3 tire to satisfy the evolving needs of off-road consumers by incorporating the latest tire technologies into a tire that delivers even stronger performance and benefits than the KO2 tire.
“BFGoodrich Tires’ legendary toughness has been made tougher with the creation of the All-Terrain KO3 tire,” said Harold Phillips, recently retired BFGoodrich global general manager. “We’ve done a lot of racing and research in the 10 years since we launched the KO2 tire, so a decade of data, feedback, technology, and experience went into the development of the KO3 tire. We are our own competition, and we knew it was time to take the all-terrain tire to another level. It will be exciting to see what consumers will do—at work and at play—with the KO3 tire.”
BFGoodrich will introduce more than 100 sizes over 24 months, starting with 13 sizes that became available in May 2024. The phased launch continued with 17 additional sizes in August 2024 and five more sizes in October. An additional 52 sizes arrive in 2025 and 19 sizes in 2026.
The All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire has improved wear performance, improved gravel road durability, and improved snow traction while maintaining the sidewall toughness and soft-soil traction of the KO2 tire.
Treadwear: BFGoodrich engineered the All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire with a new tread pattern and all-terrain tread compound designed to provide durability and longevity, even on gravel. The KO3 sports an optimized footprint and full-depth 3D locking sipes designed for even wear over the long haul.
Toughness: CoreGard Technology gives the KO3 tire excellent sidewall toughness, which earned it the Baja Champion badge. The Advanced Deflection Design helps prevent objects from snagging and splitting the sidewall.
Traction: Even in the worst conditions, the All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire is made to grip. The serrated shoulder design and Mud-Phobic Bars improve upon the KO2 tire’s outstanding mud and snow traction, helping it earn the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake severe-snow rating.
The All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire carries a 50,000-mile warranty and a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. For more information or to find your size, visit bfgoodrichtires.com or your local BFGoodrich dealer.
Fantastic First! First Automobile Drives Across The United States—On BFGoodrich Tires
In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson, a 31-year-old doctor from Vermont, accepted a $50 bet to drive an automobile, aka a “horseless carriage,” (something at that time that was viewed as a passing fad or unreliable gimmick) from San Francisco to New York City in under 90 days—a feat never before accomplished. Despite not owning a car, Jackson enlisted mechanic Sewall K. Crocker and purchased a used 1903 Winton touring car. The vehicle featured a two-cylinder, 20-horsepower engine, chain drive, right-side steering, and BFGoodrich pneumatic tires.
Jackson and Crocker embarked on their journey on May 23, 1903, navigating a route that added over 1,000 miles to avoid the Nevada desert. They faced numerous challenges, including unpaved roads, mountainous terrain, and frequent mechanical issues. Their BFG tires endured the harsh conditions demonstrating remarkable durability. Along the way, they adopted a bulldog named Bud, who became their travel companion.
After 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes, they arrived in New York City on July 26, 1903, completing the first successful cross-country automobile trip. Jackson spent approximately $8,000 of his own money and used 800 gallons of gasoline but never collected the $50 bet.
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