Topic: New Tires...

[Plekto]

I need to replace a pair of tires because one of my BFG MTs died.  The rest have about half tread but I'm not really happy with them.  They are fine but no good in rain and mud and actual wet conditions.  We don't get rain in California much, but when we do, the tires are not good at all.  I was going to replace them this fall, but we had rain last week and I nearly slid into someone in traffic.      

*Big important notice*
The truck is mostly a DD and isn't lifted.  Not SAS yet, either. (yeah I know -  ) That means 235/75/15 or 30s most likely.  I drive about 15K a year on my tires, so bias-ply are out as well unless they really do get 45-60K per set.  The previous tire's sidewall got nuked from brushing a curb, so tougher sidewalls or at least not paper thin are a plus.

Any suggestions?  I don't see many radial MTs with sipes in the tread or that are good in the wet/snow/etc.  I was thinking of just getting the BFG KM2s but they are about the most expensive option of all.  Just way out of my budget at ~$160 a tire.

[bigarms23]

mickey thompson mtzs or baja claws

[Plekto [OP]]

Pricey and only come in 31s.  The MTZs do look nice, though. 

[emsvitil]

What size are your rims?

On my 86, I replaced my stock 225/75 15s on the stock 15x7 aluminum rim with BFG ATs 31x10.50s..

[Plekto [OP]]

They are 15X7 aluminums.  The BFG MTs bead barely fits on them though, and that's a 235/75-15.  (little tire wights are wedged in and hanging on for their life - heh)  I'm also worried about making the thing slower than it already is in traffic.  Maybe a 31 would work... but def no bigger. 

[emsvitil]

I don't have any problems with the 31s.    2 1/4" exhaust after cat with super turbo muffler.   Universal 2 1/4" cat replacing crapped out stock cat.  22RE, stock 4.10 axle........

And I did change the speedo gear to compensate for the larger diameter

[Plekto [OP]]

how hard is that to do?

[emsvitil]

how hard is that to do?

Do what?

[Stocker]

^^  change the speedo gear to compensate for the larger diameter

[emsvitil]

^^  change the speedo gear to compensate for the larger diameter

Well there was the speedo gear, the 2 1/4" exhaust, the super turbo muffler, the universal cat.........

The speedo gear is easy.   

Remove cable, remove retaining bolt, pull assembly out.   
Remove clip, remove gear, replace gear, reassemble.........

Finding the speedo gear is the tricky part.............

[Snowtoy]

Some BFG AT's will do what you are looking for.  That is all I run on my DD/expedition rig.  They have great handling in rain/snow and ice, and work well enough as an off-road tire.  My Sister and her Husband had 30's on their Runner and when aired down to about 5psi they were able to wheel in the snow w/o much problems.

My last set of BFG AT's lasted nearly 75k, before I put new ones on.  The old ones still had about 10k of street life left in them, but they were no longer good for the trail.

[Plekto [OP]]

I've tried BFG Ats, but they are very so-so in the snow and sand.  I live in So Cal and go up into the mountains above where I live all the time - so there's ice and snow in the winter on the roads and dirt and rocks.  I like the MTs a lot but they aren't good when it gets wet(or ice or snow) because they have no sipes.

Okay - here's some data - I crawled under my truck and checked the actual rims from the back side, as they are ~10-15 year old aluminum after market rims they say 15x7.  So I can fit 31s on it though they'll be a bit tight.  That opens up a lot of options, then.

Here are the three that I'm thinking about - and feedback would be great, because I only know about one of these myself.

Stock tires were 225/75/15 - Goodyear Wrangler RT/S (or the equivalent)  28.3 inches diameter.  713 revs/mile.  My BFG MTs are 29.1 diameter(slightly oversize for their marked size when new) or 1.8mph off at 66mph. No biggie.  30X10.5x15 are 3.2mph/5% off - no biggie, either.  I can live with 3-5mph off. (31s max max max)

Note - I looked at the SSR Super Swamper Radial TSL.  But they all won't fit a 7 inch rim according to their site...

#1 - BFG MT MK2 - Only because these are kind of the "default" choice here.  they seem to do everything well enough and nothing really terrible.  Pricey, though, as about $180 a tire is about as cheap as they come.  I originally wanted to look at other tires because these seemed to be overpriced considering Swampers in 30-31 generally run that much.

#2 - Mickey Thompson MTZ.  These seem to be getting favorable reviews. (8.5 at offroaders.com) the other tires they make would be more attractive to me, but this exact tire seems to be the only 31 incher they even make.

#3 - Green Diamond MT - 31X10.5/15 - The science behind the rubber compound is interesting - and people seem to love how they work in rain and show.  Cheaper than the KM2s, no less - go figure.  Appears to be a Yokohama Geolandar copy with an improved compound/not bad in the rain.  Pricey, though.

[jjpcorbe]

i have 31 x 10.5 mickey tompson Mtz and think they are killer tires for a daily driver, they look good, perform well on sand and in the mud, and handle mean on the road, i just recommended them today to a friend and would recommend them to you as well.

[Plekto [OP]]

I've added the 31 inch SSR Super Swamper Radial/TSL to the list.  The Green Diamond(too hard to get, retread), and the BFG(too pricey for average results) are dropped.

So...

Choice 1: SSR Swamper Radals
Choice 2: Mickey Thompson MTZ

Looks very close, actually...

[Stocker]

Between those two, knowing you want something that's good on wet highways....  I'd go with the MTZ.  The SSRs are probably better in mud, but look like they could be treacherous on wet roads -- and may wear more quickly.   

Of course, you can't always tell how a tire will work just by looking at it....