Observations on tires for those askings ?s

[SCSL]

I cut/pasted my post from another board b/c I know there are always folks asking about off-road tire choices. My observations, for what they're worth:

"8-ply,,,10-ply,,,2-ply,,,3-ply,,,sidewalls. Mostly nonsense & manufacturer hype. How thick are the plies? Is a 10 ply sidewall 3 times thicker than a 3-ply? No. My brother has run the same set of X-Terrains thru the Rubicon on week-long trips 3 years in a row and has yet to bust one. That's a 2-ply sidewall. Is it 5 times weaker than the sidewall of a "10-ply" TrXus? Hell no.

As a side note: All I can say about the MT/R [ed: a tire that is vigorously debated on most sites] is that at least 1/3 to 1/2 of Rovers that are actually wheeled hard in CO run these tires,,without complaint. The other 1/3 to 1/2 run BFGs, the rest run a mixture of the other main brands. [ed: same can be said about Moab]. Also, a significant number, if not the majority, of hardcore non-Rover rigs out here run MT/Rs. They are among the best rock/trail tires out there IMHO based on my observation of many rigs on many trails. I don't know if I could say they have the strongest sidewalls out there, but I'm not sure there's a tire with a significantly stronger sidewall. Before the [Easterners] start dropping bombs, I'm admittedly talking trail-runs, not mud-bogs. Though it should be noted that then MT/R has performed very well in several mud "tests" among them, if I'm not mistaken, one conducted by Peterson's.

Finally, all I would say in exhaustively discussing this issue with wheelers (Rover & others), observing performance on the trail, and web-searching feedback, is that something as minor as tread pattern is not going to make the difference between you getting out in one piece & getting stuck. Too many other variables to the traction equation. While different tires may perform differently in extreme terrain variations (ie: mud bog vs. slickrock), the majority wheelers in the majority of trail situations will not, IMO, get significant performance enhancement based on their tire choice among the recognized top brands of off-road performance tires."

So,,, the moral of the story is that unless your Rover is a dedicated trial-rig, tire choice among the main contenders is only one factor, among many others, in determining whether you will get the traction you need. Luck is another factor, particularly as it regards side-wall punctures. Driving ability is a large one. Suspension, diffs, etc are other factors. Speed is a factor on most obstacles. Etc. As you search forums you'll see those who swear by BFGs, and those who hate them. Same goes for MT/Rs, TrXus, ProComp, etc. You will also read opinions that are skewed by sponsorships. Every tire has strengths & weaknesses and your final choice is as good as anyone else's (unless of course you want bias-ply Boggers on your daily driver,,,).

So there it is, all (or most) of my thoughts on tires. My thoughts and advice are worth exactly what you paid for 'em

PS: to our friends in the UK, OZ, SA, & elsewhere,,,if I could get my hands on some reasonably priced Simex tires I would love to see how they compare. All I know is everytime I see pics of dozens of rigs lined up for the outback challenges, they are all running Simex and I'm pretty damn sure they can't all be wrong.

[roverX]

Originally Posted by SCSL

PS: to our friends in the UK, OZ, SA, & elsewhere,,,if I could get my hands on some reasonably priced Simex tires I would love to see how they compare. All I know is everytime I see pics of dozens of rigs lined up for the outback challenges, they are all running Simex and I'm pretty damn sure they can't all be wrong.

Yeeeeeeehaaaaaa baby! Now you're talkin'. If you can get 'em cheap, let me know.


Oh, good post by the way.

[1st rover]

thanks for that great re-post SCSL.. i needed it too...and i hear u bout the Simex.... goooooooooooooood tires....
and here is a link for the ppl that havent heard bout these tires...

[roverX]

Those would look sweet on your rangie.

[Badger1]

SCSL great post, and I definately agree with you about the Simex tires!

[SCSL]

IMO, for general trail duty, you can't go wrong with MT/Rs, BFGs, X-Terrains, TrXus, and most of the other trail tires out there. Again, terrain may determine which is best for you.

BFG ATs are outstanding AT-type tires for rigs that are also taken off-road. But are they that much better than AT/Rs?

No tire is "good" on ice,,,it's simply a matter of how bad it is.

No side wall has enough "plies" if you drive carelessly over roots, lose sticks, or sharp rocks,,,or go bombing into a gumbo mud bog full of misc "tire-seeking projectiles".

Bias-ply tires are for red necks & heepers. Thornbirds are for 16 year olds south of the Mason Dixon riding lifted pick-ups full of empty Copenhagen cans.

Blizzaks & Nokians look plain retarted on anything but LR3s & stock late-model DIIs.

Radial SSRs, TLSs, etc are no good for Rovers,,too heavy & the tires wear too quickly. Look cool. Good traction. But will last 1/2 as long as other radial trail tires on a Disco due to it's weight.

Having said that, each tire has it's partisans. I know guys who busted many TruXus sidewalls & hate 'em. I know others who run 'em full-time including hardcore trail thrashings & have never had a failure. Ditto BFGs,,,Bill Burke says he's never had a sidewall puncture. Other guys say they've blown thru many before moving to MT/Rs & would never go back. Blah Blah Blah

Find a good deal, practice driving off-road! I've found 4wheelparts has the best pricing on TrXus & the skill to balance 'em properly. Good Year franchises have, by far, the best prices I've seen on MT/Rs retail. Tire Rack has best internet price. BFGs vary, shop around.

[bernardmann]

Got this from another site:

Tire fitment guide:

Discovery

235/70-16: Stock tire size.

205/80-16: Stock size in many other countries. same height as 235/70-16.

255/65-16: same height as stock

225/75-16: little taller than stock

245/70-16: little taller and wider than the stock size. reportedly, no need for lift, just minor trimming to fit those tires.

245/75-16: popular size for OME suspension lifted vehicles. require slight trimming on the rear wheel well fender, and may also call for adjustment on the steering bumpstops.

215/85-16: same height as 245/75-16. but narrower. seems to be preferred for the snow and mud.

265/70-16: about as tall as 245/75-16, but wider. will require more trimming and steering bump stops adjustments along with taller bump stops over the rear axle.

265/75-16: almost 32" tall. Same as stock NAS D90 tires. Will require even more trimming.

235/85-16: same height as 265/75-16 but narrower. And seems to be the most popular size with OME lift.

255/85-16: about 33" tall...very few people have fitted this size. Lots of butchering for this one.

285/75-16: about 33" also... but very very wide.



Discovery Series II

255/65-16: Stock tire size.

255/70-16: Just a bit taller than stock.

265/75-16: Taller and wider than stock, possible to fit without lift. minor rubbing. Looks real balanced with mild OME lift.

285/75-16: even taller than 265/75-16, r requires a bit more lift than the regular OME lift. some have fitted OME751 from Discovery series I, and changed SLS sensor in the rear to achieve almost 3 inches. Gearing and shaft strenght become issues.

255/85-16: a bit taller than 285/75-15 but narrower. Gearing and shaft strenght become issues.

[Funrover]

Thanks for all the tire info.... I am gonna try some inerco 33x10.50... I really like the MT/R but I found a great price so.......... we'll see

[Discrover]

I have always ran BFG AT's on any of my 4x4 trucks that I would also use on the street..accept for some crazy ass reason when I replaced my Rover tires the last time I bought Goodyear SUV's 265-70-16's street tires because I do a lot of driving around Dallas and I was tired of the tire hum...as soon as the Goodyears go I will be back to the BFG AT's they are just my favorite all around tire. I really like the looks of the Interco Trxus, but I think I am going to go back with the BFG AT's....I have drove those tires all over the United States...and only ever had one blowout.